Post date: Nov 3, 2015 3:48:30 AM
Half of building a new house is relieving myself of the old house. I have a 1916 Craftsman house in Seattle. Great neighborhood. Close to many urban amenities (walking score of 84). Bustling economy. Good bus transport to jobs. Twice the size of the new house (almost exactly).
So my first thought was to rent the house out. I contacted a rental agent, as well as a couple of real estate sales agents. The rental agent was pleasant enough, but not particularly professional. Her contract contained two clauses that are inconsistent and one clause that absolves her of liability in case of everything except fraud. That part scares me, even though it probably pleases her lawyer. I have asked her for three references, whom I will contact.
The sales agents were extremely professional. They presented a pitch specifically tailored to my house at this time. Very thorough analysis of the market over the past three years. They concentrate on my neighborhood and live here. Checking online, they have sold more houses in this neighborhood than other realtors. They knew the particulars of every house sold in my area. They presented a good rationale for their pricing strategy, with numbers to back it up.
Now I still have to deal with moving. I had contacted two moving companies. One has not answered four phone calls, so I am finally giving up on them. The other came to visit today and has given me an estimate. I wanted to move rather quickly, but he found a hole in his schedule. It means packing on Saturday for overtime pay, but we can load the truck on Monday.
Meanwhile, I have contacted two roofers and still need to replace the water heater (as a preventive measure). I also have some goods I can give to my nephews, who have agreed to take them. And there is a lot of little stuff that I can pack, and I have boxes, tissue, newsprint, bubble wrap, tape, and — most important — friends who will help.
That leaves me with furnishings (if I sell the house) of which I need to dispose (not to end a sentence with a preposition). Like a bed, chairs, dining table, desk, buffet, pillows, comforters — a whole raft of stuff that I don’t want to deal with but could be left in the house with a partially furnished rental arrangement.
Stay tuned to see how this all turns out.