Clark Update: 30 Days Later

Last week I made a quick mention of Clark in one of my vacation posts that I'm sure most of you missed it. WE ACCEPTED AN OFFER!!!

While Hubby and I were partying away at my college roomie's wedding on June 2nd, we were also exchanging e-mails with our realtor, counter offering, then accepting an offer on Clark!  Happy- dancing ensued, but seemed appropriate since we were already on a dance floor.  I'm still nervous for the home inspection (which is happening as I type this!) and hope everything sails smoothly to closing, so keep your fingers crossed for us.

Aside from general maintenance (mainly yardwork), I haven't spent too much time out at Clark since the first open house on May 10th.  Just before the last open house and the showing that lead to the offer, I did do some minor staging.  Our realtor wanted to place a vignette in the basement to show that it could be usable space.  I couldn't let the basement be the only spot in the house with furniture, so I got creative with things I already had and placed a couple vignettes in the upstairs as well.

The living room was my favorite.  I added a small entry table and a chair vignette:

This 'art' is an ad that I received in the mail from Madewell, framed in an IKEA frame; the planter is from Anthropologie and was the centerpiece from my friend's wedding last year; and the adorable table I borrowed from Mom before she sold it on Craigslist.

I'm calling this area the "reading nook."  I purchased the lamp (from Target) before the house first went on the market since there's no overhead light in this space.  The chair you might recognize as my $12.75 thrifted chair (that's been living in our bedroom) and the pillow, which I had in my office, was purchased from Target.

The kitchen just got a little hominess.

Every time I knew that we had a showing or open, I made sure that there were fresh flowers in the vase.  The vase and tray were both purchased from HomeGoods just for Clark-staging purposes.

I also added a bowl of apples, hoping it would made the kitchen a little more welcoming.  Come in, grab an apple, stay a while!.  Ok, I really just wanted another excuse to ogle the backsplash.  Hello sexy tile!  The bowl was a wedding gift almost 4 years ago.

The vignette that started it all suffered from poor lighting in the basement:

Our Realtor, Amy, borrowed the chairs from another house staging; the indoor/outdoor rug I purchased to add a pop of color here for $15 at Ocean State Job Lots; the pillows I've had for about a decade (from j.c. penney maybe?); and the cute side table I just bought at the ReStore for $11 to refinish (or restore, if you will... sorry...)

I also added a small 'station' right next to the garage door to show that you can use it as a mud-room-type space.  I'm still not sure if this area really adds anything, but I guess it doesn't matter now, since he's essentially sold!

The bin usually chorales my shoes in my closet (from Container Store), the ottoman is from our entry (Target), and the pillow is the same vintage as the blue from the other basement vignette.  The raspberry pillow here was also my attempt to tie into the pink rug in the other area.

Mother nature also did me a favor and helped to stage the front garden (aka the flowers are in bloom!)

I don't think I ever showed you the full front door either.  I love love love the skeleton key welcome mat (Threshold from Target... I think all the Target stuff I mentioned here was actually Threshold too.... add it to my list of addictions)

I'm not sure if all my staging was 100% successful, but I'll call it a win, since 2 days later we had an official offer!

Once we go over all of our numbers again, I'll give you a summary of how we did on our first flip, since I know a lot of you are curious.

I just hope we can sail smoothly to the closing!

(New here?  Clark's our very first flip house- check out the process!)

Meet Clark 2.0

(aka "Clark: Week 12", aka "Clark's Big Reveal", aka "OMG Did I Just Do That?") If you’re new to my weekly progress posts, Clark is my first ever flip house (named for the street that he’s on). Check out my previous posts here.

Twelve weeks ago, I introduced you to this misfit of a house.  He wasn't quite an eyesore, but he had been neglected for years and foreclosed on and just needed to be shown some love.

Twelve weeks later, Clark has been given a new life and is ready for a new family to love him.

It's just beginning to really sink in to me- I flipped a house in 3 months.  I flipped a house.  In 3 months. ME?!

But my own disbelief in my abilities isn't why you're here.  You want to see the big reveal!!!!!

Photo shoot day (yesterday) was dreary and gray here in Massachusetts and I wasn't about to make you wait any longer, so the lighting in the pics was a bit challenging.  You've been warned.

But, without further ado.....

Come on it, take off your shoes, and enjoy the tour!

First room on the tour is the living room.  The formerly burnt orange living room.

I bid farewell to the burnt yuk color and welcomed a creamy color called Canvas.

And I opened up the wall between the living room and kitchen.  It makes the space feel enormous (which is paramount in a house under 1000 sf)!

The textured ceiling is still there in a crisp new white.  I swear the room is a cream color, not green.  It's the only room without an overhead light, so it's suffering from the dreary day outside.  (someone also needs to take some photography classes- hint: it's this girl)

Once upon a time there was a closet in the living room, but it was sacrificed for a good cause: the kitchen.  Speaking of which....

Oh hai kitchen.

Remember what it looked like when we bought it?  Not enough room for modern appliances and cabinets that were about 25 years past their usable life.

How do you like dem apples??  Now that's a kitchen!

How about another?

And another.  If this kitchen doesn't sell this house, I don't know what will!

I guess there are a few other rooms in this house too if you ever decide to leave the kitchen (and really, who would blame you if you didn't).

The three bedrooms didn't get any drastic changes- paint (trim, ceilings, walls), new light fixtures, and a good carpet cleaning

Bedroom #1- The artist formerly known as the red room.

The murder red was thankfully covered up with a new color, Cloud.

Bedroom #2 didn't undergo such a drastic color transformation.  It went from very badly painted gray...

...to a lighter, neatly painted gray (also Cloud)

The master bedroom (or at least the room I deemed as the master because it was marginally the largest room with the largest closet) started as another burnt something color.  Here's a good tip for picking colors- if you find it in a diaper, it's probably not a good color for a wall.  Rule to live by.

Now it's always summer in here.  Literally.  That's the name of the new color, Summer.  It's a nice soft, buttery yellow to distinguish it from the other 2 bedrooms.

But aside from the kitchen, there's one other room that I spent a lot of time and effort in.

The bathroom!

The former owners (prior to the foreclosure) tried to put lipstick on a pig and had the gall to advertise this as an updated bathroom.  I'm sorry, if you have a cracked plastic shower surround and moldy linoleum, an updated bathroom it is not.  I don't care if you put a new pedestal sink in it or not, it was still disgusting.  The picture really didn't show it in all it's gory glory, you'll just have to take my word for it.

Remove the disgusting and add a boat-load of charm and that's what we see today.

Are those some sexy floors or what??

Only the pedestal sink and the tub remain from the original room.

I have a few very minor things left on my to do list, although most won't be noticeable to potential buyers... which is good because...  this guy is officially LISTED!!!  And he's going to charm the pants off of any potential buyers!

The listing went live on Monday (I know some of you peaked already), but we aren't doing any showings until the open house Saturday.  So if you're in the market for a 110% move-in-ready house in Worcester with more charisma than you can handle, come on by!

I'm like a proud parent with this house.  I didn't realize how attached I've grown.  I guess when you spend 40 hours a week pouring your soul into a space, you're bound to form a bond.

I just hope he finds a good family who will love him, and care for him, and feed him, and take him for walks...... did I take it too far?  I think I'm getting punchy at this point.  I need a vacation.

So, what do you think??

Clark: Week 11

If you’re new to my weekly progress posts, Clark is my first ever flip house (named for the street that he’s on). Check out my previous posts here. The end is near!!!  This is veryveryvery exciting!  Our realtor is coming over today to take pictures for the listing which will go live on MONDAY!!!  w00t!  Even with the listing live Monday, we won't be doing any showings until the open house the following Saturday (our agents strategy to drum up interest and build antici...wait for it....pation).  So that means that I have next week to do all my finishing touches- and there are a lot.

Since I'm not doing my big reveal here until I finish a few last things & don't want to post almost finished room pics, you just get teaser shots today.  So much finish work happened this week- this is the most exciting part for me!

With the amazing weather this week, I was more than happy to spend some time outside adding curb appeal.  The house painting is complete and I started adding a few accessories.  Yup, I went with a yellow door.  On a slate gray house it looks A.MAZ.ING. (in my humble opinion)

The previously untouched front garden:

got a bush-ectomy, weeding, and a bunch of mulch

and speaking of mulch, it now lines the 2 banks on either side of the driveway.  Lots and lots of mulch.  30 bags in the front yard!

The backyard just got a lot of cleanup and throwing away trash that was piled.  Not a huge transformation, so no pics, sorry.  I figured I'd spare you the "look, I raked and trimed weeds" pic.

Back inside, the hard wood floors are ALL DONE.  Phew.

The previously ignored bedrooms finally got attention.

This is all that's left of the blood-red bedroom.  so sad.

All three bedrooms got new light fixtures more appropriate for the size of the rooms (the old ones were severely undersized).  I actually reused the light that was originally in the kitchen (since it wasn't bad, just not right for the kitchen) and bought 2 others to match which worked perfectly!

The bedroom carpets also got shampooed.  We borrowed my parent's carpet cleaner, but it needed a new belt before it could be used.

Nothing really happened in the kitchen except cleaning, but I'll post a gratuitous kitchen shot just because it's a damn pretty kitchen.

Clark's ready for his photoshoot, just not his close-ups just yet.  To get him ready for the Open House and showings, I still have to:

• fill LOTS of nail holes in the floor and trim
• finish the hard wood transitions at the front and side doors
• get the kitchen sink and dishwasher hooked up (they look pretty, but don't work yet)
• have the electrician come look at a 3way switch that isn't working
• paint a few more closets and doors
• install the shower knobs
• clean up the basement and paint 1 last wall
• dispose of the remaining brush from the back yard
• clean
• clean
• clean

And since I never have enough on my plate, guess what time it is!

This season's challenge is hosted by these lovely ladies: Sherry @ Young House Love (who just bought a new house!!), Katie @ Bower Power Blog, Emily @ Sparkle Meets Pop, and Renee at RedBirdBlue.  (Check out my past season's challenge projects HERE.)

Since I'm already working on a little project for a very special little boy's first birthday this weekend, I totally have a plan to incorporate the challenge.

Ah, so many exciting things happening!