In the time since I wrote last weekend’s post, we decided to put our house on the market, got it ready to sell, and listed it. It’s been a whirlwind week.
We’d been talking for a while about moving to a smaller community closer to our families, who live a 5-hour drive from Ottawa. We have retiree friends who recently moved to Cobourg and aspects of that lifestyle appealed to us. Our preferred destination was Brighton, close to the beaches at Sandbanks and Presqu’ile National Park. The area has plenty of kayaking, cycling and hiking options, plus easy access to Highway 401 so we can head west to visit family or east to visit friends in Ottawa. It’s also a convenient stop-off point for anyone passing by along the 401 corridor.
This was all supposed to happen at some hypothetical future date, maybe after Nick graduated from university. Then a few houses in our area sold for well over the asking price so we decided to meet with a realtor. Initially we just wanted to get an idea of what our place would be worth, but by the time we met with him we’d decided to go for it and strike while the iron was hot. He said he hasn’t seen a seller’s market like this in Ottawa in the 18 years he’s been a broker. He suggested we get it on the market as soon as possible so we had six days to whip the place into shape.
If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know that Ray was in the midst of a retaining wall construction project and we had several tons of stone piled in our driveway. We hired a few strapping young lads – who we’ve known since they were babies – to haul the stones and fill the gabions. When they finished with that, we rented a bin and they loaded that with rotting wood and other debris.
Friends and neighbours stepped in to help. One tore up the carpet in Nick’s room and put down flooring, a couple of them painted the garage interior. Another took over the waterfall rebuild from Ray, who by that point was too exhausted to think. They popped out to the store for us and did whatever odd jobs needed doing. Nick and his friend rebuilt the railing on the front deck.
My job was to purge, clean and tidy the house from top to bottom and look after Juno (who got spayed during those six days, threw up several times and had to return to the vet for a follow up).
I was also in charge of employee and volunteer retention which mostly involved providing a steady supply of ice cream, pizza, burritos, granola bars, Gatorade, lemonade and watermelon. It was hot and humid most days but the guys didn’t complain and did an amazing job. I was blown away by how much Ray and his crew accomplished in under a week.
Of course by the time we were done, the house and property looked better than it ever had and we’d been reminded of what great friends and neighbours we have here, which made it all the more difficult to see that For Sale sign go up. We’re in no hurry to sell though so if we don’t get the offers the broker predicts we’ll get on offer day, we can take it off the market and wait until a later date. Stay tuned!
Wow what a whirlwind! The market is indeed odd, on May 25 we saw a house we liked on mls, we have been living here for a week and a half now and hand the keys over to our old place in a couple weeks. I wish you all the good real estate fortunes we had. Ottawa’s loss is somewhere else’s gain. Southern Ontario eh, did winter play a role in your decision?
Wow, congratulations on the move. And a milder winter will definitely be a bonus!
A fascinating story of cooperation getting so much done in such a short time, anxiously waiting to hear mire,
All I can say is Holy Moly! What a shock I got, reading this! …..and I’m family! Also, need to add that Cobourg is where we looked at houses to consider buying, before we moved here (and prior to the birth of my little Alice, and then Claire). Good choice, I think. We liked it for all of the same reasons you do!
Wow! That sure is a whirlwind week! Congratulations on your decision and best wishes for the next chapter in your lives (and posts!)
So…I don’t recall approving, “if we don’t get the offers the broker predicts we’ll get on offer day, we can take it off the market and wait until a later date.”
I have already gassed up the car, loaded in wine and chocolate and have the car pointed east for a SHORT two-hour drive to see Juno. Oh, and my sister. And those guys you live with too I guess.
I’ll give you until end of July. Go!
P.S. I know it’s going to be hard to leave those neighbors but you’ll only be a relatively short three-hour drive and they can come visit. Particularly Ha. She can come visit when I’m also visiting just in case she brings baked goods. 😬
Wow – what a quick decision, especially with all the work you were doing. Good luck! When my husband and I decided to take the plunge and move to the country, we thought it would take at least a year to find the perfect place. It took ONE DAY (we saw the listing online on April 1, 2016, viewed it on April 2 and 3, submitted an offer April 3, had it signed back – without changes on April 4). Thus began the rush to get our house in the city prepped for sale. Like you, we had to hire help (to paint window frames, clean up the gardens, etc.) The market in our area at the time was like yours (prices in our neighbourhood were ridiculous!) so we were advised to take our time (the closing on our purchase was 4 months away) so we did quite a bit of the work ourselves (including some thing we probably could have left alone, as the purchasers apparently ripped out the kitchen, bathrooms, and windows and doors anyway). Fortunately, the realtor gave us good advice on the price (a little below what we hoped to get; both offers we received – within 3 days – were above asking and more than we thought we’d get). It was a whirlwind, but maybe that was for the best – we didn’t have much time to think about it. I hope you find your dream property, as we did. All the best.
Absolutely in awe at how quickly you decided and got things ready. We have been considering it for the last ten years as my husband thought about retiring. If we did make the move, it would still take six months to tidy up almost forty years of sprawl. And that is with my culling each spring as we return from Florida. Kudos!
Hi Lynn, Ray, and Nick! Aunty Leona says congratulations on your upcoming move! I am also moving and will send an update in a few weeks through Arliss.