We have reachable goals, and milestones to pass along the way to those goals.

Got behind schedule due to a delay in financing (see my other thread) but everything is back up and running now.Some milestones - Structure was fixed, 2 piers were added Wall dividing kitchen and living room removedWood paneling removed and drywall hung Electric upgraded, new fixturesThis weekend - Work starts on the roof and sidingDrywall finishedPaint beginsQuick notes and lessons learned - Negotiate with EVERY contractor, I've agreed to pay the full bid price from 2 contractors only because their bid seemed fair at the time and was substantially lower than competitors.

The key is always to have leverage and pay upon completion of agreed upon milestone such as end of demolition, upon successfully passing of rough inspection, upon kitchen installation, upon successful passing of final inspection, upon completion of final walk through and touch up list.You should specify these milestone in the contract under "payment schedule" so there are no surprises.Always keep a significant amount 20-30% as a final payment upon completion of final touch up list.

There should be some graphs there which you can use to make the comparisons.

As I was staring at that graph showing double digit declines three times I was very surprised, and thinking it couldnt be true.....then it jumped out that the graph is not showing the entirety of housing in the bay area....the graph is only showing "High Priced Tier Homes". 

You mat even be able to get milestone bonuses.

Once the first milestone is achieved, you set the next milestone. as the old saying.....the first million is the hardest.To embark on this rewarding real estate journey towards your goals and dreams requires commitment.

I used to draw floorplans on graph paper when I was 12. 

We computed the average $/SqFt by month and plotted the results as shown in the graph below.As you can see, the average $/SqFt sales price plunged by almost 50%.

Congratulations on your milestone, it will keep getting better from here.Sounds like you got a good deal going, now just repeat,repeat,repeat!