Put up a legal fence where you know you're entitled to construct it. Make sure it is on the property line and however tall the city says it can be. The building department, city, county, or whatever will not get involved in a property line dispute. It is a civil matter between you and your neighbor.(I have been through this all before) Is the property line ambiguous? Then get a survey. It will cost $1K or more. Make sure you pay them to put the stakes at the corners of your lot. Also the survey must be filed with the county assessor as an official "survey of record" The surveyor or civil engineer can do that for you, But it will cost more $$. Probably double the cost. If you know pretty well where the property line lies (you can obtain the lot subdivision parcel plan at your county assessor's office along with any official surveys of record of your property that have occured since the subdivision) That is a good place to start. Start measuring from the center of the street. Add half the width of the street as it shows it on the parcel plan to your lot dimension, and you can conduct a pretty accurate survey of your property. Give the neighbors a foot and build your fence there. If they dispute the property line, they can pay for the survey just to prove you're right! I have experienced this, but my neighbors ended up paying for everything. They buried an older survey stake and built a fence about 2' over on my side of the property. This was an attempt to prevent me from constructing a retaining wall which was in the building permit process. I went to the assessor, got the maps and did the survey myself. It took me about 2 hours total. I then sent them a letter copied to my attorney stating that they had to relocate the fence or face a civil suit. They paid for the survey, hoping I was wrong and then could sue me for the cost of the survey (which they can't even if I WAS wrong because THEY CHOSE to get it done) Their survey showed I was right, so they paid to move the fence over to the property line. Then they paid to plant like 20 trees along the property line, so I have a sweet privacy wall of trees now. I didn't pay a dime! They were so shamed they moved away the next year never to be heard of again. The whole neighborhood was happy. This story is 100% true, I an completely serious. You may be thinking, what if they had decided to go to court and not pay for a survey? Good question. In court, the Judge would have ordered a survey to be performed on the properties in question. The party found at fault would end up having to pay for the survey, the court costs, and attorney fees, if any. I would not have used an attorney, so i would still not have had to pay a dime. The point here is know the laws, your rights, and play the cards so the party at fault has to eat the costs.

I will echo the others against leaving the cats alone for five days. Talk to your vet and get the name of a reputable cat sitter. My cat sitter came to the house to meet my cats (years ago) and they grew to love her. Before leaving on a long trip, the sitter always reminded me to change the batteries in the thermostat (if it was winter) and she kept a folder with information about my preference for a plumber, electrician, etc. After all her years of pet sitting, she'd seen/experienced it all. Really, it's good to have somebody set eyes on them once a day. It's worth having that peace of mind while you're away and it's kinder for the kitties.

I just went to an open house and I got a flyer from them....Here there example that you may want to use: 1st page: Should include address: #### address, city, state, zip code. Then a brief description of the house: EXAMPLE: Beautiful________ in truly " move in condition". This home is __ story w/hardwood, carpet etc... Formal living room and dining room w/ neutral painted walls throughout. Kitchen features include:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.The house has __ bedrooms and __ bathrooms. Master suite has spacious closet space.Finished basement is great for entertaining(or if you have a den or familyroom)Additional amenties include low maintaince lawn, 3 cable jacks,3 high spped internet jacks and a insulated garage. PRICE 2nd page : should have this info. GENERAL INFO: bedrooms:# Bathrooms:# subdivision or neighborhood: name if any PROPERTY INFO: approx. age: # style of house:-- square feet:-- lot dimension: # x # total acres: # INTERIOR INFO: attic: basement type: kitchen: fireplace if any: kitchen fixtures: total rooms: EXTERIOR INFO: porch or deck: UTILITY INFO: central a/c: what type of sewer: what type of heat: SCHOOL SYSTEM: elem. school name: middle name: high school: MISCELLANEOUS INFO: $500 FINDERS BONUS at closingfor a referral that leads...... I hope this help you in any way. Good luck and keep us posted. maria

Thanks for all of the feedback and the links. The links are extremely helpful since I love to analyze! I am planning to pick up colorful plants for the front porch and deck this evening - I told DH last night after I posted I thought I should do this. I agree about the kitchen - the colors are cranberry/blue/green. I really hate the idea of taking the wallpaper and border down - only because of the amount of work! Does anyone have suggestions for colors/patterns etc? Should I paint the walls the same color as the rest of the first floor? What about valance? Should I only have the valance over the patio door or should I replace the blinds? If I go with earthtones will it be to tan? I may be able to replace the kitchen table but would want to get something I can use in the new place. The flooring is NOT linoleum! They are upgraded vinly tiles that resemble travertine - Cryntel is the brand. Absolutely love it! They are not shiny or plastic feeling at all. So far have received lots of postive comments about them. Pic may not do them justice.