Owning a home is great, but it certainly demands a lot of upkeep! In a place like Pittsburgh, your house experiences all sorts of strain from Mother Nature: bitter cold, heat waves, heavy rain and wind—the list goes on and on. All of this adds up to different seasonal influences that tear away at paint, break down your sidewalk, and create many other headaches for homeowners to manage. Here’s how to keep your home beautiful for summer.
Our 2019 Guide to Pittsburgh Farmers Markets
We love summertime in Pittsburgh! From discovering new coffee shops to trips to Kennywood, there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy. Out of all the attractions, there’s nothing we love more than checking out the local farmers markets, especially the one in Squirrel Hill! Here’s our guide to Pittsburgh farmers markets in 2019:
Guest Post: How Two dead birds led Dominique and Adam to The Perfect Home
8 Inexpensive Ways to Increase Your Home's Value
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.