A professional appraisal is what you need. Finding the right appraiser may take some doing, though. You want someone who is used to doing non-mortgage driven appraisals. I suggest asking your bank, and your attorney for some referrals. And then speak with the person who would be doing the appraisal and ask specifically how many similar (or as much as possible) jobs they do, both for the type of property and for private, present market value appraisals. Ask, as well, if they will take the time and walk you through the numbers beyond just the cover page. That will help you use the document effectively for price-setting in this situation. I have used this tactic with good success. (I have to confess, however, that once I got a terrible appraisal - poorly done, way off the mark numbers, and simply clueless overall. I shredded it and ate the $400 cost, since it had no value.) And if you do get an appraisal, keep mum about it with any propspective FSBO buyers (in most cases). Since what's in it is for you to know and base your negotiating strategy on. And if they know it was done they will want to see it. And a refusal to share will make them skittish. HTH, Molly

I don't know linnea - I'm in the Chicago area and I have had great luck selling things at prices far higher than what is being suggested. I don't know what area you'd be posting in - I'm North and sometimes I think that helps but the last piece I sold a guy drove up all the way from Midway and that's well over an hour from me. Yes, clean the chairs up as much as you can, but a line I often use is "wear appropriate to age". No one expects pristine in a vintage or antique piece. I'd say price them as you see fit to cover his costs and then some. What's the worst that can happen - you get no response - it happens. If you have the time, run it again. We're in the holiday season and maybe there aren't a lot of people looking to get into projects but come January it's a whole 'nuther story. If you are in a hurry you have fewer options but that's always the case no matter what you sell or where. Here's an examples for you; I asked and sold this for $175 2 weeks ago. Won't bother showing all the pictures I posted but I did close ups of where the veneer is chipped off and any damaged areas - I don't lie and always make sure the true condition is visible so there are no surprises. It looks great in that picture but trust me - it was not perfect by a long shot. You have to find the right buyer and they are out there. Someone on the conversation side asked about postng on CL and I wrote up my suggestions - let me see if I can find it. Got it: Put your pics on photobucket and post those within the CL ad - do not use the CL photo uploader. You get MUCH better, larger pictures, are not limited to 4. Pictures sell an item - we've had really fast sales doing that. Use the same code that you use here - it works the same way. You won't see the pictures, only code until you go to the next 'page'. But if they aren't the way you want them or in the wrong order you can go back and edit, just like you do here. I've found the best way to list my items is basically bullet points rather than paragraph form. Anything you can do to make it easy for people helps: Faux Ficus Tree 6' tall, 36" wide, approx. Beautiful woven basket with Spanish Moss accent Perfect for filling in those difficult corners Cash Only Please respond with phone # Then I put the pictures in following my text. Get everything out of the frame that could be distracting. I usually try to photograph things placed in front of my French doors - it makes an attractive backdrop. If nothing else I hang a white sheet behind the item. Take distance and close up - especially of the basket so they can see the texture. Make sure you put a line space between each picture so they don't scroll side to side. Glad to help if you have any questions

Lots of things to think about, and believe me when I say that I’ve thought of nothing but. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions / ideas. Lisa, I loved the idea of the pantry, but try as I might, I don’t see it working in my space. It might be okay if I didn’t have the wonky ceiling heights but that limitation really killed it, I think. You have a great pantry and I’m sure that you give thanks for that space on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing the photos, they made it even more difficult to put the idea aside. Laughable, I hear what you’re saying, and I’m using that argument to make it easier to put the idea aside. Sena01, with no pantry effectively bumping the dining room wall closer to the island, there isn’t an issue with the oven or dishwasher or whatever is put in that corner, so it won’t be necessary to close that doorway in. And while we may use the back door to enter the house, it is the entry that you suggest blocking off that we use multiple times every day, so I’m glad it’s not necessary to consider blocking off from a functional perspective. Funkycamper, after all the years that we’ve been in the house, it never occurred to me that there could be some privacy issues with the bathroom off the kitchen. It is tucked away, and after reading your comments I had to go and take a closer look. What I discovered is the way that the bathroom is situated, there is nowhere in the kitchen that you can stand and see anything in the bathroom except for a small sliver of the sink. I guess that’s why it’s never been an issue before! So for the last day I have been playing with each of the layouts that have been suggested. Lisa, I can’t thank you enough for all the time that you must have spent, and all the visuals you’ve given me. I think that adding the charging station to the top of the island is such a good idea. It is such a natural spot for a dumping ground, and it’s so hard to teach an old dog new tricks, don’t you think? I’m not concerned about the distance from the post (42”) as it replaced a much larger one that was there previously. The larger one wasn’t an issue in terms of traffic and at 8x8, the new one is a minor nuisance at best. I spent quite a bit of time figuring out all of the “paths” that I/we would be taking during the course of meal prep, serving, and clean-up. Funkycamper, I laughed out loud when I read your suggestion that we role play "I'm making prepping and making dinner while you're making dessert". I know it was only a “for instance”, but the only dessert DH would make is pouring chocolate sauce over ice cream. I did pay attention to what we actually do together though, and your suggestions make a lot of sense. Lavender Lass, thanks so much for your input. I always admire how your designs make so much sense, so I am sure that I am missing something with this one. Is it because I’m in the space that I can’t see? I can’t understand the reason for putting the fridge and microwave closer to the sunroom. I’m sure I am unduly influenced by my current routines, but when I start playing around with the various layouts, the ones that seem to make the most sense for me are the ones that have the cooktop behind the island. That’s because I will prep at the island, to the right of the sink and from there I can easily turn to tend to anything on the cooktop. It’s the shortest distance from the sink to cooktop when a pot needs to be filled or drained. It also keeps me closer to the better views outside, my coffee and computer in the sun room (for my breaks) as well as to any guests that we may be entertaining. Back to mulling over all of this. I know there has to be a solution in here somewhere!

I wonder how many of those who reported heavy use of their swing sets are in the ....ah.....'older' crowd? We used ours all the time when we were growing up in the 50's and 60's but we were also outside all the time - playing all those kids games that no one seems to play now. Anyone remember Hide and Seek, Red Light, Green Light, Stop - Mother May I, Hop Scotch, Red Rover, Hula Hoops, roller skates (with keys), jump rope,........... Families tended to be larger and TV didn't dominate our lives. We played basketball, rode bikes and played Peter Pan in the woods. If we were inside we played board games, cards or pulled our our coloring books. With all those wonderful memories of our own childhood DH built an oversize swing set for our kids using double 2x12s for the overhead ladder and supports. It was fairly simple - 2 swings, a rope swing, a ladder on both sides and across the top, and a huge tarp to turn it into a fort or cave or den or tent. . Our kids used it - and so did the neighbor kids since it was nice and large, plus we had a sandbox and a tree that was easy to climb. We limited TV and it probably also helped that this was before everyone was connected to the internet 24/7. My kids are in their 30's so I never had to deal with kids walking around with iPads. We bought a computer when they were in grad school - it was an Apple 1C or 1E - and they liked playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego or the Oregon Trail. Now we have 2 new families near us with beautiful wooden swing sets with climbing boards and tents and they were used while the kids were preschool, but now are seldom used unless they have a play date. Around here kids don't roam the neighborhood the way I did or as my own kids did in the 80's. Maire