Follow local house hunters as they experience the highs and lows of buying a home in the intense Vancouver real estate market. Elaine L. is the first to share her search with us. We'll check in with her every couple of weeks to see how it's going.
The condo is listed and staged. Now comes the hard part: living in a home that has to be clean, shiny and spare at all times.
"Having to clean up after myself all the time is making me want to get it over with," says Elaine L. "I want someone to buy it so I can leave"
The condo she and her mom share has now been on the market for just over two weeks. After hauling out everything that wasn't nailed down and getting new flooring installed, she's thrilled at how great the place looks. But it has to be kept that way.
"I gave my dog a haircut!" The dog was the worst culprit in the keep-it-clean campaign. Elaine's mom, Patty, had been spending part of every day vacuuming up the dog hairs that showed up particularly well against the dark wood of the floors-one of the new selling features of the condo.
A canine-cropping took care of that problem. Now it's a matter of always putting things away, dusting and doing the dishes.
All that upkeep is worth it. Their realtor says that it shows really well and he's had favourable comments from people viewing it. Considering there are three other condos for sale in the same building, that's hugely important. Elaine and Patty indulged in a little spying, going to the open house at one of the other condos to check out the competition, and they're satisfied that their efforts have given them the upper hand.
They've even had some serious interest. A mom and daughter came to look at the condo twice, but they rejected it because the mom said that the ensuite bathroom door facing the bed was bad feng shui. Elaine and Patty are also Chinese, and they have a few criteria based on feng shui principles. But not that one.
"The bed can be moved." says Elaine. "We've lived here for four years and haven't had bad luck!"
As her realtor-and every realtor the world over-says: "It's just a matter of finding the right person." There are three showings coming up; three chances to find that right person.
And with all those prospective buyers coming through her home, Elaine's decided not to spend the week constantly keeping everything spotless.
She's going to Vegas instead and got a phone with a U.S. number, so that anything that needs to be handled can be handled from there.
Follow along as Elaine and her mom chronicle their house-hunting adventures.
REW.ca is a local real estate search website for Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
ELAINE L. BIO
. Family size: Two-a single woman and her mother
. Current residence: Owns a condo
. Budget $800,000 to $ 1.1 million
. Desired neighbourhoods: Collingwood, Fraserview, Renfrew,
Renfrew Heights, Killarney . Looking for 2,000 to 2,500 sq. ft. newer detached house with rental suite down, move-in condition.
