I love your home...it is so cottage looking. I would emphasize that. maybe an arbor in front of the front door that attaches to the roofline to look like a porch cover with roses and clematis growing on it....paint it to match the rails around the other entrance area to the left...plant something on a trellis to camoflage the air conditioner in the front window..I am not sure about your zone requirements but here in the south zone 8 I would have hydrangeas on the bare side of the house with some agapanthus, daylilies or liriope underplanted there..in zone 6 you probably have the climate (that I would love to have) for some miniature conifers..maybe one or two nice ones next to your rhododendrons..they are pricey though. I would put a smallish tree like a mapleor red plum at the right hand front corner of the house that would give great color but not right up against the house.... The main thing is with your beautiful cottage home don't make the beds straight and narrow...make them flowing and undulating...that way you can add annuals for instant gratification next spring and also some bulbs and other stuff. Again, I live in the hot humid south...so my suggestions may be all wet. I live on a huge lot with a 1970s style ranch home....I love my home but I would LOVE to have one like yours! It has so much potential! JMHO, Nanahanna

Well, my realtor seems to be a Monday to Friday guy. He's a Remax Agent, and in the top 50 negotiators for Canada, but he specializes in commercial real estate, though he's sold many houses in his day. He was referred to us by a friend, and he was happy to list our house, but I'm starting to realize there's a difference between commercial and residential agents. This guy takes off for the cottage on Friday and is gone all weekend. I'm guessing this is why he's not wanting to do an open house. We might have to re-think our agent. Sweet_tea, I know.. I didn't want to draw attention to it either, and I was hoping - being June - people weren't thinking about shoveling snow. But, they're obviously thinking it anyway when they see the sidewalk, because that has been our only negative feedback on the house (corner lot, too much grass to cut/sidewalk to shovel). Well, we watched our neighbours get an offer on their house last night. They had a showing, the people were in there for a long time, they all came out and the agent was still writing the offer on a clipboard. He went to his car and made a phonecall, and told the buyers "I'll let you know when we have an offer". From what I can tell they're still going ahead with their open house today. It could have been a conditional offer, or a lowball. Who knows. I don't get it. We just reduced 10K, and they're listed for what we originally listed for. It's pretty much the same house, only they don't have the finished basement or 4th bathroom that we have. What they do have is a pie-shaped lot in the middle of the court and a nice backyard/deck. If I knew trying to sell a corner lot was going to be this difficult, I would never have bought this place! I guess the good part about this is we'll now be the only house in the neighbourhood for sale *sigh*

My deepest thanks to all of you for your comments. I love this board. You've helped strengthen my resolve to push back. I think I was letting my nice, mommy side override my common sense. The landlord has pushed pretty hard to wiggle around the lease on several occasions. They tried to put the home on the market two months earlier than the lease allows. When we first signed, they tried to insert a clause keeping the house on the market for the entire rental year. Whenever I push back, they back down. However, I do sense their desperation and want to helpÂbut only so much. Actually, their situation is a good example of why one should be very careful about rushing to buy a new home before the old one is sold. They bought this house 3 years ago during the boom. It appreciated very quickly...50% over two years. Using a cash-out refi, they bought a very expensive home (twice the price of the rental) and moved in. The market turned. This house didnÂt sell last year so they rented it to us for 67% of their carrying costs. Now, theyÂre trying again. For their sake, I hope they succeed. Financially, theyÂre hurting. If I were selling, IÂd wait until September and let the house shine. August in DC is dead, real estate wise. We decided to rent to avoid the exact situation. I did my time as an "accidental" landlord in the 90Âs downturn. Been There, Done That. Great lesson that, once learned, never needs to be repeated. The lease directs us to make the home available to the landlord for showings during the final 60 days. They cannot use a lockbox and must schedule showings at least 24 hours in advance. The law is silent on Open Houses and my attorney says itÂs a gray area. We can fight them on it but is it worth it when weÂll be gone by the third week in August? I wrote off the security deposit when the landlord spent 45 minutes photographing the hardwood floors in the kitchen/family room. Why do I think weÂre going to disagree over what constitutes "normal wear and tear"? So, IÂll keep the place neat and clean, one of us will stay for the Opens, and the rest of us will take a break from packing and relax at the pool. WeÂre packing the valuables now and will move them out before vacation. As for the boxes and moving clutter? IÂll remind them of what theyÂre facing. Thank you all so much for the reality check. By the way, despite the problems described in this thread, renting has been a very positive experience for us. At first, I dreaded it but the financial savings and sense of freedom has been great. Over the long haul, I prefer owning both financially and emotionally. But, in our market, itÂs quite easy to find a lovely rental for substantially less than the costs of owning. I love putting money away for the future. Best of all, IÂm so relieved that I wonÂt have a home to sell before we build/buy again. Thanks againÂNova

Do you have an urgent need to sell (contingency on another purchase? Move for a new job? Are you ok to sit on the house for a while to get a price you want? Do you have a number you need to get in order to make it work?)