by Roberta Murphy The Real Estate Tomato hosts a number of real estate blogs throughout the country–and provides guidance regarding blogging basics, layout, design and the technical tangles that occasionally plague us all. Keith Jeppson with Salt Lake Speaks suggested that we create a blogroll of all us folk on the Tomato Vine. Since blogrolls seem to be on the outs with search engines, I have taken to including my…
by Roberta Murphy Early weekend mornings are quiet around our household. The guys like to sleep in, the parrots are quieter than usual and I have the luxury of spidering around the web and spinning ideas. The newspaper still sits in the driveway, and will remain there until Eric, our middle son, goes out to retrieve it so he can read the sports pages. Until that time, the world is…
by Roberta Murphy This may arguably be the most expensive and tallest private residence ever built. Indias wealthiest man, Mukesh Ambani, 50, is slated to begin construction of a billion dollar glass and steel skyscraper home in Mumbai City, the financial capital of India. The 27 story building will be designed to house his family of six and staff of 600, with six floors dedicated to the storage and parking…
by Roberta Murphy The Butler is back in demand-and in short supply. The worlds growing number of plutocrats with their enormous mansions and expansive lifestyles are actively seeking household managers to oversee the care of their luxury homes and lifestyles. These enormous residences require ongoing care, along with coordination of property and grounds service providers ranging from pool service technicians, to dog groomers and trainers, to maids, gardeners and arborists….
by Roberta Murphy For almost two years now, there have been serious rumblings and grumblings about Option ARM and interest-only mortgages that could put a number of buyers into default. I initially gave the dicey mortgages issue detached interest, because our clients tend to be a conservative lot when it comes to borrowing. We deal with few real estate speculators and most of our clients are solid buyers of primary and secondary homes. My…
by Roberta Murphy We list and sell real estate in good, bad and indifferent markets. Short sales are becoming common, though. So is blood in the streets. People move up, down and out all the time because life is about change and transitions. And each time the real estate market shifts, we regroup and modify strategies for buyers and sellers. There may be some inconveniences and pricing adjustments for…
by Roberta Murphy One of the more interesting sites to follow this past year has been Neighboroo. In fact, we now recommend it to both local and relocating San Diego area real estate clients when they begin the process of searching for homes. Though still in beta format, Neighboroo is amazingly rich in the type of information home buyers are seeking. Local housing market Average prices Neighborhood and community safety…
by Roberta Murphy People are always wonder what’s in and what’s out in home decor. Paint colors may change yearly, but key ins and outs center on how we live our lives. What’s in and what’s out for home building, home improvements and home decor? What are today’s pickier homebuyers seeking? What are Realtors and decorators and savvy home remodelers suggesting to their clients? WHATS IN: Natural flooring: Think (certain)…
