Let’s just stop of a minute and think of the work involved in getting your home ready for a sale.  You start by paring down on the things in each room and then clean it the house to a new level of immaculate.  You may have to organize people to come in and get the home ready – certainly a real estate agent and a home stager, painters, handymen, installers, gardeners, movers (to shift some of your things to a storage locker), and pest control people.  The list goes on depending upon what you need to do to have your home ready. 

Once your home is on the market you are going to need to keep it clean and tidy.  You never know when someone will want to see it and you have already left for work.  Your morning routine will now include getting the home ready to show, each and every day.

Finally, you get an acceptable offer and have a set date to remove yourself and all of your things from the home.  For many people, leaving a home is like leaving a very good friend.  There is an emotional attachment and a grieving process that is involved as you drive away for the last time.  I know my husband would have hugged one of our favourite homes as we spent our last minutes in the driveway saying good-bye to the neighbours. 

So why move?  Well, there as many reasons to move as there are houses on the market.  Outgrowing the house or needing to downsize are likely the most common reasons to move.  Of course, being transferred is a moving force.   Economic reasons whether going up or down cause people to want and need to move.  Finally, there are some people who love change and are looking for the elusive perfect house.  We all know people who spend a part of everyday house shopping on the internet and never miss an Open House day.   A quick internet search showed that North Americans move anywhere from 10 to 16 times during their lifetime (depending on what site you are visiting).  That is an astounding number of moves! 

The good news about moving is that, over time, you will forget the pain and stress of doing it.  Take heart!

Photo credit:  Moving Day

Store until your sale is in the bag.

1.  What person, having gone through divorce, is financially better off after the process. I suggest a pIggy bank and start the recipient off with enough money for a pizza and a pizza coupon.

2. For those hours that will now be available for the gym give a Nano ipod loaded with from a great list of music for divorces: 

• Love Stinks – J. Geils Band
• Goodbye To You – Scandal
• I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
• 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon

3.  For those evenings when it would be nice to have a laugh or a tea give two or three romantic comedies (full of hope, I hope) When Harry Met Sally,Four Weddings and a Funeral, There’s Something About Mary, As Good As it Gets, A Fish Called Wanda , Moonstruck and Bridget Jones’s Diary .  If sad or sombre is better then give some divorce movies and a box of microwave popcorn.  Give The First Wives Club, Waiting to Exhale, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jerry Maquire and War of the Roses.  

Photo credit:  Piggy savings bank @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/2638883650/

It is true that that moving companies often hire from day labour centres for loading and unloading vans.  While these men may be strong, they may not have a lot of experience getting heavy and awkward furniture into stairwells, elevators, around tight corners, etc.  Ask a lot of questions about the move from prospective movers. 

This is really a case of……..

Mover Beware

Photo credit:  Allison and Lee’s Moving Van @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/loyaldefender2004/2487530201/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ottawa Canada ~ 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

What should you have in your “last on the van, first out of the van” box?  These are the things that you are going to want first.  There are some things that are just necessary in an empty house (before the boxes are unpacked). If you are not moving locally, you will want a box that will be the first thing you open at your new house so that you can have a drink of water and use the washroom.  Here are some items I consider important for your LIFO box:

• Coffee, tea and sugar
• Kettle
• A few mugs, plastic glasses 
• Paper plates and plastic cutlery
• Plastic garbage and food storage bags
• Toilet paper
• Kleenex and paper towels
• Light bulbs (Some previous owners take all the bulbs!!)
• Cleaning rags and brushes
• Remember, you are not likely moving liquids
• Buy – milk, juice, water bottles, cleaning liquids, bottle of wine
• Snacks – you might need to carb load
• Tools such as a hammer, scissors, screw driver and pliers. 

Your LIFO Box will save your sanity.

Photo credit:  Bright red tea kettle (brand new) @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mickey_glitter/2205306872/

Go to a moving company and buy some moving boxes, sturdy tape and the large roll of unbleached paper.  It is not costly and the packing paper is superior to newsprint that will stain all of your things with ink.  Do not fold your boxes open or closed.  Use the tape.  If you fold, then it will be impossible to slide the boxes one on top of the other. 

Packing books and papers?  Remember that these weigh a lot so keep your smaller boxes for printed material.  Use the large boxes for bedding, winter coats, pillows, etc. 

Now that you have packed some of your own stuff, get the movers in for any really valuable dishes, glasses and crystal.  Have them pack your framed artwork. 

Pack your papers and pick your packers.

Photo credit:  boxes @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmajane/65585561/

You will want a place to sit where you are not faced with the mountain of unpacked boxes, dishes to be washed and stored and clothes not yet in the dressers.  Go to your special zone, look out the window and take 5.  There are so many stresses with moving that you are going to need breaks.  I know that I scrub down the kitchen and bathrooms the most thoroughly when I fist move into a new home (after that scrubbing, the dirt that accumulates will all be mine).  You may find that it takes two or three days to get the kitchen and bath disinfected and your things unpacked.  Without wanting to pass out from exhaustion, there is a need to go to the Break Zone, sip a glass of wine and relax.

Photo credit:  A glass of wine @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/somemixedstuff/3104965989/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ottawa Canada ~ 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

Brick Houses.   Especially if you come from Newfoundland and the west, you will notice that Ottawa builders have made liberal use of bricks in construction.  Oh, you will find stucco somewhere and you will find clapboard and siding but brick has been the historical material of choice.  When you live here you will learn never to paint exterior brick and to expect to have to re-point brick every few decades.

2 Licence Plates – The Ministry of Transport did not issue you a plate and a spare.  You, by law, are expected to install both – one on the front and the other on the back of the car.  It was a bit of surprise, when my front plate went missing (okay, I snapped it right off the car when I scraped the curb while parking), that I was expected to go to the Motor Vehicle Branch and get another plate – at a cost.   It is now $20.00.  If you have vanity plates, it is $94.20.

Brown Paper Bags – For the first week I was in Ottawa, I noticed several people walking around the streets holding small brown paper bags.  My experience in Winnipeg led me to think that these held a mickey of some type of booze.  I first suspected an error in judgement when I noticed that there were more and better dressed drunks in Ottawa than in Winnipeg.  Surprise!  Those bags held hot, greasy, wonderful french fries from one of several Ottawa Chip Wagons.  Here is a photo from Flickr of my favourite chip wagon at the corner of Bank and Lisgar. 

Taking the Bus.  While there is public transportation in all the major cities, the use of public transportation by the government sector is impressive.  Buses coming to the downtown area are full of public servants, from Assistant Deputy Ministers on through the various organizations.  I have never seen a Deputy Minister on the bus – they have cars and drivers.  In the west, it is a sign of hitting upon economic hard times if you take the bus.  The people in Toronto and Montreal sneer at our public transportation system but Ottawa users find it reasonably good.  Certainly, reading your BB mail or briefing materials on the trip out to Kanata is better than driving your car on the 417 in rush hour traffic.

Canada Day.  Ottawa is the nation’s capital and Canada Day is wonderful.  Everyone goes to Parliament Hill at least once for Canada Day.  It is a long day of events, a recognition of our great country and a display of our pride.  If you don’t go to “The Hill” then you will find street parties, community parties and other private events happening all over the region.  It is wonderful. 

These are just five things that you may notice as differences. 

Let me help you find a home that can really make a difference for you. 

Photo Credit: Brick Houses @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweek/31322389/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph. 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

New Front Door Mat. Before moving, have some fun and buy new front and back door mats. You won’t have to worry about getting them to fit. Most door mats are small so that they fit in front of the doors. While sizes vary, they are about 3 feet wide. These are for you, the movers, your family and your friends to use. The movers will put drop cloths down inside the house but not outside the door. Moving day is about having a lot of people traipsing in and out of your house. On a dry warm day, this might not be a problem but not everyone moves on ideal days. Get some mats.

Locksmiths and alarm codes. On the day you get possession, the sellers are required to provide their lawyer a key to their house. Your lawyer will get the key and provide it to you, the buyer, when the paperwork is signed. Now the house is yours. While most sellers will try to scoop up all the extra keys to their house to give to you (sometimes leaving them on the kitchen counter), there is no guarantee that they have got all of them. People seem to give out their house keys and the alarm codes to family members, friends, neighbours, cleaning staff and other professionals that may need access to the house. I finally tossed keys from my house in Calgary, five moves later.  Call a locksmith to come out and rekey the lock. It would be good to do this within the first few days. The alarm codes and making these changes depends upon the company that has the system and whether or not you assumed the contract.

Sleep easy. It would be a terrible surprise to wake up in the middle of the night and hear someone unlocking the door. Find a locksmith and change the locks.

Photo credit:  Door with a welcome mat by:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/h3h/400307697/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph: 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

Current and contemporary. I bring a creative and innovative approach to real estate as you can tell just by reading this website/blog. The website is dynamic and changing just as I will be dynamic and open to change to meet your needs.

From houses to homes. I love transforming houses into homes. I know how important it is to find the right home, not just a house.

Ottawa and beyond. I have lived in Ottawa for 11 years and I know our city well. Yet, I have also lived in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Calgary so I bring knowledge of different cities to what you are looking for. If you are moving to Ottawa from the west, we have an instant connection. At the same time, the people of Newfoundland have embraced me as one of their people – I am open and friendly. Yes, I talk to people in elevators (strangers when we started the trip and friends when it is finished).

I am connected. I work with a first class brokerage, Royal Lepage Gale. I am backed by the Brokers and the sales people in the company. Their generous provision of time, advice and direction means that you are getting decades of experience for your unique sale or purchase. There is a team providing support.

Fresh perspectives woven with experience. You get the freshness of a new realtor woven together with vast experience in leadership, government, and management.

I put you first.

Valerie Zinger ~ Ph: 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca