The Plan

In January I decided that it was time to get started on getting the house in shape to sell.  My brother, Danny had worked as an electrician’s and plumber’s assistant and my brother, Mike was an airplane mechanic.  I called them to ask for help.  Both of my brothers were just the best when it came to helping me with anything.

I was not helpless.  I come from a long line of DYI people.  I had watched my grandfather, father and uncles with every job they ever did.  My grandfather was a mason and my dad was a “jack of all trades.”  He had to be to live in the house that we grew up in.  He was forever working on a project to remodel some part of the house.  Now, as a widow, I was prepared to learn.

One of the best presents I have ever received in my whole life was a DeWalt power drill from my brother, Michael.  He had an extra one that he could spare and offered to me.  What a precious gift! I am a woman but with my power drill, I was as strong as my brother. I loved it!

I made a plan and started with painting the interior of the house.  I got a plumber to fix an outside spigot that Rick had turned off and we never took the time to fix.  I de-cluttered the house, fixed the garden, made my backyard inviting and then called roofing company to replace the roof.

I had plenty of time before the selling season.  I planned on putting the house on the market in May.  I called the realtor who had sold us our first house and our home in Sterling.  Ann came by and gave me the market analysis and made recommendations.  I had done this before so it wasn’t that difficult to think about doing.

I worked in the mortgage department of a credit union when Rick and I were first married.  I was teaching kindergarten half-time and working in the mortgage department the other half of the day.  It had started as a summer job but they kept me on during the rest of the year.  I had no idea what a mortgage was until I worked there.  I worked on the papers returned to the credit union after the loan closed.  I setup the servicing of the loan in the system and delivered the payoff checks in refinances.  The opportunity was great because it allowed me to see how the lending end of real estate worked.  It was quite handy knowledge to have while buying a house.

A friend offered to keep some of our things in the basement of her house until I moved into a new home.  It was awesome to be able to make our house look roomy by storing it away.  It was a process to prepare for the move.  I had no idea what would be available by the time I was ready to look.  I knew the neighborhood I would look in but I had to sell my house in a “buyer’s market” first.