I think you should just try to pay the guy the entire amount if at all possible. He is being very nice by taking the lower bid and he will probably lose the use of his car for a few days while its in the shop being fixed. If he wanted to, he could probably ask you to cover the charge of a rental car for his use during this time. I would consider myself lucky that he isn't doing that and just pay him if you can.

Been there. Had perfectly nice home in nice suburb. Didn't *have* to move. Didn't *need* more space. But, after living there for 30 years, DH retired, DS grown and married, we wanted *nicer* home in *nicer* suburb. We found our home after looking for six months, but didn't buy it until three years later. The seller would not come down 6% to appraised value although the house had been on the market for years and she had a reverse mortgage. Two years after she rejected our offer, we approached her directly and paid the same asking price. It was still over appraisal. We were paying the same asking price, but she was getting 6% more by selling direct. OK, so now we own the house. We'd planned to remodel extensively -- everything you outlined for your purchase plus replacing a virtually flat roof with a 10/12 pitch roof; creating a mudroom from one of the garage spaces and adding another space at the far end of the garage; replacing landscaping around the house -- rest of the acre was lovely (main reason we loved the property). So...ready to remodel. Wait. A portion of the house is SINKING. Plus, every GC we spoke to said it would cost more to remodel than to tear down. Our $150K remodel turned into a $350K new build after teardown. If we had not had the resources, this would be a tale of woe, but...we are delighted with the house, and the upmarket for the last five years has left us dollars ahead. The acre + ranch next to us sold in 2002 as a teardown for just under what we have in our land and house. Ours is one of the smaller homes in the area. We're ahead in contentment --and financially, at least for now. I'm saying all this because you need to be ready to do MUCH more to this property than you now estimate. And the current market is vastly different from 2000, when we bought. (If you are staying a long time, that doesn't matter as much.) Can you remake this house and still have less invested than the value of neighboring houses in good condition? You don't want to own the most expensive home in a neighborhood. Can you stay in your present home until this one is ready? You'll have to work with the HOA. It could take a year or more. It seems to me that this is a "good deal" only if you can buy it for near land value; are prepared to spend what it takes to re-build or build new; are OK with how much time and effort this will take. Near our home is a development where just one house is EIFS. It has consistently sold for less than its comps that are not EIFS. A realtor owns it now and is in the process of removing the EIFS and replacing it with true stucco -- before putting it on the market. She's owned it for three years of high appreciation in the area, so will still come out ahead even with the replacement expense. Im not sure how you would fare if you had to sell before the market stops dropping -- if it is dropping in your area as it is here.

Henredon love seat with cane sides and back, in Baltimore Compare to one linked from Houzz for 1900.00 Vintage Henredon cane sofa [Transitional Sofas[(https://www.houzz.com/products/transitional-sofas-prbr1-br~t_524~s_2112) by San Francisco Furniture & Accessories Chairish Here is a link that might be useful: Henredon loveseat

Evelyn, thank you for your kind words. Working on a new house can get kind of discouraging. :) mjlb, DH hung the MB drapes today and every time I saw the coffee table up there, I kept thinking about it hanging on a wall. Bella, a big thanks for showing me those DH chairs in context. I always look at their website but would have never thought of pairing them with my table until you posted the pic of them with the other wood table. I think you were taking pity on me because you posted them right after the honesty thread on conversations. You know...just hurry up, already, and make up your mind. hehehe It ONLY took me a year.