Sunday, September 1

It was Sunday morning. Tomorrow the supply chain architect would return to the never-ending routine of work, but for now, he could savor this quiet moment alone in the house drinking coffee and enjoying The New York Times. It was funny that with all the Internet news services there was still something to be said for reading the newspaper.

The front page of the real estate section caught his eye. He stared at a stunning interior photo of a kitchen that might as well be his. The article beneath described the complete property including the kitchen, breakfast nook, and bay window. It was not far away in a neighboring town. The article concluded on page seven that the property was a steal for $695,000. I know right where that property is located. They must be joking, he thought.

Just then, his wife came home. Hi, anybody here? she called out.

Yes, I m here in the kitchen, he replied. You would not believe how much they want for this house advertised in The Times! And, it has our kitchen!

She stood behind him and looked over his shoulder at the newspaper. Guess the renovation added a lot of value to our house. I wonder what we could get for this place now?

I m not moving.

We re not talking about moving; we re talking about the value of our home. When we decided to renovate the kitchen, we increased the value of the house both for us...