"We don't have to sell but would like to sell." So what's wrong with it being on the market then other than you have to keep it cleaned/picked up? If you're in no hurry, why can't it just sit on the market? "But the market is really bad right now so maybe we are just wasting our time?" Houses sell in all kinds of markets at all times of the year. We sold a house this past January in Iowa (think cold and snow), and we just sold a house in steamy hot July. When the right buyer finds your home and likes the price, he/she will buy it. How is having your house on the market "wasting" your time? Definitely interview some agents and see what they've sold recently. Find someone you like who will communicate with you. Have him/her create a marketing plan for selling your house...find out exactly what they'll do in terms of ads, opens, etc.

herbflavor, We bought the place because it was all that we could afford at the time without a mortgage, and the housing crisis of 2008 was still fresh on my mind and I absolutely did not want a mortgage, and still don't. We could have qualified for one but we didn't want one. Our next house will also be paid for in cash but it's going to be our "forever" home and we are projecting that its going to cost 200k. DH owns a business, and now I also own a business. Both our businesses do well. We are not rich. We are middle class. But we will not get a mortgage; we are very debt-averse. -------------------------- homechef59: "I'm going to continue with the wall extension for the refrigerator. You said the refrigerator would be too big and stick out. So, frame the wall with an L-shape into the dining room just far enough to make the refrigerator sit flush with the line of cabinets. Just trying to keep a lid on costs and get you some improvements." That is still moving a load-bearing wall, which costs $3k+, right? -------------------------- scone911: "Given your sketch, and based on instinct and experience, I wouldn't put any more money into this house. It's not worth the hassle, and I don't think you will get it back if there are mass market developers in the area who can undercut you every few years with a new subdivision that has all the bells and whistles. This house is already nickel and diming you, and that's really bad for your finances-- when you are young, you have a golden opportunity to start saving for retirement, so you have the power of compounding working for you. Throwing cash into a money pit house on speculation that it might be worth something someday, if everything breaks just right, is asking for trouble, IMO. Don't take that risk if you don't have to." We own it outright; there is no mortgage or lien or backtax; nothing. Free and clear. "I'd divide the land, if possible, and put a stick built or modular in the new section. Keep the old place as a rental if you can. At least the old house gives you somewhere to live while you build, and a modular can go up fast." We prefer to save up our cash towards our "forever" house instead. Also, we think at this time that what the property really has going for it is the land. If we divided it up it would lose a huge amount of its charm. The house itself has no charm at all; the land has charm. It has trees and wildlife and feels like you're in a forest; it's quite pleasant. "If you can get the land divided and ready to go in the next couple of months, you might (just possibly) be able to move into a new place by Christmas-- and get on with your life." No, because that would require getting a mortgage. We believe debt is something you do when things are more certain, and given the state of the economy and world affairs we are very far away from the kind of comfort level that would draw us to a mortgage. I suppose that wraps up this particular thread. I'll post a new one with a much more accurate to-scale sketch of the kitchen, dining and laundry floorplan so it can be hashed out better. Thanks again everyone! This was very insightful and educational.

The start of a lovely evening above :) Dave and Moni getting to know each other, sharing laughs, and awaiting food! We had the loveliest of times together, and have a deep appreciation for Moni's strength, insights, and "simple is simple" approach to life and travel. The needles were flying over the course of our evenings! Little did I know I'd end up with the results of Moni's handiwork.. see that dish cloth she's knitting? It's mine! 25c evening.. Moni was feeling a little chilled, and avoiding the mozzies she said ;) hence the long sleeves! Ole joyfulguy.. I haven't the faintest idea of Moni's agenda in the coming days, other than she left here this morning around 7:20, bound for a 5-6 hr ride to her next "Warm Showers" home stay, and was then off to ride the Toronto Waterfront Trail or some such. I don't know if Moni knows one minute to the next what her day is going to hold.. but she'll check on this thread over the course of travels I'm sure, and let us all know how she's getting on! You can always check with her blog too and message her there! I'll see if I can post a link to her latest post on her blog here: Moni's Blog Yeonassky, you're more than welcome.. we're a whole lot laid back, pet friendly, wicked senses of humour, have amazingly alert and interested neighbours (note that I say interest ed not ing!!) and don't do 5am anythings! Who'd have thought that on this bike is a home, a heart, and a love of life so big that she outshone the rising sun! Glad to have shared some time with you Moni, even if it wasn't at 5am as you strolled to the beach to see the sunrise! I hope the rest of Ontario AND your trip treat you well! Eat girl EAT! You must be starved! The nosy neighbours are missing you! They keep peeping over their railings to see if they can hear that voice of yours! Travel safely friend!

I had a tiny, tiny deck in my last home. I had a grill out there, and a square table with four chairs. Since it was just me and SO, we usually only had two chairs out there, they were folding chairs which we could keep in the basement and take out when we had company. Then we had a small swing but you could get a small loveseat. They make really cute folding chairs and tables which you could have on hand if you ever wanted to entertain more folks out there. We also had a fold-able, portable fire pit which we could set up and set our chairs around if we wanted to have a campfire. I'd also recommend some plantings and maybe a wind chime or water feature to bring a pleasant calm sound out there, sometimes needed to block out noisy neighbors. It doesn't have to be something elaborate, a really small fountain is the easiest to maintain. Looks like you have NOTHING in the rest of the yard, so I'd plant some shade trees, small ones that bloomed pretty in spring and something called a pleasure garden, which is something you put across from your seating area to give you something nice to look at. Does not need to be elaborate, and I can't really say what you will like to look at. It could even be a series of metal wall art hung on the fence . . . you know best what floats your boat. But my top priority would be getting some shade trees in, and now is a GREAT time to plant trees and other perennial plants. Great time to find deck furniture on sale too.