curbside appeal

One of the drawbacks to owning a home is the eventual need to sell it for a reasonably profitable amount of money. Selling a house in the depth of Winter isn't a terrific idea so I sent email to the Real Estate Agent who sold the house to me 6 years ago. If you ever want to know the dirt on your neighbours and the town you live in make friends with a local agent as I found out more in 30 minutes of chatting with Dawn than I have in 6 years.

This morning she came over with the market analysis and what price she thinks will be fair for our house. The house has nearly doubled in price and is supposedly a 'starter' home. I don't know what the average salary is these days in Boston but how does the half million dollar range qualify as a 'starter' home?! The seemingly impervious real estate market appears to be hitting a soft patch as well since the average number of days on the market has increased in the last 2 months so I'll be rather pensive until someone decides that it's the home of their dreams and are willing to purchase it.

Since the market is going a bit soft more stress is being placed on the condition the home is in before listing. Suddenly, every little ding, nick, loose doorknob and anything else out of place comes into sharp focus. The agent also recommended that the exterior be painted to increase the 'curbside appeal'. I guess cat5 cabling throughout the house doesn't do much for said appeal. :)

We've also started boxing up our library and collecting stuff for a garage sale to give the house that 'not quite so lived in' feeling. It makes me tired just thinking of all the stuff that needs to be done much less doing them.

If I survive the next three or so weeks and get everything done in time, all I have left to do is bake a loaf of bread for the open house to give it that 'homey' feeling. The psychological warfare in the act of baking bread or an apple pie is almost admirable if a bit manipulative. I wonder if we could have 2 open house tour groups, one control group and one subject to experiment, to test if those exposed to the scent of baking pies are inexplicably compelled to part with a large sum of money or if they suddenly feel hungry and speed off to the local deli for a sandwich. I'm guessing the latter :)