It’s fun and easy to dream about a home’s potential before you move in. (I’m definitely guilty when it comes to over-ambitious Pinterest boards!) But when you actually get into your house, it can be a challenge to decide which upgrades to make within the reality of a budget. Whether you’re looking for ideas to customize your home into something more “you,” or deciding which projects will give you the highest ROI before you list on the market, here are some low-cost, high-impact ideas to consider.
8 Steps for Successfully Flipping a House
Flipping a house is a great way to supplement your income. Back in 2016, the average flipped house netted nearly $60,000 in profit! Pulling in that much money doesn’t happen accidentally, however. Here’s how Ted and I make sure we see the best ROI—and you can too:
Spring in Swissvale: The Top Spots in Town
7 Tips for Staging Your Home: Secrets From Our Little Gray Couch
Balancing Competing Priorities: Buying a Pittsburgh Home in 2019
When we were moving back to Pittsburgh from New Jersey, we were sure that we knew exactly what we wanted for our third house. Our “must haves” were pretty practical and typical for a family with three kids—four beds, two baths, off-street parking, and central air. But what we finally picked was much different.
Pittsburgh’s 10 Best Spots for Your Valentine’s Day Date
Although Ted & I work together, live together, and raise our family together, it can be difficult to find time to break away and talk about something other than our kids, clients, or the craziest things we saw in a house the other day. Although some may say Valentine’s Day is an overrated commercial holiday, for us, it’s an opportunity to be intentional about spending quality time together. By far, our favorite way to spend date night is exploring Pittsburgh’s food and culture. We love trying new places for dinner and admiring the unique food and atmosphere.
Making the Most of Where You Are: Weighing Remodeling Versus Moving
9 Tips for Buying Your First Home in Pittsburgh
Our Real(tor) life: Unstaged.
Tips to move your Mommy & Daddy (by Katherine Block, age 7)
There's No Place Like Home: Planning the Perfect Staycation
Fall Maintenance Checklist
The clocks are turned back, the sweaters are out of storage, Starbucks debuted their annual red cups, and Target has had Christmas decor for three weeks... it's that time of year, and there's so much to celebrate! Before you go and chop your own tree down, or pull out every chair in your house to host Thanksgiving dinner, here are a few items to take care of around the house…
A 'Lil Bit of Comfort Food
Dylamato's Market: Local, easy, and delicious!
Affordable Home Buying is Within Reach!
Pittsburgh has long been loved as one of the most affordable housing markets in the northeast, but even with relatively affordable homes, buying your first house can feel like a big leap to take. Here are some of the awesome opportunities you can take advantage of to keep home buying as affordable as possible.
Lili Cafe
In my youth I found myself going to Polish Hill for Gooski's $5 Shiner bock and sandwich lunch combo. Polish Hill always attracted me with it's very raw and authentic feel. The Westside views and beautiful architecture are astounding. As I've aged, however, I find myself looking for coffees and simple healthy eats. Lili Café really delivers here.
Staghorn Garden Cafe
Just a couple months after Ted and I moved from Greenfield to New Jersey in 2014, a cute, local coffee shop settled into the old Greenfield General Store a couple hundred feet away from our first house, with fresh flowers in the window boxes and a welcoming “Staghorn” sign. We were disappointed to have missed it, but it's become a favorite spot to work, chat, and relax since we moved back. I recently stopped in for a cup of coffee and a delicious slice of veggie quiche and had a few minutes to catch up with the shop’s owner, Kate Morris.
The Dream Home
The process of buying a house can be a lot like planning a wedding. Maybe you've spent years dreaming of the perfect decor, flipping through magazines and Pinterest for hours on end, curating your style, and watching all your friends choose their details... thinking about how yours will be so much better. Then you set out to start shopping, and the perfect details are tougher to find than you hoped for, and everything you REALLY want seems out of reach with a hefty price tag.
B52 Cafe: Delightful & Delicious
B52 Cafe on Butler Street is an all-vegan cafe serving unique brunch items and gourmet treats. Don't let their animal-free fare scare you off, their brunch is sure to delight whether or not you usually feast on greens. Their menu ranges from toast with gourmet spreads, including apricot jam & cashew cheese, to spicy tofu scramble, to falafel salad with pickled turnips and Mediterranean slaw. Read on to learn all about its wonderful offerings:
Selling in Spring: If I had $6,000…
You may have heard that Spring is the best time of year to sell your house, and with low interest rates that are predicted to rise, this Spring is predicted to be a very strong real estate market in Pittsburgh. If you are thinking of completing some projects so you can upgrade into your dream home, here is a list of what we recommend to maximize your return.