27.11.08 The past week I have been trying to do my best impersonation of my dear wife – and struggling! Allison turned the big “four-o” earlier this year and to mark the occasion she and her best friend have taken a week off at the Golden Door health spa. Whilst she has been enjoying the rest and quietude, I have been trying to manage the house and transport my three girls to all of their activities – and I am knackered! It’s a bit of a cliché that most men have no idea how hard it is to run a household, and I thought that I was pretty in tune with the day-to-day routine, but I can honestly say that this week has given me a real insight into the challenges of managing a family. Waking up, getting dressed, having breakfast, making lunches, getting to school, collecting from school, bath, cook dinner, eat dinner, homework, teeth, bed! And that doesn’t include any extracurricular activities like ballet, swimming and music! And, I haven’t done any vacuuming, dusting, cleaning or a single load of washing! In amongst all of this “domestic duty”, I’ve also been trying to squeeze in some work and assistance with running this business – look out for the two new properties coming to the market this week and the successful sales from last weekend too! Despite these challenges (and the associated exhaustion!), I have enjoyed some wonderful times with my children both individually and collectively. Whether it be a few minutes playing in the park, a snatched moment whilst getting them ready for bed, or just the simple pleasure of talking about life whilst driving to and from school, kindy and a host of other activities! The startling revelation personally, has been the realisation that I am NOT superman after all! Yes, I think that I have managed (alright, “coped” is probably more accurate!) rather well this week (and I have only put the TV on once for “assistance”!), but it would be remiss of me not to mention the terrific support of my sister and friends who have been able to look after Ella (aged 2) during the day so that I can still work during school hours. So, what’s the upshot of this week? Well, I certainly have a renewed respect for all of the hard work that goes into being a “homemaker”, and the pleasure of being able to spend some more quality time with my three beautiful girls. I’ll certainly be more understanding in the future when I come home from work and find that dinner isn’t on the table with my foot spa pre-warmed! Until next week…. Gerard Baden-Clay
Dress to Impress
20.11.08 SO YOU HAVE DECIDED TO SELL…………..it’s all stations go in preparing your home for sale. But were do we start? What should we do? If we spend money now to enhance our home will we get it back? First impressions always count; potential buyers always have several homes to choose from in the price range they are shopping in, so be sure that when they first pull up at the curb they can’t wait to see more. Have a check list, front and back gardens and then room by room. A new load of pine bark in natural colours will bring back life to the gardens, placing pots in odd numbers such as 3’s or 5’s always gives a sense of balance to an external space, especially for photographic colours. Bamboo screening is a cost effective way of hiding unsightly areas such as hiding garden sheds or to wrap around water tanks and turn them into a decorative curved wall. Inside the home always start by assessing the clutter, store away unnecessary items that crowd a space especially toys in children’s rooms. Provide an easy path for people to walk through when they are inspecting your home. Ensure the furniture layout does not obstruct people when they are walking around especially if you are holding open homes where you can often have 5 or 6 family groups inspecting at the same time. Quite often just re-arranging a lounge suite and open up a room and immediately give more space. Everything in your home should have a place and a purpose. We all live in chaos that is life, but when selling we need to create a little magic as buyers want to buy the dream. Just imagine walking around the project homes at a display centre, builders spend unbelievable amounts of money in decorating the homes so they can capture the hearts of the buyers. Are there areas that need a touch of paint or a splash of colour as a focal point? The idea is to make the areas seem larger and give it a feel of openness. It is important to present each room with a clear, clean sense of purpose. Create a lifestyle that captures the emotions of the buyers. Until Next Week ... Jocelyn Frost
