The Couch Is Gone — and Suddenly the House Feels Huge

    Well… the couch is finally gone. In the end, we just listed it for free because at this point it was less about the money and more about getting the living room back so I can keep moving on the house. And honestly, the second it left, the room felt twice as big. It’s wild how much space furniture eats without you realizing it.


    Now that the living room is cleared out, I can finally get back to the real work: scraping the popcorn ceiling, skim coating it, and trying to make the place look like it wasn’t built by someone who hated drywall. You can see every spot something’s ever been hung, every bad tape job from the original build, every little flaw that’s been hiding behind furniture for years. When I did the dining room, I ended up cutting out and replacing tape in several places, so I’m assuming the living room is going to be the same kind of adventure.

    Meanwhile, we’re still sorting through the house, listing things as we come across them and deciding what actually deserves to come with us. It’s frustrating how something that feels valuable to us barely gets a blink from anyone else. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s just the reality check of downsizing. Either way, the “keep” pile is getting smaller and easier to manage, which feels like progress. 

    Both vehicles are listed online, though they’re not getting much action yet. The plan is to park them somewhere with high visibility soon — that’s helped us sell vehicles in the past. And we’ve started a yard sale pile for all the stuff that isn’t worth the hassle of online listings. Sometimes it’s easier to just put it all in the driveway and let people pick through it. 

    It’s a weird mix of momentum and impatience right now. Every item gone is one step closer to selling the house. Every cleared space makes the next project possible. It’s slow, but it’s happening. And that’s enough to keep pushing forward.

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