I'm sorry to say that I've discontinued this blog. The home was sold in 2012.

You can see the listing video here:
http://youtu.be/Smg2qlhCuhA

Most of my investment in updates in the home did not pay off because of the adjustment in the market, among other factors. I wasn't renovating the home with intentions of making a quick profit or flipping it; I thought I'd be living there for longer than we did. But personal issues led to the decision to sell the house right away rather than stay in it.

I learned a lot from these renovations. Interestingly, at resale, the one renovation that plagued the deal the most was one that was completed by the homeowner previous to me. Always check on outstanding permits when buying a home! I believe your realtor should do this for you. I'm not sure who dropped the ball when I bought the home, but it haunted me when I was selling it and I almost got stuck paying for fixes from the one project I didn't even do.

I'm sad that I never got to make this plan a reality but am glad I didn't put any more money into the home than I already did.

Hoped for:

Before:

After:

I've since moved into a townhouse and continue redecorating, working in IT and spending time with my animals.