'Dressing' a house to help it sell.....

That's what I'd heard too but I know very few people who admit to buying a ticket. Where are the 95%?

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher
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I wonder what you think I'm like!

If they don't like them it's not going to give a good impression by having them ...

Hmm. Red hat and no drawers.

You can go right off some folk ...

Although I admit that we do have a ding-dong-Avon-calling doorbell. We wanted something different from the plain rrrrrrrrrrrrrring of the back door so that we knew which door to answer. The options were worse than the ding-dong. A ding-ding or even a dong-dong would have been acceptable. Believe me, we looked hard.

I've never been in one of those. Except in museums.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Don't apologise :-)

We have too many of them. It was very good when they were at home and we felt bereft as each of them left, the last left the biggest hole in our hearts. But now, if we saw each of them only twice a year it would intrude in a large part of our lives. We have developed those and discovered the delights of following our own interests and not having to be at the beck and call of others all the time. We're now real people, individuals, not just Mum and Dad. I think they value us more now, too, being parents themselves and understanding the loss of their freedom.

When they do come it's lovely but when they've gone we put our arms round each other and say it was nice but it's better now they've gone. And I imagine that when we visit them they do the same when we leave!

The idea of buying a house with a spare room for when they stay, with no other use between times, would be silly. We have a room with a single bed which doubles as a dressing room. It's used by many solo friends and grandchildren when they stay. If couples stay they have to use the caravan for sleeping (there's nothing wrong with that, they have their own privacy) or sleep in the sitting room on the sofa bed and clear everything away so that the room can be used normally during the day. They prefer the caravan. It's a practical solution for both parties.

I know that I'm not the only crabby old moaner - if the above defines me as one. I think it's pragmatism.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Well of course *we* would always prefer to buy somewhere and do it up (see below), but most people just want something they can move into.

(Footnote: At least that's what I've always thought, but it's funny how all our houses have been pretty well done-up when we moved it. The next one we are going to be much more careful about looking behind the coat of paint etc.)

Reply to
Martin Bonner

Yes, I'd be very suspicious about the smell of paint.

Mary

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Reply to
Mary Fisher

Well if you'd bought a television ...

Even the nicest person can outstay their welcome.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Problem with modern ding dongs is they're just too quiet. My parents had a

50s one with 3 ft long tubes - now that was ok. More tubular bells than ding dong.
Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

This is I suppose what I meant. Fresh paint everywhere could be covering up a multitude of sins.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Well whose fault is that then! :-)

Well ours aren't parents yet (though they're well old enough). We put our children (and other family members occasionally) to good use, they come and house sit when we go on holiday. This is a very necessary function when you have two horses, two dogs, four cats and some chickens. How else could we go on holiday if the children weren't welcome!

Hmmm, that's not our feeling about them visiting us or us visiting them. Admittedly when I visit my daughter it's usually to do some work like installing a bathroom, however she comes and does decorating for us (and she's a very good tiler) so the benefit is reciprocal.

Our spare rooms are used by all and sundry. Have a party, ask people who come a long way to stay. When we had a really big party a couple of years ago (wife 50, her mother 70, her grandmother 90) we had a Cajun band to play and they stayed overnight as their plane home was the next day. Having lots of space and places makes our lives more sociable.

Reply to
usenet

I wish I had a pound for everyone who's said that. It doesn't work though ...

I'll get my coat :-)

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

You don't have to look at all. I got tired of answering the front door to "ding-dong" bells which were on the TV, so I opened ours up and switched the chimes round. Then it went "dong-ding" instead.

Reply to
Huge

Lust is a powerful urge.

Some of our grandchildren are old enough - horrors!

We don't have holidays. Too busy. When we go away we usually take the hens with us, otherwise they stay at a son's.

Yes, that usually happens with us too. A few weeks ago we were in Wiltshire moving an internal wall (Spouse) and ironing (me). And drinking lots of champagne (everyone) for a housewarming and 15th wedding anniversary (theirs). We had to slepep on a put-u-up surrounded by removal chests and no room to move. It would have been easier in the caravan!

So is our caravan:-) Four can sleep in that, only one in the dressing room. Three in the loft, three in the sitting room - but we we prefer not to have that number often. We turned our large second bedroom (where three boys used to sleep) into a workshop, store room and office for my use, it's far better used - and earns its keep - than it would be for guests.

It also means more expense if you buy a house with those facilities. When you don't have much spare cash and are 'getting on' what's the point in buying a house (or bungalow) with extra rooms just for the sake of them? Not that we have any intention of moving. All our friends with large houses are downsizing though, which surprises me. If we'd had one to start with we wouldn't want to move. We could never afford one :-(

Our social life is thriving though :-) We have lots of parties (mostly when we're under canvas and can't disturb the neighbours)

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Even I can hear ours - as long as I'm within a few yards of it:-)

GOOD NEWS! I have a first appointment on the road to getting a hearing aid. I want a brass ear trumpet instead of the horn one I currently use.

I like that!

In fact I'm thinking of getting him to install a proper brass bell, with hammer, which will have a pull to the outside and a label instructing the caller to 'Tug Gently".

I don't. I've never heard that.

A hit.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

We don't have a telly ...

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Yes. I wonder why all doorbells and ding dongs are tuned the same?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Probably because the BBC Sound Effects department buy their doorbells from the same place we do.

In the same way there are special 'drama' telephone numbers for television, perhaps the building regulations should mandate particular types of bell and chime for drama purposes.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Yup, our current place had been on the market for a couple of years when we bought it. Most people had a look at it and since it had no kitchen, no bathroom, and ornamental sootfalls to all rooms as well as having being vandalised at some point, decided that it wasn't what they wanted. We made an offer and got it, cost of repairs and upgrades seriously negligible. And working with a blank slate as far as kitchen and bathrooms are concerned made it much cheaper than expected.

OTOH a couple of estate agents have told me that it's now impossible to find derelict buildings unless they have serious structural problems.

Reply to
Steve Firth

We found out that our neighbours and us had both looked at the same house that had been on the market for a while and had not been touched since it was built in the early 70's (Green bathroom suites, Crystal "texture vein" tiles throughout, etc). Their reaction was "it needs =A31000's spending on it". Our reaction was "it's a bargain".

We bought it.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

I think you (and Mary) have misunderstood me. I like to think I am a keen DIY-er who wouldn't buy the house with the nicest looking surface; but instead would buy the best value house, even if it needed a bit of work. In actual fact, looking at the houses we have actually bought (four so far), I am forced to conclude that either the best values houses also happened to be the ones that were in pretty good nick - or I am as likely to be swayed by the surface as the next man.

NEXT time we move: a) we will dress the house carefully; b) we will be careful about not dismissing houses that need a lick of paint.

Reply to
Martin Bonner

How about a steam radio? Don't they ever have doorbells in radio drama - or even in soaps, like the Archers?

Reply to
Set Square

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