denise54 said: "Suddenly our realtor wanted us to roll over and give in to everything the buyer wanted....(by the way...the buyer was a licensed realtor and it turned out the inspection person was a friend of hers). I felt that our realtor kind of abandoned us at the re-negotiation process....so beware" I've heard of this sort of collusion before. Here is an example from a newsletter I subscribe to. I don't have the link, but #2 of the following describes exactly what you are talking about. To-do list for spring, summer home sellers-March 2007/BobBruss.com. Tips for fixing and pricing home, selecting agent If you plan to sell your house or condo in 2007, in most communities the peak sales months are April, May, June and July. The reason is the largest number of prospective buyers are in the market during this time of the year. That means now is the time to get your home ready for sale. If you want to earn top dollar, careful preparation and planning are essential. The four key steps are: 1. GET YOUR HOME INTO "MODEL HOME" CONDITION. Home buyers are especially fussy this year. The reason is it's a "buyer's market." That means there are more houses and condos listed for sale in most communities than there are qualified buyers in the marketplace. In most towns the inventory of homes for sale is up and the volume of sales is down. If you want your home to go from "for sale" to "sold," it must stand out without any serious drawbacks. The best way to get your house or condo ready for sale is to take a critical look at it. Pretend you are a critical buyer. Ask yourself, "Would I buy this home?" If your honest answer is "no," then do your best to correct its deficiencies. Getting your home into "model home" condition doesn't mean making major renovations, such as installing a new kitchen or new bathrooms. That is usually a waste of money because buyers might not like your tastes. Instead, cleaning, repairing and painting are all that is usually needed. Inexpensive cosmetic improvements usually pay off handsomely. Even if your home really doesn't need it, fresh paint is the most profitable improvement you can make. It gives that "new feeling" to even old houses. For every $1 spent painting the interior and exterior, the return in the form of a higher sales price is often 10 times its cost. Other profitable improvements that usually return more than their modest costs include new light fixtures, new floor coverings (carpets, kitchen and bathroom tile or vinyl, refinishing wood floors, etc.) and a landscaping spruce-up with colorful flowering plants. Pretend you are a photographer from one of the home magazines, such as House Beautiful or Sunset. Aim to make your house or condo worthy of a low-cost home makeover feature article. 2. HAVE YOUR HOME PROFESSIONALLY INSPECTED. Although you might prefer to make this your first step, it is important to have a pre-listing professional inspection of your house or condo. Your residence might contain hidden problems of which you are not aware and which can be easily corrected before putting the home on the market for sale. Or, if a serious drawback is discovered and you either can't afford to fix it or you don't want to, then just reveal the defect in writing to prospective buyers so they can consider it when making a purchase offer. Another alternative is to repair or replace the deficient item, such as a bad furnace, but ask the supplier to delay payment until the sale closes. Most suppliers are eager to make sales and will readily agree to delayed payment without extra cost. The reason a pre-listing professional inspection is so vital is home sellers most of today's savvy buyers insist on these inspections. By having your own pre-listing inspection, you will already be aware of any serious drawbacks. For example, several years ago I had a pre-listing inspection of a rental house I wanted to sell. Since I did not live in the home, I was not aware of any major problems. On his checklist, my professional inspector inspected the furnace and found it to be in good condition. However, my buyer's inspector (a retired contractor) said the furnace was defective and dangerous. To resolve the conflict, I arranged to have a furnace repairman and a representative of the local gas company inspect the furnace. The buyer and I -- as well as the real estate agents -- attended the joint inspection. Both the repairman and the gas company employee agreed there was nothing wrong with the furnace and the sale closed without further dispute. I think the buyer was just trying to get me to pay for a new furnace. To find a local qualified professional home inspector, I suggest members of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), which has the toughest membership standards. Local ASHI members can be found at www.ashi.com or by phone at 1-800-743-2744. In addition, wise home sellers have customary local inspections such as for termites, energy efficiency, radon and building code compliance. Such inspections avoid later surprises. Smart sellers have repairs made before putting their home on the market, thus thwarting buyer objections. 3. ESTIMATE YOUR HOME'S MARKET VALUE. Even the best, most experienced real estate agents have difficulty in today's "buyer's market" giving accurate estimates of the probable sales price of a house or condo. Although a few local markets are rising, most are stagnant or on a level plateau. A few are falling, due to lack of home-buyer demand caused by declining local employment. Home sales prices are based on the recent sales (not asking) prices of nearby similar houses and condos within the last three months. A good place to start is on the Internet to determine your home's approximate market value. To find out the asking prices of similar homes listed for sale in your community, the best source is www.realtor.com. This Web site claims to have virtually all the local home listings. It will give you a good idea of comparable nearby houses and condos now listed for sale. Please remember these are asking, not sales, prices. A controversial Web site offering free "zestimates" of local home values is www.Zillow.com. When you enter your home's address, in many cases Zillow will show an aerial photo and even lot boundaries. But this site doesn't include all communities, and some of the information is inaccurate because it is based on public records that might not be up to date. Zillow usually provides "comps" of recent sales prices of similar nearby homes like yours. Other free Internet home-value-estimate Web sites include www.HomeGain.com (the second most visited home sale Web site), www.HouseValues.com and www.Domania.com. These sites often refer you to a local real estate agent who will be thrilled to list your home for sale and help estimate its market value. INTERVIEW AT LEAST THREE SUCCESSFUL REALTY AGENTS. After your house or condo is in near-model-home condition, you have had it professionally inspected and made necessary repairs (or at least included them on your seller disclosure statement), and checked your home's approximate fair market value at several internet sources, it's time to decide if you want to sell your home alone (called "for sale by owner" or FSBO) or if you want to hire a professional sales agent. Before making that decision, it's best to interview at least three successful realty agents who sell homes in your vicinity. Even if you think you can sell your home without any agent, the agents you interview won't mind spending an hour or so inspecting your home and giving you their expert written opinions of its market value. The reason the agents you interview will welcome your phone call is they know most do-it-yourself home sellers fail and, within 30 to 60 days, they contact one of the interviewed agents to list their home for sale. Only about 20 percent of home sales today are made without a realty agent. It is critical to interview at least three successful local agents to compare their evaluations of your home. Watch out for the super-enthusiastic agent who estimates a far higher sales price for your home, without written justification, than the other interviewed agents suggest. Also, beware of the interviewed agent who recommends a low price, probably hoping you don't already have an approximate value for your home based on the Internet and the other interviews. Finally, don't be misled by a charismatic agent who gushes with praise for your home and lulls you into believing he or she can sell your home fast for top dollar. To find successful local agents to interview, consider the agents who have kept you informed with periodic mailings about neighborhood home sales prices. Visit local weekend open houses to meet local agents and evaluate their home listings similar to yours. Also, consider nearby "for sale" signs that turned into "sold" signs within 90 days. Recommendations from friends, neighbors and business associates who have used an agent's service are also important when selecting an agent to interview. Finally, after checking each interviewed agent's references of recent home sellers, list your home for sale with the best agent. For your protection, an initial listing term of not more than 90 days gives the agent time to show what he or she can do to earn the sales commission. But don't be misled by an agent who demands a six-month listing, often stating that's the average time on the market for similar homes. Politely reply, "I don't want just an average agent. I want a superb agent who can get my home sold in 90 days or less." However, if a truly superior agent insists on a six-month listing, with a no-cost unconditional cancellation clause after 90 days, that is acceptable just in case you made a bad decision so you don't get stuck with a lazy agent. Next week: the key questions to ask real estate agents before listing your home for sale. (For more information on Bob Bruss publications, visit his Real Estate Center).

bossy, my neighbor was married to a man who was extremely dyslexic. He came from a rough dysfunctional family and never had the support or encouragement to learn the compensating skills. And yes, he did struggle one year with a drivers exam when he'd let his lapse and needed to retake the test, struggled with the written half. I remember a year when he ran into trouble with taxes, not keeping up his monthly paperwork for his business. He installed flooring and was successful making a nice living. His calculations, math, reputation for execution so flawless he was called on to install flooring in some very high end homes including those of a couple of celebrated NFL players - but he could have stayed busy 7 days a week year around with the projects offered him.

Hi all, thank you for your help. especially @dani_m08 @Erik and @millworkman After much deliberation, we decided that we can't easily end the contract with our current contractor. We were able to get the contractor to demo the preexisting floor and start off with a preslope (which looked like it sloped enough hopefully). Unfortunately it seems like I may need to watch out and make sure they follow all the proceeding steps correctly. They were about to install the shower liner today without waiting for the preslope to dry. Another question if you could assist: In the pictures above you can see the shower bench and the shower niche are already redgarded. I have read everywhere that the slope for the bench, niche, and curb needs to go inward at least 1/4 inch. I'm not too tool savvy but when checking the level I saw the bench and niche look to be level. We will be installing quartz on all three surfaces. I think usually the slope is installed by the carpentry or backerboard (I think), but would it be possible to add a slope after the redgard was applied? Luckily I think I can make sure the curb is sloped given the backerboard / liner wasn't installed yet. Does the shower liner need to go all the way around the curb? I think that it only goes to the top of the curb

Several things: Inspo boards/feedback versus shopping locally " together" : This is absolutely THE most "efficient " way for any designer to get a feel for the FEEL you want in your home and it takes VAST amounts of time to even create the inspo boards, without putting a fanny in the car and driving hundreds of miles over days . ( The reason I put efficient in quotes ). You're in Boston area. You live in an area surrounded by the same stuff every single mid to large city has. Ethan Allen , Pottery Barn, West Elm.......maybe an RH . You also have a design center, and still to some degree, the antique stores that have met a demise in most other cities. In no way do these represent an entire market of what IS available. The local design to the trade venue? Even THAT will not show all that is available!!! Brick and mortar furniture ? Same thing , as many have had a hard time keeping doors open as the public clicks a mouse for cheap junk in a hurry. Couple this, with the fact you are adapting to a bit more traditional feel. GOOD LUCK. This exists at the high and LOW end of the market. The look has been literally driven out by "farmhouse crap" and mid century crap. . Quality? Antique stores, 1st Dibs, Chairish........etc. . New goods? Baker furniture, Hickory Chair, Century, some Hickory White. After those? A minefield of not much, and not much tradition. Budget: The price of a particular piece? It means next to nothing in case goods. A three k dresser can be Restoration Hardware. Is it quality? No, not really. " Another 1 k would have gotten you dovetail joinery."..............no, not necessarily. And dovetail drawers can be found on junk furniture, believe it or not. She saw the dresser it in a showroom....she showed it to you. Did you ASK to go see the piece in person? Apparently not, yet you were willing to "go shopping together".! I'm sorry, but you confused her. Yes, you did. You told her your priority was the living room, and it never occurred to her that the dresser would equal the IMPORTANCE of the selections for that living room. You asked her to drag the budget information out of you. What you never said, and she did not ask, was this: "I can spend __________$ This YEAR. I can spend __________ next year. I must have now, these things --------------------" . I can wait on these................" Yet you said "no to things that were more than you wanted to spend" .........which IS it??? And on what? ! You were vague, and as you typed above? It's still vague to us. To me. Every designer is tasked with getting the budget answer, to which we generally get this reply, essentially. ........ " I just want the best looking home I can have, for the least amount of dollars." Every piece? "How much is it?!" So......walk a mile in our shoes. Couple ALL of this with the fact that a new home rarely needs a total re furnishing. In fact? I would resist that. Traditional homes can successfully marry both tradition and more contemporary looks. They are more interesting, more collected, than a boatload of "it's all new" Here's Suzanne Kassler Buckhead, outside and inside... Look at the art and the STAIR......... Which of these appeals in traditional "bones"??? Such as below... Look at the cocktail table, below, and the more modern relief to the obvious tradition. Or........... more below. The point is as the pictures reveal : ) While it's important to "listen" to a house? It's not the dictator. Look at the moldings, chair rail , windows etc and the lighting in both, below........and the furnishings.