This Old House Remodel Winner 2010 - 09/25/10 09:32 AM
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid77585800001?bclid=91413061001&bctid=95717765001 My least favorite house is a Cape Cod. So many have a rabbit warren of small rooms--not great for today's living. Lots of capes here in Greater Philadelphia are on really nice lots in lovely neighborhoods. They are definitely worth re-thinking and re-working. I love this Connecticut remodel because the fixes were inexpensive. The people did it themselves for the most part. They had good taste. I absolutely love This Old House Magazine. Maybe I should give it to all my old clients for Christmas?
… (3 comments)

How the building inspection on new construction went.... - 09/23/10 05:32 PM
The builder is a hands on guy who has been building individual houses--not developments--for 40 years. He prides himself that he usually one has one or two quick fixes to do in the extensive personal walk-through that he does with every buyer. My clients are New Yorkers who tell me that New Yorkers don't trust anyone and that I should not take it personally. They found their own building inspector (and their own title company and their own attorney.) OK. Their building inspector was kind of a prima donna. Luckily, he knew his building science. It turned out really well for … (0 comments)

Cheap magic for sellers....... - 09/18/10 03:17 PM
No, I don't own stock in Procter and Gamble. I just love their product: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Maybe it is because I am not a very good housekeeper that I had never heard of it. I read about it in stager Starr Osborne's go-to book Home Staging that Works ($11.95 at Amazon). I give that to all my sellers too. Magic is no over-statement for the "Magic" Eraser. It takes scuff marks and finger marks off walls...cleans up switch plates and bathroom tile grout. It makes Stainless shine. I have a white plastic Jasper Morrison-designed coffee maker by Rowenta that … (4 comments)

Buyers...Hmmm....We know there are not a lot of them....but WHO Are They? - 09/12/10 09:39 AM
Remember a couple years ago when there were floor calls and normal buyers? I used to have at least 11 buyers. The first thing I did every day was check for new listings that might work for them. They were people looking for more room...a bigger kitchen...a school district. If I could figure out who the buyers out there now are, maybe I could do better marketing? It seems like I keep meeting a lot of unrealistic bargain hunters who want to steal things. I met one couple at an open house in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA, recently. The … (2 comments)

It is a price war and a beauty contest! - 09/11/10 12:15 PM
I have two listings: one is beautifully done (The Beauty) and move in ready, the other is a grand old house (The Grand) that needs considerable work. Both have been on the market for several months. At the urging of a neighbor, The Beauty was determined to price high. "I keep thinking of all those trips to home depot," the owner told me. He and his wife are rightly proud of what a great job they did renovating an old lady's house that they got at a big discount. They spent $45,000 on all the improvements. When neither of their adult … (3 comments)

Should you get a home inspector with new construction? - 09/10/10 11:23 AM
I mostly sell  homes that are 50 years old and older, so I'd love some input. My 60 year old clients are buying their retirement home near their daughter. Thanks to responsible living and good jobs, they have plenty of cash and nice pensions. The purchase represents a lifetime of savings and thoughtful money management. They tell me "We are from New York and we don't trust anyone." The builder has been building homes for 40 years. He is proud of what he builds and personally does a final walk through with clients to create a punch list. He also gives … (6 comments)

Okra? Slimey....Yucky....Incredible.... - 09/09/10 10:08 PM
Okra is not easy to love. At the Maple Glen Farmstand in Plymouth Meeting, PA, they give it away just to get people to try it. In the South, they french fry it. That takes care of the hairy, slimey texture. Get past that and the essence of okra is tastey. Just about anything tastes good french fried. But a lot of times you taste the breading and the crunch, without much taste of the vegetable inside. Leave it to Indian master chefs to do the ultimate okra. I had okra to die for tonight at A Taste of India restaurant … (6 comments)

NAR convention in New Orleans Nov 5 to 8.... - 09/08/10 06:46 PM
National Association of Realtors is catching up with "green" at their upcoming convention in fabulous New Orleans. There will be several green courses....finally some on marketing and selling "green" homes. There will be a Green Pavilion so that all the vendors with an environmental slant will be in one place. Thank you, NAR!
… (1 comments)

Retrofitting Suburbia - 09/07/10 07:22 PM
Follow the link for this TED talk http://wn.com/Ellen_Dunham-Jones.retrofitting_suburbia. She tells the story of Lakewood, Co, where a dead lowrise shopping mall is transformed into Belmar, a 22 block community with walkability, vital retail and office space and desirable residential townhouses and other spaces. What an inspiring story! Don't we all drive by dead malls every day? Suburbia does not have to have a bad name.
… (0 comments)

Labor Day should be a day off for working people. - 09/06/10 11:50 AM

We have a successful local supermarket chain here in northwest Philadelphia and the suburbs called Genuardis. It is where all the soccer moms ran into each other, girl scouts sold cookies...veterans sold poppies. It was always closed on Labor Day. A couple years ago the small supermarket chain was bought by Safeway. Now the stores are open on Labor Day and major holidays. And what is with the malls? Our malls will be open until 9 p.m. tonight. How can the hardworking mall employees go to Labor Day picnics? There used to be a local department store chain called Boscovs … (3 comments)

Swimming pool = big dark hole in winter and a soup of chemicals? Try natural pools.... - 09/05/10 05:30 PM
Who knew? In Europe, there are more than 20,000 natural swimming pools....they are pools with pristine water and no chemicals. You might have to share the pool with the occasional turtle or bullfrog, but no algae and no slimey bottom. They look lovely all year round. You can even skate on them! They work with a series of natural plantings and pumps. A wall separates the water lillies and other plants from the swimming area. Take a look:  British company Woodhouse Natural Pools is www.naturalswimmingpools.com . An Austrian company--Biotop--helped Chester County, PA residents and landscape architect Jonathon Alderson and Pondworks, a local pool … (0 comments)

Direct mail? Am I nuts? - 09/04/10 02:05 PM
I just dropped a bundle on direct mail. Am I nuts?
… (7 comments)

Elegant, Scrumptious, Fine Dining in Philadelphia---Surprise: It's Vegan! - 09/03/10 07:32 PM
It has literally been years that I have been meaning to try a Vegan restaurant called Horizons. When I first heard of it, it was in Willow Grove and I was not exactly sure where. To me, "vegan" corresponds with tie die and sitar music, but the person who recommended it was a normal, middle aged successful realtor and I always support vegetarian options, so I kept it in mind. Wasn't it the movie Annie Hall where Woody Allen makes fun of The Golden Carrot (really The Source Restaurant) on Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Hey Angelinos. Is The Source still sitting … (1 comments)

It is the word Vegan... - 09/02/10 08:07 PM
I'd heard about Horizon for years. But it was out in shopping mall land--Willow Grove, Pa. I never went out there--but I really meant to. Then there was a special occasion. We decided to go down to Philadelphia's famous South Street to celebrate. We parked but Horizon was closed on Mondays. The guy at the parking lot urged us to come back.Then the chef owner and his wife walked by. They were so cute! He said, "Come back and I'll cook for you!" So we kept it in mind. And the occasion came on Tuesday. It was so fun. The food … (0 comments)

Dilbert creator's misadventures in Green Building - 09/01/10 05:28 PM
I got a great laugh when I followed a link on Twitter to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by cartoonist Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. http://on.wsj.com/dyWuBd Adams and his wife had quite the adventure. Here is one of his observations: "As a rule, the greener the home, the uglier it will be. I went into the process thinking green homes were ugly because hippies have bad taste. That turns out to be nothing but coincidence." Enjoy!
… (2 comments)

 
Zeta%20new%20glasses Rainmaker_large

zeta cross

Philadelphia, PA

More about me…

Smart Green Realty

Address: 7630 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19118

Cell Phone: (215) 669-3660

Email Me

Philadelphia real estate agent works to preserve and rehabilitate older homes and buildings because The Greenest Buildings Are the Ones That Are Already Built!


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog