One company that did impress me out of this fiasco was Royal Canin. There was a rice/rice gluten shipment from China that had had one bag and one bag only marked "Melamine". When Royal Canin found that some of their ingredients had been purchased through a wholesaler using this imported rice, they immediately alterted authorities, pulled the POSSIBLY tainted food off the shelves, offered refunds and set up a hot line for anyone who thought their pet might be injured from their food. They acted quickyly and repsonsibly. They have also issued a press release that they will take measures not to buy any ingredients shipped from China from this point in time on. As measure_twice suggested above, manufactures often don't know the origin of their ingredients beyond the wholesaler that they buy from. Again...here's our government knowing a sack of melamine rice showed up ... but not exactly where it went. I was impressed, especially since no cases of melamine poisoning had been found from Royal Canin. They percieved a risk and acted appropriately.

As a realtor, I won't take a listing until I have previewed the home, told the seller what they need to do to get it "show ready", which means decluttered and clean, and then met with them to make sure that it is done. Then I schedule professional photos, and show up about a half hr early to do some final touches (toilet seats closed, beds made wrinkle free, pillows plumped, dog dishes put out of sight, lights on. If I have any doubt that the seller will not keep the house ready to show with a 2 hr notice, then I only do a 60 day listing, and I tell the seller that I am doing the short listing period, so they can make sure I am doing a good job, and holding up my end regarding marketing/showing, and I can make sure they are holding up their end by keeping it show ready. I confess, I have spent slow open houses, cleaning baseboards in some of my listings, and organizing pantries. I spend a lot of money on professional pictures and virtual tours, and am not going to waste my time with lousy pictures because a house is cluttered or doesn't show well. And if I get bad feedback from other agents, saying the house was dirty/cluttered, unmade beds/dishes in sink, clothes strewn around, I will talk to seller about it, suggest a maid, and if it happens again, I will terminate the listing. I need houses I can sell, not just listings. I have a reputation among other agents, that if they show a listing of mine, they know it will show well. And my listings normally sell in 30 days or so.

@Diane R – We’ve got out budget range. So I think location is the next place to go like you said. I had a private message suggesting that we go look at as many open houses as we can. At budget, over budget, under budget. In dream neighborhoods, and ones we want to avoid. Looking at “bones” and the like. I think it will also help to see how real people decorate vs a stager/ designer for model homes! @Kingsway Plans ltd - The education aspect is very helpful. I am uninformed… when I was young my parents handled all that and I just got dropped off at the bus stop for the right school. The district made arrangements for us to attend different schools when my parents bought property to build on. Mom wanted us to “start” with the incoming classes so we switched schools between elementary and JR high for me, and Jr and Sr High for my sister so we weren’t “new” kids, since everyone poured in from smaller schools. The first house is way out of budget my husband and I set (If we went up to 500K we would want some acreage and I wouldn’t be able to be a stay at home mom like I am currently planning). I like that it’s fully renovated – it’s very “on trend” and some of the features are nice (no corner fireplace). Additionally, we would like 4/3 instead of 3/2. But it’s nice to see a real example. Southlake is a very nice part of DFW with average homes WAY outta our budget, and most START in the 600s! Gota love those 10/10 schools tho! My mom worked a very prominent private school (K-12) (MLB players, music executives, property developers and high on the food chain bankers were the typical parent types) and I had a few friends there who transferred in and got free tuition because their Dad worked at the school. It can happen anywhere, but the access to money these kids had—75K “first cars” designer everything, exotic family trips every school break, housekeepers, nannies, 5 star dining, amazing house parties at mansions with more booze and drugs than I could imagine- I did tag along to a few of those parties – but I was always scared to get in trouble or disappoint my parents so I played the “Designated Driver.” I sure did like seeing a little of how the other half “live.” I don’t know if I wanna be the “weird, broke, ‘have-nots’” in the neighborhood. If you got the money, awesome for you!!! Now if I was right in the middle of the annual income for the area, I would say bring it on! For grins I looked up the average household income. I expected the average income to be about 2x what ours is, since the houses are 2x what we feel is responsible to spend. Not even close. I guess I am way more conservative than I thought! The district locater you provided, I’m gonna trust that way more than Realtor / Trulia!! Thank you! The second, home! It’s one I really like. I’ve seen it before. On that property, there are so many up and down stairs for different rooms – is that really a deterrent to most home buyers? To me it seems like something you can never really work around it - I know I can’t account for future needs in a home, but I do think of aging parents or heaven forbid a disability with a child or myself – I know moving is always an option but if I have the concern wouldn’t others? Price point is pretty close to where I want to but depending on updates/ reno we could go a little higher. I do love the trees! I really liked this one (but there is no gas which is HUGE to me, and only 3 bedrooms but it does have 3 baths which I like so guests have their own bathroom, it does have a raised/ sunken living room also but only 1 step instead of 3/4) https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1102-High-Meadow-Dr_Allen_TX_75002_M77620-78441 Or https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32-Edgemere-Dr_Trophy-Club_TX_76262_M88071-71166#photo16 I would like to find a place with good bones but horrible paint colors so other buyers are scared off. I don’t want to pay someone else for easy fixes. How much work is the realtor suppose to do as far as weeding through all the options? Do they have better parameters for MLS to filter things such as school ratings, gas stove? Or would they just be flipping through the houses just like me? I’ve seen plenty of decent/ acceptable options but most of them leave out the gas.

if you're not in love-don't buy it gut remodel -I don't know whether you're going to gut but you're also working on exterior-sounds like very extensive changes even without full gut-means tons of money, easily half a million in your case, and can take many months -we spent 27 months paying two mortgages, since one can't live in a house during gut remodel, and at some point also paying rent for MIL-because it all took so long due to hard-to get-labour. It's a boom now in construction, especially in HCOLA you'll wait and wait and wait. I don't see anything particularly dated in the house but then I'm not there and not a buyer, so.. The exterior is not my thing, but I don't find it particularly bad either. It all depends on what's around. I'm just saying I wouldn't be falling in love with it. No falling in love=clearer vision. Clearer vision=you won't save on buying and major remodeling. Either buy and reduce your scope of projects drastically(it might be still much bigger than you planned-does it have asbestos that has to be remediated if you disturb the house? does it have proper insulation? what about HVAC's condition? lots of unknowns here)-or buy some more expensive property that you like pretty much as is. Maybe it'll lack pool but you'd be able to add one. 50 K instead of 500 K. Two months instead of two years. Depends on your circumstances of course-right now I'm so tired after our remodel can't bring myself to get to finish the hardscaping. It's been more a year since we've moved in. Energy gone. I hope you're more energetic than me.