Hi guys! Well, to keep it on topic so we don't get the thread knocked off...I cut the Jasmine down so you can now see the top of the window box, and the window is now completely exposed because I cut the Plumbago all the way back because it was a mess. Now little sticks look funny, so I will probably take it out, add more dirt to raise the bed, and plant something else there. I also cut the Hibiscus again, but I think it is shovel time for that. It looks awful, and try and I did, it's a gonner. I cut the Yesterday back a bit as well, so it's not touching the wall. I'll finish everything next weekend. Right now it's either Dena or the native plant society who will hopefully come get the Strongbarks! People can't believe it when I tell them this, but I have NO idea if I am staying here in Fla. or not. I did check out NC and really like it. But I can't think about that until I sell my house. I have a friend of mine who can't sell his condo on Hollywood Beach, so I hope I sell before he does so I have someplace to go haha. Now as far as the agent....Golden, THANKS for giving me some things to think about. I feel as though it has been a very rocky road. It took me a month to get decent pictures up and have the front of the house be the first one people see and not an old dining room table. She even got frustrated and brought ME her camera!?? And her thinking that having pictures of a jungle in the front of the house is in my mind, questionable. I am very realistic about my house, it's in a good neighborhood, but there are very few upgrades and I am concerned in this market, with all of the shows people see, and staging tricks etc. I need to do more. Not go nuts like redo everything, set tables, rent furniture, but take care of most of the little eyesores that hopefully will help people overlook other things they may not like but know they can change. She wanted to start the house higher than I did, we've already lowered it a bit. But maybe that is a good thing because I don't believe it's going to be a buyers market forever and maybe I won't have to give it away. If they settle the proprty tax issue, I think the market will open back up. But that's just my humble opinion. She says agents don't attend agent showings "west of the highway" so we aren't doing that, we've had one Open House (and that was only because I asked if we were having one) and she says the paper doesn't work and that it will be an agent who brings in someone. That may ultimately be the case, but then what am I paying her for if we do sell? If she makes the process smooth, then yes it will be all worth it, but I was hoping there'd be more marketing. MY BAD for not clarfying. I think the biggest challenge (besides good pics and more marketing) is her thinking I don't have to do anything to my house to fix up. I am not talking big stuff like redo kitchens, bathrooms etc. those NEED upgrading but I can't afford it. But for instance, she doesn't think an ugly old door leading out to the patio, that you can replace for $100 is necessary, painting a bathroom that was peach with AQUA sponging (I could go on & on but I won't) and she thinks it's ok to have boxes everywhere "you're moving". Yes, my house is very clean, very uncluttered (except a lot of boxes in all of the closets - former family members stuff etc. LOL)and it was pretty much all freshly painted over the last 3 yrs. So in the meantime I hired a Handyman and we did a decent amount of good fix ups so I have cleaned up most of the little eyesores that a potential buyer would find obnoxious to have to do, and I got a storage unit and unloaded the boxes. This is someone who has been selling in this area for over 20 yrs. I am afraid that perhaps she is still doing things the old way and I just want to be sure we are doing everything that we CAN be doing. Asking for a marketing plan has gotten me nothing "oh I am sending out some cards soon". But I spoke with her over the weekend and was very vocal about my feelings (finally) but I think that will only get me the decent pics on the MLS. I will stop now, it is making me crazy, but if you have ideas, let me know :)

Whew! I'm tired just reading. DH and I got married in our late 30's and had to combine stuff. My son and I were moving into "his" condo and it just didn't occur to him to do any more than push some clothing down the rod. It was more like he gave us the space of an overnight guest. It took us several years to really make the transition. Of course, my biggest interest was in getting rid of his bachelor funiture and he fought me all the way. I just got rid of the last piece this summer. Much easier to decide which coffee pot was the newest and best to keep. But deciding if my fabric got space vs his books? Oh, man, that caused a few go-arounds. Luckily, he had an office building and we knew we would be househunting fairly soon, so quite a bit went into storage. I really shouldn't have kept any of it. Gloria

Good point about the mistakes being bigger in a place with a higher cost of living. The thought of spending close to double for a new house is certainly something that makes you want to be really sure you are moving to the right location since it would be a much bigger mistake financially. Plus, if we did decide to rent for a few months, it would certainly take a very large stressor out of the equation. We had a REA come by tonight, and it was a very positive meeting. I really liked her, she actually lives in the neighborhood (oddly enough she has actually sold our house before). She brought over info on all the neighborhood houses that are listed or have been listed in the past 6 months, told us about each one, why some sold quickly, why some weren't selling. The days on the market varied from 1 day to close to a year. She said that you have people who watch the neighborhood so when something good is listed they jump on it right away. In fact the house on my street sold pretty much as soon as she put the sign in the yard. Somebody came up and asked if they could take a look, then made a full price offer. The listing price for mine she threw out was right in line with what I was thinking, she said she thought it would sell quickly, and she didn't give us a laundry list of things that had to be updated prior to listing. I actually had such a list and a few she agreed with (new carpet) but several she said don't bother (painting trim upstairs). None of this is a guarantee that the house will sell quickly of course, but it was a very reassuring meeting anyway. Now I just need to hear back from the interview I had yesterday!

I have built 2 houses. One with a little designer help, and one without any designer help. We have "mistakes" in our first house that we are now correcting before we sell it. A designer could have helped us avoid those and I am sure we would have had a better laid out basement plan! (it is pretty bad.) Whenever I have had a designer, they have usually saved me money by choosing a cheaper option, using things I already had, or avoided mistakes. We had a little designer help on the 2nd (vacaton) home. The things she picked out were great. Again, we made a couple changes on the plans, this time (our 2nd house) the changes we made were better, but I think the designer could have really helped make those changes great! To save money on the designer, I usually do a lot of thinking and leg work before I meet with her. I collect fabrics from Joanns (cheaper) bring tile from big box store, or tile store, I just try to be ready knowing what I want and avoid more hourly fees due to my indecisiveness or trips to stores. So I say go with the designer, but know what you want, and choose carefully. Ask the hourly fee or fee per job. Check a few and talk to happy customers. And make sure she knows your budget. I am OK if some things come from Joanns, big box stores, etc. My designer was too. Another designer I worked with couldn't use cheaper things, so I won't use her again. Make sure you and the designer are on the same page. And have fun!