Spent the afternoon and evening working at the house. We are SO VERY CLOSE to finishing and listing. In fact, last Friday we met with a local realtor who was very encouraging — she commented on the “Wow Factor” when she walked through the house — knowing the age of the house and being familiar with the neighborhood from other listings, she had a good idea of what we started with, and she was very impressed with the updates we’ve made and the fact that we’ve managed to stay under budget so far.

We were thrilled when she recommended we list the house for almost $30,000 more than what we’d originally been thinking. She’s sold quite a few homes in the area and she pointed out the square footage, the floor plan that makes the most of every square foot and the fact that we have an indoor utility room (rather than washer/dryer connections in the garage) make our house worth a very pleasant sum.

The goal is to finish everything within two weeks and then stick a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. Tomorrow I’ll be waiting for the delivery and installation of a range hood (the first one has a dent in it), and I’ll be putting the second coat of trim paint on the closet shelves in the blue bedroom, the front bathroom door frame, the back bathroom baseboards, and the door frame between the utility room and garage. Then I’ll be painting the bedroom that was mine as a child, for the last time. I keep wondering who will end up with our house and what the rooms will be used for. It could very well be a starter home for a young family with children. Or it could be a home for someone downsizing from a larger place.

I’m imagining the shelves that held all my childhood books, and the closet floor where my Barbies and stuffed animals resided — those shelves could end up belonging to a little boy with Star Wars figures scattered about, shoe boxes of Legos on those shelves — and maybe a Batman costume hanging on one of the clothes rods.

Or in the case of the downsizing buyer, maybe there will be stacks and stacks of quilting fabric — a stash of brilliant color from floor to ceiling — and a sewing machine table near the window seat where plenty of good light pours in throughout the day.

I wonder who will end up with our house.