If your house is anything like mine, it probably looks more “lived in” than magazine worthy. I think that somewhere along the way we started confusing a beautiful house with a good home. November has a way of reminding us there’s a difference.
I sell houses for a living, so believe me, I can appreciate a gorgeous kitchen, beautiful countertops and a room that photographs perfectly. But some of the best homes I’ve ever walked into wouldn’t necessarily stop your scroll on Instagram.
A good home isn’t really about the clean, trendy, neutral, perfect staging. It’s about so much more. A good home might have a scratched dining table that gets a little too crowded when everyone comes over. It might mean pulling folding chairs out of the basement because you’re two seats short. The plates may not match. The kitchen might be dated. The hardwood floors might be perfectly flawed from years of kids, dogs, furniture and actual life happening on them. And somehow, those are often the houses people remember most.
November brings us back inside. The days get shorter, the furnace kicks on, throw blankets reappear on the couch, and suddenly the kitchen becomes the center of everything again. We gather around tables, watch football from our favorite spots, trip over shoes by the door and start figuring out where we’re going to put everyone for Thanksgiving. It’s easy, especially when we’re constantly seeing beautifully curated homes online, to look around our own houses and see what needs to be changed.
Some common ones I hear are : “the kitchen needs updating”, “the carpet has seen better days”, “we need a bigger dining room”, “I really should paint that wall”. And maybe you will. Please hear me though when I say don’t wait until your house is “finished” to enjoy the home you already have.
Invite people over anyway. Use the good dishes, or don’t & whip out some paper plates. Order pizza. Let everyone squeeze around the table. Let the kids be loud. Let the dog beg shamelessly for something to fall on the floor. Someday, the things that make your house feel a little chaotic right now may be the very things you miss.
As a Realtor, I spend a lot of time talking about what makes a property valuable. Location matters. Condition matters. Updates, acreage and square footage all matter. However, there is another kind of value that will never show up on an appraisal.
It’s knowing exactly which stair squeaks. It’s the doorway where you measured your kids. It’s the dent from that thing nobody will admit they broke. It’s the kitchen where everyone ends up standing and having the most meaningful conversations.
That’s the difference between a house and a home. So this November, before worrying about whether everything is ready for the holidays, maybe take a look around with a fresh perspective. My home is rarely picture-ready, but I love it. It’s where my family’s life happens. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.
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