Showing - Downton Abbey

I love looking at houses, this is really convenient considering that I am a real-estate professional! That being said when I am not busy showing houses or running to the doctors for my mother I love to sit down and watch Downton Abbey.  I am also addicted to this show, I started watching it Christmas Day and I am caught up on this past season, aka season 3. 

For those of you that have some how managed to remain oblivious to life at Downton Abbey here is a brief run down. The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era — with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Such events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of World War I, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; and the Interwar period and the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series.

Now let me show you the house! 

Highclere Castle 

  

The Main Entrance 

In 1838 Sir Charles Barry, one of England’s foremost architect of the time, was hired by Henry John George Herbert, 3rd Earl of Carnarvon to transform the Carnarvon family’s Georgian mansion into the grand Highclere Castle (is the name of the castle that Downton Abbey is filmed in.)  He designed it in the High Elizabethan style and faced it in Bath stone.  The Gothic-style entrance hall with its slender blue and red marble columns was designed later by George Gilbert Scott.

The Salon 

The saloon at the center of the house was designed by Thomas Allom for Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon in the 1860s in a Gothic style. 

The Drawing Room 

The drawing room designed in the Rococo revival style was decorated by Almina, 5th countess of Carnarvon and the daughter of Alfred de Rothschild who gave her bolts of French silk damask, which she used to cover the walls.  Almina was also responsible for turning Highclere Castle into an officer’s hospital during the First World War.  Her husband George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon was the financial backer of the excavation of the Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

The Dinning Room 

The Staff

The List Price 

So contact me if this is the house for you! (joking joking!) I hope you enjoyed this post, there will be more like this to come in the future! 

*These picture are not mine. I do not own the rights to Downton Abbey. I got the facts used in the post from Here. 

It's Show Time

Have a Showing? Is the house a mess? Kids running around everywhere? Don't cancel the showing... you
want to sell your house don't you?! Here are a few helpful  tips that will whip your house into shape and turn you into a  dynamite combination of Wonder Woman/Mr. Clean! 

First, Occupy the Little Ones (and the Furry Ones) 

Put on a DVD. Shove them in the yard. Give them a tub of frosting and plop them in the highchair (maybe not this one, can anyone say sugar rush?) Something. Anything. Keep them away from you while you quickly move from room to room tidying. If they are old enough to help, let them, but don't waste time micromanaging.

Hide Stuff.

Grab an empty laundry basket or storage bin, and start at the front door. Toss in all the random things that we  all drop off the minute we walk in the door: the umbrella, random (muddy) shoes, or yesterdays newspaper... you get the picture! Clean it Up!   

Continue putting things into the basket or bin as you walk through the front entry and into the house. Keep the basket/bin out while you quickly tidy up the house. Fluff everything! Make it look fresh! Clean off the coffee table, put the random articles that you don't want to toss into the trash in the basket you have been carrying with you, remember to go through this later! When done, put this container into the master bedroom closet, and put a lid on it! 

Bathrooms

For Bathrooms all you need is a damp rag and some glass cleaner! Give everything a quick go over, but  don't forget about those dust bunnies behind the toilet! 

Kitchen
Hide paperwork, bills, anything personal you don't want on display!Wipe down counter and the dinner table! Dirty dishes in the sink?  Load up the dishwasher and turn it on. If you don't have a dishwasher, start washing the dishes! Are you are running out of time?  Hide them! Seriously,  it's okay! Put them in a box in the garage, or in the oven (remember to take them out before preheating!!!!). Wet a dishtowel and quickly mop up any noticeable crumbs from the floor.

Toys

With kids rooms  the best thing to do is to let them loose then have a 10-Minute Tidy before you  leave, then take them out for a cookie or some ice cream to reward them for all their (and your)  hard work! If your prospective buyers have  little kids with them, it's always a good idea to make sure the marble games and other small-piece games are put up high and out of reach.

Make the House Smell Good

This is the last thing to do before a showing. Light a scented candle, (I like fresh cotton, mint , lavender , and maybe some dessert scented candles in the kitchen), just remember to blow the candles out before you leave! Windex something,  the smell of Windex smells like clean!  Vinegar works just as well to clean windows and smudges off of doorknobs and light switches, but Windex will create a powerful punch in the air! 

 Thanks for reading and have a great day!  

Bee & Vickie Bailey 

We Believe

Hey Everyone,

Hope y'all's Monday has been amazing! Sorry its been a minute since my last post (its been crazy around here, but I will take crazy over slow any day of the week!) I just wanted to share this commercial  with you that Coldwell Banker put out!

I loved this so much! It made me think of all of the living that goes on after I am done doing my job! Knowing that I have helped you find a place to put down some roots and live your life makes the process involving all the blood, sweat, and tears worth it!  Thanks for always coming back, and call or email if you want to start looking for homes in the Knoxville area! 

vickiebailey61 at gmail.com  

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