Doug - the trends you talk about in terms of decreasing buying power, shrinking middle class, etc are real and truly disconcerting. The slightly paranoid side of me made sure I purchased a home that could, if needed, be a mini homestead (enough space and the right light exposure to grow veggies and raise chickens). It's simplistic, because if the economy really does fall completely apart I can't farm my way to prosperity on a mortgaged piece of land. In my local market inventory is tight for homes at or slightly below the median because the available homes have some perceived flaw (too close to the highway, schoolyard, train tracks, busy road, other houses). Or they need significant work. Homes in good condition and good locations are quickly purchased if the price is fair. People are justifiably SO afraid of a house losing value that they are unwilling to purchase something with a flaw because they fear being unable to sell in the future. It actually makes sense, but it makes it almost impossible to sell property that is flawed - even for fire sale prices. There is excess inventory at the high end, homes in the top quartile are very slow to move and people aren't listing unless they absolutely have to. This is one reason that we decided to remodel earlier this year instead of move (it was a big remodel, moving could have been less if what we wanted was available).. Now, back to this issue of potential buyers being leery of homes with flaws ... I think that is what is holding back the sale of this house. There are probably buyers who look at it and, when they see the HOA issues, think to themselves, "Gee, even if the HOA issues are fixed, how long will this taint the value of the home? How many years until the stigma falls away? What if I had to sell in that time?" Buyers can't commit to this house on a long term basis because everything about this economy feels SO unstable right now. Is there a shortage of rental property (SFH) in your area? Because that was the other thing we looked at when we bought. I would have preferred to rent but we have a dog and SFH rentals are almost impossible to find in our area for under $3k/mo. With taxes and insurance, our 15 yr mortgage is under $2500/mo ... So, worst case we could rent this place if we had to move out and we would likely cover the mortgage with the rent (or come close to it). I wonder if renting is an option for the OP? I know it's an expensive home, but still ... It may be an option, unless the HOA forbids it.

What bothers me about that kitchen is the weird angle of the island and the placement of the post. I did not go to the link, but the mix of colors and materials isn't a huge deal breaker for me. The varying distance between island and perimeter is, though. The bookshelves are easily rolled out of there to accommodate more seating and to erase cookbook clutter. Not a big deal. Wouldn't have been a big deal to construct one that matched the island either, and make it removable, too. As for lighting, photographers' lighting, followed by whatever adjustments were made in website, following monitor issues, and who knows how the colors really look?

Well that's nice... wouldn't let me add the full list, here's the rest... WATERMELONS:Carolina Cross Orange Tendersweet Sugar Baby Unknown Yellow I also have the following veggies and herbs in small quantities:Basil - LemonCauliflower - Early SnowballChinese Bok ChoiGreen Onions - Evergreen BunchingHERBS: CATNIPCHIVES:CommonCILANTRO:Coriandrum ativum SantoDILL:Diana LEMON BEE BALMOREGANO:Origanum vulgare hirtumPARSLEY:Italian Flat LeafCurly LeafSAGE:Broad Leaf SPEARMINTSUMMER SAVORY:(A) Satureja hortensisTHYME:Common FRUIT: Black RaspberryCape Gooseberry Dragon Fuit Cactus FLOWERS & ORNAMENTALS: Cactus “Queen of the night” - Selenicereus Grandiflorus Calendula – Yellow Cassia - Candlestick Cassia – Popcron Shrub Cleome – Mixed Colors Confederate RoseCoreopsis – Plains Cosmos – Bipinnatus Dragon's Head Echinacea _ Purple Coneflower Formosa Lily Gaillardia – Yellow Geum – Mrs. Bradshaw Gypsophila panculata - White Baby's Breath Hungarian Broom Corn Love-in-a-Puff Vine - Cardiospermum halicacabum Lunaria White – Moneyplant, Honesty Marigold – Crackerjack Marigold – Petite Mix Monarda – Bee Balm Purple Morning Glory – Clark's Heavenly Blue Morning Glory – Grandpa Ott None-So-Pretty - Silene Armeria Palo Verde Tree Pink Trumpet Tree Ratabida columnifer - Mexican Hat Royal Empress Tree Sedum – Autumn Joy Shasta Daisy – Alaska Sunflower – Italian WhiteSunflower - Lemon Queen Sweet William – Dianthus Barbatus Yellow Trumpet Bush - Tecoma Stans Texas Bluebonnet Texas Red Yucca - Hesperaloe Parviflora Umbrella Grass Verbena - Bonariensis Zinnias: Tons, saved as various same-variety groups but unknown names. Give me an idea of the size you're looking for and I probably have a group that grows to that approximate height.MORE coming later.....Always looking for unique tomato varieties.Unusual veggies, herbs, sweet or bitter greens; especially Italian and other European varieties.I'd really love to get my hands on some Winged Peas (aka 'Asparagus Pea'), Rat's Tail Radishes and Kohlrabi Gigante or other large, long keeping veggies.Have just starting adding flowers to the garden; so, anything there, both perennials and annuals greatly appreciated.Almost anything I don't already have really.Although you can all keep your Okra and Lima Beans to yourselves, thank you very much...lol

Going to interject here with my experience . Name that plant forum is not the only one experiencing problems. I have visited a number of forums and run into the same problem. When you post there is the box for the initial statement or question. You fill that and then you fill in the box below what becomes the title of the post. Then you hit next . That brings you to a page that allows you to pick your topic , once you have done that you hit Post. In many many cases either or both pages get " stuck " at this point. At the right lower part of the post it shows three little dots that appear to scroll from the first to the last and this just keeps going and going and going . Some have experienced an inability to post images in the post as well . This is not a browzer issue , nor a cache issue. This only started when Houzz decided to change the way posts were going to be available to more than one forum if you wanted. Had they left the site alone so many people would not be having these issues and it seems they have not been able to fix the glitch they created and nothing is more frustrating than to get a generic reply that basically says ...."too bad !" Let's face it , Houzz is not a garden site . It is here only to sell product their product . The fact that they continued with the Gardenweb part of the site I guess is a bonus but a frustrating one that they cant seem to fix it seems.