Honey, the house is in the mail: Looking at pre-fabs - 01/31/08 08:48 AM
Dear, I am going down to Ikea to order the house. Pick the nice Scandinavian one, Bob. There all nice Scandinavian ones he grumbles. You know the one I mean. The beige two story. Be sure to get all of the extras for the garden. Well, of course I am … (4 comments)
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The Harvest Will Be In: The Problem with Gutters - 01/30/08 04:04 AM
It has been a long day, and now I am sitting back reflecting upon the work of the day. I do not carry a camera to take pictures of the homes that I inspect for reasons of my own, but today I should have. I would have taken a nice … (8 comments)
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What do you think of Roost? - 01/29/08 10:19 AM
Roost.com just launched, and now the UK firm DotHomes is set to launch a US site. The news reports about Roost have been positive, and they promise not to charge Realtors for their service unless leads are generated by them. The site is a clean looking search engine to find a … (5 comments)
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By Design - 01/29/08 07:28 AM
Where's the bathroom he asked. By the front door, I reply. He turns and smiles, You can tell it is only my second time in this home. I have been scampering around this house for the past three hours, so I know its layout. In reality, I have investigated a … (1 comments)
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The Wages Of Sin - 01/28/08 01:06 PM
Have you ever had a thought follow you? You begin to see a pattern or trend or idea reoccur to you. Sometimes you are just making connections, because of your own musing, but at other times I wonder. I had such a feeling reading the New York Times on Sunday. … (0 comments)
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If you do not use it, you lose it: a tale of a dishwasher - 01/26/08 04:56 AM
Growing up, I had a great desire to learn how to use the dishwasher. My mother cleaned our dishes by hand, and she had me dry when smaller. By the time when I was my son's age, she had me doing them by myself after dinner. My brother eventually became … (5 comments)
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You are not an inspector until you fall off a roof - 01/25/08 07:40 PM
One day an older inspector who has been in the business for many years, turned to look me in the eye to say, “You are not an inspector until you fall off a roof.” He gave me this profound bit of wisdom when we were looking at the framing going … (11 comments)
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Back to Nature: Parks with Parks, and Parks that are hiding - 01/24/08 05:01 PM
On most weekends, you will find me strolling with my daughter on early Saturday mornings in Hermann Park. The park offers a lot to us residents of Houston. The Miller Outdoor Theatre, the zoo, the natural history museum, a jogging track, a playground, and a golf course. Saturday mornings are … (5 comments)
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My Mother's Advice Haunts Me - 01/24/08 07:58 AM
I am sure that my parent's were giving me certain phrases as advice over and over again, but one tidbit from my mother keeps recurring to me now. It is not that the others were not memorable, but I have a tendency to remember actions more than words, but in … (4 comments)
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A Souper Bowl - 01/23/08 09:44 PM
Real Estate professionals are a passionate people. We work 24/7 to help our clients, but our passions take us to new places. For some, we find outlets for our passions in causes and charities. I think that the best of my peers have always exhibited this desire. You will find professionals … (0 comments)
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The Disadvantages of Arguing with a One Year Old - 01/23/08 09:55 AM
Yesterday, as I was heading into my office for a phone call, my daughter came to me in no uncertain terms that I was to remain in the living room. I was to read her a book. At least that is what I think she said. I tried to explain … (7 comments)
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Customer Service Breakdown Analysis - 01/23/08 09:52 AM
First, I would like to give credit where it is due. Barry Owen posted a piece on the book The Fred Factor the other day, which caused me to remember another work, The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley. This work is from a head at IDEO, the firm that … (2 comments)
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Trash Can Economics - 01/22/08 10:18 AM
This morning I found my neighbor in a dilemma. How do you stuff another bag of garbage in an already full can? I told her to throw it into mine. She notices that my can is only a quarter full. Where you out of town, comes the inquiry. No, this … (1 comments)
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The Adventure at the Stove - 01/21/08 10:09 AM
Do you love to have guest over for dinner? Or do you love big family get togethers? I know it is not a function that everyone likes to have in their home, but most of us end up with at least one such event occurring in our home. Personally, I … (1 comments)
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Rain, Rain, Go Away - 01/20/08 08:15 AM
Well, we have been having some good deluges in our area the past few days. I have noticed that several bayous are quite full. The forecast is that we will have some more rain coming this week. I do not mind the rain so much, considering that our state just … (0 comments)
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The Plight of the Home Garden - 01/20/08 08:13 AM
I was reading a series of articles this past week, which argued for the development of urban farms as a means to provide fresh vegetables and fruits to the inner city areas at lower costs. I am intrigued by the idea because it is close to my heart. I volunteer … (6 comments)
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The Accidental Hero - 01/18/08 10:27 AM
To set you up for this story, I should give you a little background. Some months ago a neighbor appears at my door late one evening with a person in tow. Turns out this was a neighbor in need of help. She had been having several contractors over at her … (2 comments)
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Some Facts about Inspection Services in Houston for 2008 - 01/17/08 10:11 AM
Current reports show that you might be considering buying a home, but national news reports cause you to be concerned, so you are waiting for the market to be better. You may have worries about finding a suitable mortgage, but at the Houston Housing Forum last year, leading lenders in … (0 comments)
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A Celebration of Life and Death - 01/16/08 05:47 AM
This is a post just to have something out there. Yesterday was the anniversary of two events in my life: my mother has been cancer free for six years, and my grandmother died one year ago. I was the main care taker for my grandmother. It was not easy since she … (5 comments)
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Doing Our Part For City Recycling - 01/14/08 10:06 AM
I have been away on vacation, and it takes a while to get back into the groove of daily life. As I was coming back from dropping my son off at the bus stop for school this morning, I looked around to see if it was recycling today. There were … (0 comments)
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Preparing Your House For the Sale - 01/13/08 01:35 PM
Bad news abounds when it comes to home sales. However much of this news is dealing with the national scene. Is there any good news for sellers in the Houston market? Actually, there is. Builders are holding off on new home construction. The inventory of homes on the market has not … (0 comments)
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The Foggy Bathroom - 01/12/08 07:27 AM
Sometimes the mind starts looking for themes or coincidences. Something keeps recurring in your life, and then it hits you, that feeling of deja vue. Well, after returning from a trip abroad, I thought that I would be looking at things with fresh eyes, but a particular issue keeps arising in … (0 comments)
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The Wonders of the Automated Phone - 01/07/08 02:26 PM
I was just paying my invoice for my Supra Key by going through the automated phone system. I love how technology can make our lives easier, so I do not mind going through some steps on an automated system if it means getting through it all faster, since I do not … (2 comments)
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