Well, interesting turn of events. Our house is not yet listed, we are getting the house ready with the plan to list by the end of the month after we get some bigger things completed (namely recarpeting upstairs and a porch repair). We have our listing agent selected and she is aware of our plan. Last night I got a call from her that she received a call from another REA with a party interested in a house in only my subdivision. Inventory is very scarce and he has seen and dismissed the two houses currntly on the market in the subdivions. She was calling to see if my REA knew of anything else coming available. So, they are coming to look at our house tonight. Not enough time to do any more changes obviously. While I am realistic that this ideal situation will probably amount to nothing, I am happy to have a chance to do a trial run and get some preliminary feedback. About the office situation - I agree that this would be the perfect set up. However, we have an office upstairs, and it isn't the pretty little wood desk office, or I would have just relocated it. It's a big L-shaped metal "working" desk that is definitely form over function. I appreciate all the suggestions and will keep you posted!

Do the windows function? From the photos, they appear to be quite dirty. Instead of investing in new windows, provided they function, spend some time cleaning them. I would suggest starting with some soapy water for a first round cleaning. After that clean them with a vinegar and water mixture. The screens also need to be cleaned. If you can't get to the outside, hire some one to do it. It will be cheaper than new windows. If the black areas are actually mold and not dirt, you may need to replace the windows if water is infiltrating them. I really think you need to do a bit of homework here. Find out the exact costs of the things you think might need to be done. Weigh those costs against selling the home "as is." It's not likely new windows will get you more money in a sale. It is likely that they will help sell the place. There are many things you can do to a house that will help it sell but won't get you more money. Windows and roofs fall into that category. It might be time to call in a real estate agent to discuss your specific situation as it seems a bit complicated. Do people buy fixer uppers in your location in that price range? Would the money you spend increase the value or simply result in a faster sale? Those are the questions you need to be asking some one that knows your market.

" My realtor (I haven't officially signed with her yet) said she talked to her broker and they are pretty much seeing that people really want move-in ready in this area right now." Oh Geesh, that's about 180 flip from "The realtor (haven't signed with her yet) said if you're not going to change it all, just leave it the way it is, even suggested don't worry about taking down the peach floral wallpaper and leaving up the lace valences." So, let's define 'move in ready'. Move in ready means a house is clean, functional, in good working order and devoid of decorating bizarre enough to injure somebody's sensibilities. I don't have anything against granite counter tops, but slapping them in has more to do with the stainless/granite/open trinity than making a home move in ready. It's a LUXURY. Of itself, it will not magically turn any house into what's hot. I don't think it will give you the return on investment that just pulling down the wallpaper or replacing the funky vinyl will. Now, since you aren't in a great rush to sell, you can keep sinking money into the house in hopes it will compete against the glut of stainless/granite/open homes at their level. Or, you can market it for what it is, and that is a very attractive 80s home someone has maintained well and has been tastefully redecorated for 21st century tastes and sell it accordingly and not buy into marketing gimmicks.

Thanks for your comments. The reason we chose this realtor is a bit complicated. He primarily represents the builders with whom we are working and also sells houses. We got a deal on our house by agreeing to list (at a lower listing percentage, also). He represents the construction company and has been very good to deal with during the building of our house---works with us to keep our costs down, never objects to us providing any of the items we want in the house, with no upcharge for the contractor. Also, we've made adjustments along the way, and there is never a change order cost either---we just pay the cost increase, if any. We are on track to have occupancy the end of August, which will mean the house was built in 5 months. We've been over there every day, and the work has been excellent. We've caught a couple things that needed to be changed, and they have promptly responded. He was upfront about feeling that if we get it on MLS that other agents will bring in buyers. I think he is just beginning to expand the real estate sales part of their construction business. He's training a new employee to handle more of that, but I don't think she's ready to jump in yet---still has to get her license, etc. I should probably mention that they are friends of friends and built our house for those friends. We also have become friends with them. Just another layer of complexity. When on-the-job, however, we all are very businesslike---no verbal agreements, handshake agreements---everything is in writing to protect all of us from misunderstandings or hard feelings down the line. I asked this week about possibility of an open house and was told they don't usually do them. I am not happy with that, but DH feels we should stay with these guys and give them a chance. We do trust their honesty and integrity. One big selling point is that they will do any repairs needed on the house, if necessary, at a very low cost (we've discussed some specific things a buyer might request) and been given estimates of the cost). I think his area of expertise will be sorting through anything an inspection might reveal and honing in on the reasonable requests and explaining to the potential buyers why the other items are not of concern. We don't expect any particular issues, but with a 25 year-old house it's possible something could come up and I've heard a lot of reports that many inspectors are really nitpicking the homes these days. I am a little frustrated because I think he is basically going to throw the listing on MLS and see what happens. If we don't get some responses soon, I feel like DH and I should ask them to either hold an open house, or we will do so ourselves.