For the Home

Nov

Oh, no! The roof sprung a leak!

Posted In: For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Home Maintenance

It is Tuesday, and I am sitting here in my studio / office, catching up on some emails. The weather is forecasted to be rainy with a chance of thunder. Through the 20-light window panes I see the tree-tops near Strawberry Creek Park, watching bubbles rise up from the cafe below, when it begins to pour. I mean POUR. I [...]

Oct

Are these two (or three) disgusting items on your cleaning to-do list?

Posted In: For Sellers, For the Home, Home Maintenance

We all have lists, right? A packing list when going on a trip. A grocery list when we go to the store. A daily list of important tasks that we hope to get through in a day. Lists make us feel productive, and when we check off items on the list, we feel like we hit a home run. When [...]

Sep

Gratitude

Posted In: Berkeley, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Home Improvement, Lofts, Condos, & Townhouses

It’s a beautiful day in North Berkeley! Karl the fog is away and the leaves are starting to show their fall colors. Plus, it’s Thursday, which means it is Broker Tour day, the day that agents go out and preview all of the new houses that hit the market for the week. And sometimes we are lucky enough to get [...]

Sep

“But Mommy, there isn’t a kids room!”

Posted In: For Sellers, For the Home, Photos, Success Stories

I will never forget when I was looking at homes for my growing family. My daughter Melia, who was 4 at the time (now 15!), walks into a lovely home with me that had been staged by the Seller. It was clean and tidy, but it was hard to see the house beyond the owner’s large furnishings. Now, I’m trained [...]

Mar

The Next “It” Spot: The Laurel District

Posted In: Community, Food and Dining, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Good Eats, Oakland

First it was Temescal, then “Uptown” Oakland, and recently West Oakland. Now it is the Laurel District! Ok, now I am sure there are those of you who will say that The Laurel District was already pretty cool. But when food and shopping become an anchor, meaning, a reason to visit a neighborhood, that is when the area really takes off. Fast [...]

Jan

How I Brought NYC Home

Posted In: Arts and Entertainment, Community, Creative Reuse Ideas, First Time Home Buyers, Food and Dining, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Fun for Grown Ups, Fun for Kids, Good ol' Fashion Humor, Home Improvement

So I just came back from NYC where I was attending the Inman Connect, a real estate conference where Realtors from all over the country meet for 5 days to talk technology, how to build a better business, and of course, real estate. I love going to the event because I make some amazing connections and learn a lot of [...]

Nov

Knew It! Dishwasher Do’s + Don’ts

Posted In: For the Home

Fork tines up or down? Rinse or scrape? Here is a few dishwasher do’s and don’ts: DO: use a rinse aid – it helps relieve dishes of pesky water spots and allows them to dry quickly DON’T: place smaller plates behind larger ones – they will be missed by the spray DO: organize utensils by type with forks and spoons face up [...]

Oct

Creative Recycling + Advertising

Posted In: Albany, For Sellers, For the Home, Listings, Uncategorized

Ever wonder what to do with your kids’ old crib, the one that no longer meets the safety requirements and therefore shouldn’t be passed on? I had one of those. I decided to tear it apart and turn the pieces into something useful. For this one I took the bottom of the crib, where the mattress sat, and took off [...]

Oct

New Listing: 730 Stannage, Albany

Posted In: Alameda County, Albany, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Listings, Uncategorized

We first met the seller of 730 Stannage back in early June of this year. Her dad had just passed away and she was looking for guidance as to what to do with the family house. Her family moved into the house nearly 60 years ago. It was home to many family parties, neighborhood “Solano Stroll” parties, eating guavas from the [...]

Oct

Posted In: Creative Reuse Ideas, Emeryville, For the Home, Good ol' Fashion Humor, Home Improvement

Who knew that heating ducts could be customized! Krista recently got a chance to visit Pixar Studio in Emeryville. (It was AWESOME!!) These heating ducts were suspended from the exposed rafters. Remind you of anything (anyone)? Time to change out your ducting? Perhaps this will give you some inspiration on how to liven things up a bit. (chuckle)