The act of selling things has never been my forte. Seriously, I am not "salesy". There are certain people (like Steve) who can charm the money right out of a stranger's wallet and into the purchase of any product or service.
Currently we have our house and my car on the market. Hopefully both items will sell themselves, but neither is ideal. Both are older and have flaws…flaws that have come to add character, but I don’t know that a stranger will appreciate them like I do.
As for the house, it’s small, it’s not in the best part of town, and it needs some repairs. What’s it got going for it? A huge fenced in backyard (which is what I will miss more than anything)- a third floor begging to be finished as the master bedroom, beautiful hardwood floors, nice neighbors and good memories of the beginning of the life that Steve and I share together, under one roof. I can rec
all the early days of our courtship (although that makes it sound pretty formal) and sitting in his place thinking “wow, this place could be so much nicer”. It wasn’t long until I had covered the porch in potted flowers and spruced up the garden with lavender and other perennials.
Just a few weeks later, I talked Steve into a “surface makeover”. One Saturday he had to work, but he armed me with his Home Depot card and sent me off to the hardware store to buy paint and other supplies. *Side note, I LOVE hardware stores- the smell, the sights of people full of determination and optimism to undertake projects *
I came back with a half a dozen cans of paint in a few colors, rollers, tape, drop cloths, and all the other essentials.
Assuming as a man Steve knew how to paint, I thought he could just get to the taping and trim without any issue. It was then he confessed he had never really painted. The next month was a LONG laborious month of transforming 6 out of seven rooms from bland dingy off-
white to soothing beige, green, and cream. Eventually, we finished…and Steve got his first lesson in the evils of painting.
Once the walls were bright and baseboards and trim were cleanly anew, I twisted Steve’s arm to go furniture shopping. We are complete shopping opposites. A. He doesn’t like to shop B. He only shops online C. He researches EVERYTHING before making a purchase. I shop on impulse, spend too much, and need to see and feel my overpriced unnecessary items before buying.
Thankfully, Rooms To Go was holding the deal in which they throw in a 48 inch plasma TV with the purchase of any room. This sealed the deal for him. We found a chocolate brown corduroy set with matching TV stand, tables, and lamps (the lamps were heinous- they currently sit in the attic). Neither of us was in love with the set at first, however, it was uber comfy- the couch was nice and over sized and the chair and a half with ottoman screamed for our attention.
Little by little, the house which was in January 2010 a barren bachelor pad had become our little home. It wasn’t perfect- and still isn’t. I would change 45 things about it if I could, but I would never change the time and experiences it gave us together. Remodeling is stressful for any couple, with very few issues we sprung into it together and grew as a couple. Steve saw my obsessive planning, aversion to rest, and nagging come to the surface. I was introduced to his lack of handyman skills (though he has improved over the year) and his need for rest breaks. Somehow, despite our differences in shopping and home projects we accomplished what we set out to do.
We are both looking forward to living somewhere with more closet space, in a safer area, and saving some money from the hefty mortgage we currently have, but I can’t look forward without looking back with fondness at the little home that watched us learn to cohabitate and colored our first year as a couple.
As for the house, it’s small, it’s not in the best part of town, and it needs some repairs. What’s it got going for it? A huge fenced in backyard (which is what I will miss more than anything)- a third floor begging to be finished as the master bedroom, beautiful hardwood floors, nice neighbors and good memories of the beginning of the life that Steve and I share together, under one roof. I can rec
all the early days of our courtship (although that makes it sound pretty formal) and sitting in his place thinking “wow, this place could be so much nicer”. It wasn’t long until I had covered the porch in potted flowers and spruced up the garden with lavender and other perennials.Just a few weeks later, I talked Steve into a “surface makeover”. One Saturday he had to work, but he armed me with his Home Depot card and sent me off to the hardware store to buy paint and other supplies. *Side note, I LOVE hardware stores- the smell, the sights of people full of determination and optimism to undertake projects *
I came back with a half a dozen cans of paint in a few colors, rollers, tape, drop cloths, and all the other essentials.
Assuming as a man Steve knew how to paint, I thought he could just get to the taping and trim without any issue. It was then he confessed he had never really painted. The next month was a LONG laborious month of transforming 6 out of seven rooms from bland dingy off-
white to soothing beige, green, and cream. Eventually, we finished…and Steve got his first lesson in the evils of painting.Once the walls were bright and baseboards and trim were cleanly anew, I twisted Steve’s arm to go furniture shopping. We are complete shopping opposites. A. He doesn’t like to shop B. He only shops online C. He researches EVERYTHING before making a purchase. I shop on impulse, spend too much, and need to see and feel my overpriced unnecessary items before buying.
Thankfully, Rooms To Go was holding the deal in which they throw in a 48 inch plasma TV with the purchase of any room. This sealed the deal for him. We found a chocolate brown corduroy set with matching TV stand, tables, and lamps (the lamps were heinous- they currently sit in the attic). Neither of us was in love with the set at first, however, it was uber comfy- the couch was nice and over sized and the chair and a half with ottoman screamed for our attention.
Little by little, the house which was in January 2010 a barren bachelor pad had become our little home. It wasn’t perfect- and still isn’t. I would change 45 things about it if I could, but I would never change the time and experiences it gave us together. Remodeling is stressful for any couple, with very few issues we sprung into it together and grew as a couple. Steve saw my obsessive planning, aversion to rest, and nagging come to the surface. I was introduced to his lack of handyman skills (though he has improved over the year) and his need for rest breaks. Somehow, despite our differences in shopping and home projects we accomplished what we set out to do.
We are both looking forward to living somewhere with more closet space, in a safer area, and saving some money from the hefty mortgage we currently have, but I can’t look forward without looking back with fondness at the little home that watched us learn to cohabitate and colored our first year as a couple.
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