Flash Sale

$639,000 (3 bedrooms, 2 bath)1,680 Square Feet

When I started this Open House blog, my intention was to produce one entry a week. I look at open houses on Sundays and could commit to writing a blog post soon after. But today, I happened upon a flash sale. It was a dreary Tuesday morning. The sun did not want to come out and the cold nipped. I did something I hate doing and went to Costco. Surprisingly Costco was a dream and I was out of there with my eggs, milk and other unforeseeables in less than 30 minutes.

At a major intersection near my home I saw numerous 'Open House' A-frame signs screaming to be noticed. It was a Tuesday, not a Sunday so the number of signs was unnecessary, but worked.With my new commitment in mind I followed the signs and found an open house to peruse.

The house had little curb appeal. The color was nondescript and the circa 1960's ranch home seemed blah (or as my kids later said 'meh'). This turned out not to matter however, because the home's true appeal was the huge backyard with a beautiful outdoor kitchen complete with a barbecue, fire-place and ample counter space protected by timber beams wrapped in canvas. Beyond the outdoor kitchen the yard stretched left and right with a flagstone steps that lead to another outdoor living room. An orange tree sat heavy with fruit at one end of the yard and red hens protected by a quaint hen house stood at the other. The yard was huge (and marvelous).

The price and unusual day for the open house begged the question. Why today? Why so much? My friend was with me and asked. "Because they're under contract to buy another home and need to sell." Was the answer. While it was not called a flash sale, it felt like one. The listing even called it a 'hot' home meaning: this will sell fast! Don't delay in making an offer. The home on Rancho de Sauna was a 'hot' home, but was not identified as such. Perhaps 'hot' is in the eye of the realtor or the home owner wanting it to be so.

I did learn something new on this Open House Tuesday. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies do not overpower the smell of new carpet and paint. I literally saw the realtor take the cookies from the oven and chatted with him as he plated the fresh baked treat and I could not smell a thing; odd but true. Perhaps baking cookies should only be a trick used when the home owner has not spent money to paint and re-carpet.