What Ana Does

A few weeks ago my husband volunteered our house for a corporate video shoot. His company wanted to film a couple in a house-setting but using studios was going to be expensive for such a short video. So, on that Wednesday morning, a fleet of Honda Elements (apparently, the vehicle of choice for a production company) arrived at 7:30am and spent the day rearranging furniture, setting up lights and huge cameras -- and letting us watch them make their magic.  It was fun being around and watching the processes from start to finish. And to have about 10 people milling around my house when it's usually just me all day. They were very gracious guests and complimented our house a few times. So, yeah, they're totally welcome to come back.  The girls were at school all day, so they missed all the excitement. I took a bunch of pictures to show them where everything was set up.  There Was Even a Hair and Makeup Stylist!  Filming! Quiet on the Set!  Che...

I finally had an appointment for a showing today. Woohoo! This is the second showing in the last week -- so that's a good trend. Right? I called the agent once I got home -- because she forgot to leave a card, and I wanted to make sure she got in and had enough time to walk through -- and she did come by. And her clients "really liked the house." So that's good news, right? I'll just live off that for a few days.

In accordance with our relo package, we need two appraisals and a thorough home inspection. Two guys arrived today, at about the same time, to accomplish these goals. Strange to sit on my sofa as two strangers poked their noses into every corner of the house, measuring and making notes. And made me a bit nervous, as their reports will determine how much our buy-out will be if we don't find a buyer. I tried to smile and offered each beverages and popcorn. Beer, too. Both declined. I hope my hostess skills are noted in their final report.

FANCY BROCHURES I got the house to absolutely sparkle this morning (after losing sleep from stressing) and dashed out for a playdate -- but not before receiving kudos from my realtor for job well-done.  Hooray me! MY VISITORS The playdate was a lot of fun, so I didn't think once about the parade of strangers trudging through my house, peeking into my closets and assessing the house's worth. (Though, now I am. Yikes!) When we returned there was a pile of 24 realtor business cards on my dining room table and the dining room buffet was stacked with info about my lovely house -- including a stack of glossy ads with my house on it. Fancy! Now let's hope all these realtors have clients DYING for a house just like mine and my phone rings off the hook arranging viewings for the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!

I spend a lot of time thinking about what a buyer would think when they walk through the house. I stop at different spots in the house, put my hands on my hips and survey my surroundings. I pretend I haven't spent the last five years in this room -- cleaning it, decorating it, chasing kids in it. And can't remember what it looked like when we first moved in (which was a 1960's disaster - see past the paint, people!). Then I make changes to the way furniture is arranged, move clutter to the basement or reorder books. If I get really desperate, I might have a future as a home stylist on HGTV. I'm getting pretty good.

The realtor open house -- aka Deadline Day -- is two days away. I think I have a little more work to do. CLUTTER CAPTIAL CLUTTER CAPITAL'S EURO SISTER CITY