2011 Work Detail - Part II, Duex, Two, Dos

So, you can see from my previous post that me, the Mrs. and my workcrew (a 5 and 3 year old) have our work cur out for us. Whether setting up sound systems, identifying color palettes, or creating new fun vehicles from Legos, the summer is filled with happy reasons to stimulate the economy and bring additional exhaustion to where there is plenty.

But enough about me, let's get back to the house!

First, the outside. Steeped in 1970's greenery, the cape cod style has been well maintained and still presents nicely (the new neighbors haven't run us out yet!).

From here, it's a bit of before and after, so let's take a look inside.
First, the Living Room.


























Clearly, a beautifully maintained interior, resplendent with the best fabrics and decorations money could buy. In 1960. However, seeing it's 2011, it was time for the floral patterns and spectacular wool carpeting to go.


And what lay underneath? Glorious hardwood, that's what;


























Then there's the master bedroom. Each aspect supports a tranquil, rustic Provincial French scene...luxuriating in the French Countryside, working the fields, scamping with domestic animals of French descent.

And the furniture matched perfectly, a slightly distressed look (as if from the time of Marie Antoinette!) with soft light cascading through the sheers, recalling a time of bawdy innocence.

Gone.

You, by now, are clearly picking up a theme of "significant transition". So as to not lull you to sleep here are a few more BEFORE and AFTER photos...



The Boys' Bedroom...





The Dining Room...







Quite a leap forward. From museum quality 1960's to bringing it into the 90's, to all the way into the second decade of the 21st century, we're doing our best to get stuf done to set the tone for the next 20 years of our lives.





We're not done yet, and there's still work to be done, but we are underway in Troy, and couldn't be happier about it.

Now where did I leave that screwdriver...?

2011 Work Detail - Part I

Despite the incredibly wet Spring the Detroit area is experiencing - nothing in comparison to those along with Mississippi - the calendar keeps rolling along, and here we are at the front door to Summer; Memorial Day, 2011. And, with the recent purchase of a new house, having sold ours very quickly this past March, there's only thing a long three-day weekend brings. Home renovation!

But first, a word from our sponsor:

The house we bought was built in 1959, and has been occupied, since its completion by the same family. A family of four, who, very pridefully, took great care in delivering to their neighbors and the community around them, a stylish and well decorated home of traditional flavor. Please enjoy these photos from the Wendover Subdivision Salesperson Literature:



































Did I say 1959? Apologies, readers, these photos were taken in March, 2011. Clearly, as you can see, not much has changed at our new house in many years.

Sadly, after the former owner's husband passed away, and the children grew and moved away, not much changed. And now, in addition to taking possession of the house, we've taken possession of 40+ years of memories, multiple layers of wallpaper and paint, solidified carpet padding and a scent which can only be described as "the only discernable change of season is when the thermostat switch was flipped from "Heat" to "Air Condition".

This was my Memorial Day palette, and as an artist these were my tools.

They may not look like much, but in the hands of a rank amateur, I tell you what, work got done. For after three days, this is the fruit of my labor;














and sets the stage for the transition to contemporary.

Work Detail - Part II (coming soon)
The work in progress, from 1960 to 2011...almost.

Fascinating Capitalism - The Home Version

30 days ago, we put our house on the market. In the Detroit area.

http://u.zillow.com/p1fNHN/

This, people said, was going to try my wife, two boys and myself to the very core. Selling a home in the Detroit market is as challenging as well, say, throwing a rock down Wall Street and not hitting a millionaire. But that is a completely different entry in Fascinating Capitalism.

Oh, don't believe me?

http://bit.ly/hPLlia

http://bit.ly/ge1mQg

Well, the first week was busy. We had people coming and going, sometimes two or three sets of people a day. Exciting, but have you ever tried to clean a house in 20 minutes when buyers and their real estate agent are breathing down your neck? And, your two boys are napping? And, you have to take the dog with you and disappear for an hour at a time?

If there's one thing I've learned it is this. The best stimulus package for America would be to have everyone list their home for sale. Doing so forces you to spend time you'd other wise be spending at home in either a) a coffee shop b) a restaurant with a play area or c) a mall with a play area. Ever go to a), b), or c) and not drop at least $20.00? Yeah, didn't think so.

Well that first week proved to be quite unique, apparently, in the Detroit home market...we received an offer the middle of the second week on the market. We were STUNNED. We picked ourselves up off the floor and realized something. Our house "sold" in the first week. And through skilled negotiations were able to settle on a price which was deemed acceptable to all parties invovled. Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

Lucky? Skilled? Chumps? All three are viable possibilities...but still, we had to pass the Appraisal. If you know anything about selling a house (and who doesn't?) you now know that appraisals are nothing like they used to be. Three years ago. Before the bubble exploded. You listed your house, you got your price and the appraisers pretty much got you there.

Real Estate | New appraisal rules may hurt homebuyers | Seattle Times Newspaper

Today, with banks scrutinizing every loan (!!), it's much more nerve racking. If your house doesn't appraise to the sale price the buyer and seller then enter a second series of negotiations to get to an agreed upon price. The buyer beings some cash...the sellers make some concessions...it's a good time.

So, nerves were at all time high when the real estate agent met the appraiser at the front door. Keeping with the America Stimulus program, I was into my second Big Mac and the boys were tangled in the playplace at some nearby McDonald's. But all for naught! The house "appraised" in line with the agreed upon price.

Have I mentioned we've started to look at house and been able to find nothing that's not a short sale or foreclosure? Did I forget that part? Right.

For the past three years, all residents of the SE Michigan area have heard is that "it's a buyers market". And "there's a glut of houses". And "now's a great time to buy". I guess that true if you're interested in the tired, poor and hungry houses left on the market from 2008. The minute, literally, a decent house comes on the market...GONE. It's like a shark on a baby seal out there. Even in French.

The inspection is next. We have a great house. Had, sorry. The inspector comes in and we go out. The whole lot of us. Two adults, two kids and a dog. For three hours. I think during this time I bought a MacBook Pro, an iPad, two bean bag chairs and a generator which, once we left the mall, we set up in the parking structure for the other two hours we had to kill.

The house passes inspection. We're sold. Closing date looms on the horizon. AND STILL NO NOTHING ON THE MARKET! Our real estate agent puts up a brave face. She's working to find us a house, but her job's almost harder than ours. But, remember, SHE HAS A HOUSE! We do not..."yet", she says. "Your house will come on the market any day now".

So we wait. And receive and review daily feeds from our realtor and Realtor.com to see what's new on the market. A price change here...a new short sale here, or a foreclosure there. Short sale? Foreclosure...these aren't for the faint of heart, or most people, really. the complexity and complications are astounding to these two processes.

Well, it's almost tomorrow now and a new day, filled with hope and anxiety looms. We'll look at our emails, and hope for the best, and maybe our house will be there, and we'll be the ones forcing some other family to go to a) coffee show, b) restaurant with a playplace or c) mall with a play place and do their part for the America Stimulus plan.