With another wave of decluttering sweeping through the house, we’re reflecting on our last yard sale: the surprising trick that helped everything sell quickly, and the small oversight that almost turned the day into a disaster. We also explain how we sold both of our homes without a realtor and list five important considerations for anyone thinking about selling For Sale By Owner. Along the way we share the big mistake we made when we first put our house on the market, why we’ve stopped trying to keep one part of the yard pretty and now prioritize function, and Sherry’s current favorite footwear.
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What’s New
- The photos above were included with our yard sale listing a couple of years ago, when we were clearing out a storage room before finishing our bonus room. The items were mostly unused decor and leftover projects from our book, so of course we styled an attractive arrangement and took nice photos.
- If you missed our original podcast episode about dramatically paring down our kids’ toys and the unexpected effects it produced, you can find that discussion under Episode #45 in our archives.
Can We Just Talk About
- This is our much-asked-about under-counter microwave from the kitchen renovation. Over the years we’ve experimented with many microwave placements: in a pantry, tucked into an upper cabinet, and even built into a space that wasn’t above the range. Each approach has pros and cons depending on kitchen layout, accessibility, and design goals.
- If you own our second book, Lovable Livable Home, we discuss microwave placement pros and cons in more detail, including another take on the under-counter microwave idea.
What’s Not
- We shared a list of interior design trends that sound great in theory but often fall short in practice. Some trends look amazing in photos but aren’t always practical for everyday living, so we encourage thinking about durability and function before committing.
Listener Question
- We explain exactly what we did to sell our second house by owner and provide a precise timeline of how that sale unfolded. Selling by owner can save money but requires careful planning: pricing strategy, marketing, managing showings, and dealing with legal paperwork are all important to get right.
- From our experience selling our first house by owner, we highlight lessons learned and share how we handled—and sometimes mishandled—showings and negotiations with potential buyers. Those early mistakes taught us better ways to prepare a home for sale and to manage buyer interactions professionally.
We’re Digging
- We finally found a hose reel that tames our backyard hose, and we repurposed the old decorative hose pot as an actual planter for a fern. Wrangling hoses is one of those small home-improvement wins that makes yard work feel easier.
- We considered a covered box-style hose storage, but quickly realized we wouldn’t keep it clean from leaves and spiders—so we chose a reel that keeps things simpler to maintain. Know your own habits when picking functional items for the yard.
- We’re even thinking about a future wall-mounted hose reel to eliminate leaf buildup around the base of the cart-style reel, but for now the reel’s winding function is working great.
- Sherry’s current go-to footwear is a pair of “incognito flip-flops” that look like sandals but feel like flip-flops—comfortable for everyday wear while still polished enough to wear out of the house.
If you’re trying to remember which past episode featured a product or topic we mentioned, we maintain a master list of everything we’ve been digging across all episodes, which makes it easier to track down shows and show notes.
Finally, thanks to our episode sponsor for supporting the show. We appreciate all listeners for tuning in and for the continued encouragement as we share projects, lessons learned, and practical design ideas for real family life.
Thanks for listening!
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