Today on facebook I saw a video of a friend of mine returning from buying a box of baby chicks.
Her daughter was holding the box and dozens of the little chirpers were wiggling around inside the box, some climbing the sides and trying to get out.
Life can sometimes feel like a wiggling, squirming box of chicks and just when you think you have one situation under control, another can come squirming out of the box in the blink of an eye.
If you look at the whole box from a distance, it can seem like a fluffy and pleasant situation until you get a bit closer and realize that each tiny soul is doing its best to escape and cause havoc or injury.
The view of a home purchase or renovation is very similar as the broad picture looks wonderful and blissful yet when a closer look is taken it can show pockets of chaos and destruction!
When I deal with clients I am constantly playing the go-between from one partner to another. Generally men and women are looking at the same situation (home purchase, decorating project) with completely different viewpoints. Last night I was sitting with a couple in the living room of a home they want to purchase and the age-old battle was as expected; she loved the finishes and beautiful backsplash and he was looking for a wall to remove or a room to paint.
My lady buyer was soaking in the emotion and feeling of the home and my man buyer was creating projects for himself to keep busy.
While wanting to downsize, this couple will have a big shift in lifestyle without a large home to manage and maintain.
From the outside, they both liked the property very much but upon closer inspection they both had very different reasons for liking the home.
When we got right down to the details of living there, they were both on opposite sides of that box squirming to get a peek over the edge to see what was on the other side of this purchase.
She wanted the turn key, settle-in home and he was eyeballing expanding the garage and scraping the popcorn ceilings. When they talked TO each other and realized that one’s dreams would mess up and get a great deal of dust on the other’s dreams, it was a true light bulb moment.
A home can look delightful from the outside yet when you get in and start to open doors and look in corners you can see that there may be some unexpected costs or considerations in the future and it is always a good practice to counter balance your emotional responses with a practical voice of experience.
That box of chicks is wonderful to look at and delightful to listen to, but look closely at the potential chaos and make sure you can handle the things which are coming your way.
The fun end to this story is that all the chicks got home safely and disaster was averted even though it took a watchful eye and quick hand to keep everyone safe.
There might be unexpected experiences in your home buying or renovating journey but things can be extremely successful if you are on the lookout for the wiggly parts.
Kim Wyse is a Central Alberta freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Ask a Realtor/Ask a Designer’.
