In order to finish the work at the house in Tucson, there was a lot of jockeying for position on tasks. This item HAS to be done. That one COULD be skipped. I learned some things. For instance, it is a lot more work to clean a house that you might be renting to someone else, than it is when it's you using it.
Mostly I function best in a pretty tidy environment, but this Tucson experience was anything but because of all the jobs that had to be done. I had to make myself not look at tools, filters, parts, all across drainboards and tables. It would have made no sense to put everything away between jobs as more jobs awaited right up to the time we walked out the door.
We had to not only clean the house in a manner that someone renting it would find satisfactory but figure out what went back to Oregon and what would be stored in a locked cabinet in the shop. From the time we arrived, I worked little by little on cupboards and closets (which had 10 years of accumulated living in them; but a lot had to be done right at the last as we, and our two cats, were obviously still having to live there. BB, the cat who had come from Tucson, was out every day and bringing in dust whenever he returned (his favorite Tucson thing is rolling in the dust).
Farm Boss had to frame three paintings. I had to finish the photographs to complete the site we had chosen for advertising the house. I had written about the house before but in a more personal manner. This was statistics and yet also a sales pitch. None of that is simple. I didn't get the photos of the futon in the den until we were almost ready to leave because that was Farm Boss's domain, and he was not only doing the grunt work in fixing the house, he was also trying to keep his consulting business running smoothly from down there.
Signing up at a vacation rental site, like the one we are using, required paying and getting it all approved. I wanted additional photos on a Picasa site which would show more views. That site also had to be approved because they wanted it to have a link back. An extra site offers a broader perspective, more views than the five that are allowed without extra charges. We got it approved before we left.
We also had to leave the entertainment center and wireless functioning, with instructions for use, which meant satellite dish had to be positioned on the roof. It got a test of its sturdiness the first day it was up when Tucson was hit by 24 mph winds with gusts to 40 and heavy rains during the night.
So the last Arizona days were very busy with a lot of hard work, the down on your knees scrubbing kind. The day we finally decided we had to leave was December 23rd. That would mean driving both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but there simply was no choice for it as the couple who had been looking after the farm were going away right after Christmas.
A month wasn't nearly enough time for all we had hoped to do to the house while getting in much hiking-- we got in some; but I think we spent the most time in Ace Hardware, Walmart, and Home Depot. I had hoped to get to a movie-- didn't happen. We did have dinner out twice at our favorite restaurants.
When we closed the door, we felt satisfied with what we had accomplished. The house had more of a theme, felt more pulled together than in the rest of the ten years we have owned it. I requested changing the listing at the last minute by adding 'homey' because it's not a spiffed up modern condo. It is filled with our art and furniture, some of it antiques, some things we have owned many years, some with visible signs of wear.
Its machine-made Oriental rug has been losing fiber from Tucson's summer heat and maybe dry air and now has places where the loss shows. I love that myself. I have a very old prayer rug on the floor behind my desk in Oregon, I bought it at an estate sale looking just as it does now. Its wear and what that means are part of its appeal to me, but someone else might not be so enamored of seeing structural threads. Homey seemed to cover it.
It was important to me for the listing and photos to be honest. I wanted it to be clean and inviting. I hoped that anyone who might rent it will leave having had as a good a feeling as I always do when I close the door behind me once again.
I hope those who rent your Tuscon home appreciate the thought and hard work you and Farm Boss put into it. It looks absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the kind of place I would be delighted to walk into on vacation. It looks well cared for and loved. Do you have a property manager handling the rental? That would help a lot in finding people who will love your special home the way you do.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Here is a link for those who want to see more of it and the desert around it. It also will take you to VRBO which means vacation rental by owner. This is a site we had used a lot and they are where renters can find us. We have had a lot to learn like contracts and how to handle payments but it's a good learning process. Our neighbors will be the caretakers on the site as they have been all the years we have owned the house. They agreed to do the housework after each person leaves and were excited about possibly meeting new people. They have been great neighbors to us and would be to anyone who might rent the house. The photos are at Casa Espiritu where I plan to add a couple more of the wild things that can live there also but otherwise I might update it with seasonal photos. It also takes you to the VRBO site for it. For anyone who has not rented through VRBO, we have had nothing but good results so far. You deal directly with the owner which has advantages for renter and owner, in my experience. I talked to some of those who we have rented through and they all felt it got them the best results. We have had three serious inquiries so far and if all goes through have one month of it rented which exceeds our expectations since it's so late in the season to get this started.
ReplyDeleteWhatever money we make on it will cover our expenses and if there is enough to improve it. Maybe if we have interest in rentals later in the season we will install a pool heater. If we let people rent it trhough the summer, which can happen in Tucson, we will have the A/C repaired. We haven't done this to make a profit but to be able to keep the house now that we are mostly on SS.
It has surprised me how much though that I enjoy the idea of someone else using it and taking away from it what it has always given me. This feeling began to grow in me as we were fixing it up for renting. This little house has been very special in my life and I hope it will be for those who are drawn to it.
Beautiful house! Perhaps the only thing harder than cleaning for tenants is being the tenant cleaning to get the deposit returned. May you have conscientious tenants. The house and your memories deserve it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a HUGE Job, my dear...I don't envy you and Farm Boss having to get everything in order. So much work. And I do't know if you find it hard to rent your house---emotionally, I mean---I would find it very very difficult.
ReplyDeleteIt looks really comfy and homey and wonderfully inviting...!
Happy New Year, My Dear, To ALL of you! May 2010 be a very Healthy, Happy and Prosperous year for you and yours.
A true work of art!
ReplyDeleteWell, all of your hard work sure has paid off Rain....it looks just beautiful. I'd love to stay there...in has such a nice ambiance. I hope you get a chance to rent it to people who really appreciate how lovely it is...and take care of it as you would.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Rain....may you always have health and happiness in your life. ~Joy
Really is a nice place Rain. I had to go to the website and check it out. With the cold weather settling in here in Arkansas and colder on the way, so we're told, I was already to go South. Now I have another option!!
ReplyDeleteI certainly think your array of photos does justice to the place. You all did good....
That would be very neat to have you rent it sometime, Alan. You are the kind of renter we hope finds it.
ReplyDelete