Home Improvement: Tips for Sellers & Scattershooting

Whoohooo....I dodged a bullet today!! Thanks for your prayers...a cortisone shot, a brace, some fluid removal and I'm back in the saddle...sort of. However, instead of a riding crop, I'm using a cane. The MRI went well...they positioned the nicest person in the clinic in the MRI room! She had great MRI-side manner. Ok, that being said, I'm doing a quick little post because I can't sit up at the computer long...still a little painful...but I could NOT not do a post! (After the dr visit, we went shoe shopping...WARNING: after a stressful morning involving your knee...that is NOT and I repeat NOT a great idea. Had to take a two hr nap to regroup the troops.)

So I am doing a rather disconnected post...scattershooting, I'd say.

Saw the canvas below in World Market in Spanish Fort, Alabama and thought I'd try my hand at it...I'll post results later. LOVE the colors and the designs...it was big...mine probably wont be quite as large.

Couldn't imagine what was holding up the traffic at the railroad tracks at Whitfield...whoa...it was just an ENTIRE house being moved down the road. My father did that once...years ago he moved two houses from Coffeeville, MS across the Grenada Lake levee..that gives people an eyefull! (And YES, there is a Mississippi town called Coffeeville and one named Hot Coffee, too.)

I am trying to do some research on these little dolls found at an estate sale. Especially the one on the far right. Aren't they cute?

From the left moving right: Celluloid, two bisques, and the last one is similar to a Patsy doll which may be composite. Anyone have any ideas?

Ran into this little book in the sale bin at Michael's..it's got lots of tips on how to make your house sellable. I agree with most, there are a few I'd be wary of.

Thought I'd share a few with you.

1. Did you know if you will find a bar of soap similar to the color of your walls and rub the slightly damp bar over holes in the walls they will disappear? It's true I do it all the time...sometimes I wonder if there's anything holding up my house sheetrock except soap, I've hammered so many times!
2. Flat paint hides imperfections on walls better than satin. (But it isn't as easy to clean.)

3. When using a color scheme in a room or on the outside of your home, use these proportions: 60% main color (sides of room or house); 30% second color (trim); and 10% accent (door or accessories like pillows.)

4. If repainting the outside of your home, choose a paint color one shade darker than you like...the bright sunlight makes the outside color appear lighter.

5. Dark shades of color make a room seem more serious and possibly elegant and paler shades exude congeniality...or so says this author.

6. Spend a little time attending open houses in your area...to assess the competition.

7. An attractive doorknob on the front door makes a good first impression.

8. Use trial size jars of paint rather than buying quarts or gallons! (Rather obvious.)

9. If you have a septic tank, don't opt for a garbage disposer...it may overtax the system.

10. Use a pumice stone to remove hard water or rust stains from the toilet.

There is a lot more to this little book than first meets the eye...I think the $3.99 I spent was WELL spent. I just wanted to give you a taste of the 11 chapters and 256 pages it holds.

Hope this scattershooting hits the bullseye,