Front of house - if it's not included I wonder what they're trying to hide. Kitchen - expensive to change if you really hate the style or layout. Bathroom - as for kitchen. Living area - whichever one photographs best, show features of room, eg window, fireplace, built-in shelves. Another living area or master bedroom or outdoor entertaining area. I agree with Redcurls, don't emphasise your furniture. Pictures of furniture make me wonder whether the room is too small to be photographed, or if there's something out of view that I need to know about, or if the realtor is sloppy and would be a hassle to deal with.

Hey Cathy...glad you got to see the new house. You were the only GWer who actually saw the FL house in person, come to think of it. This is the first time I've ever done a major move and brought almost everything with me. (You know, last time, I started from scratch because we had nothing but rugs and books and art.) But anyway, I am amazed at how "at home" I feel here. It's probably because I lived it on paper all summer, planning furniture layouts etc. So, what do I miss? Well, I miss the sense of completion I had there. I worked on that place for six years and it really had reached a level that satisfied me. I have such a long way to go here and I am waiting to get juiced up again. Being here a lot for the last couple of days has inspired me though. I miss my gardens, but not the amount of work it took to keep them up. I hope I can keep it manageable here. Clearly things wont grow so darn fast here. Of course, I miss the warm winters. There are days when I can't figure out why I moved to a place where it can be 11 degrees and blowing like stink. And I am out walking around in it! I miss all my orchids out on the patio, the bananas and my Meyer Lemon that finally put out a good crop right before we listed the house. Thanks for asking about my DD. She is finally settling in. It was a rough few months with some stories I related over on the conversations side if you want the drama! ;-) But she got a good part in the winter musical, seems to be doing well academically and is generally much happier in just the last few weeks. Zipdee, your comment makes me chuckle. All those things to look at feel like clutter at the moment! I have to buy about a half a dozen bookcases and until I do, I have a huge table in the basement full of tchoch. I call it the flea market. I just go down a "shop" to decorate. It's great, because it's a shop where I actually like everything available! Polkadots, you have great memory about the flooring. I think we are trashing it already....very soft. But I still think it's gorgeous and we're just on the fast-track to patina. A visitor last night said the house doesn't feel new at all. I took that as a huge complement. Wabi sabi rules! We do love the Bosch W&D. I wanted to have them counter-height so I'd have a work space. I struggled over whether to get them or not in FL. One day, I opened the newspaper and someone was selling a set very cheaply. So, I figured it was worth the gamble. This summer, in our temporary home, I had giant American top-loaders and couldn't wait to get back to the small guys again. I love doing small loads frequently, knowing the machines only use as much water as they need. Clothes do come out cleaner, I believe. The soak function is great for stubborn stains (I sound like a commercial!). And getting smaller machines allowed me to steal a foot for the master bath! Thanks everyone for the kind words. I am just at the beginning of the work so there will be many changes to come. I know you'll all be here to help me along the way. Especially with the WTs...my nemesis! :-)

You may want to post on the "Bathroom" forum. I don't think it necessarily looks "cheap;" it depends on the materials. I have seen poured concrete trough sinks and integrated sinks made from natural stone (marble or travertine). Stone and concrete are porous; and the installation would be expensive. The photo below is of a bathroom in a $7M home. I don't know what material was used to make the sink. The walls are glass tile and the floor is a porcelain or ceramic penny-round tile.

I would find a lumber mill/yard that caters to woodworkers, as they will have many species of wood to chose from. Find your local Woodcraft or similar store and ask them. My Woodcraft store even has some wood on hand. Take a sample of the counter and a paint chip with you (and maybe a floor tile) and ask them to help you chose a species that will look good with the counter. They can wet the wood with something (mineral spirits? water?) that will show what it looks like with a clear finish on it. Or they may have samples on display. I did Black Walnut for my bath vanity with Waterlox for a finish. Woodcraft pointed me to a lumber mill, and they glued four planks of heartwood and then rounded the edges to my choice of edge. My contractor did several coats of Waterlox. We wipe drips after use.