Real Estate and *stuff *

Real Estate and *stuff *

A real person helping real people with real estate

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Create a living arrangement for your table top!

December 29, 2016

By: Brenna Malmberg

Bring together plants in a catchall that’s pretty for a coffee table or bookshelf

A catchall isn’t just for keys and jewelry. It can also become a base for a living plant arrangement to enjoy on a tabletop now, then transplant later as the plants grow. In this episode of Houzz TV, watch as plant designer Baylor Chapman, founder of Lila B. Design and author of The Plant Recipe Book, creates a small living arrangement in a blue catchall. Grab a few plants and a spray bottle of water, and you’re ready to design your own tabletop display.

Tools and Materials:

  • Catchall or other plant container
  • Potted plants (Chapman uses echeveria, crassula, peperomia and jasmine)
  • Clumping moss
  • Spray bottle of water
  • Air plants

Check the Container’s Drainage:

This catchall has a stopper in the bottom. Chapman left the stopper in the catchall for this arrangement because it will be indoors and she will oversee its watering. Keeping the container plugged protects your tabletop from water damage, she says.

You can also unplug the catchall or ensure that your container has drainage holes for happier plants.

Arrange Your Plants:

Chapman selected plants growing in 2-inch and 4-inch containers. Her picks also stick with a pink-gray-green color scheme.

Echeveria: She starts the display with three echeveria plants.

Chapman recommends putting a little dirt from the plant pot in the bottom of the catchall so that your plants are even with the lip.

Crassula: Chapman picked this plant to add some sweet flowers to the display.

As you add potted plants, break apart the soil to free the roots.

Peperomia: Chapman adds this plant because it’s tough, but also for its reddish color and crinkly leaves.

Jasmine: This plant drapes out of the catchall and adds a nice fragrance to the arrangement.

Clumping moss: Before you start working with the clumping moss, spray it with a little water. This makes it easier to work with and less dusty, she says. Then pull apart the moss and use the smaller pieces to fill in any holes and cover the soil. This polishes up the arrangement, Chapman says.

Once you are done adding moss, press the moss and soil down to secure the plants.

Air plants: Top off your arrangement with a few air plants. You’re done!

Care for Your Arrangement!

Water: You will want to water your plants about once a week. Chapman says that the jasmine needs more water than the rest, so focus your efforts on that. “Water slowly and gently — better to water too little than too much,” she says.

If your container is plugged, make sure that your water doesn’t pool at the bottom. If it does, you can gently tip the container and drain out the excess water.

Light: Place your arrangement in bright light. This will help it continue to look great.
Placement: Because this catchall creates a small arrangement, Chapman says it would be a terrific addition to a coffee table or a bookshelf, letting the jasmine drape off the shelf. Move your plants to larger containers or the ground when they begin to outgrow the catchall.

7 tips for a perfect holiday home for not so perfect people!

December 21, 2016

By: Jamie Wiebe

Here’s how to cope with your never-ending to-do list.

Whoa, December.

You have 27 holiday parties to attend, a nine-hour baking marathon, and oh yeah, the kids are out of school and underfoot.

Spending time on your house is just not a priority right now. Instead of aspiring to be Martha Stewart’s protégé, we recommend unabashedly cheating your way through the holiday season. “Martha Stewart has staff,” says professional organizer and organizing coach Melinda Massie. “Stop the psychological torture of comparing yourself to her.”

Here’s how to keep your home respectable with minimal trauma (and maybe even enjoy the season while you’re at it).

1. Embrace the List:

Begin the holidays with a brain dump, listing every single itsy-bitsy, annoying task you need to handle between now and New Year’s. Taxes? Dealing with child care? Decorating your front yard? Buying gifts? Cleaning the windows? The Q4 rush back at the (sigh) office?

Then, “go back through the list and remove everything that you don’t have to do,” says Massie.

Prioritize the home-related tasks that actually matter and ditch the ones that go beyond surface cleaning your guests might notice. Feel free to cackle with glee as you cross off “mop the upstairs bathroom.”

2. Cheat Your Way to a Great-Smelling Home:

Great-aunt Tilda’s rosemary roll recipe always makes the house smell lovely — but who has time for all the kneading and rising in December?

There’s an easy way to give your house that just-baked scent: Simmer vanilla, lemon, and thyme in a pot on the stove — no baking needed.

Even better, make your sneaky simmer part of the party. Massie recommends warming something delicious in your Crock-Pot. Try mulled cider, which requires only apple cider, a few spices, and rum or brandy — if you’re feeling daring.

“This will make the whole house smell good while not taking up an extra burner on the stove, and give you something delicious to enjoy,” Massie says.

3. Don’t Sweat Your Kids’ Mess:

“Let go of putting every single toy away each night before bed,” says Didi Wong, an integrative wellness and life coach.

“The kids are on vacation, and when they wake up, the fun begins all over again,” she says. So let junior relish in his freedom and scatter his toys across his room or some other designated area. That’s at least one less battle a day, right?

4. Focus on the Obvious When You Clean:

OK, that’s stating the obvious. But sometimes you need to give yourself permission for everything to not be perfect.

“Of course you want a clean home, but you don’t need to clean every closet and shelf,” says professional organizer Robyn Reynolds.

Instead, focus on the places your guests will see and use. Clean hand towels in the bathroom along with a sparkling sink and toilet will give the impression your entire home has been deep-cleaned recently — even if there is a bit of dust on your coffee table.

5. Outsource Some Jobs:

You might be a die-hard DIYer, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything.

“Outsource anything you’re not good at or comfortable with,” says Massie. “The investment will be well worth the savings of time and sanity.”

Professional cleaners can do in a few hours what would take you days. And if you really want those lights strung outside, there are people for that, too. So maybe you spend a little less on gifts this year, but more on your family’s ability to enjoy home over the holidays. Totally worth it.

Outsourcing doesn’t always have to have dollars attached. It could be teaming up with friends and family. Maybe a friend of yours who’s got that handyman knack but no baking skills will be willing to string your lights in exchange for some holiday treats you’re making anyway? That’s a win-win.

Related: Solar Lights vs. LED Lights

6. Give Artificial Trees a Chance:

It’s time to get over your holiday tree nostalgia. Sure, tromping out to the woods with dad to pick out the perfect fir was a delight, but back then, you weren’t the one who had to keep the thing watered all month and sweep up the fallen needles every night.

Artificial trees come in a variety of natural-looking shapes and sizes. Or go all out with silver, gold, even fluorescent pink! Bonus: When you reuse the same tree year after year, you’re actually doing something nice for the earth (especially if you buy yours secondhand). Miss the evergreen smell? That’s what scented candles are for.

7. Keep It Real:

If your big family dinner comes and the ham is on fire and your dog peed in the living room and little Mackenzie won’t stop banging her darn blocks against the window, don’t panic. Wonderful days have been salvaged from worse. Guests only care that you’re together.

“If you approach the event with good intentions, it may not turn out to be exactly what you envisioned, but your family and guests will still thank you and be appreciative of your time and effort in putting together such a wonderfully festive get-together,” says Wong.

6 things everyone should do when moving into a new house!

December 14, 2016

By: Courtney Craig

Skip potential trouble by doing these 6 things.

When I bought my first house, my timing couldn’t have been better: The house closing was two weeks before the lease was up on my apartment. That meant I could take my time packing and moving, and I could get to know the new place before moving in.

I recruited family and friends to help me move (in exchange for a beer-and-pizza picnic on the floor) and, as a bonus, I got to pick their brains about what first-time homeowners should know.

Their help was one of the best housewarming presents I could have gotten. And thanks to their expertise and a little Googling, here’s what I learned about what to do before moving in.

  1. Change the Locks:

You really don’t know who else has keys to your home, so change the locks. That ensures you’re the only person who has access. Install new deadbolts yourself for as little as $10 per lock, or call a locksmith — if you supply the new locks, they typically charge about $20 to $30 per lock for labor

2. Check for Plumbing Leaks:

Your home inspector should do this for you before closing, but it never hurts to double-check. I didn’t have any plumbing leaks to fix, but when checking my kitchen sink, I did discover the sink sprayer was broken. I replaced it for under $20.

Keep an eye out for dripping faucets and running toilets, and check your water heater for signs of a leak.

Here’s a neat trick: Check your water meter at the beginning and end of a two-hour window in which no water is being used in your house. If the reading is different, you have a leak.

3. Steam Clean Carpets:

Do this before you move your furniture in, and your new home life will be off to a fresh start. You can pay a professional carpet cleaning service — you’ll pay about $50 per room; most services require a minimum of about $100 before they’ll come out — or you can rent a steam cleaner for about $30 per day and do the work yourself. I was able to save some money by borrowing a steam cleaner from a friend.

4. Wipe Out Your Cabinets:

Another no-brainer before you move in your dishes and bathroom supplies. Make sure to wipe inside and out, preferably with a non-toxic cleaner, and replace contact paper if necessary.

When I cleaned my kitchen cabinets, I found an unpleasant surprise: Mouse poop. Which leads me to my next tip …

5. Give Critters the Heave-Ho:

That includes mice, rats, bats, termites, roaches, and any other uninvited guests. There are any number of DIY ways to get rid of pests, but if you need to bring out the big guns, an initial visit from a pest removal service will run you $100 to $300, followed by monthly or quarterly visits at about $50 each time.

For my mousy enemies, I strategically placed poison packets around the kitchen, and I haven’t found any carcasses or any more poop, so the droppings I found must have been old. I might owe a debt of gratitude to the snake that lives under my back deck, but I prefer not to think about him.

6. Introduce Yourself to Your Circuit Breaker Box and Main Water Valve:

My first experience with electrical wiring was replacing a broken light fixture in a bathroom. After locating the breaker box, which is in my garage, I turned off the power to that bathroom so I wouldn’t electrocute myself.

It’s a good idea to figure out which fuses control what parts of your house and label them accordingly. This will take two people: One to stand in the room where the power is supposed to go off, the other to trip the fuses and yell, “Did that work? How about now?

You’ll want to know how to turn off your main water valve if you have a plumbing emergency, if a hurricane or tornado is headed your way, or if you’re going out of town. Just locate the valve — it could be inside or outside your house — and turn the knob until it’s off. Test it by turning on any faucet in the house; no water should come out.

3 Brilliant Hacks to Make Snow Shoveling Less Miserable!

December 7, 2016

By: Jamie Wiebe

Don’t break your back shoveling snow. Try these tips to make winter less of a burden.

If you’re a homeowner in a snowy climate, chances are good you rue the winter: All that snow has to go somewhere, and it’s not getting there itself.

Cue the snow shovel.

Barring a move to a snow-free state or barricading your family inside all winter, there’s no way to avoid the endless task of shoveling snow. There are, however, ways to make the process much easier. Here are three simple hacks to make the morning after a snowfall much less stressful.

1. Spray Your Shovel with Cooking Oil:

Snow sticking to your shovel makes an already arduous task even more obnoxious. Avoid it with this hack: Lightly coat your shovel with non-stick cooking oil to make snow slide right off. No more time wasted removing snow from your snow remover. (You can substitute a spray lubricant like WD-40, but the downside is it’s toxic.)

2. Lay Out a Tarp Before the Snow:

If you like short cuts, this technique, billed as “the laziest way imaginable” to clear snow, according to a tutorial from “Instructables,” has got your name on it. The day before an expected snowfall, lay a tarp on your walkway. When the snow finishes falling, just pull out the tarp, and voilà: an instantly cleared walkway. (Word to the wise: Make sure pedestrians won’t trip on your tarp; include a sign or use this technique in your backyard walkway if you’re concerned.)

The technique requires a tarp, firewood, and twine as well as some prep work. Pre-storm, use firewood to weigh down your tarp — you don’t want it flying away in the wind! — and tie the twine to both the tarp and to a shovel standing upright in your yard. You’ll use the shovel to pull out the snow-laden tarp.

Although this method might be faster than shoveling, it does require manpower. After all, a cubic foot of snow can weigh between 7 and 20 pounds. So don’t get too ambitious with the size of your tarp or you might not be able to pull it once it’s full of snow.

3. Make a Homemade De-icing Cocktail:

De-icers make snow removal easier by cutting through the tough, icy layers that are a pain to remove with a shovel. But an easy solution should be easy on your property as well. Many commercial de-icers are pretty harsh.

Commercial ice-melting substances — magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride (salt) — all cause damage to the environment, according to the University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center. They can also damage concrete sidewalks and driveways, which mean hefty repair costs later.

A better solution: Make your own de-icer using rubbing alcohol or vinegar. You’ll save money, too. Commercial melters typically cost $8 or more. Plus, you’ll avoid the hassle of trekking to the hardware store to stock up.

Use vinegar before a storm to make ice and snow removal easier:

  • Combine 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water.
  • Spray or pour gently (you still want to avoid runoff into your landscape) before a storm.

To keep the sidewalks and steps from icing after a storm:

  • Combine 2 parts rubbing alcohol with 1 part water.
  • Apply to minimize runoff.

How to keep your washing machine clean!

November 30, 2016

By: Marianne Lipanovich

A once-a-month cleaning of your washer will ensure that it stays spick-and-span along with your clothes.

Just because you fill your washing machine with laundry detergent doesn’t mean you don’t need to clean the machine itself. It sounds counterintuitive, but while your machine is ridding your clothes of dirt, it doesn’t always rid itself of that same dirt or a buildup of detergent residue.

In addition, the newer HE (high efficiency) machines are especially prone to developing mold and mildew, especially if you live in an area with high humidity levels, which can lead to an odor developing both in the machine itself and on your “clean” clothes. “We take our washing machines for granted,” says Taryn Brucia, a public relations director at LG Electronics. “They do some dirty jobs. We should give them some love.” With that in mind, here’s how to clean a washing machine.

How Often?

Most manufacturers recommend cleaning the machine once a month, although a quick internet search and survey of friends and family will confirm that the majority of us are still wrapping our heads around the idea of cleaning the machine.

Others, though, clean theirs even more often. “I have a separate cleaning cycle as an option on my washing machine and run that cycle after I wash cleaning rags every week,” says Becky Rapinchuk of Clean Mama. Fortunately, the process is fairly painless, especially since the machine itself does most of the work.

Identify Your Machine and Select Your Cleanser:

The type of washing machine you have will dictate which method you use to clean it. HE front loaders and top loaders need one approach; top-loading non-HE machines need a slightly different approach.

Before you start, decide what type of cleanser you want to use: white vinegar, bleach or a commercial cleanser. Vinegar is nontoxic and readily available, making it a favorite for both Brucia and Rapinchuk, but some manufacturers recommend bleach or other chemical cleansers, so check the manual for your machine. If you are using a commercial product, follow the label’s instructions for the recommended amount.

Caution: Choose only one cleanser. You never want to mix these products.

For HE Washers (Front Loading or Top Loading):

A monthly cleaning is especially important if your HE machine has developed an odor. “Wiping down the interior of the washer with cleaner, using extra detergent or running everything on the longest, hottest cycle does nothing to help dissipate the scent,” Rapinchuk says, adding that doing this cleaning task will eliminate the odor and keep your washing machine “in tip-top condition.” Many newer machines have a clean cycle, which makes the process even simpler, but the basic procedure is the same whether you have that or not.

  1. Choose the “clean” cycle. If your machine doesn’t have this, select the hottest water setting. In some cases, this may be the setting for whites or heavily stained clothes.
  1. Choose the added rinse cycle if it’s available.
  1. Fill the bleach dispenser with your cleanser choice.
  1. Fill the tub to the highest level (this will probably be automatic with the clean cycle) and run the machine.
  1. If you don’t have a second rinse cycle, run the rinse cycle again manually.

Once the cycle has ended, use a microfiber cloth dipped in vinegar to clean the gasket that seals the door and the area around it. “Carefully pull it back and inspect to see if you have mold, mildew or socks (as is the case with mine) underneath,” Rapinchuk says.

Don’t overlook cleaning the dispensers. Use vinegar or soapy water to wipe any detergent, bleach, fabric softeners or other laundry add-ins from the dispensers. “You can often just pop them out,” Brucia says. Wipe off all these areas with a cloth dipped in water and dry them with a microfiber cloth.

Finish by wiping down the controls and the outside of the machine with a microfiber cloth dipped in vinegar or an all-purpose spray. To make the exterior shine, dry with a microfiber cloth.

For Top-Loading Non-HE Washers:

Although older machines don’t generally have a cycle for cleaning, you can easily create your own version. It involves a bit of a wait time between beginning the cycle and ending it, so use that time to clean other areas that won’t be reached by the water in the tub.

  1. Choose the hot water setting and the longest cycle.
  1. Fill the tub to the maximum level, then pause the machine.
  1. Add 4 cups of white vinegar or 1 cup of bleach to the water and let the machine agitate for a minute or two.
  1. Pause the machine and let it sit for an hour. Dip a microfiber cloth into the soaking solution, wring it out and use it to clean the top of the drum and agitator (where the water doesn’t reach) and the inside of the lid.

If you can remove the bleach and fabric softener dispensers, do so and clean the areas beneath them with the cloth and cleaning solution as well. If they are fixed in place, clean them and the area around them. “Using vinegar will help eliminate the detergent buildup,” Brucia says.

Finally, clean the control panel and the outside of the machine with the cleaning solution or an all-purpose spray. Use a dry microfiber cloth to dry and polish the surfaces.

  1. Restart the machine and finish the cycle. “You won’t smell the vinegar, but if you do, simply add another rinse cycle,” Rapinchuk says.

Daily (or Almost Daily) Care:

The experts also have some advice for preventing a buildup of dirt and odors between cleanings. If mold and mildew are a problem, leave the machine’s door or lid open after you finish a load of laundry so that the interior will dry out completely. Before you do this, make sure curious children and pets can’t get into the machine, especially if it’s a front-loading one. Some machines have latches designed to keep the door ajar without leaving it wide open.

Brucia also recommends wiping down the door or lid to get rid of any condensation. Wiping and drying the gasket around the door every time you finish a load of laundry will help prevent a buildup of dirt in that area. As a final tip, be sure to use the correct amount of detergent for your loads.

Hack your home for better sleep!

November 25, 2016

By: Jamie Wiebe

Here’s how to DIY your way to the best zzzs — and mood — ever.

We spend a third of our lives passed out, tucked between the covers, drooling all over the pillow. But when it comes to home improvements, most of our projects benefit our waking selves. (Hello, new kitchen.)

Good sleep is essential to living our best life. So why not invest in it?

“You’re going to be a better partner, have a better outlook, and be a kinder, happier person,” says Terry Cralle, R.N., a certified clinical sleep educator with the Better Sleep Council.

Sign us up. And rest easy; while optimizing your home for better ZZZs means more than scoping out an amazing new mattress (though we totally endorse that splurge), it doesn’t have to cost a huge chunk of change. Here are 10 ways you can hack your bedroom for better sleep.

Embrace the Dark Side:

Don’t take Melisandre of “Game of Thrones” at her word — the night may be dark, but it’s not full of terrors. It’s full of good sleep.

Even if you think you sleep better with a night-light on (or, God forbid, the overhead), Cralle says the effect of blackout shades and eliminating all other light sources might surprise you.

“When you don’t have a point of reference for how well you sleep in a really dark room, you don’t realize the difference,” she says. And getting shut-eye in the dark isn’t just a matter of better sleep: Nighttime light has also been linked to low melatonin levels.

Clear the Clutter:

Your pile of unsorted laundry affects your sleep — as does your stack of late-night water glasses and overflowing knitting basket. Clutter causes stress, which keeps sleep at bay.

“Remove everything from your bedroom that isn’t bedroom-related,” Cralle says. “If you have a stack of bills, even if you’ve already paid them, it can be a source of stress.”

Sleeping alongside little messes can even turn into bigger problems. “People who doze in cluttered rooms are more likely to develop hoarding problems,” Cralle says. “It’s a vicious cycle. Don’t let it start.”

Get a Sweet Entertainment Center…in the Living Room:

Watching an episode of “Friday Night Lights” while tucked under the covers might be your idea of relaxing, but Cralle calls electronics “a huge sleep stealer.”

Not only do screens keep your brain churning long after bedtime, but the blue-tinged light emitted by televisions and smartphones can affect your melatonin. And ambient light — like the red power light on your TV, or the orange glow from your phone charger — makes those blackout shades less effective.

If you’re desperate for your nighttime screen fix, install f.lux on your laptop, which tints your screen to reduce the harmful effects of blue light. And the latest iPhone update offers a similar feature called Night Shift.

Give Your Bedroom One Job (Okay, Two):

Your bedroom should be your bedroom — not your bedroom, your office, andyour exercise room. Some homeowners decide forcing double- or triple-duty on their sleeping space is their only option, but if there’s anywhere else to put your desk or ancient treadmill, do it.

“The bedroom should be for sleep and romance only,” Cralle says. “You want it to be minimal in terms of furnishings and contents. Nothing should distract from the room’s purpose: to get a wonderful night’s sleep.”

Soundproof Like Mad:

Tearing out the drywall to add soundproof insulation might be a bit drastic, but anything you can do to eliminate nighttime noise will go a long way toward promoting a healthy, restful snooze.

Your brain continues to process noise at night, so do everything you can to soften the sounds — even fixing creaky floors that startle your spouse when you sneak to the bathroom at 3 a.m. (And there’s no need to bust out the hammer to quiet your floors: Talcum powder does the trick.)

“Even noise that doesn’t bring you fully awake is bad,” Cralle says.

Installing an upholstered headboard against the wall can help dampen distracting noises. Cralle even recommends acoustic panel artwork to keep your bedroom perfectly silent. And if your neighbors are keen on late-night activities, an honest conversation might inspire them to keep the volume down.

Choose a Different Hue:

If your sleep schedule feels a little blue, consider the color temperature of your lightbulbs. It might be the culprit.

“Blue lights are very disruptive,” Cralle says, and the effect lasts — even afterthey’re switched off. Just like your computer monitor, standard fluorescent and many halogen bulbs give off a slight blue hue. Not only does the color disrupt your melatonin level, but it can amplify depressive symptoms.

Light your bedroom with bulbs that give off a red or amber hue, like a standard fluorescent light or a warm-toned LED. When you’re shopping, look for lights with a color temperature near 2700K and no higher than 4000K — many packages include this information.

Improve Your Air:

You might not care about (or notice) all the dust littering your room when you’re awake, but when you’re in dreamland, your nose sure does — and it’s keeping you awake. Dust isn’t the only problem with your bedroom air. High levels of carbon dioxide can hinder your concentration the next morning.

Cralle recommends airing out your bedroom every day or sleeping with the windows open (if the temperature allows) to maintain the room’s CO2 and improve air quality. But if you’re “not in a position to do so, plants can keep the air clean.” Her favorite: mother-in-law’s tongue, also known as the snake plant, which improves the air and thrives in low light.

Pick a Cozy Paint:

Bold, bright paint colors might work wonders for your kitchen. Your bedroom needs an entirely different tack: something calm and relaxing, like a soft blue. (Yes, it sounds like a contradiction — blue light is bad, blue paint is good — but it’s true.)

“It’s a very relaxing color, and it brings down your blood pressure and heart rate,” Cralle says.

But no matter which shade you choose, stick with cool-toned colors, like silvers, grays, or light purples to keep your space tranquil.

Explore Scents:

Nothing’s more calming than relaxing in a field of flowers. Or imagining it, because who has actually done that? Either way, why not imitate the experience in your bedroom?

“Make scent a forethought,” Cralle says. “It really makes your room a sleep sanctuary.”

Relaxing aromas — particularly jasmine, lavender, and vanilla — can reduce insomnia and depression and make you less sleepy in the morning. And if it inspires you to skip through flower fields in your dreams, all the better.

Open house in Worcester tomorrow!

November 19, 2016

blithewoodworcester

Wonderful 3 bedroom town home in Hickory Hill Estates is new to the market! Don’t wait because these homes go fast! Three living levels to accommodate your lifestyle with a garage! Main level has a half bath, updated kitchen (granite) with breakfast nook and hardwoods through to the dining room. Sunken living room with newer sliders opens to the deck with grilling area and a quiet view. 2nd level has hardwoods throughout with two generous sized bedrooms and full bath. Master has a walk in closet and 2nd bedroom has double closets. Upper level loft with cathedral ceiling and skylights makes a perfect 3rd bedroom, home office, play room or family room. Gas heat, central a/c, pets allowed, garage and a full unfinished basement with laundry if you need even more space. Flexible closing date. Easy commuter location (Mass Pike) and walk to Blithewood Park and Audubon conservation center! Come see what you can have in this well managed complex for such a reasonable price! Listed at just $214,999! Open house on Sunday 11/20 from 12pm-2pm!

Check out the 3D walk through HERE!

Just sold in Shrewsbury!

November 13, 2016

commonsdrshrew

Just sold! 85 Commons Drive in Shrewsbury! This 2 bed, 1 bath condo came courtesy of RE/MAX.

Just listed in Northborough!

November 13, 2016

winsorlnnorthboro

Just listed! 7 Winsor Lane in Northborough! This 4 bed, 2.5 bath colonial comes courtesy of RE/MAX. Listed at $450k!

The odd tale of the $1 historic home that no one wants!

November 11, 2016

herculeshausblog

By: Claudine Zap

You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again: The San Francisco Bay Area is a pricey place to live, where even decrepit shacks command six-figure sales.

But what if we told you there’s a Bay Area house for sale—for a mere $1? And what if we added that no one seems to want it? Not yet, anyhow.

Let’s ponder the price for a moment. A single-family house for a dollar. Less than a bottle of beer. Cheaper than a cup of coffee. A steal compared to bus fare.

OK, let us explain.

In the East Bay, the city of Hercules is offering this dollar-home deal. The town purchased this historic home in 2010, also for a measly buck, when it sat on a hill behind the Hercules Powder Works Clubhouse. The city intended to renovate it, preserve it, and keep it as a visitors center.

However, the city ultimately decided it couldn’t devote its limited resources to the project. So it fielded proposals (the original Nov. 1 deadline was extended to Nov. 9) for a lucky soul to hit the housing lottery. The catch: The buyer must remove and renovate it at his own expense.

Did we mention that the buyer needs the wherewithal to put the house back together?

Officially known as Historic Home No. 54 and dubbed the “Queen Anne” for its Victorian style, it was cut in half by the city. The unkind cut was made in order to move the structure to the city’s corporation yard, where it currently sits alongside maintenance equipment and trucks. Perhaps this is not the best technique to move a house, but who are we to say?

The original plan was to move it to the site of the city’s Duck Pond Park, just a block away. There, it was supposed to be hooked up to utilities and supplied with information on the area, according to local Realtor® Brian Campbell-Miller, who also sits on the board of the Community and Library Services Commission and is a candidate for City Council.

But the proposed budget didn’t make sense for the city, so it opted to sell the place. For 100 pennies. Sadly, the extremely low sales price has yet to draw in a buyer.

“If we can preserve it, even if it’s not in our own community, that would be the preferred option,” says Hercules Planning Director Holly Smyth, who notes that if no buyer comes forward, the historic home may have to be demolished. It’s become an eyesore to nearby residents, and the pricing ploy is “the last effort to save the building,” she adds.

The cedar structure needs a new roof, windows, electrical, paint and plaster, along with graffiti removal. It has two floors, four bedrooms, and one bathroom. Plus, it includes original details like a two-sided fireplace, stair railings, high ceilings, and both front and back porches.

“It’s a very quaint type of house,” Smyth says.

While the home could be yours for the money between your couch cushions, it’ll take a serious fistful of dollars to figure out how to carefully move it to a new location and turn it into a residence, or whatever else it could be.

Even so, with housing costs showing little sign of a slowdown, a house that’s been cut in two and needs to be hauled away sounds like a sweet deal for a slim dollar. Especially in the Bay Area.