Selling a House

Have you ever tried to sell a house while living in it with two kids? Talk about a ride. I would highly not recommend.

There’s no way to say this other than it’s straight up shit

house. I knew it would just add another element to the challenge of leaving. Packing boxes while the girls have been around has been a deadest battle of negotiations. They say a parent has the job of about ten people and I have to agree. Negotiator, counsellor, conflict resolution, customer service, chef….what else have I missed?

Over the years I’ve tried to live more of a minimalistic life. I remember watching a documentary called Minimalism and thought I want to be like that, but then I had kids and that went out the window. I didn’t think I had that much ‘stuff’ – until I started to pack up a house and wonder how I got myself into that predicament. Feelings of anxiety of not wanting to throw things away but then doing it and immediately forgetting what you had thrown. Getting the house sorted has been one step forward and two steps back.

In amongst cubby houses made of moving boxes, a slime distribution centre and a two year old I am well on my way to having the house packed. It’s been a really good time to suss out what we need and what shit we have accumulated over time. Like the utensil drawer for example – I literally use about six standard items that generally sit on the top of the pile and that thing is at least three rows deep.

Next step – marketplace. Well I feel like this deserves its own blog. Holy hell. What I’ve noticed is most marketplace lurkers come out at night, the amount of scammers on that thing is insane. Most people are ‘out of town’, they need a family member to pick something up and of course they want to pay with Pay ID. Their names are either Giorgio, Giuliano or some other suss name like Gary. It’s been a full time job in itself and I can’t wait to see the end of it. Although I am feeling like a full hustling thrifty gangster.

Throw in a ‘quick’ bathroom renovation, new floorboards, some painting, hours worth of gardening and we’ll be ready for styling and listing by the end of March.

After three massive days of gardening, cleaning and styling, the house has been styled by my good friend Tam. She owns a couple of styling businesses in the NT (Two of Us and Styling NT) and she did an incredible job of styling our wedding last year so it was a no brainer for me. She is picky as fuck and meticulous in her vision and I just absolutely love her. Add in our best mate Dan Harris as the real estate agent and we should have a solid sale price (here’s hoping anyway!).

When I started drafting this blog post I was sitting in my half painted house, with the paint fumes circulating through the air con, zero doors, no bathroom and timber everywhere. The girls were tucked away in their not so clean beds and there was plaster and paint splotches all over the floor. We were in the brunt of using our only bathroom downstairs which meant all night dashes up and down the stairs when anyone needed the toilet and dinners were generally what I could find in the fridge. It was all part of the process.

Which brings me to now. As I sit in my incredible coastal designed house, admiring how great she looks I have fleeting moments of ‘holy shit it’s happening’. Photos have been taken, videos have been created and our house is listed for sale tomorrow. Thankfully we have a few days in it before we move to a friends to housesit for the school holidays. A styled home ain’t no place for two boisterous girls and an extremely excited staffy.

There is still a long road to go, we actually have to sell the house and then finish packing and find somewhere else to stay while all that happens. I am still working and running the clinic and making sure the girls are at their extra activities. Maybe a thought of our interim living will have to wait for another day.

The feeling of letting go of a bit of control is great, it’s something I have struggled with forever and I think it is preparing me a little for what’s to come. So today I will take it slow, be thankful that my body has showed up for me every single day in this process and enjoy my epic house for the last few weeks we have in it.