JULIE GARDNER
  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS

Scones or Sconces?

8/26/2022

0 Comments

 
“A bit of shopping, flower market, sconces & tea!“ Jill’s cheerful text message said, after landing safely in London to visit her elder daughter, Anna. (I’m certain she meant scones - not sconces.)

Since hiring Jill, nearly. a decade ago, 
she’s become so valuable in her role as “project liaison,” that we’d truthfully be lost without her. Jill expertly mans (womans) the ship and coordinates 1001 moving parts with expert precision.

But no wonder the typo, Jill manages half a dozen projects simultaneously . . . 
and orders hundreds of lights throughout the year (sconces playing a big part of those orders). Consequently, leaving work behind, even when you're on another continent, can be tough to do. (Real estate is a demanding mistress.) 

Along with specifying lighting, counters, tiles, wallpaper, etc., she's organizing ALL of the vendors, inspectors, and marketing professionals as the properties evolve from “lived-in” to “transformed.“ It’s not a reach to say Jill probably dreams of lights (and where they are in transit), along with paint swatches, plant varieties, garden accessories, etc. . . . But while she's on vacation, I'll be stepping back into the role I gratefully relinquished years ago (and missing her all the more for it).

Managing multiple projects (and multiple personalities) is no simple feat, mind you. Despite our coordinated cadence, carefully constructed calendars, and cautionary tales, a physical move often takes Home Sellers much longer than they realize or have budgeted the time to accomplish. (Hint, start with your drawers and closets; don’t leave them until the last minute.)

Once clear, we bring in the hauler 
who, invariably, loads his truck with out-of-date paint cans, chemicals, excess building materials, rotting boards, old doors and windows, and broken toys that the Sellers overlooked, forgot, or abandoned in their storage rooms, garage, attic, yard, basement, or under the house. (We got this.)

With a clear runway, the painters can now begin their tasks, 
which can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the size of the project and whether they are tackling both interior and exterior surfaces.

After that, it's on to floors and carpets. Add on another week . . . 


After painting,
 refinishing, repairs, and renovations, the entire house needs to be cleaned, the windows washed, new lighting installed, smoke and CO detectors plugged in, and then the stagers arrive . . . .

While the stagers create the magic inside, we’re making sure the outside gardens fare just as well.
 That’s often when Jill and I grab the truck and head out to the commercial nursery to load up plants while Sarah and Kate tackle last minute runs to Home Depot.

Once every new shrub is in place, the pots have been potted, 
the welcome mats have gone down, and fresh flowers appear, the photographers arrive to shoot and measure the house for marketing.

Enter 
Tate and Anna who create our ads to ensure the house is fully exposed in print and social media - locally, regionally, and internationally.

In other words, it takes a village, as well 
as the efforts of many talented individuals to bring a house to market in good working order and camera ready. Our small village happens to be run by Jill. 

Who runs Jill?
 For better or worse, Sarah and I do (I speak for us both when I say, "ta-ta for now." Enjoy the trip but don’t stay away too long.) because ultimately we're the ones responsible for every decision and every outcome.

Finally, it’s not lost on any of us how difficult it is for Sellers to let go, to trust the journey, and to move into faith . . . .
 it’s a GIGANTIC ask under the best of circumstances (and moving is many things but it isn’t THAT)! So here's a preemptive “thank you” for what lies a head; for your patience, for your understanding, for the checks you'll be required to write, and for your willingness. Chip, chip cheerio! (I bet no one is England actually says that.)

Just know that while you’re more than likely, cursing the process, 
we’ve sold hundreds of homes, and our goal is to get you and your property across the finish line as painlessly as possible. In other words, this isn't our first trip across the pond. (See how I did that?), thus the prodding, the pushing and the pulling (and sometimes, the difference of opinions).

BTW, if you are wondering whether or not it still makes sense to spend the money to prep your house given that the return is likely to be less than it might have been a year ago, the short answer is “yes, it does.” Although you may not see 4 X on your investment, you are far more likely to SELL the house and that’s the intended goal, yes? (Yes.)

In a marketplace that’s currently shifting, softening, correcting, and "enhancing"
 (semantics to be sure), creating the "emotional hook" Buyers need to experience before they will tentatively plunk down their hard-earned dollars is going to be more important AND more VALUABLE than ever (sales year-over- year are down 16%).

​And on that proper tidbit of advice, scones
 anyone? The Brits certainly got it right with clotted cream and jam. Yum. 

How can we help you?
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Author

    Julie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Design
    Drought
    Holiday
    Home Maintenance
    Homes For Sale
    Life
    Market
    Politics
    Renovation

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Piedmont · Oakland · Berkeley
 510.326.0840
[email protected]
DRE# 01431765
​COMPASS

  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS