I am my own tenant.

Because we move so often, I often feel like I live like a renter even though we own our home. Here are a few examples of things I did (or did not do) in our last house that made me feel like it was never really mine:

• kept wall hangings to a minimum (fewer nail holes to fill for the next guy)
• kept paint very neutral (I desperately wanted my first baby girl to have pink striped walls but instead they remained Sherwin Williams Rice Grain for 3 years)
• never planted a garden (apparently, a lot of people out there just want a blanket of boring ol' grass that requires minimal maintenance)
• leaving builder light fixtures in place (they're actually nice ones, just kinda boring to me)

Anyway, I know for a fact that the condition and neutrality of our last house is what made it sell in 1 day. Yes, 1 day (how's that for being sure it was underpriced!?!). There was a house across the street with a similar floorplan and WAAAAAY more upgrades (granite, hardwood, taller vanities, etc.) that never even got an offer and only had 2 viewings in 6 months. And they were only priced $5000 above us so I'm sure our buyer looked at it. BUT, it was literally painted a dozen different colors (ceilings were done, too). A dozen! In 1700 square feet! The colors were bold but well done but phew, the work to change it if it wasn't your style. I can't imagine. So anyway, I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone a little around here and be more bold in my choices. Not necessarily with many walls but maybe a couple. And, I'm thinking about doing some built-in-ish stuff in our toy room. We'll see. Oh, I did get wild and crazy and add chair rail to my dining room. Can't take that with me! What? You wanna see pics? Sorry. Can't do it. Still need curtains in there before the big reveal.

On a side, but related, note. Does anyone remember the show Home To Go that was on HGTV a few years ago. What a great DIY show that allowed the renters to take their newly crafted furnishings and decor with them. HGTV Canada, why do you mock me with your awesomeness???!!! I definitely miss the days before House Hunters was on every other hour (don't get me wrong, I dig House Hunters. Its so fun to snoop!).