Pride in Place with Kate Cox
John Caruso learns the importance of loving where you live and how a little polish, planning and pride can give you and your home a new lease on life -without packing a single box.
It’s funny how often we only see the beauty of our own homes when we’re preparing to hand them over to someone else. The walls get a fresh coat of paint, the garden’s trimmed, the clutter is gone, the taps gleam, and suddenly the place feels lighter, calmer, almost new again. Then, just as we fall back in love with it, the ‘Sold’ sign goes up.
Kate Cox from Reed & Co says it happens all the time.
“People bring us in a few months before they plan to sell and ask what needs doing,” she says. “We tell them to clean gutters, update handles, fix taps, new carpet, maybe freshen up the paint. They do all that, the home looks amazing, and then they sell it. They never get to enjoy it.”
Her advice is simple, ‘don’t wait’! Prepare your home as if you were about to sell and then live in it.
“Do it while you’ve got the time,” Kate says. “You don’t have to actually sell it.”
Summer, she points out, is the perfect time to start. You might not get a tradie to turn up in December, but you can get organised for the year ahead.
“Sit with your partner, plan what needs doing, and make your bookings,” she suggests. “Book the plumber, painter, the gardener, whoever you need. Even if the work’s not happening straight away, at least it’s lined up. Then when you’re back at work, things get done.”
It’s the sort of practical wisdom you get from someone who’s seen hundreds of homes at every stage of their lifecycle, particularly houses before and after they are transformed by a few thoughtful changes and attention to detail.
Kate says it’s about reclaiming pride and comfort in the space you own.
“It’s not necessarily about selling. It’s about enjoying your home at its best, not putting up with it at it’s worst,” she says.
That line landed with me because we’d been through exactly that. We spent years saying we’d get to the garden ‘one day’. Then, just before listing, we brought in Stuart and the team from Earth Creation Landscapes. The transformation was staggering. The garden was lush and inviting, and we spent the next few weeks asking ourselves why we were selling.
Kate laughs knowingly at that scenario.
“You’re not the only ones,” she says. “That’s why I tell people to do it early. Get the garden tidied, declutter, give the place a professional wash-down. Clean the fans because everyone looks up and freshen the master bedroom flooring because people always look down, particularly in that room.”
That insight comes from experience.
“Conversations about buying the property happen in the master bedroom,” Kate explains. “That’s where people feel most comfortable. So, make sure it looks beautiful.”
It’s that mix of psychology and practicality that makes Kate such an engaging agent. She understands the small details that influence how we feel about a space, the textures, the air, the sense of calm or clutter.
And she understands the rhythm of real life, the way good intentions slip once the school runs begin and workdays return.
“If you start in the holiday break,” she says, “you’ll get things done that you’ll never manage during the year.
“Once February hits, life gets busy. Then it’s Easter, and everyone’s buying paint and tools because they’ve finally got a long weekend, and frankly you’ve left your run too late.”
Her own story makes the point.
“I’ve been talking about fixing up my courtyard for ages,” she says. “I’ve had quotes, but the trades are booked out until February. If I were selling, it’d be done in two weeks. But because I’m not,
I keep putting it off.
“That’s why I tell people, don’t procrastinate. Use your time to do it now and enjoy it, rather than doing it for someone else to enjoy.”
That notion,doing it for yourself, is what gives her message weight.
A home that’s fresh, clean, and decluttered isn’t just more appealing to buyers, it’s more enjoyable to live in.
The light falls differently through clean windows. A repainted deck or new carpet lifts the mood of a room.
Kate encourages homeowners to bring in an agent even if selling isn’t on the cards.
“Get advice on what would add value,” she says. “It doesn’t mean you’ve got to go to market immediately.
You can do the work now, live in the improved space, and maybe sell later. It helps you prioritise.”
It’s a practical philosophy grounded in a kind of quiet optimism that life’s better when we take pride in what we already have. We spend so much time planning the next move, new job, new car, new house, that we forget to pause and enjoy where we are. It’s still your place. Enjoy it, at its best while you can.
