Hick gave the Realtor Guy a walk-through of Bargain House on Tuesday. Supposedly Hick had moved all his tools out, but left the furniture there. I'm hoping he actually put the bed together in the front bedroom. I'd rather have everything cleared out, but Hick said he wanted to show how a bed would fit. I think that takes the prospective buyer out of their dream. They want to imagine their own stuff inside a "new" house.
Anyhoo... I've seen worse pictures on listings, with a tenant's clutter and dirty clothes and hoarded treasures and wall hangings with questionable taste. So a couple beds in the bedrooms are not the end of the world. I did suggest that Hick take down the hand towels hanging in the bathrooms, and let the main tub go without a shower curtain, to emphasize its newness. Hick did the Beauty Shop no favors with his choice of a shower curtain.
Speaking of bathrooms, Realtor Guy said he will list it as a 2-bredroom, 2-bathroom house. That these days, nobody calls a bathroom with just a shower a 3/4 bath.
Realtor Guy wants Hick to fix a minor problem with the front porch. He said some bricks are loose, and they will be noticed in the picture of the front of the house. He asked how Hick got away without a handrail on the front porch, and Hick said, "Huh. I don't know. I guess the inspector likes me." Hick says Realtor Guy didn't mention it, but he still wants to put another coat of green paint on the front door. Which matches the roof.
In the cellar, Realtor Guy found a board that shows old termite evidence. Hick gave him a copy of the certificate that Bargain House was treated for termites by a licensed exterminator just a couple months ago. Hick said he did that because he had also seen old evidence on some boards up under the house, but never any signs of active termites. Realtor Guy said that's good, and took the certificate, and told Hick to cover up or get rid of that one board in the cellar.
Realtor Guy liked Bargain House. He asked Hick if he'd done all that work himself, which Hick confirmed. Not slighting Old Buddy. Just emphasizing that a contractor was not needed for the renovation. Just a couple of professionals here and there, like for the ceiling patch-and-match in the kitchen, and digging out and replacing the sewer line. Realtor Guy was impressed, and Hick was VALidated.
Realtor Guy is sending his photographer on Monday or Tuesday. He said he will honor our contract with Realtor, and only take 5% for his commission. He's doing it for all her properties. He mentioned the price Hick had originally mentioned to Realtor when Bargain House was about half done. Realtor Guy said, "That's not enough!" Hick agreed, and added $19,000 to that, for a starting price.
Realtor Guy said he's going to push Bargain House with a certain type of loan that I forget. He told Hick that he might need to put in a vapor barrier under the floor with this kind of loan. Hick said we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. He's not sure how much that would cost, and what type of buyer we might get. In case they don't need that kind of loan.
This is a good time of year to get a house on the market, I think.
That sounds like a very good report from the realtor. Let's get this sale going. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI'm ready to get this ball rolling! People will be getting their tax refunds. And driving around looking at houses with the springtime warm-up. Might want to move after the school year ends in May.
DeleteI have no idea what a vapor barrier is. I prefer to look at houses with furniture in them, that way I can be sure a bed will fit, that the dining room is a decent size if I see a table with six or eight chairs and still enough room around it etc.
ReplyDeleteA vapor barrier is like a sheet of plastic under the flooring, or under the house, to prevent moisture from condensing and causing mold or mildew in the flooring. I don't know the "rules" for when it might be needed. Bargain House is not sitting on a swamp. The flooring was not laid down on top of concrete. So I don't know what would determine whether it needs a vapor barrier. Hick has not used it in other houses he's flipped, and it's never been an issue or even a subject that was discussed.
DeleteI think it's odd that Hick only has a bed and dresser in the bedrooms, and maybe a lamp table in the living room, but no furniture in other rooms. All or nothing would be my preference. Though Hick would use odds and ends that he's gotten from storage units, and not hire a professional staging company like you see on TV flip shows. I don't know anybody around here who does that.
Aha! We call that damp-proofing and the sheets here are black and quite thick. Made to regulations. Many of the older homes were built before the sheets were invented and have rising damp problems and salt damp corrosion too. "no-one" lives in such a house, built around the 1920s and somehow still standing thanks to the landlord's constant fixing and patching.
DeleteIt's good that the landlord takes care of No-One's house. I know that Hick uses the special drywall in the bathrooms due to moisture. I think he calls it blue board. But I don't know that the regular flooring around here needs such a barrier, unless it might be in a basement or on concrete.
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