Posts made by author 'Badger Peabody & Smith Realty'
20
Renovation Rendezvous
As I mentioned last week, we're doing some renovations around the house. Our new front door and entry door to the garage are just awesome. They no longer bleed precious heat or scrape across the mud room floor. We also replaced a half-wall between the main stairway (it's a split ranch) with a simple railing allowing more light throughout that entire area. All in all the changes brought more light in and are keeping the cold out. It's great.
The next project will be a bit more aggressive. The goal (still in the planning stages) is to bump out the wall in the mud room (that backs up to the garage) and build a little bench with cubbies above and below the seating area. This will help remove the shoe caddy that takes up floor space there and give a spot for coats as well. As we were preparing for this, we realized it w...
14
Liven Up Your Landscape
As the days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting colder, it seems like the perfect time to talk about landscaping! What!? OK, bear with me. We are having a little work done on the house. The updates include a new front door, re-patched hole in the ceiling where the house fan was, new door to the garage, and last month we had some landscaping done. That's what got me thinking. In a time where xeriscaping and hardscaping are becoming a trend, what about those of us who still love green grass and gardens? Well fear not, fellow floral fiend. Today we're going to explore some of the landscaping trends sweeping the nation.
As we're all being directly or indirectly affected by this virus, our priorities have shifted towards getting OUT of the house and away from our family. No. Wait. That can't be right....
8
Frolicking First Timers
I think many first timers are dipping their proverbial toes in the real estate waters simply because of the current (nutso!) interest rates. I can't blame them one bit. Three of my friends have already refinanced and a couple others are getting closer to putting in offers on homes they are interested in. It really is an amazing time to buy real estate. That said, there are a few tips that first timers might take note of that could help keep them on the straight and narrow. Let's dig in.
One tip that we've encouraged folks to take over and over again is getting their finances in order. If you are saddled with some blemishes on your credit report/history, now is the time to get them remedied. Specifically what you are looking for are actual mistakes. Whether someone used your credit card to ring up a bunch of purchases or there...
30
Vacation Home Envy
As I sit and type this article, the snow is lightly falling outside our condo right next to the slopes of Vail Resort in Colorado. We have some VERY generous friends that let us crash here for a few days this week. It feels very similar to the handful of condos I have visited and/or taken pictures of (for the sellers) in the Loon Mountain area. Dated appliances and cabinets are the main staple throughout. It feels like a throwback to the 80's. The owner's son remodeled both bathrooms so those stand out from the rest of the place. It also sports a heavenly propane fireplace in the middle of the living room.
You quickly realize what's important when it comes to a vacation (ski) home. In reality, having a place to lay your head, make some food, and take a shower are really all that's needed. Of course, walking around Vail vi...
20
Obvious Open Opportunities
Looking back, I have lived with around 14 different people in my life. That includes family, friends, girlfriends, and roommates (who became friends). Recently my current roomie and I were having a conversation about the layout of the house (as well as other houses we have lived in) and came up with an interesting conclusion. Bigger is not always better and "open" is not always the best option. Today I'm going to ramble on a bit about the ideas (pros and cons) of the open-concept floor plan. Perhaps it will give you some points to ponder if you're considering knocking down that wall.
In the 80's and before, homes tended to have lots of separation throughout the floor plan. I recall growing up in our standard "cape" home and was always (slightly) annoyed that there was this big "thing" right in the middle of...