Correct, the HEPA filter you have in your regular vacuum doesn't make it a HEPA vacuum. The vacuum is also airtight. If you use your regular vac, you'll be spewing dust particles all over the house. Kudzu is right, you should weigh the risks very carefully. Warning: Personal Philosophy Statement Ahead As a culture we revel in taking great risks (extreme sports, are a good example, there are others) because in our everyday lives we are overly risk averse. That is not to say that DIY asbestos removal is not risky, but that given the right amount of education and caution, there is no reason why you couldn't do this work, imo. How many of us are much more capable of doing more than we do because we've been lead to believe that we're NOT capable? PullmanHolt makes a small HEPA vac that's about $450 or so. It's what our housing rehab program recommends for lead and should work for asbestos as well (double check this, though). If you do a search for asbestos respirator, you'll come up w/ a ton of links. Here's one: http://www.websoft-solutions.net/asbestos_respirator_asbestos_respirator_p/3m-2091.htm Commercial/Industrial supply houses should carry both of these or get them. Good luck, with whatever you do. That's the great thing about this forum, you should get enough opinions to completely confuse you and then you can go off and make the best decision for yourself. Here is a link that might be useful: PullmanHolt

Typically, a listing agreement has a period of time after expiration where you would owe commission ONLY IF the potential buyer had viewed the home BEFORE the listing expired. If you find a buyer on your own now, you won't owe commission. However, you need to be sure they didn't attend one of the open houses etc or have a private showing. Your former agent has access to all the sales data from the MLS, so they will be able to check up on you to make sure you are honoring the contract. If your buyer is really "new" to the property, you don't need to involve the agents. Even if your state has a "standard" contract, you should still have a RE lawyer represent your interests. It will only be a couple hundred bucks and will protect your biggest asset. As to how to proceed, ask the potential buyer to submit a formal written offer. That will let you know pretty quickly who you are dealing with.

I find the "only" sagged by 3/4" bit to be annoying beyond words. My MIL had that happen with their bed--the dent in the middle was visible and looked huge. And their backs hurt. But when you measured it, the sag wasn't "enough." However, if you laid on them, they sagged more, and it was enough to make the beds painful (which is not just "not good" but is "actively harmful"!) Hers weren't Verlo, but still... Maybe the big problem is the king-size bed. Meanwhile, our queen-size mattress, which wasn't that expensive (Sealy, Serta, someone like that), is 20 years old and doing fine. (I don't know how much it sags, but you don't notice is.) Every now and then we think we "should" get a new mattress, but then we think, "we're comfortable, we're happy, why?"

Wow-thanks for a great thread writersblock. I bookmarked it. My iris and peonies are 20-40 years old. I brought some from my first house. My friend is digging in a garden at the town hall. Maybe she can put a few there. I don't know if our buyers will garden. They are weekenders from the city and it's a lot of work or money to pay someone to do it. Here's the FL garden. It looks much worse now because the house was empty for 2 months. Lots of weeding to do.