They have true leaves this spring, but they are immature and tend to all look the same. Look carefully as they grow larger this spring and you should be able to make out the adult features. Next spring they will be obvious. You might even keep your fingers crossed for some flowers next spring on smaller species.

Whole allspice. ;) But yes they can discolor the food so I only use the time called for in the recipe - 10 minutes sounds about right. Much longer would be too spicy for my tastes. Dave

Actually I looked at your house and the comps and I think yours shows pretty well compared to most of them. Some are clearly estates with no updates, most have things that some buyers don't like, like multiple wallpapers, most have carpeting instead of hardwood in the LR. Your blue carpet is a negative, but there are similar negatives in almost all the other comps, I think. But--there are about 70 listings in your area and a little over a dozen that are almost identical on paper, including price. It appears that there may be a lot to choose from in your target market. I agree with the other comments: Reduce the number of Kitchen photos to maybe two good ones. The LR photos are very unflattering and make it look crowded. Take some things out at least for the photos. Show the bathrooms even if they are old. Not showing them makes people suspect the worst. Get them to take some of the pictures without the fishbowl effect. I don't know that your agent can pester other agents into providing feedback. My Realtor who has been in the business for 30 years and is a top seller in good markets and bad (I am in Philadelphia area, too), said the business has changed a lot in the past ten years. She feels that in this area a lot of people became real estate agents in the booming period when houses were selling themselves, and they didn't have to do much, including being polite to sellers or other agents--or do much "work" to sell a house. So while it used to be standard to leave a business card at the house, follow up with feedback and other niceties (and this was more work before everything was online), she feels that a lot of people who got into the business when it was easy, don't really like it now that its harder. For agents who may be reading this and thinking, that real estate is Always hard work, I agree, in most areas it is. But here, especially when prices are up, you can make a livable income selling a few houses a year. I had one agent repeatedly not show up for appointments. Once he showed up about 5 hours after he was scheduled. I asked the Realtor if this agent could be Not allowed to make appointments, and she said in a fast market, maybe you could do that, but in a slow market you are hostage to the unprofessional agent and the potential buyer, no matter what a pain they are.

"But if all you ever want to listen to is the SM is perfect, mom and kids are terrible, thats your perogatve." I don't think that is the attitude here at all. I DO think, though, that there are more "wacky" BMs in the lives of posters on this board than not. It seems a great deal of us are NOT dealing with rational, emotionally healthy BMs, but instead are dealing with moms that have abandoned their children, that are drug addicts, alcoholics, or have other mental issues. I KNOW that there are plenty of SFs where both parents (mom and dad) are rational, "normal" people and work together for the good of their children, in spite of being divorced. They marry other good people and life is generally fine. The step-parents in THOSE situations are generally not the step-parents that are going to be posting here. Most of us posting here are doing so because we have valid, legitimate concerns and issues---and like it or not, KKNY, a lot of those issues DO stem from the behaviors of BMs. It just makes me sad that stepmoms (and some stepdads) come here to get advice and are hounded by people that really cannot relate to the situation on ANY level.