A change of address. Boxes, clutter, and the surprise appearance of things you knew you’d lost, left behind or had lent to a friend never to be returned. It happens to everyone sooner or later, so when it came time for us to shift quarters, I took a very deep breath, and started a very long list.
First off, was selling our existing abode. A matter that wasn’t top on my billing of fun things to do on a Monday morning. Or any morning to be honest. But, for better or worse, I braved the territory, questions swirling. Did I call in an agent or try private to start with? And if private, just how private is Private Property? I took a chance and went online. Listing, marketing, virtual floor plans, it all looked rather challenging, but as the other half was playing golf, this was going to be DIY or don’t do it at all.
I selected a basic 6 month package, ticked a few options and felt a small sense of achievement. Before I could organize lunch with the girls, the site started interacting with me. It wanted a description of the house: do-able. I uploaded that with ease. Some photos: do-able. I downloaded and uploaded and went back to “view my listing”. It was now greeting me by name.
NO! The pics were all wrong. They didn’t fit. Instead of a panoramic view of our home, it showed just the rooftop. Our expansive granite kitchen was reduced to the broom cupboard. And now? A dreaded 087 number, of course. Lunch went out the window, followed by my blood pressure. Eyeing that one stray golf club, I dialed.
“Welcome to Private Property, please hold while we transfer you ...”
Before I had to press any other options, before I was cut off, before I had to listen to a list again, in fact before I could even look at my watch to time them, a well-spoken someone had answered. Knowing I’d still have to be transferred across the globe and back, I reluctantly explained about the broom cupboard. He understood. He asked me to mail him the pics. And he promised to sort them out in a tick.
Of course I didn’t believe him, but I’d done enough DIY for one morning, so I busied myself for a bit, before venturing online again to check.
It greeted me by name again. Did I want to go to my listing? Yes please. And there it was, the whole kitchen. The whole house. And my listing had been viewed. By 14 people in just a few hours. Well done Private Property! And so far stress-free! Tomorrow I’d deal with boards and show days, but for today I felt I’d had a hole in one.