Hurry up and wait
Living in small footprint while house on market has upsides, says Dee-Anne Wessel.
When I originally pitched the outline for this series about my husband and I downsizing from our Collingwood home, this column was supposed to focus on our move. Up until this point, everything had gone according to plan. We had contacted a realtor who connected us with an amazing team of experts who helped us bump up our curb appeal, paint and make some repairs, declutter, depersonalize, stage and deep clean in preparation for professional photos and video and the eventual listing of our home.
And after much agonizing we had even decided where to move. As difficult as it was going to be to leave this stunning area and our close-knit group of friends (many of whom are now empty nesters with the flexibility to travel for extended periods of time), we were being drawn to the Niagara Region where I grew up, and my mother still resides, close to our oldest daughter who lives in Buffalo and a more convenient location for our youngest to visit.
Our real estate agent Andres Paara introduced us to Barb Sukkau, a sales representative with Royal LePage NRC., Brokerage in St. Catharines who started sending us daily listings of properties in the area.
As we sat on our back deck signing the paperwork with Andres we felt we were well on our way and that all we would have to do was sit back and wait for our home to sell in seven to 10 days. Except we had the unfortunate timing of listing in mid-June just as sales began to stall … and we like others with homes currently on the market have had to exercise patience.
As a result, we have had to do a mind shift and adapt to being prepared for showings and living in a staged house over an extended period of time. So, while the decluttering and staging process had helped us to emotionally let go, we decided it would simplify things if we moved out of the main house and became our own “guests” by settling into our former office/guest/vacation rental suite above our garage — an open area containing a dining table and chairs, bed, loveseat and television with a separate bathroom. By doing so, our house would require less upkeep as we would only be using the kitchen and throwing in the occasional load of laundry.
For showings, the general rule of thumb is 24 hours notice. But you can get same-day requests with only a few hours heads-up. Meaning you are always on call — having to keep on top of things both inside and out, scheduling bigger chores like laundry around showings, being mindful of what you are cooking in terms of lingering odours and putting a pause on entertaining and hosting overnight guests.
And on showing days, having an exit strategy that involves following a quick clean checklist and stowing daily kitchen/ bathroom items like soap, towels, mats and other items out of sight in bins with the end goal of making your occupied house looked unlived in. The additional reality, if you work from home as my husband and I both do, is the disruption that results when a showing occurs on a workday. We have both found this challenging and are grateful to be at a stage in life when we aren't adding small children and/or pets into the mix.
The upside of living in a small footprint with a simplified lifestyle, a lesson that we had previously learned when we transitioned from Erin to Collingwood and lived in an 1,100 square foot condominium with two small kids, one small, and one large dog for 18 months is that one really can get by on less in terms of possessions. We've spent much of the summer outdoors enjoying our backyard — in fact, I've written most of my columns there. We've also put our gas barbecue, various dining and seating areas, hot tub and pool to good use.
Additionally, we've been more motivated to take advantage of local amenities with friends, walking and biking our extensive trail system, relaxing or picnicking at our waterfront parks or walking to our favourite bars and restaurants. So, while my husband and I will be happy to put the always being “house showing ready” part of this experience behind us, it has confirmed our desire to take a “less is more” approach and enjoy the simple pleasures in our new life.