When my DD got married 12 yrs ago she wanted sets of those glasses that "look" like cut glass in the black & white box, they are sold as 24% lead or maybe not that much but it is right on the box & I think they still make them, they had them at Target, Kmart, most of dept. stores. Then go look at the fine china & most of it is loaded with lead unless they just changed it. I got where I wouldn't buy anything like that. Warnings all over & said couldn't use any juices or acidic fruits in them. Even some bowls that were bright colored had warnings. Kind you put on table with apples oranges bananas in!! That was a OK!!! Like the conversion to digital, think that is gov't idea as it is going to cost us all as they say it will increase electricity use a lot. I guess there arn't enough blackouts & brownouts around the country!! I think big businesses give politicans big bucks to get this stuff passed. Who benefits from digital-cable companies, electric companies & those selling TV's & antennas. They came up with idea in Ca. few yrs ago that all washers & dryers would have to be replaced with front load ones, they raised them off the ground some & put very fancy price tag on them. Well, lot of people looked & said they wanted old models, they weren't paying double!! I remember when the "ban" on side load washers & dryers went in because too many kids were crawling in & dying, they kick at the round part- never think to kick on the door. My neighbors wanted to show me their new set- wow! 3 yr old child in house- I told them they were dangerous!!Next day it was on the news about boy that crawled in 1 at laundrmat!!!Laws get hidden & gov't does what lines their pockets the most!!!Jan

These are just some of the things you need to consider. Familiarize yourself with the discrimination in housing laws. You want to make sure you don't run afoul of them, even in innocent ways. Example, if buyers ask regarding your neighborhoods' or neighbors' ethnicity, religious persuasion, or sexual orientation, politely decline to answer. Familiarize yourself with disclosure requirements for your location. Have any required disclosures ready to hand out. Have blank sales agreements at hand. You will have to learn what kind of earnest money is customary in your location and how you are going to handle it (hold check, deposit in an account, etc). The sales agreement will need to be vetted by a local real estate attorney. Have a closing agent lined up. Best is your real estate attorney. Worst is their real estate attorney. Neutral is someone that customarily handles closings, but isn't an agent of either party, such as a title company. Be extremely cautious of any buyer who has an attorney that wants to negotiate with your attorney. That is all done at the attorneys' billable rates. Get a signed sales agreement that is satisfactory to you first, then run it by your attorney. Decide on an advertising strategy. An impossible-to-read-at-speed pencil written sign on your lawn isn't it, yet you would be amazed how many do just that. Plan how to handle the phony inquiries that will come from agents trying to get a listing on your property, and scam artists who want you to agree to some nefarious scheme or supply personal information to them. Be especially careful responding to automated emails that will arrive if you manage to list on the Internet somewhere, which of course you should do. Obviously, there is a lot more to it. This is just a taste of the stuff I went through, and the property I sold didn't even have a house on it.

thanks so much! And thanks, rosemary for your notes, since NH is where I am...southeastern...near the seacoast, but drive to Concord daily. The League...yes, very familiar with their work, and very intimidated at the same time. They are DEFINITELY in a 'league' all their own. Incredible artists in that group. debrady- thanks for the helpful link! I'll bookmark all these references for when I'm ready to use them! Thanks so much!

Of the places you and others have mentioned, I've only ever used Craigslist for selling large furniture, though most of what I sell isn't super high end (we're not at the point of down-sizing yet). I have bought a few higher end items (antiques) through Craigslist at what I would consider fair prices, though less than what an antique store would charge. My general rule of thumb for buying through Craigslist is I don't pay more for an item than I think I could re-sell it for if I change my mind. I love Craigslist for the simplicity and ease, and have never had a bad experience selling (or buying) items through the site, though as others have mentioned you just have to make sure you ignore the scammers. It's easy to weed them out once you know to expect them anytime you list something of significant value. Just read the page on their site that details typical scams and follow the guidelines to avoid being scammed. Craigslist didn't work well for my in-laws when they were downsizing a couple of years ago, but they were also on a tight schedule and I thought they were asking WAY too much for their furniture. I listed it for them but didn't have the heart to tell them that it just wasn't worth much in today's market, even though they took great care of it and kept all the original receipts. They eventually donated it because no one was interested at the prices they wanted for it and they ran out of time. If you'd rather get something than nothing, you just need to price it low enough and someone will buy it. If you are selling 80s/90s honey oak furniture, it doesn't matter how nicely its been cared for, the market is saturated with it and realistically you are not going to get much for it. Take a look on your local Craigslist and see what the market is like in your area. Is there a lot of furniture like what you are wanting to sell, and how much are other people asking for it? If your items are priced to sell, they will sell. humbleandkind's advice to be willing to break up sets is excellent advice for the secondhand market. People are often looking for individual pieces and sets aren't as popular as they used to be, so you'll likely get more for your items if you are open to selling pieces individually. I bought our breakfast table off of Craigslist and it came with chairs I didn't like, so I just re-sold them on Craigslist to 3 different buyers. Good luck with your move!