It’s odd to step into someone else’s home with the full intention of possessing it. It takes effort to look past the owner’s gawd-awful fuchsia sofa, the wall-shrine of baby pictures, and the orange Gatorade stain on the family room carpet. You run through the usual buyer questions-How many nights am I going to stub my toe on my coffee table as I sneak through the dark family room for my midnight snack? Can I comfortably cry over a mound of chopped onions in this kitchen? Is this a bathtub I’m willing to put a few rings on?
Shopping for a home is like shopping for a mate; if your greatest consideration is the brick and mortar then there’s no complaining four months later when the electricity stops pumping to the sockets. You have to search for it’s spirit, defined within emotion. Peace, such as – orange hues of sunrise fill the study as you sip coffee while bringing up your email. Connection - long conversations with good friends over dinner preparation at oversized kitchen bar. Comfort- nursery room only 20 steps from the master. Serenity- children’s bedrooms are pleasantly located in guest house.
In the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance a wise Will Smith says, “Yep…Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing…Somethin’ we was born with…Somethin’ that’s ours and ours alone…” Homes carry, no matter the age or square footage, an authentic swing too. Here are the MLS listings I’d give each of the homes I’ve had the pleasure to dwell within:
Colorado Springs, CO- black and white checkered master bath surrounded by hot pink flamingoes brings a smile each morning as you apply mascara in a “1950’s burger joint”.
Bann, Germany-foot thick stone walls combined with the roll-down metal shades on the outside of the windows provides the coziest nap on the planet.
Painted Post, NY-you’ve never heard the potential of rain until you hear it on the solid oak logs of this roof.
Broomfield, CO- large square skylight over master bed provides private year round observatory.
Austin, TX- nervous chills as you watch three year olds take the 30 degree hill in your drive way on their Batman and Cinderella scooters.
I’d sell my second home in Austin in a Kodak flash if the potential buyers had one dinner on our deck. It stands 14 feet off the ground, overlooking a lily padded frog pond trickling down into a larger, fully stocked fish pond. The view opens to a vast nature preserve sliced in half by Lake Austin (a.k.a Colorado River). It’s a view worthy of the wall of windows spread across the back of the house. The kind of view that drives you to plotting dark night escapades into your neighbor’s back yard to “remove” the only mature tree on the street. (Oh, the fantastical fantasies we had over the demise of that cider!)
I’d offer the potential buyers a deck-chair-with-a-view beside a bowl of pita chips and homemade artichoke dip. While I grilled up some burgers and dogs they’d notice the four foot fish flopping in the shallows beyond our fence line. This may trigger visions of bass fishing until they noticed the fish were nibbling at the grass stalks overgrowing their muddy bank. They’d watch in anticipation, awaiting the carp to beach themselves like a killer whale after a seal.
There’s a popular rock on the left I’ve nicknamed “turtle hill” where all the adult turtles clamor until they’re stacked at tight angles like plates in a dishwasher. The geckoes are bound to show up, flashing their colorful throats. A hummingbird or two will zip by to investigate the merlot in the wine glasses. The grey heron will circle in for a questionable landing between the purple martins and swallows clearing away the flies and mosquitoes. The buyers will be so entrenched in the nature sideshow they’ll miss my opinion of our school district.
As the departing sun washes the sky in pink water colors, and the potential buyers nibble on chocolate dipped strawberries (they’re an aphrodisiac for homes too), the Austin bats will fill the darkening sky, swooping down over the candle lit table. As they finish “seeing our home” over tea or a nice dessert wine, the moon will slowly arch up over the roof line to light the single pond fountain as it sends soft rings over the steel colored water into the black night.
If the buyers, after an evening on our deck, grab up their jackets and rush for the door with a quick “Great burgers but we really gotta get home and catch Grey’s Anatomy. Tonight’s the season finale!” I’d kindly suggest they visit the home for sale down the street with technology leaking out of its game room windows. When you’re shopping for a home, it’s wise to look past the travertine floors and the double stacked crown molding to find the intrinsic value of the place; to make a connection with its authentic swing.
Other Sloan Images’ Articles
- Family Friday :: Omaha Family Photographer
- Oh, give me a home…
- Why Hire a Professional Photographer?
- More Portrait Collection Ideas
- How do you build a great pricing model? :: Part 1
- An idea for a portrait collection!
by Christina
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