Looks much less cluttered!

Swap the china cabinet with the desk. Having a large piece like that bisect a room makes it feel a lot smaller than it would if it were at one end as a focal point. It would also minimize the wallpaper if it covered most of it.

Lower the light fixture. It's MUCH too high for the table. Or better yet, replace it with an inexpensive sparklier one at the lower height.

Only $30 at Amazon

Also consider repainting with a warmer neutral color. The current color is a bit light and washed out. The Behr Honey Beige that was suggested above is a nice light neutral, but it has presence.

would you still move the china cabinet to the back if you it makes a really narrow space? The table is currently not directly under the light. If I center the table the dining room chairs would bump into the china cabinet if it was behind.

Also realized I forgot to post a pic of the new mirror

a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v366/gingerjenny/?action=view&current=IMG_0110.jpg"; target="_blank">

It looks great, but a little bare~floors are a very big part of a room. If you could purchase a couple of area rugs(you can take them with you)the rooms would have a lot more impact. ;o)

LOVE to see the work-in-progress! And I'm sure it has been quite a lot of work.

I think your china cabinet would look great on the wall where your craft area was before -- it is a nice focal point. Looks like there is room, altho' it's hard to judge distances from photos.

I would move the desk back to where it was to balance furniture better. If you could move your family room sofa to this room, you could float your loveseat in the same direction as your dining table, to break the room into two distinct areas. Since the family room is small, and has the fireplace and TV, people can pretty easily envision it with furniture. (Of course, you'll have to sit on 'visionary' furniture yourself in the meantime!)

To give the mirror above the sofa more impact, I would combine the two prints to the right with the mirror to make one big grouping. I don't think the prints will look good split on either side of mirror - instead try side-by- side above or below the mirror. The entire grouping should be perhaps 4-in. lower than where the bottom of the mirror is now.

Hall mirror looks great. But it would be nice to see it turned 90-degrees, to echo the doorway shape.

If the cubes or desk fit there, the china cabinet should. If it makes the light off center, a small swag hook to center it over the table would be fine if it blends in with the ceiling.

The mirror is too small as is. It needs to be about double in size as a single piece or to have something added to both sides to be the right scale. Maybe put the two pics you have on the wall to the right of the sofa next to the mirror.

Looking so much better. I agree with the above comments about putting the pics on the sides of the mirror and moving the china cabinet. The less of the wallpapered wall showing the better. If you have to keep the desk would it be possible to use a smaller less officey chair for showings? Your husband could always store the office chair in the garage for showings. You could probably pick one up similar to your dining room chairs.

I don't know about rugs though. The expanse of floor makes the room look large, and from your other comments the size of your house in comparison to the comps is an asset.

You must be exhausted...but I think your realtor will be thrilled with all the work you have done!

Wow, it looks really good now. What a difference!

I am amazed at all the great (and free) advice we get here. Who needs stagers, designers, critics when we have this forum.

Wishing you the best for a quick sale :)

Do you currently have a leaf in the dining table? If so, you could remove it to create a more spacious feel to the room. You should definitely move those two pictures somewhere else. Grouping them with the mirror would create more impact. Right now they are just kind of floating on the wall.
I also agree that you should move the desk and china cabinet. It would look nice if the china cabinet were centered on the wallpaper wall. If you put up a new chandelier you could swag it to be centered over the table.

What is that black thing on the back of the couch? And why is there a teddy bear on the seat?

Take that sign down from over the door.

I don't like the pictures squeezed in between the china hutch and the window - maybe somebody already mentioned getting rid of them . . . they look like family photos.

Otherwise, looks great! I like the bare floor.

Looks fantastic, lots of positive changes. I would also put the china cabinet on the wallpapered wall, and put the desk where the china cabinet is now. I think it would make more sense that way. Floors are beautiful, no need for rugs, unless you are sure you can use them in your new house.

I THINK that black thing on the back of the couch is the aforementioned small dog (user of the generously-sized crate)...

Have you seen photos of your comps? I may be very biased, coming from an area where home prices are among the nations highest, but your home looks pretty good to me for 119!

I would not spend more than 1%,, absolute max, on fixing up.

Good luck

I'm fairly new to this forum and just looked thru your photos.

Your china cabinet is in the absolute perfect spot for those two rooms. It is a wonderful piece and anchors the space nicely. Nice job staging the inside with china.

Agree I would lower the light over the dining table if you can. Rule of thumb is 30-34" above the table for an 8' table and 10' ceilings.. so play with it and see what works best. In terms of size -- it also looks too small so lowering it will emphasize this even more. Do you still have the original one? If so, I'd rehang and replace the hurricane glass with shades.

I'd lower the mirror over the sofa or if possible swap it with the one in the entry way as the current one looks too small. If you do this you may need to add something to the entryway as that mirror will be too small for that area too. Maybe a couple pictures on the side and a shelf underneath. Just some ideas... staging the entry way is important for first impressions.

I'd add a print over the fireplace or if possible find an old shutter or window pane instead. You can usually find those at antique stores or you could tackle a DIY of either if you are handy. Check the link below to see shutter ideas on Pinterest. Lots of inspiration there.

I'd reduce the window treatment in the fireplace room. Just simple panels to frame the windows.

Your floors in the dining/living room are beautiful. Great progress.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinterest

Maybe lower the mirror a bit over the sofa.(about 60 inches from the floor to the center of the mirror or 6 to 8 inches above the back of the sofa) The black thing on the back of the sofa is cute!

yup that black thing is my cocker spaniel. Isn't he vicious? lol

gingerjenny you are such a good sport and it's so nice how you come back and show new progress pictures of what you have done. You must be a wonderful person! You have worked so hard and I am wishing you all the best in selling your house. It's amazing what you have done. Wishing you a new year filled with happiness in your new dream house : ))

Thanks Gr8day. It has been a little hard with the feedback but I asked for it and its what potential buyers maybe thinking. I'm been busy! :) I can't wait to see what the realtor thinks when she comes back.

I agree with Mtnrdredux. I'd snap your house up in a second for 119K!! I love all the changes you've made and believe that with the new, more spare look that people are truly going to see the house and not care one whit about the height of the mirror, etc. It looks so clean and well cared for, it would really appeal to me. I didn't comment on your other thread, but I think your bedroom is perfect for showing,too, just as it is (although lamp suggestions were good for improving the lighting). You've done a great job decluttering (it wasn't really cluttered with "stuff"-I mean the plastic boxes removed) and showing the house at its best. Hope it sells quickly!

You've done a great job! Just remember you're showing your home, not trying to turn your house into a model home, so don't spend money on something you can't use in the next home.

I'm not sure the desk by the dining room table is the best location and if it works best near the entry I'd put it there. If placed in the original area it won't be noticeable as one enters whereas by the DR table it is. I also wouldn't worry about trying to hide DH's work station while showing the house. IMO it will let people see there's space to set up a desk there if they want to do the same. And, it keeps DH stress free during the period of showing your home! :~)

Like you, I'm not sure about the new mirror above the fireplace. As you mentioned it may reflect to much of the DR light, plus, how do you feel as you walk into the room and view directly into the mirror. I'm just questioning having a mirror at two ends of the space. If the artwork looks better, I'd put it back and just set it on the shelf.

Not sure if you are super tired of moving furniture (I imagine so), but we had a similar set up to your dining sitting area and I moved our sofa away from the wall to the middle of the room. It made the room into 2 defined areas and took away the long thin look.

In the dining sitting area, I would put the china cab in the dining area. Turn the couch and float it between the dining and living areas. Put the desk behind the couch as a sort of console table. Add a small coffee table and a chair (even dining type) in front of the window. Just another idea.

Just wanted to add that when we were house hunting pets were not a turn off for us unless they were reptiles, lol....In fact an important part of our search was in accommodations for our dogs and a yard for them to go out in that we could fence. One thing I didn't want to witness was poor care of an animal or an outside only dog. That would be upsetting to me if I saw anything like that but seeing your precious small dog like that on the sofa would actually make a good impression on me : )) Also the kids rooms would not bother me a bit. But I realize these days just from watching HGTV how unwilling some buyers are to do even a little something even paint just one room or wall.

If the mirror over the fireplace only reflects the fan/light, then I'd suggest using the artwork you had originally, except have it leaning on the mantle instead of hanging. Don't forget to remove all personal photos - the first thing that caught my eye was the picture of your son, (I guess), and you don't want potential buyers distracted by personal photos, you want them looking at the room.

I agree with those who suggested moving the china cabinet to the wallpapered wall, centered, and lowering the light over the dining table. If you could float the loveseat in the middle of the room, with a coffee table in front, (perhaps the hope chest from your bedroom would work?), that might look better.

You're doing a great job so far!

Looking much better. I think I agree with moving the china cabinet as the focal point behind the table if there is still plenty of space to walk around.

I'd also move the desk back to where it was. That way you have a dining area that is just that. The original placement was much less intrusive when looking into the room.

Jenny, I don't really have any suggestions other than to get the desk out of the corner. But I want to commend you on your hard work and determination to sell your home. I think the realtor is going to be astonished! Good job!

Wow, it is really looking good. I agree with some of the comments above. If you can make the table smaller, do so. When the time comes, get rid of the desk. You need to make that room a dining area, you don't want buyers to 1. be confused what the space is and 2. realize that there is no space for a desk in the house. Lowering the chandelier will really make a difference. No need for rugs, the floors are beautiful, why cover them up, it's an asset that you need to maximize.

My china cabinet was just not working for us in our dining room, it's a small room. So we took it out a couple of years ago. I don't miss it. If it's something you would consider, you can take all that china and put it in storage (you have to pack it up anyway to move, right?) and then put the cabinet at a friend's house while you are listing your house. It's just an idea, don't get upset, I'm just trying to help you make your house look as large as possible. For all I know, it might make the room look too empty.

Your realtor is going to be shocked by all the work you have done.

And I"m not sure what if anything has been mentioned about your closets. But one thing I have discovered to use is space bags. Take out all the off season clothes, and shrink them up, again, store at a friend's house. Also, any extra bedding, get it out of the linen closet, shrink it. I really love those bags.

Bee

Have read most of this thread and just wanted to weigh in and tell you I think you have done a fabulous job! It looks so much nicer. Although suggestions made after this point might make sense (like moving the china cabinet and desk), I don't feel any more changes are actually necessary... especially if this is more convenient for your current living situation and especially if that cabinet will make the dining room too cramped.

A serious buyer is not going to be deterred from buying a nice house like yours because there is a small desk in the dining room. Your house looks nice and fresh and open and clean. Look what the room looked like when YOU decided it was worth buying!! A far cry from how nice it looks now. I know the market is bad but the rooms we've seen in your house look ready for market now.

You've made an incredible difference! And you'd sell the house to me in a minute if you included the cocker spaniel! ;) Adore them. Best wishes on a quick sale.

Your progress has been great! Your home looks neat, clean, and neutral for any buyer.

Two things I always did before I left for a showing: made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. There's a Betty Crocker mix that takes an egg and a stick of butter and makes about 24 cookies. House smells yummy and it's a nice touch for buyers.

Also, I turned on every light, especially in closets and the basement. I didn't want a person to get frustrated trying to figure out where the switch was.

Good luck to you!

You've made some great changes, and are a good sport as well! The only suggestion I would make is to move the china cabinent behind the DR table on the wall with the wallpaper. It will help to visually separate the two spaces, so that the buyer can see that the large space can be used for a DR on one end and LR on the other. With the china closet between the "two" spaces, it gives more of a one big space rather than a large space that can accomodate two separate spaces. I have a similar set up with the first floor rooms all open to one another. I don't have a huge amount of space between the DR table and the china closet, but it does feel more like two separate spaces with the china cabinet set up behind the table.

Best of luck on the showings. I hope you get a quick sale.

Regarding fresh flowers, these can get expensive over time! What I did was to buy an orchid - you can usually get them quite cheaply at Home Depot. Get one with a few unopened buds at the ends of the flowering stems - if you do, it will last a number of months. I swear it help sell our house!!

You are doing so well! Keep going~~~
I always made slice 'n bake cookies or microwave popcorn to make our house smell homey...

I am impressed. Great work!!! Major improvement!!

Love the orchid suggestion. Lowe's had some stunning ones recently.

If you do opt to lower or change the DR fixture, consider a swag so you could pull the table further out and have the lovely china cabinet be the showstopper at the end of the room. Not necessary, but it might look really nice.

I just saw this thread tonight and have read every post. I just love seeing the transition your home is making with these changes. You are doing such a good job with it. I don't know what market you are in, but that price sounds extremely competitive to me. My dd bought a house almost two years ago, and now she & her fiance both have their homes on the market and are shopping for a bigger house. Since she has been getting a lot of feedback on her house and looking at a lot of houses lately, I sent her the link to this thread and asked what she thought. So the following is a combination of her thoughts and mine. Mind you, she is 24 and extremely picky, and I am much older and can see potential in even a homely, little shed.

1) A big plus is having two living areas. Dd likes a formal living room and her fiance wants the big screen and recliners and you've got both rooms. Dd did mention that your den must not be very big if you couldn't get both your sofa and loveseat in the same room. My suggestion is to put the loveseat in the den and the big sofa in the living room. Put a denim slipcover on the loveseat so it doesn't match the sofa and have more a casual look and still match the curtains. Do you have recliner(s) in the den also, or some kind of comfy tv-watching chair?

2) Definitely agree with all the comments to take down the tv pole. I like the suggestion in one of the posts above to use a console table or stack the cubes and put the tv against the brick - that is, if you have chairs facing it. If not, I like the corner tv cabinet so it angles the tv to the sofa. But you do need more seating than just one sofa or loveseat in the room.

3) My fireplace brick was really dirty when we moved in and I scrubbed Comet into it and then wiped with wet cloth and scrubbed out the Comet with a stiff brush. When you have showings, you can also put those battery operated candles inside your fireplace so it looks warm and cozy.

4) You mentioned your in-laws house. If they live in the same town, can you store your small valuables there? Dd's realtor told her not to leave anything of value in the house, not jewelry, no guns, no checkbook, no back income tax papers, no laptop, no medicines, etc. She took everything she could to her future in-laws and takes her laptop and medicines to work with her everyday.

5) Agree with others about moving the china cabinet to the middle of the wallpapered wall and not keeping the desk in the corner. But I would put the desk where the china cabinet is now. Make a fitted skirt for it (even if it's a sheet held together by staples), put the CPU under it and when there is a showing, put all the other office type stuff under the tablecloth too. Use one of the dining chairs instead of the office type chair. Not only will it look nicer, but it will be safer under cover than out in plain sight. Have a candle grouping etc in the bottom of your china cabinet to set on the desk/table for a showing. Then use a couple of small chairs, even 2 dining chairs, to make a sitting area with the sofa.

6) We love the mirror over your fireplace and in the hall. They reflect light without having to sit and stare at yourself when you are in the room.

7) Agree with taking down the wallpaper, or having it done if at all possible. 2nd choice is painting over it, but if you do that make sure all the seams are tight and the paint looks great so by the time the buy decides to take down the wallpaper they won't be able to remember your name. (Removing painted wallpaper is a total pain in the rear, and usually involves a lot of comments about the person responsible for the painting.)

8. Your dd's painted and bordered bedroom wouldn't bother me at all, but that in combination with the wallpaper in the dining area was too much work for dd. However, if the bedroom was the only wallpaper left in the house, I don't think it would be a big deal.

9. We like your brick and wouldn't paint it. People who like painted brick can paint if they like, but people who don't like painted brick would be turned off and no way to undo it. Really like the room and brick much better with the drape off the curtains and the sheers removed. It brings the wide-open backyard into the room and makes it seem larger.

10. Good choice on your paint color. Paint a couple of posters with it, and move them around to see how they look before doing the actual painting, and it will save you a lot of time and agony if you don't like it.

11. Agree with others about removing all your personal pictures and the stickers from the boy's room. See if your friends or relatives have any pictures you can borrow for their rooms, or your other rooms. You can find cheap frames at the thrift store and frame anything, even cheap posters cut into sections, or make your own art. If framed and matted, almost anything can look really nice.

12. Totally agree about having lamps on during the showings as well as overhead lights so people don't have to search for light switches, especially if they are in an odd location.

13. Also agree about having a non pet owner to come give your house the sniff test, especially in the dog's favorite places. I have a really sensitive sense of smell, but I have a cat and have had dogs. Over Christmas, I didn't notice anything at my mother's house but dd kept commenting about dog smell. Others said to bake cookies. I have a friend who swears it was the apple pie that sold her house. She kept a Mrs. Smith's apple pie in the freezer and popped it in the oven every time she got a call for a showing. By the time the people arrived, the house smelled wonderful (plus covered up any not so fresh smells). After the house began smelling good, she popped the pie back in the freezer, and left the house before the showing. She used the same pie over and over. lol

14. Can't think of anything else, just couldn't leave it at thirteen. ;)

Best of luck with a quick sale and can't wait for you to post back with a contract announcement.

Thank you all for the suggestions. We did lower the light in the dining room. We are having photos done tomorrow so once the house is listed I'll post the MLS so you can all see.
I did update the bedroom with white pillow shams and moved the cedar chest to the foot of the bed.

here are photos of the master bath. Its ugly. I have glass shower doors I hide with a shower curtain because I can't stand them. I should post before pics so you all know how bad it was. It used to have a green floor, yellow toilet, yellow sink and burgandy/brown wall paper..ugh...

Its better now but still not the best.

Boy, I sure wouldn't call this a really ugly bathroom - it looks fine. It's so clean, and that's really important. Are the glass doors in good shape or not? If not, you may just want to remove them. Some people won't like seeing them behind a curtain and will think there is something wrong with them (besides being ugly - if that's the problem).

Cute bath. The floor and counter and paint coordinate beautifully, the vanity looks like it is newish, updated faucet and towel ring.

Sorry posted on the other thread to push curtain back, i'd leave it as is unless you get negative comments. Can't wait to see your listing. Hopefully it will go quickly.

I promised everyone a link when it was posted :)

Here is a link that might be useful: my house

Photographs came out great -- wishing you a quick sale!

Wow - it looks amazing! You have a done a super job.

Someone may have already mentioned this, so I am sorry if it is a repeat, but if it were me - I would pack up the desk. As a potential buyer, when I see that, I think - "this house does not have a room for my computer/desk" but if I don't see the desk, that may not occur to me. Why risk putting that thought in their head? Just my two-cents -

you should bask in all of your hard work and fabulous outcomes!

Your home is showing so well!
Is the shower door really that bad? If it's not stained or rusted, I'd remove the curtain so buyers can see it has a glass door since many people just glance into a room and make a judgement. Me....I don't like shower curtains and would assume I'd have to install a door if I looked in the room.

Also, why is the DR table missing the 2 chairs?

Again, great job!

It looks clean, spacious and well maintained. Great job!

You have done an amazing job!

Looks great, the pictures really make the rooms look huge, I clicked on another listing at the same price point and those people should have decluttered as well as you did. Super job.

House looks great in the realtor pics. It looks immaculately clean and everything is in order with room to spare. I do have to ask, are you leaving the TV pole as is for showings, or were these pics taken before removal of that setup?

If you've not already removed the TV pole, I would re-think doing so. While I realize your asking price is reasonable, every buyer has a budget. I can't imagine any potential buyer not viewing this as a project. When we moved into our home years ago it needed updating. However, with DH and I both working full time, we didn't want to buy anything that had an issue that needed to be dealt with upon move-in. Pointing this out because so many posters have commented about the TV pole. Repairing the ceiling is something that would probably be relatively easy for you to do or have done. A potential buyer may not see it that way. Also, buyers, especially those with young children, don't want to move in with an immediate project on their list. Your house isn't a handyman's special. With so many homes on the market right now, I wouldn't want yours to sit longer because of something that may be a viewed as a project when the rest of the house is move in ready. For me, that would qualify as needing immediate attention. JMHO

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck for a quick sale!

Just wondering...how is it going?

we have another showing today. :) Wish us luck

I just wanted to say that I'm not sure the tv pole is that big of a deal. I could be wrong, but I think your home is more of a home for a first time homebuyer and I think they may not even think about the hole issue. I think they will think about more of the aesthetic things like the wall paper. Hope it sells.

Hi, When I staged my old house was a clean, but my closets were crowded. I emptied all my closets to give the imperssion we had enough room, (I put so much clothing in my Mom's garage, and gave other to charity). I put vanilla candles in the fire place to both make the house smell nice and to make the fire place a focal point in the living room/den (our flat panel TV was hung on the fireplace). My daughters rooms were painted white, instead of purple and pink. My house was sold to the first person that came to our open house, but the market was a bit different then. I wish you lots of luck in selling.

Good luck with your showing!