Wouldn't have minded having this "flashlight" back when I used to inspect Chicago's finer vacant crack houses.

You could also consider updating the window treatments, anything to make the kitchen bigger and brighter, which should be cheap.

It makes the glass disappear, it makes the place look cleaner and it makes the place look brighter also.

Get a flashlight in there and take some video with your phone.  

Over voltage will cause lights to be brighter and short life span of lights.

i'd be excited to strip or sand the finish in a spot to preview what the bare wood looks like without that dark/opaque stain/finish, and would go a step further by spot refinishing to see how it looks with a brighter finish after stripped/sanded.that said, i'd also be reminded wood floors are high maintenance (ie, scratch easily even with todays finishes like varathane that claim u can skate on it!)

If you haven't lived in the property for a total of 24 months (with or without military service exemption, that just extends the five year look back period) then you can't use the Sec 121 exemption, regardless of whether you can still pull of a 1031.If you have lived in the property for a total of 24 months, things look brighter.

That would make it less closed in and brighter. 

LOLOn the brighter side I have noticed just in the past few weeks my local market has been improving.

It will give you more head space AND make it brighter.