Mid-century modern homes are famous for their large windows and open, airy floor plans. But this specimen in Eureka, Calif., takes those hallmarks to new heights with a whopping 3,367 square feet of living space.
The home is, in a word, huge. It’s also spread across one level, making it feel cavernous in the best kind of way. Take a step back in time through an orange front door to be met with exposed beams and bricks. Inside, a fireplaced living room with soaring ceilings serves as the perfect setting for a sleek sofa and a retro starburst clock. Floor-to-ceiling windows, plus a few skylights, let in light from all angles.
Beyond the main living room is a sparkling solarium, adding to the airy quality of home. (Plant lovers, take note.) Down the hall, a spacious den or home office offers built-in bookshelves and cabinets.
The kitchen, meanwhile, overlooks a spacious dining area that should only be furnished with Danish teak pieces, if you ask us. Aside from a center island with a hood, the kitchen also comes with a wood-fire oven and all the counter space you could ever dream of.
Open a dutch door off the laundry room—also painted orange—to reach the wooded yard. There, a detached shed could serve as a workshop or studio. To top it all off, the place is only a short 7-minute drive to the sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean.
According to that retro starburst clock on the wall, it’s time to put in an offer. This home is listed for $850,000 by Michelle Voyles at Azalea Realty.
Are you on the house hunt, or just the type of person who loves browsing real estate listings, even when you’re not in the market for a new home? Property Crush is a column where we feature actual real estate listings that get the Apartment Therapy seal of approval in regards to style (we haven’t done home inspections or anything, so don’t sue us). Know of a great house on the market? Email the listing to repitches@apartmenttherapy.com.
Whether you are decorating a new house or sprucing up an apartment, lighting is an important factor to consider. A visit to the local home improvement store can overwhelm anyone with unlimited choices of lighting products and just about every bulb type imaginable: colorful, incandescent, fluorescent, CFL, or LED. If you are shopping based on price alone, you will probably purchase incandescent bulbs over LEDs. But is that the best choice?
The Four Most Common Bulbs
The four most common types of household light bulbs are incandescent, fluorescent, CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), and LED (Light-Emitting Diode).
Incandescent – The standard incandescent bulb emits light as a result of being heated. Even though these bulbs have recently been upgraded for energy efficiency, they are still known as an energy hog.
Fluorescent – The basic fluorescence bulb emits light through electromagnetic radiation.
CFL – The CFLs were designed as the energy-saving counterpart to replace a traditional incandescent bulb and many types screw into light fixtures.
LED Lighting – They are the most energy-efficient lighting option available in today’s market. Since they first came on the scene, the prices have dropped significantly, making them a viable option for home lighting.
How LEDs Outshine Other Bulbs
When it comes to the best bang for your buck with lighting, the LED outshines them all. Here are some of the reasons:
LEDs Generate Less Heat
Have you ever had an incandescent light bulb pop when you flipped the light switch on? If so, when you tried to replace it immediately, the lightbulb was probably too hot to handle. That’s because incandescent light bulbs use heat to produce light. As the lightbulb shines, it consumes a lot of energy in order to generate that heat, which eventually results in higher electric bills.
LEDs Last Longer
Since a regular light bulb works when an electrical current flows through the filament in an oxygen-free environment, heating the filament until it glows, eventually the filament becomes thin and breaks causing the light bulb to burn out. However, an LED light has no filament to burn out, so they last much longer. In fact, an LED light has an average lifespan of 60,000 hours versus its incandescent counterpart with a 15,000-hour one.
According to Energy Star, the average amount of light bulbs in a home is 40. Even though LEDs are a little more expensive, their lifespan is ten times longer. So, in terms of total investment over a lifetime, LEDs return the best value.
LEDs Are Eco-Friendly
Incandescent light bulbs are manufactured with mercury and other chemicals that wreak havoc on the environment. Because no mercury or other harmful chemicals are used in the production process of LED lights, they are a much more eco-friendly choice. Not only is the chemical waste a problem for the environment, but combine that with the high number of light bulbs that need to be produced because the standard bulbs burn out quickly. Then, the old bulbs are thrown into the trash, which ends up in landfills.
Various Décor Options
The décor options which include LED lighting are endless, from the kitchen to the kid’s bedrooms and every room in between. Here are just a few tips to start you on the creative journey.
Light up your stairway with LED lights.
Make your kitchen glow when you add lighting under the cabinets and around baseboards. To add a touch of flair, you can add recessed, track or pendant lighting as well.
String lights in your teen’s bedroom.
Liven up the living room by adding string LED lights around wall hangings, bookshelves, or around the fireplace.
One Caution
With all the glowing remarks about LED lighting, there is one drawback. According to electrical engineers, LED bulbs should not be used in enclosed fixtures unless the bulb is rated for enclosed applications.
Since traditional lightbulbs love heat, they work well within enclosed fixtures. However, heat is an enemy to LEDs and will cause them to quickly burn out. LEDs are designed to draw heat away from the bulb but if placed in an enclosed fixture, the released heat will have no way to escape and will surround the bulb causing it to overheat and fail.
With the rapid advancement of this technology and constant new innovations, the LED light bulb is making home lighting more affordable, practical, and energy-efficient than ever.
About the author: Michael Tobias, PE, is the founder and principal of Chicago Engineers, an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company in America. Michael graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 with honorary mentions. Michael and his team of 30+ engineers specialize in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering services in Chicago and New York.
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There’s nothing worse than moving to a new apartment and realizing you’ve made a mistake.
Maybe you overlooked the fact that your neighbor has several yappy dogs. Or perhaps your building is in an area that’s busier than you thought because you initially saw the apartment on a quiet Saturday morning.
Planning a move involves more than just looking inside the apartment and signing a lease. Put on your detective hat and get the full picture of what your new apartment building and surrounding area looks like.
Here are five ways to scope out your future neighborhood.
1. Do multiple drive-bys
You never really get a full picture of what the neighborhood looks like until you see it at all times of the day.
Daniel Park of Shadowlawn Properties says, “Drive by multiple times and during different times of the day. It may look a lot different when that junior high down the street lets their students out.”
Seeing the neighborhood multiple times could help you better understand things like:
The traffic: How bad is it during commuting hours?
Street parking: Is it impossible or easy?
Nearby shops, restaurants, bars, cafes: What is the noise level like?
There might also be circumstances that are unique to the particular area you want to live in. For example, San Francisco is known for its microclimates. Moving from one part of town to another may mean the difference of cold, foggy days vs. sunny ones.
2. Talk to the neighbors
Did you know that almost a third of Americans have never met their neighbors? Make it a point to talk to the people walking around in your future neighborhood. Some easy giveaways for people who live in the area include people walking with dogs or pushing strollers.
Check out the shops, parks and cafes nearby and strike up a conversation. If you want to take it one step further, you can hang around outside your new building and catch people on their way out. Ask them how they like living there and if they feel safe.
3. Do a safety check
There are plenty of apps and websites that you can access for free that will alert you of crime and sex offenders in an area.
Park recommends checking out a website called Megan’s Law to see if there are any sex offenders in your area. “Also, check the local police website. In Los Angeles, for example, they keep a list of crimes, the degree of the offense and date it occurred.”
Provides a livability score for your ZIP code which ranks your area on 7 factors that include housing, amenities, education and crime
4. Rent an Airbnb
Checking into an Airbnb for a few nights is a great option if you don’t live nearby and can’t drive by multiple times during the week. This is also a great excuse to have a staycation while gaining first-hand experience living in the neighborhood.
Consider staying in an Airbnb from the weekend to weekday. That way, you can get a taste of what the area is like on the weekends vs. commuting on a Monday morning.
5. Use Yelp and Google
Get on Yelp and do a search based on your new address and open up the map view of restaurants, bars, grocery stores or any place that you would normally frequent.
Whether you want to be closer to shops and restaurants or get away from the congestion, Yelp will give you a good idea of what’s around your area.
You can also use your new address and pop it into Google. Then click on Google’s street view. The photos you see could be recent or old, but it’ll show you what the neighborhood looks like, including the street parking situation.
Weigh the pros and cons
If you happened to discover something alarming or unexpected, weigh out the pros and cons. Maybe you’re sensitive to noise and noticed the quiet-looking bar down the street turns into a frat house every night. Be picky and prioritize the things that are important to you.
Take notes, snap photos with your phone and go over everything with your roommates, partner and friends.
If you’re struggling with how much space you have in your apartment, you’re not alone. Rentals are getting smaller across the nation, giving us less square footage to work with in new and old buildings.
Fortunately, there are plenty of small bedroom ideas you can use to make the room look bigger. Whether you’re moving to a new place or just want to upgrade your most intimate space, here are eight tiny bedroom ideas to get you started:
Apply light-colored paint
Light colors reflect light, while darker colors absorb it, making the space seem more constricting. So, use light-colored paint on the walls to open up the space and make your bedroom brighter. Bright white never goes out of style, and neither do the most neutral of tones, such as warm gray or beige.
However, while you do want to keep the walls neutral, one of the best painting techniques to make a room look bigger is to paint the ceiling dark to draw the eye upward. One easy way to achieve this effect is to cover the ceiling in a dark blue or black hue and then paint the night sky on it.
Color-coordinate the room
Speaking of color, minimize contrast as much as possible. A color scheme based on different shades of the same color creates continuity and prevents the space from feeling too busy. So, what colors make a room look bigger? Light blue and bright green are always great options, as colder colors are more likely to give the room depth. However, if you prefer warmer tones, you can still use them as long as you don’t choose one that is too overwhelming, such as bright red.
Keep furniture to a minimum
Having as little furniture as possible is one of the cornerstones of small bedroom design. You want to save as much space as you can, so avoid clunky items even if they offer a bit of extra storage. Plus, there are actually quite a few tricks to make room for your belongings without losing space. For example, utilize the area under your bed for storage with just a few containers. Or, buy a bench or an ottoman with room inside to store blankets and more. Finally, avoid getting items that aren’t absolutely necessary, like bedside tables.
Use furniture with exposed legs
Furniture with exposed legs will make any room look bigger. That’s because furniture that doesn’t directly touch the floor essentially creates space where it wouldn’t be otherwise and makes your bedroom feel much airier. An added benefit is that with a few baskets, you can also use some of that space for storage; just be sure to keep most of the extra space free from clutter. Alternatively, if you already have furniture that touches the floor, try a DIY technique to add legs without having to buy new furniture.
Place mirrors in critical spots
One of the best small bedroom ideas is to use mirrors to open up the space. Mirrors give the impression of a larger room and also reflect light, making darker areas look more luminous. To create the illusion of space, attach a floor-length mirror to an area of the wall that doesn’t get much light or to the doors of your wardrobe; as long as the mirror faces a clutter-free corner of the room, the effect will be instantly noticeable. Or, to make your bedroom seem more open and bright, take advantage of natural light by hanging a mirror opposite a window or placing a mirror behind a light source.
Hang ceiling-to-floor curtains
Curtains are another simple way to make your bedroom look more roomy. By hanging drapes from the top of the wall down to the floor or an inch above it, you’ll achieve two room-opening effects. First, if your bedroom windows are smaller than you’d like, these types of curtains will make them appear longer and wider. Also, the length of the drapes will lead the eyes upward, which creates the feeling of an apartment with higher ceilings. Be mindful of the color scheme, though; select pastel or transparent curtains to ensure they don’t absorb the natural brightness or cut off a vital light source.
Keep bedding simple
Something as minimal as your bedding can also have an influence on your bedroom. You might be tempted to choose bold, heavily patterned designs and as many pillows as possible, but complex bedding setups can really close up your bedroom and make it feel cluttered. Instead, opt for modest bedding to make sure the bed is part of the flow of the room—rather than its centerpiece—and ditch decorative pillows and embellished designs in favor of light-colored linens.
Decorate with large items
When you’re thinking of small bedroom ideas, décor rarely comes to mind. But, while avoiding decorations altogether may seem like a good plan, you don’t need to sacrifice your style for space. An easy solution to keeping the room open while showing off your personality is to get a few large statement pieces and avoid small kick-knacks. While tiny sculptures, bowls, or other features can help you diversify the look of your bedroom, they may also make it feel cluttered. Instead, find a large vase or sculpture with a bold yet understated design, and avoid placing it next to other items. If you hang wall art, opt for sizable pieces and hang them low so they make your bedroom seem taller. For an added touch, choose abstract designs that incorporate plenty of space in the art itself.
In the end, even the tiniest of bedrooms can be transformed into a relaxing oasis if you keep a few rules in mind and use space-saving techniques. Just remember the basics: coordinate the room with light colors, keep furniture and clutter to a minimum, and use a few large décor items to show off your style. And, if push comes to shove, you can always find a new apartment with a spacious bedroom for your next move.
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Using heat in your apartment during the winter might increase your utility bills, but it’s well worth spending that extra amount to stay comfortable in your apartment. But what if the heat is weak or just doesn’t work? When that’s the case, space heaters can provide powerful, localized heating, but they can be dangerous if not used with care and diligence, with more than 25,000 house fires per year attributed to improper use. Here’s a primer on space heater safety.
Buy the right space heater
The first step toward safely using a space heater is to buy the right one. This doesn’t necessarily mean purchasing the space heater with the best customer reviews – sometimes, that customer approval is a product of how inexpensive the space heater is, and as safety goes, you often get what you pay for. Instead, make sure to look for an Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) label on the space heater or its packaging. This label guarantees that the space heater includes the most up-to-date safety features.
You’ll also want to make sure that the space heater you buy is of appropriate energy usage for the space you wish to heat. Most space heaters use between 10,000 and 40,000 BTU (British thermal units) of energy per hour, and the packaging should tell you the size of the rooms for which this energy level is best suited. In short, don’t use a 40,000 BTU unit to heat a room that only requires 10,000 BTU – this can overheat your unit and start a fire.
Regularly check the space heater
Finding the perfect space heater is only the beginning when it comes to safety. As with any electrically-powered device, wires and plugs can be damaged over time, so be sure to check your space heater for this wear and tear before using it – and, of course, if you see damage, don’t use the space heater.
Properly place your space heater
For objects of their size, space heaters give off immense amounts of heat. To minimize the chances of starting a fire, place your space heater at least three feet away from anything flammable, including rugs, clothes, paper, and wood. You’ll also need to place your space heater on a level, flat floor instead of a table, cabinet, carpet, or piece of furniture. If the space heater overheats these objects or tips onto them, a fire could start. On that note, you might want to buy a space heater with a built-in tip-over switch that shuts off the unit if it tips.
Power your space heater properly
If you’re using an electrically-powered space heater, don’t plug it into an extension cord or power strip. Instead, plug it directly into your wall outlet. Extension cords and power strips can overheat, whereas wall outlets are far less likely to do so, making the latter a much safer choice for your space heater.
Only use your space heater to heat rooms
Since space heaters are so powerful, it may be tempting to use them for other high-heat purposes such as drying wet clothes, thawing frozen pipes, warming linens, or cooking food. You should never use space heaters for anything other than heating rooms, as doing so poses an immense fire risk.
Power down your space heater when not in use
Never leave a space heater running unattended. Whenever you’re not using it, turn it off, then unplug it. If you plan to store it, make sure to leave it upright and let it cool down for a few hours after unplugging it.
Concerns about leaving a space heater unattended might lead you to worry that you can’t safely use your space heater while you’re asleep. If you follow the above safety, maintenance, powering, usage, and placement instructions for your space heater, then it should be completely fine to use overnight as long as you’re in the room with it. If you’re still not reassured, keep a fire extinguisher handy or contact your landlord about another solution – some leases explicitly ban space heater use. When it comes to space heaters, you’re always better safe than sorry.
When you buy a home, your agent is effectively a business partner. You’re both working toward the same goal: Closing a real estate deal. That’s why it’s in your best interest to to know both how to hire a real estate agent and how to build a good relationship with them.
Because the better an ally you are, the better an ally your agent will be. Here’s how to pick a real estate agent and work well with them.
1. Know What You Want
A lot of home buyers dive into the house hunt with no idea what
they want, so the first and best way to be a good client is to know exactly
what you’re looking for in a house.
Ask yourself a couple of basic questions. What’s my budget? What type of house do I want, single family or town home? Is there a design style I must have? A neighborhood I need to be in?
Knowing these specifics – and telling them to your agent – will help him find homes that match your criteria. Because neither you nor your agent wants to waste time looking at dozens of houses that aren’t even close to what you have in mind.
“Over-communicating your intentions and goals is a really good
idea,” says Ashton Gustafson, an agent with the Bishop Group in Wichita Falls,
Texas.
Knowing exactly what you want can help you know how to pick a real estate agent, too. Some agents specialize in certain neighborhoods, and some specialize in old houses or particular architectural styles.
2. Meet Agents In Person
It’s fine to start off your relationship with an agent via email, text, and phone, but before you hire him to work with you, set up a meeting. Yep, do a face-to-face interview.
It’s a good idea to interview three agents before picking one. Here
are some questions you should ask:
How long have
they been an agent?
What
neighborhoods do they specialize in?
How many
homes they’ve helped people buy in the last year?
How many clients are they’re currently working with?
Meeting in person can help both sides determine compatibility and establish
trust. To the agent, meeting them IRL is a sign you’re serious about buying.
“When I ask a question of a buyer, if I can’t see their face
(then) I can’t see their reaction, and I have no idea if I’m really getting the
emotions that are behind their answers,” says Jackie Leavenworth, an agent and
real estate industry coach in Cleveland, Ohio.
3. Set Up Expectations for Communication
Tell your agent how you’d like to stay in touch during the buying process. Do you do prefer texts? Facebook messenger? Or do you like old-fashioned phone calls (Telephone calls: Still a thing!)
Tell them how often you expect to hear from them, too. Daily? Weekly?
And tell them the best times of day to reach you, too.
“My successful buyers ask what kind of communication they’ll have
with me,” says Thai Hung Nguyen, an agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real
Estate Premier in Washington, D.C. “My answer to them is always, ‘It’s totally
up to you.’”
4. Be Respectful
Be mindful of an agent’s time. Don’t flake on showings. Be
prompt.
If you disagree with your agent, respectfully tell them why.
Resist the urge to freak out if the agent doesn’t immediately respond to a text or phone call. “People hire me because I jump through hoops, but I also need buyers to know that I have a life, too,” says Leavenworth, the Cleveland agent.
5. Get Organized
We told you communicating your wants to your agent was key. Here’s a good way to do it: Write them down. We recommend filling out our first-time buyer’s worksheet.
Give a copy to the agent. He’ll be better able to find homes that match your criteria.
You should also have your financial records in order. This means getting pre-approved for a loan. Pre-approval for a mortgage says you’re serious about buying a house and not just window shopping.
“Anything we do without a loan approval letter is pure
speculation,” says Marki Lemons-Ryhal, an agent and social media strategist for
real estate in Chicago.
6. Admit What You Don’t Know
Real estate transactions are complicated. Don’t be embarrassed if
you don’t know what all the terms mean, or what to expect from each step of the
process.
If you don’t know what escrow means, ask. If you’re confused about
the terms of an offer, say so. It’s totally normal to ask an agent for a little
hand-holding — that’s what they’re there for.
Part of knowing how to hire a real estate agent is finding one you trust enough to tell you things you don’t know.
7. Don’t Play The Field With Other Agents
If you’re working with an agent who is hustling for you, don’t dally around with another agent. In real estate, just as in romance, that’s cheating. It can backfire by damaging your relationship with your agent.
If your agent finds out you’ve got other agents showing you houses, he may prioritize other clients. So a big part of knowing how to pick a real estate agent is knowing that you need to stand by your agent once you hire him.
In fact, it’s in both your interest and the agent’s to sign a buyer’s broker agreement for a set period of time. The agreements spell out the rights and duties of both parties, including exclusivity.
In the winter, it can be infinitely more difficult to find the willpower to leave your apartment. It’s cold outside and it gets darker earlier — in other words, the temptation to stay home and binge watch TV is strong! That’s certainly way more appealing than stepping outside for a run or a gym trip, especially if there is snow and ice on the ground. With these three easy workouts you can do in your apartment, though, you have no excuse to slack on your fitness regimen during the winter – and you can get right back to cuddling up at home after you’ve cooled down.
1. A beginner bodyweight apartment workout
For a comprehensive but brief workout that both builds muscle and gets your heart rate going, try this beginner bodyweight workout. You don’t need any equipment for most of these exercises – and for the one that does require weights, a nearly full gallon jug of water is a great dumbbell substitute.
To increase this workout’s intensity, you can add more push-ups, dumbbell rows, or jumping jacks, and you can hold your plank for as long your body can withstand. For the dumbbell rows, use a gallon jug of water if you don’t have a dumbbell, and if you don’t have a workout bench, you can use two chairs or the edge of a firm mattress. If you want to add more dumbbell exercises, consider shoulder presses, shoulder shrugs, and chest presses.
2. A half-hour HIIT cardio apartment workout
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been all the buzz in fitness circles lately. HIIT involves brief bursts of maximum exertion followed by rest. This alternating state of exertion and rest rapidly burns calories while building muscle in shorter time spans than traditional workouts allow. For this HIIT cardio apartment workout, you can opt for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off or 45 seconds off, 15 seconds on – but keep in mind that you’ll be working out for 30 minutes total.
Start with butt kickers (essentially jogging in place).
Rest.
Switch to an alternating-side reverse lunge.
Rest.
Switch to a pop squat (a classic squat with a toe-touching stretch).
Rest.
Switch to a downward-dog-to-toe-tap (a variation on the classic plank).
Rest.
Switch to the skater (combined squatting, lunging, and side movements).
Rest.
Switch to a traditional plank and hold it.
Rest.
Repeat this cycle until you reach 30 minutes.
3. A full yoga apartment workout
Often, people think of yoga as an exercise form that takes place in studios in large groups. Thanks to the internet, though, you can easily partake in a full yoga workout without leaving your apartment. Since yoga depends heavily on stretching, holding body positions you might not normally maintain for extended periods, and breathing mindfully, you’ll need a video to properly and safely complete your workout (and a yoga mat wouldn’t hurt either). A full list of yoga apartment workout video options can be found here.
What are your favorite workouts to do in your apartment? Sound off in the comments!
When people mention sublet websites, there are seemingly many choices in a crowded space. That’s weird, because Harvard Business School professors Peter Coles, Ben Edelman, and Mike Luca found that a strong marketplace network effect should consolidate the ecosystem into a few winners.
Why So Many Sublet Websites In New York City?
Each sublet website actually serves a different occupancy duration niche along the spectrum of sublet rentals. The key to understanding the sublet market is to break down tenants and landlords into categories by length of stay.
Vacation Stays: Airbnb / VRBO / Booking.com
The ultra short term housing sites operate more like inns and small hotels. Guests come for a week or two, sometimes only a weekend, and occasionally just one night. Airbnb is by far the largest marketplace by almost any measure, but we should mention Booking.com’s increasing inventory of short-term housing. Booking.com aggregates hotel listings and runs a much larger hotel inventory, comparable to Expedia. But they’ve got their eyes on short-term and have heavily recruited hosts to their platform.
Short-Term Housing / Serviced Apartments
There is an industry built around corporate professionals relocating to new cities, and New York City is full of them. Sometimes called corporate housing or serviced apartments, these units are designed for stays of one to three months. They are generally too short to be of interest for brokers, and too long to fall under the hotel and vacation stay category.
Unfortunately, this is one of the most fragmented of all markets. You wouldn’t want to rent one of these sight-unseen, if you can avoid it. That rules out sites that collect payment up front, such as Airbnb. But no one can grind out a living showing 1-month stays all day long; even if there were great deals, who would pay the commission?
To find serviced apartments, you will need to do most of the legwork on your own. To start, try the extended-stay sections of your favorite hotel search sites, and you can find monthly occupancy rates. Still, not many buildings can list themselves on Expedia and Priceline, so you should also scour ads on social media and Craigslist.
Lease Breaking Websites
People still call these sublets when searching on Google, but a lease break can take many forms. If a tenant needs to leave mid-lease, it’s important to loop in the landlord to find out your options. Sometimes, the landlord will want someone to assign the remainder of the lease; other times the new tenant signs an entirely new lease (potentially with a fee to the breaker). The duration of stay tends to be 3 to 9 months in the assignment case.
Sublets and For Rent By Owner Listings
Sublets are a broad term, but some of the best sublet deals come from For Rent By Owner listings. You can search on RentHop for NYC Sublets of both types – a condo owner with an exclusive for example, or a lease breaker with landlord willing to renew for 12 months.
When searching for sublets, the listings will often be interchangeable with full-fledged landlord listings for vacant apartments, or brokered exclusives looking for 12 month or longer lease. In that case, is there an advantage to having a separate section?
When catering to the For Rent By Owner crowd, our team realized they clearly have different needs than the leasing office of a large building. Safety and verification is much more important for individual owners, as they likely won’t have any online presence or reliable research the poster prior to meeting.
On the outward facing search result for consumers, we do mix the results and provide special filters and tags We tag them with a special “By Owner” tag, so you can filter for them, and we require the full address be shown on the listing. Next time we will discuss the search-engine side features we built to help you find the best sublet, leasebreak, and FRBO deals.
My morning bathroom ritual is so important to me. I splash my face and put on makeup while I listen to synthy pop music and it puts me in such a good, confident mood for the rest of the day. Those morning minutes (sometimes five, sometimes 50) truly form the foundation of my day, and by extension, my life.
The problem is that private spaces, like the bathroom, usually don’t get as much housekeeping attention as the areas where you spend the most time, or rooms where you might have guests. Bathrooms tend to be spaces where we let things collect and get messy—which is fine, sometimes. But you deserve a peaceful place to get ready in, to set the tone for a peaceful life.
Today’s Assignment: Clean up and clear out the bathroom.
Give your bathroom a quick little spruce-up, both inside and out.
If you have a bathroom on the larger side, you may want to set a timer or some other hard limit so this project doesn’t get too unwieldy; the goal is to focus on a few high-impact projects that’ll make the bathroom figuratively and literally shine.
Start by clearing out your storage areas. You can either choose one messy drawer, for example, or try to tackle the whole thing, if your bathroom storage feels doable in one swoop.
Bathroom Drawer Cleanout | January Cure
You can watch the video above to get some tips and watch me clean my bathroom “junk drawer,” but here’s a quick rundown:
Once you feel like you’ve made some progress on your storage areas, give the “outside” of your bathroom a little shine. You probably have a routine you like, but here are some spots I always make sure to handle:
Don’t stress if you can’t get your entire bathroom spotless and clutter-free in one day. If, after today’s assignment, you’d like to revisit some other cleaning or decluttering projects in here (or in a second bathroom, if you have one), add that to your list for 2020.
It’s not too late! Here are a few ways to participate in the Cure:
Vermont is a small and scenic state in New England that shares a border, and large lake, with New York. Vermont is also “spooning” with New Hampshire, a state which is often confused with Vermont.
People from Vermont are of a hearty stock. As one of the most northern states in the U.S. that also borders Canada, Vermont gets cold and long winters, but the result is a gorgeous landscape that most locals are proud to call their own.
Because Vermont is a small state with an even smaller population, there are a lot of cliches. (No, there aren’t more cows than people). I’m here to dispel the myths and explain what it’s really like to live in Vermont.
From a born-and-raised Vermonter, who traveled the world and recently returned home, here are 10 things that anyone from Vermont knows to be true.
1. Nice summer days are sacred — don’t waste them
Like any northeastern state, summer is fleeting. Vermont gets a few months of summer, a season that’s often plagued with rain. When it’s warm and sunny, you don’t waste the day inside. Vermonters flock to parks, take out their boats on Lake Champlain or hike one of the many surrounding mountains. Even after a hard rain, Vermonters are quickly back outside, enjoying the dry weather while it lasts.
2. Winter can be just as fun
Winter can last from October to April so Vermonters don’t bat an eye at a late spring snowstorm. Instead, with most of the winter months covered in snow, Vermonters know how to enjoy themselves in the winter wonderland. Skiing and snowboarding are the sports of choice, with 18 ski resorts on various mountains.
But don’t worry, if you don’t like downhill skiing or boarding, there are plenty of other winter activities you can do during the snowy winter months:
Snowshoeing or cross-country skiing: Either at a ski resort or on one of the many cross-country trails. Check out these places to go.
Sledding: Vermont’s hilly terrain means you can ditch skis for a sled and hot cocoa.
Ice-fishing: Once Lake Champlain freezes over, anglers take to their on-the-ice huts.
The state of Vermont is small but mighty when it comes to the craft beer industry. Vermont is home to many world-class breweries that rival their craft-beer counterparts in cities like Portland or San Diego.
Vermont is also home to some of the World’s Best Beer according to Beer Advocate, including the No. 5 beer in the world, Heady Topper, which is also rated as the No. 1 New England IPA.
Vermont is also famous for its many apple trees that bear fruit in the fall. Being a “local-first” state, Vermont has also embraced craft-cider, the perfect alternative to beer.
4. We have a kingdom
The northeast corner of the state is known as the Northeast Kingdom. While it may sound like something out of a Game of Thrones episode, if you plan to go to Essex, Orleans or Calcedonia county, you say that you’re heading up to the Northeast Kingdom.
5. There are many ways to be active and outdoors
Vermonters are active all year long and take full advantage of the terrain and seasons to get exercise. You’ll find mountain bikers and rock climbers on the trails, water skiers on the lake and ice skaters both indoors and out. No matter the season, there’s a way to get moving.
6. Maple syrup can go on everything
Vermonters take maple syrup seriously as the No. 1 producer of maple syrup in the U.S. While there are several syrup impostors out there, made with added corn syrup or sugars, Vermonters know the difference. Real maple syrup comes from a tree, is 100-percent pure and can go on anything, including snow, also called Sugar on Snow, a winter delicacy.
Maple Syrup can also be found in craft cocktails, dressings or glazes, marinades, smoothies, baked goods and so much more. If you need a natural sweetener, Vermonters have you covered.
7. There are many fun Vermont-only quirks
Vermont has only one area code, 802. That’s why you’ll see it on clothes, bumper stickers and as the name of many local stores. One place you won’t see it, though, is on a billboard. Vermont is one of the few states that has banned billboard advertising. You can’t block that beautiful view!
What’s more, Vermont has their very own Loch Ness monster, who lives in Lake Champlain and is affectionately referred to as Champ. While many debate if Champ is real, there’s a very real law that protects any type of lake monster.
8. You’ll inevitably run into someone you know
The state population is slightly more than 625,000, which makes it the second least populated state, behind Wyoming, according to recent data. Still, there are many small towns and family-friendly neighborhoods.
Once you’re here, you meet the genuine people who live near you and then see them at the grocery store, in line at a cafe or grabbing a creemee — what Vermonters call soft-serve ice cream.
9. Flannel is appropriate for all occasions
Vermonters wore flannel long before it became a hipster fashion staple. Flannel is functional, keeping you warm in the winter months, and being durable enough to withstand many years of use.
Companies like Vermont Flannel Company are locally-owned and pride themselves on making all their products in the U.S. Because of the many seasons, in the winter, locals opt for functionality instead of high-fashion making flannel shirts, sturdy winter boots, and wool parkas the go-to fashion staples.
10. Leaf peeping is a real thing
Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State because there’s an abundance of green trees. Come fall, those green leaves turn to bright yellows, oranges and reds, creating a picturesque landscape that brings countless out-of-town visitors from New York, large nearby cities and even international travelers.
We affectionately refer to these groups as leaf peepers, here to basque in Vermont’s most scenic season.
If you’re from Vermont, you know
Vermonters are a proud, resilient and healthy bunch and the many unique characteristics of this small state make it a place they love. If you’re lucky enough to visit this beautiful state, you’ll quickly find out why Vermonters love their home so much.
