When Overwhelm Gets Overwhelming

Ever bitten off more than you can chew? This week, that is exactly how I felt. Yesterday I finally got the keys to house I had purchased, and on remembrance and reflection of the work it needs, it can only be described as a bombsite. I think, in the future, once it’s done, it’ll be good, a lovely family home for rental. But that is then, and this is now. And as I stood in this bombsite house which requires immense rectification, realising the enormity of the task before me, I knew I had bitten off more than I could chew.

So I will freely admit I felt overwhelmed. I have refurbished houses before, even a large vastly-outdated one, and a scruffy repossession. But this one surpasses anything I’ve done before, as it is by far the worst house I’ve had. However, the condition of the house was nothing compared to the continuous overwhelming thought I had: “My mum’s going to do her nut when she sees the state of this” :( :( :(   Today I took my beloved mother to see this house. Many of you will know that because I’m not yet financially free, I'm thus not yet lucky enough to be able to throw money at property companies to fix housey-remedial issues. As such, for the moment, a lot of the refurbishment works come from my own fair hands. Or more accurately, my mummy’s - what with me being pretty pathetic at manual labour, as well as accident-prone, and to be blunt, uselessly gormless. So knowing that poor mummy will be involved in this wreck, I dreaded her crossing the threshold. Normally on viewings when the houses are terrible, she is very vocal in telling me how terrible they are. Today, even she was overwhelmed into silence. I suspect had she been with me when viewing this one, her comments would undoubtedly have been the usual: “Don’t bloody get this one, it’s a right tip, I’m not doing this one, look at the state of that kitchen, clatty cow, and it stinks of cat piss...etc etc”. But today she realised it was too late: I’ve bought it, and we are committed to this house. And her stunned silence made me think: bloody hell, what have I done?? And then I told her we had a ridiculously low budget because the solicitors’ completion bill had been horrific - and that we had to turn it around in twelve weeks. She gave me a look that made me think I was getting murdered right there and then. It was horrendously overwhelming. A fleeting thought occurred; that maybe we weren’t up to it. Maybe I had taken too much on. Maybe I’m not ready for such a big project. Maybe I’m just not cut out to do this. But it’s tough sh!t now. The decision’s been made: there’s only one way, and it’s forward. And as we stood there, in this absolute bombsite, two resilient Leeds lasses, with hard lives behind us, we realised we would have to toughen up and “gerronwi’it” – just like we always have. :) So I came home, and decided to write this blog to rationalise, self-soothe, concoct a cunning plan - and have a word with mysen. And if it helps someone else in property who is also feeling overwhelmed, then that is a bonus. :) Thus…   Overcoming Overwhelm: Kellyann’s Top Tips: Remember that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. So take a deep breath, and move forward. We will get there in the end, but we must keep moving. Standing still is stagnation. And failure is not an option! Next: how do you eat an elephant? Break it into chunks! Assess the works needed in each room. List them down. Work out the order each item must be done in. Use this refurbishment planner to help: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/renovation-your-step-by-step-planner/   Collate your contractors. Use the superb professionals you’ve used before, or had recommended locally. Get them telephoned and booked in to visit the site for quotes. These websites will help you locate a good quality workforce: http://www.checkatrade.com/ https://www.ratedpeople.com https://www.mybuilder.com   Become the professional you need to be in order to succeed. I will need to evolve to become a top project manager extraordinaire. What a chance to learn new skills! Be like Winston Churchill: despite suffering depression, he once said “I am an optimist. It does not seem much use being anything else.” So think of the positives. For instance: the house is roomy, dry, secure, clean(ish), with a massive garden, and will be a superb rental - and will provide another family with a long term home. :) Finally, give yourself a talking to. Pull your big girl pants up, dry your eyes and get on with it. Nothing is impossible, but if you do nothing, nothing will happen. It’s said that the distance between your dream and reality is called your action. My little imaginary rental family can’t move in until I’ve made it safe and habitable for them. So best get cracking! Remember, if being in property was that easy, everyone would do it. But there is no competition, because nobody else is you. And we’re going to make this work. So you can bugger off Overwhelm; there’s no room for you in the works schedule! Because, in terms of progress and success: what’s the point in coming this far to only come this far?! Good luck everyone! Take care, and my very best wishes, Kellyann x x x