Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

It's time to get the house set for the colder weather

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It's time to get the garage-cum-office finished and all the little snagging jobs in the house find before the weather turns. Before long Autumn will turn Wintry and it will be too late to get any outside jobs done, so that's where I will start the focus.

It looks like it's list time again…

I'll have to go round the house and trek a look at all the areas that I feel need attention. From there, it's a case of setting up sons time to ensure that I can get everything done. I'll probably start the list this afternoon and from there I'll have an idea of how much time it will take me to complete.

If like the setting up if the estate agency for next year to follow a similar path but there are do many aspects of it that I have no idea about timescales. I'll just have to leave more time than I think possible and take it from there.

I'm one of these people that likes to have everything planned to the finest detail with accurate timings but it's just not possible when setting up what will be a new business. The current thinking is to finish my current job at Christmas, take a couple of weeks off and then start in earnest during January. From there I'll step up through the gears to be opening after Easter with a view to building stock levels for this time next year. I follow the cycles of the market and it appears that there are two main markets in my part of the world. The first is taking on property in January and February for sales in March and April. The second phase is taking on property through the Summer to sell after the kids go back to scho in September for people that want to move in for Christmas. I'm looking to catch the tails end if the first market and be really up and running for the second.

Wish me luck!

Friday, 23 January 2015

A regular schedule is starting to emerge

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I'm now falling into a regular schedule in my new role at work. It's my second week in my new role, with my new hours and I've mainly got two days in the week off, starting this week. I've divided this up to one day earning money and the other for setting up the business.

This will start this weekend or next week with finishing off the garage conversion into my home office. It's probably the best first place to start movng towards having the business up and running. When it's decorated, made to look like an office and weather proof, I'll have a space to be able to sit away from the hustle and bustle of family life for periods of time to concentrate on getting stuff done. Plus insure I'll find more things in the garage to sell on eBay, to bring in a little more money.

Yesterday was a money-making day with mystery shopping at the following-

2 supermarkets
A specialist retailer
A toy retailer
A museum
An entertainment provider
A bookmakers

In all, the fees earnt were more than I would have earnt in a similar day at work, and it took me less time, got me some products and was more interesting.

Today has been a day for getting things done around the house. I've cleaned windows, painted a ceiling, touched up other paint, changed a photo frame and sorted out the porch. I want the house robe fully up to scratch with all maintenance issues before I start the business, as I won't have spare time to devote to this then.

I've also listed several items for sale in eBay and Amazon today - unused video games and books I've already read.

Time to look in the mystery shop websites to see if there are any available ships for my days off next week!

Monday, 17 November 2014

Inspiration to finish off my home office

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I've just read a blog that sats a home office in the garden can add 5% to the value of a home-


This has made me happy in my pursuit if completing my home office to stsrt my estate agency in. I am actually no further forward than my last blog on this subject, but the news that it can add value to my home is another spur to get it completed - next phase us this Friday, my next day off. 

It will be to move the items to the back half of the garage and paint and waterproof the front half of the garage. This will be the final part if waterproofing and weather-proofing, before I start to assemble the cupboards, tables, chairs and units that will inhabit the garage whilst I use it. I want to create a mix between a conventional office, an inspiring place to freate some truly different marketing material, and a place that uses the extra furniture I already have stored in there.  Hopefully Friday will leave me set to assemble furniture and dress the place with inspiring materials to kick off the next stage in my startup - moving out of the house into the home office!