I have to admit that while I'm great at reading floor plans, site plans confuse me a bit. I know that they matter, so I defer to others on this topic. I do understand the concept of having 12 acres, yet having only one good spot on which to build. I have 40 acres, yet I have one "obvious" spot where the house will be located. Oh, I COULD build in other locations, but it would be more costly (not adjacent to the existing gravel driveway, need to run utilities farther, etc.), but one general area is superior to the others in numerous ways. I don't want to disturb the roughly 50% that's heavily wooded, I don't want to move too close to the little pond in the woods that floods its banks, and I do want to maintain the open field that I rent out to a farmer (this gets me a drastically reduced tax build, and I'm fine with having a corn field behind my house). As for natural light, YES, it matters! Natural light is one of those basics I keep harping upon. Look at some photographs of rooms you like; natural light is most likely the key factor in why these rooms are appealing. To give an example from my current house (though the more examples I give from my sorry old house, the more I wonder why I live here at all), my kitchen /breakfast room /family room faces East. Although I have a covered porch off the back, I get the morning sun in those rooms, and during those morning hours these rooms are at their best. They are MUCH more inviting. The colors are warmer, the room even looks more spacious. By the time we get home from school/work, those prime hours are gone, and although the rooms aren't "dark", they also don't have much life. Colors, window choices, and other things can play into making the most of your natural light, but don't ignore this all-important topic.

O.K. But please remember -- many of these observations come from the trenches. Many are very non-PC. Please just take a few deep breaths. Please don't flame me. Some of things MIGHT appear to be "way too obvious" OR "gee, thats just common sense" But believe me -- this is out in the real world. 1) There's a reason that Job Loss (JL) is among the worst situations for sheer stress. It ranks with Death of Spouse and Divorce. In fact you meet people where JL even led to instances of the other ones ..... and you don't know what to say. The shock and stress of the roller coaster ride of the Job Hunt (JH) is unbelievable. But people will say helpful comments like: "Gee now you have time off to do what you want!!!" Or: "Wow, I don't know anyone in YOUR position!!" Or: "Wow, must be nice to collect unemployment!" Chalk those comments up with the other interesting ones from funerals etc. You don't know what to say. They don't know what to say. They may be idiots. Some people may even avoid you as if JL is catching .... or as if they are afraid you might burst into tears at their party. You might. But thats because they ran out of wine. And remember -- don't corner someone who might be a good contact at a party. Thats scary for them. Just chat and then email etc. Maintain your personal distance. 2) You must move from Victim to Victor. One step at a Time. One Day at a Time. Take heart and revel in the smallest victories -- from cleaning out "stuff" from the old company to finishing a fresh resume to meeting some new people to mastering a new skill. 3) Update Anything that You Can. O.K. here we go with non-PC stuff. Maybe a new haircut? Check your breath and your personal odor. Try a couple of items to update your look. Yep -- I KNOW what you might be thinking -- "Gee, we're supposed to love everyone JUST THE WAY THEY ARE ........." Yeah. Right. This is not The Dating Game. Or a Family Time moment. This is a Job Hunt. And there are thousands and thousands of folks looking at the same time. Just try to spend some time to look your best. And LOTS of people do. And some people don't. Just ask the head hunters. Please don't flame me! 4)Again. A non-PC moment. Some of the job openings are not real. Companies may already have a candidate at hand -- but they HAVE to advertise it. And some of the company people spin out the process because their OWN calendars are looking sparse these days. And some may deny you the job because they are afraid you ARE the right person for the job. AND that they will lose THEIR job. Because it is a Buyer's Job Market these days. Folks with incredible creditionals are on the market too -- and companies can pick them up at a much cheaper rate. 5) Playing the Game when they Keep Changing the Rules. Yes. They can't ask you THOSE questions. Its illegal. Or not nice. Yeah ..... right. O.K. so they may "chat" to you at a coffee shop or the ladies room -- just a couple of "buddies" having a little convo. And suddenly you're spilling your guts about your age (stories that being with "I remember back in the old days ...."), weight, eye color, hair color etc. And all of those "things" that they ain't supposed to ask about. Be wary. Be careful. Even a question like "so what are you reading?" can be a thorny one! 6)And then there are some interviews that are Fishing Expeditions. Not about the things I just mentioned .... but about "HOW would you solve this problem????" Sounds like a good question -- until they ask for a full written explanation WITH charts and drawings. Thats Fishing. They're looking for a free-and-easy fresh way to solve their own problems without paying for it. OR how about the interviewers that ask about your "Rollodex"?? Or they'll ask specifics about customers that you have handled. They're fishing for customers' names and info for their own use and their own "Rollodex" Anyway -- just a few thoughts. No real answers -- maybe some folks here can offer some ideas. Scooting behind a dragonhide shield. Jan

Thanks Chris and Moccasin! I made a new link to an album with updated photos from after we moved in (sorry, there's lots of garden photos in there). But you can see more shots of what's been changed (it's all just cosmetic) - pergo flooring replaced the carpet (good for not scratching with the dog), and you can see the kitchen in progress and after complete. You will see a lot of cabinets were added where there hadn't been any, and the appliances were moved around. sink stayed where it was. floor was sanded (it was the only place in the house where there was a wood floor... what was under the rest of the house's carpeting was just sub floor). I will need to take some shots of the small 2nd bedroom, and the larger bedroom, but the only changes there are the way I set it up, and I painted lighter brighter colors which did help. My biggest issue is just prioritizing -- I know I need to keep functionality in mind. The house has lots of charm (it is just lacking a little in certain areas of functionality.) Perhaps I should focus on getting the room in the basement that we removed moldy wall board, in shape to become a nice storage area since its much dryer than it used to be. I like the phased approach, I just down want to spend money on anything that I may end up redoing. Ie. I wouldn't now expand on the south side of my house because that's the kitchen side and the kitchen is done now! You can cut an paste the link (sorry, was the fastest way I knew how to do this). https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152476143208302.1073741825.638023301&type=1&l=8f840a7f3e When it comes to advice, what have some of you done before -- ever consulted a builder you trust, or maybe even just a realtor friend. some people have such good vision. For me, I get a little bogged down since there aren't really clear cut obvious choices. I will have to work on some floor plans (I must have somewhere). I would love to be able to build my self a mini model of my house! When you are situated on a little hill like I am, it's much harder to envision some of the elevation changes, etc in 2D! Cheers, Valerie

IMO a two hour notice is reasonable:) It is more difficult today to get everyone's schedules together to show property so we don't kill two hours just driving around. But we do plan our showings and it is common to have notice well before two hours. The exception is when showing properties in the area and the buyer notices your house on the market and wants to see it right away :)