WE HAVE LOST OUR EDGE.

Marty and I have bought and sold many homes in the last 43 years. We haved lived in at least 10 places around the country. We have bought and sold 6 houses.  We know how to get ready for the sale.  We know how to run through the house and make it perfect when a Realtor is on the way.  Yes, we know.  But things don't always work out the way we know how to do.

When it gets dark, we pull out stuff that the buyers/Realtors shouldn't see: paper towel racks, waste baskets, soap dishes, shampoo bottles, scatter rugs, pillows and blankets on the easy chairs, hampers, etc.  We wrap up in the blankets, we live as if we still live in this house.  Not a good thing.  We no longer live here, we are caretakers.

This morning I got a call from an agent who missed the Broker's Tour and wanted to come by " in a few minutes".  You can never tell an agent no.  I said come on by.  And then I realized I had a lot to do.  I had so much stuff to put in closets, under shelves, in drawers.  How the hell did so much stuff get out of the closets over night?

I was flying around putting stuff back in the closets, in the pantry, turning on lights, opening drapes.  I wasn't going to make it.  And thank goodness, Marty came home before leaving for a closing in San Francisco.  He walked in the door and I yelled at him, " I need help, agent on the way, take the upstairs!"  Poor Baby did not even get a hello kiss.  He dropped his briefcase, and took off.  We put everything in its hiding place.  And the house looked lovely when the agent arrived.

We learned our lesson.  Tonight when we finished watching TV in the living room, pillows and blankets went back into the closet.  Tomorrow the hamper and other extra things in our bedroom will be in the closet by 9:00.  Kitchen items will be hidden as soon as breakfast is over.  We will be ready.

The hardest part of having the house on the market?  Being up and dressed by 9:00a.m.  I am always up, but I may not be dressed until 11:00 or 12:00.  I see no point in being dressed early and then cleaning house, doing laundry, whatever.  Get the work done, then clean yourself up.  No more.  I will be ready to receive buyers by 9:00. 

I hate having a house on the market.