I just received my latest copy of Dwell in the mail and low and behold, I spotted a murphy bed, scratch that, I mean a "wall bed" in it's pages. mobelform (intentional lowercase "m") features a variety of up to date, sleek options (prices not for the weak of heart). So if you are going for the local 900 square feet and below downtown condo option, a "wall bed" might just be right for you!

Previous article Bring Back The "Murphy Bed"! .

I did not know this until recently. A friend is rennovating a bathroom in a home that she will be selling and she was ordering fixtures online from a hotel that she saw when she stayed there. You can order everything from shower heads, curved shower rods, towels bedding or the BED! ... the list goes on. ...

Are you interested in having your home more like a vaction getaway? Check out these hotel sites:

Marriott Online Store

W Hotels - The Store

Westin at Home

Go green: Make your home eco-friendly

ThisWeek News
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Bill Evans
With Earth Day on April 22 quickly approaching, now is a good time to give back to our planet.
The good news is there are many little things you can do around your home to make it more environmentally friendly.
Ask a qualified, professional real estate agent about ways to make your home more green, but for starters, here are some simple solutions that can make a big impact.
Many environmentally friendly home goods are also friendly to your monthly bills. When it is time to buy light bulbs, opt for the premium fluorescents; they will shine a pure white or buttery golden light. Although a bit more expensive at $3 to $12, these bulbs can cut your electric bill by 5 percent.
Another way to save is to purchase a flat-screen computer monitor. The old, bulky monitors not only take up space, but they also increase your electric bill. You will save by switching to an LCD flat-panel model because a flat screen uses as little as one-third of the electricity as the conventional tube-based models.
You should also consider this when shopping for large-screen TVs. The savings are in the LCDs and rear-projection models because they use less than half the energy of plasma TVs.
With summer quickly approaching, you may be hosting or attending a few barbecues, but what you may not know is that outdoor grilling doesn't just result in a tasty burger -- it is also good for the air. Outdoor grills use less energy than your kitchen electric stove and also keep heat out of the house, resulting in reduced air conditioning costs. Choose a grill that uses propane or natural gas, because they emit 5.6 pounds of carbon dioxide per hour, whereas a charcoal grill emits 11 pounds.
If you are tired of waking up with the burned coffee from your home coffee machine, try an energy-efficient coffee machine. It will brew your coffee at the exact recommended temperature; therefore, it does not waste any extra heat and you will never have burned coffee again.
We have been told about the importance of recycling, but do you really understand how it works? Becoming an expert recycler is a great way to start making your life and your home eco-friendly.
Local recycling practices may vary, but there are a few universal rules to follow. First, shopping bags never go in your recycling bins. Look on the bottom of your plastic items for a number and only put the items with a "1" or "2" in your bin. Also, don't put light bulbs, broken glass or bits of food into your bin because they slow the recycling process.
In the end, going green will make for a healthier lifestyle for you, your home and our planet. Call a real estate agent today for more tips on making your home eco-friendly.
Bill Evans is the president of Real Living HER, the largest residential real estate firm in Ohio. E-mail: mailto:Bill.Evans@RealLiving.com

Posted by William Robbins at 7:31 PM  

Labels: energy, Environment, Green

German Village Area (MLS Area 17) Price Range:$140,000- No Limit  Single Family homes and Condos

Downtown Columbus (MLS Area 10) Price Range:$140,000- No Limit Single Family homes and Condos

Victorian Village Area (MLS Area 11) Price Range:$140,000- No Limit Single Family homes and Condos

Clintonville (MLS Area 37) Price Range:$140,000- No Limit Single Family homes and Condos

Olde Towne East Area Area (MLS Area 14) Price Range:$140,000- No Limit Single Family homes and Condos

For other areas or more specific price range, contact me
All reports from TRENDGRAPHICS. All reports presented are based on data supplied by the Columbus Board of Realtors, Northern Ohio Regional MLS, Centralized Real Estate Information Service, Greater Cincinnati MLS and Dayton Area Board of Realtors or theirs MLSs. Neither the Association nor their MLSs guarantee or are in anyway responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or their MLSs may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

"To celebrate the first day of Project Blogger, I've decided to release the first update to the list of 500 real estate blogs to watch that I published back in October 2006. My goal with this edition was to ensure that I had a real estate blog for every state, and I believe I've accomplished that task. It is, as always, a work in progress, as I haven't added many fine Active Rain bloggers, and I also haven't removed weblogs that have become inactive in the last 6 months (though part of the reason that I haven't removed them is that I'm hoping they become active again!)."- Pittsburg Homes Daily

Downtown - Short North Area - Olde Town East - German Village Area

View the entire list of Open House's here.

Visit ZipCodeFacts.com.

Downtown Columbus (MLS Area 10)

Price Range:$140,000- No Limit

Single Family Homes and Condos
 

Victorian Village Area (MLS Area 11)

Price Range:$140,000- No Limit

Single Family Homes and Condos

Olde Towne East Area (MLS Area 14)

Price Range:$140,000- No Limit
Single Family Homes and Condos

German Village Area (MLS Area 17)

Price Range:$140,000- No Limit

Single Family Homes and Condos

Clintonville (MLS Area 37)
Price Range:$140,000- No Limit
Single Family Homes and Condos

For other areas or more specific price range, contact me
....
All reports from TRENDGRAPHICS. All reports presented are based on data supplied by the Columbus Board of Realtors, Northern Ohio Regional MLS, Centralized Real Estate Information Service, Greater Cincinnati MLS and Dayton Area Board of Realtors or theirs MLSs. Neither the Association nor their MLSs guarantee or are in anyway responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or their MLSs may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

When preparing to sell your home, expect that you may need to neutralize you home. You may love the color of your walls, furniture, a window coverings, etc, but the point of getting your home ready to sell is that you want to showcase the features of your home and appeal to as many potential home buyers as possible. While the room at the top left may feel warm and pleasing to most people, the room on the right feels more spacious and airy and that's what you are selling, space! When painting, use high quality paints and finishes. Bold colors/ patterns on window coverings, furniture and rugs should also be removed or slip covered. Uncovered windows add light and show depth beyond the room itself (make sure the windows are clean). When looking for a slip cover, pick a neutral color and try to match your paint to it, this allows for the furniture to blend in and creates the illusion of more space. Repositioning/ angling furniture also can help. Removing extra/ bold patterned rugs on hardwood floors to showcase the wood and visually makes a room feel bigger.

If you are selling a home that is missing a feature, such as a defined dining space, reposition a living space to allow for a table and chairs to show versatility. Loft like living is "in", make the most of it. You may not live this way, but if you sell quickly (and that is the point of all of this), you will not have to put up with it very long.

If you are confused about any of these things, any "good" Real Estate Agent should be well versed in staging a home for sale.

There is a lot more to this story than what I can get into in one blog entry, but I think it is worth mentioning. For the benefit of those who do not live in the "Southside" of Columbus, there is an incredibly charming corner of a neighborhood that sticks out to those who drive by. I have found myself on more than one occasion being nosey and trying to see if anyone lives in the home/ homes pictured above. I love old houses and will probably always live in one. Although this home is surrounded by what some might not call the "ideal" neighbors (commercial properties, etc), I have thought , they (whoever they are) are lucky to live in that house. It so happens, no one lived in that or any of those houses. They have been owned by Childrens Hospital who is right across the street and have sit empty and to some extent, in disrepair, for up to 20 years. Now they are slated to be torn down (not moved or incorporated in a new development) to make way for a multi million dollar Ronald McDonald house. Which is great...except for the fact, that Childrens just completed a huge Ronald McDonald house 2 years ago, it's sits diagonal across the street from these homes. So, what is to happen to that structure? It is going to be demolished also, because they have outgrown it in two years and they are currently turning away families who need to stay there. So, why not just add an addition on the lot next to it where they are demolishing another building? It now does not fit in the plans at that location (conveniently, they are going to build another huge addition there). What a waste all around historically and environmentally. Buildings with history in this community are why people including myself choose to invest and live her, once that is gone, what's left? The answer: a huge 3 story building that towers over the neighborhood.

But wait, Childrens helps sick children, yes, they do and it's a wonderful thing, but lets remember, Childrens is a business and they are in the business of sick children. Would they let any other business do this to a community? So my question is, are they (Childrens) always beyond reproach? It seems so, Childrens announced after great debate, they will demolish the homes in the coming weeks.

For more info: Houses in way of hospital expansion can't be saved by Sue Hagen, ThisWeek German Village