Lisa Holiman

Repurposed frame

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”

I love this quote from Bossypants, a book written by Tina Fey. Truth be told, I’ve never read the book. Up until tonight, I actually thought it was a movie! But now after reading about it in Wikipedia, it’s going on my list of “must reads”. This quote, this one, speaks to my heart.

I clipped it out of a magazine and have kept it in various places throughout the years. It’s been on my dresser, in my Franklin Covey day planner (yup, I still have one of those-what can I say, I’m visual) and even pinned to a clipboard where I can see it. But today, I trimmed it carefully and found the perfect picture frame for it. It will now sit by my computer as a constant reminder to not be afraid and to just go for it.

It’s stayed with me, both literally and figuratively, because I have a very teeny character flaw in that I have a tendency to research everything to death. “Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a perfectionist”. And while I’ve never been afraid of waterslides, I do remember as a young girl, my fear of jumping off the high diving board at the local pool. It’s the same thing…that intense fear of climbing to the top, looking down, and being scared shitless to go for it. That’s what starting this blog is for me…a very high dive.

But back in those swimming pool days in small town Nebraska, I remember distinctly my foray into not only jumping, but actually DIVING, off the high diving board. It became fun, exhilarating and “old hat”. I imagine my blogging will someday feel like that. But in the meantime, I’ve been tepid, wary, and just plain scared of putting myself out there in the blogosphere.

What if no one reads my blog? (so what if they don’t?)
What if people hate it? (what if they don’t?)
What if my writing sucks and people talk about me? (really, Lisa, you’re not that big a deal.)
What if I have nothing to say? (that’s hilarious, you’re not usually at a loss for words!)
What if I’m not as creative as all those other amazing bloggers out there? (comparison is a killer, there is no other you.)
What if my pictures stink? (so what? with time and practice, they will improve)

As my inner dialogue gets silenced, I get excited by the chance to share with others this gift I have of putting stuff together. I hope to inspire others with my love of thrifting, my sense of style, my decorating ideas and the ways I have found to motivate myself.

In the past I’ve observed other bloggers, I’ve researched SEO optimization, I’ve taken WordPress classes, I’ve spoken to marketing experts, I’ve taken photos, and yes, I’ve written blog posts. But now, I’ve backed myself into a corner and I have no choice but to REALLY blog.

Why, you ask? Well, maybe you’re not asking…but on the off chance you are, I’ll tell you.

Two words: Business cards.

You see, I’ve had my interior redesign and home staging business for ten years. So there! Proof I’m not scared and I can get on that high dive and jump off! But I digress.

I just had my logo and business card redesigned. I have new cards that outline my expansion into blogging, thrifting (that’s not new, I’ve just decided to elaborate on it) and wardrobe consulting.

Renew Refresh Restyle

And here’s where the rubber meets the road…the titles listed beneath my name are consultant, speaker, and (gulp) blogger. So there it is, for everyone to see. My card says I am a blogger and now I must blog. I only have a few of my old cards left so I’ll have to hand these new ones out soon.

I HAVE blogged in the past, but this time I am not messing around! I aspire to be really good, to be taken seriously (by who/whom, I don’t know, but someone), and to have fun. When I blogged before, it was more difficult for me. I researched (go figure) and agonized over what to write and exactly how to say things. This time around, I’m just going to let it all hang out and see what happens. I crack myself up on a regular basis, but there are times when I think and think and make myself a little crazy. I know there have to be others like me so I hope they will find me here and we can share a laugh or an agonizing moment together.

So here’s the first blog in a series of many blogs. I’ll be sharing my musings on repurposing a life, a career, a home, and a wardrobe.

For this Tina Fey quote, I rummaged through a storage basket of old frames. I admit I got distracted by photos in those frames (my family doesn’t call me Shiny Nickels for nothing) but managed to drag myself back to the task at hand…a cute frame. The quote is in the frame and it will sit here beside my computer and remind me that I can analyze, research, and ponder all there is to know about blogging, but unless I go down that chute, nothing is going to happen. So here goes!!!! Wheeeeeeeee…….

Flower boxes add a great touch to the exterior of this home.

Let me preface this by saying my neighborhood is not the one that people are dying to get into. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. It’s an established, mature and diverse neighborhood. It’s centrally located and my neighbors are awesome. DH and I bought our house 16 years ago thinking it would be a starter home. It was built in the 1960’s and still had shag carpet, heavy drapes and paneling when we bought it. Lovely, I know. My husband was horrified, but I saw its potential. What can I say, it has good bones and that’s all you need to know. Years later, I still look around and think “I love my house” and I will live in it ‘til I croak (or win the lotto).

All this to say, there is a house near by that has been somewhat neglected. A single woman lived in it for several years and I think it just became too overwhelming for her. It seems one day she packed up and moved to California. But the house, well, it stayed here. Tenants came and went and while they didn’t let it go completely downhill, they didn’t give it the same love as a homeowner would. Eventually the owner let it go into foreclosure and it became the bank’s house. And there it sat, for a very long time. There had been half ass attempts to sell it but nothing really happened. A shame, really, because it is pretty much the same house as ours without the addition. Good bones, I tell you.

And then one day, it happened. I was driving down my street and I see trucks in the neighbor’s driveway and debris being piled into the bed of one of the trucks. Sure enough, word on the street (well, actually my DH talked to the guy at the house who confirmed) was that a “flipper” bought the house and was planning to rent it. UGH! Rent? We were so bummed out. Initially elated at the thought that someone cared to dress it up and then bummed that it would go to someone who would perhaps not care for it so well. But since we didn’t buy it, guess we don’t get a say, right?

Well, let me tell you…that dude was on it! He did not mess around. He and his crew came in and in a matter of two weeks, they had that house dressed up and ready to sell. Yup, that’s right, it was for sale. #ThankGodhesawthelight

And guess what? It sold the very day it went on the market, with not one, but two offers. Amazing, and this all in a neighborhood where people aren’t really beating the door down to live. But I do believe that is about to change with new business development nearby. But I digress.

So how’d he do it? How did this house flipper sell this house so quickly? Well, I haven’t been inside the home yet, but I have every intention of getting an invitation. But I’ll tell you what he did right on the outside of this house…the home staging he did to get it looking spot on amazing. It looked great in MLS photos and it looked great from the curb. Remember, people won’t even look at the inside of the house if it doesn’t show well in photos and if it doesn’t look well maintained and inviting from the outside.

He painted the exterior of the home. Initially it was a mustard gold color with black trim and accents. It was too harsh and the color was taste specific. The flipper went with a neutral taupe gray color and suddenly the black trim looks sharp and sophisticated. It’s very eye catching.

He pulled out dead shrubs and cleaned up the yard. Now mind you, the yard wasn’t bad but it appeared neglected and overrun. As a prospective buyer, you’re not wanting to move in and have a ton of yard work to do. At least not at first. So by clearing out brush, adding some new shrubs and mulch, suddenly the yard looks manageable and tidy.

He did some cosmetic touch ups so the house looks maintained. So as a seller, you want your house to look fresh and well maintained. If there are minor imperfections, like chipped paint, or wood rot, the buyer will believe the home has not been cared for and will begin to search for other maintenance issues. But if all looks good at first glance, the buyer is excited and can overlook a minor thing here or there. Remember, emotion sells houses!

And speaking of emotion…he added fluffy touches that make people feel good. He built flower boxes for the front windows and hung potted plants at the front entrance. I love touches like this for a front porch. Remember, the prospective buyer will stand on your porch and wait for the realtor to wrestle the lock box and open the door. While the buyer stands there give him something to look at besides cobwebs and dust bunnies (do get rid of those before you place your home on the market). Also, be sure to not go overboard with too MUCH stuff. My mantra: Less is more.

He added another touch and that is the door mat. It is inexpensive and simple. It says WELCOME.

And that’s how the flipper sold the house in one day.

Welcome mat is a great addition to exterior front porch

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Getting a Blog Started: Like Jumping off the High Dive

How the flipper sold the house in one day!

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