Let the Moonlight shine

This blog is about letting go while letting some light into the process.  I returned to my parents condo in Florida last week after completion of the estate sale. The place was empty albeit a few items left to ship north. My original intent was for this to be my last visit, to meet with the realtors, sign, list and just let it go.  

I was shocked to see the bare bone walls and the condition of the carpeting once empty. It became apparent that the place needed major cosmetic work before being put on the market. At first I was extremely stressed and upset at this prospect and thought we would list it "as is". But after further examination I saw that the estate sale company had pulled bookshelves nailed to the walls out of the studs instead of unscrewing them and there were 3 major holes in the wall. The wall in one bedroom needed to be re-plastered in 3 places. In addition, the carpet condition had many dark stains and areas that had been cut around the bookcases. It looked deplorable and would be embarrassing to show it "as is". The condo was built in the mid 80s and had original fixtures and appliances (all in working order).  

If cosmetic work was done the age of the appliances and fixtures would be less of a concern. However, coupled with the condition of the carpeting and the walls, at this point it would really only appeal to the bottom end of the market. The price after fixing it up would potentially command a price in the low $100s but without any work it was suggested that it should be listed in the high $70s. We would only attract those interested in a fixer upper.

After thinking it over, my brother and I, agreed that in the long run it was better to fix up the condo and make it the best we could at a reasonable cost before putting it on the market. I spent a few days lining up a painter and carpeter knowing this work ultimately required another trip down to Florida. As luck would have it my realtor helped me find a few great contractors and I arranged to have them work the following week.  

It became obvious that it was well worth sprucing things up ourselves. Particularly because the condo is empty it needed to appear to be in move in condition.  Ideally the condo would appeal to a retired couple or an investor who may want to rent it out.   After leaving the condo and heading to the hotel, I thought to myself I should make this opportunity a positive.

Because we had sold all the furniture I needed to stay in a hotel and I ended up staying at a nearby spa. This ended up being one of the best choices. The Spa had a health club, Jacuzzi, very good restaurant and nice amenities. In the end I decided to take the opportunity to make this a positive. I realized I have to come back one more time to oversee the work and booked another stay at the spa.  My last night on this trip was Oscar Night and thus inspired me to tie the theme into this blog.

One week later, the condo looks great and is now in move in condition!!! I spent a few days at the spa and was able to relax and gain confidence that the decision to fix up the condo before listing it was the right move. By turning what originally seemed like a negative to a positive reminded me of the movie Moonlight. As in the Academy Awards when there was a weird twist of events when La La Land was originally announced as the winner and then it was declared Moonlight actually won, I felt that originally the condo had very dark prospects but now that we let some light in and fixed it up it now deserved to be well prepared to attract Moonlight and hopefully a great buyer.

Wendy recently joined Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has been a realtor for over 8 years and knowing the area quite well can share a hands on local perspective.  She has also recently earned the SRES  designation and looks forward to helping other baby boomers as they approach their next transitions.  Feel free to contact her directly or click here http://www.wendybcb.com if you would like to learn more.