The Little Realtor

 Drive ins are becoming popular all around America right now as events are limited and indoor movies are a no-go.  All around Philadelphia are several options worth noting!  This site offers a great overview of options throughout the Greater Philly area  But a few other top picks include:  Family friendly movie pop-up at Oaks Convention Center  The Philly Drive In at Fairmount Park  Drive-In at the Navy Yard  And while its not a movie, drive-ins are now working well for concerts too, like this series at People's Light in Malvern  Happy viewing! 

 Often when going through certain homes with clients, they will fall in love with the decor of an owner. What I notice often, though, is its not the homes with the expensive Restoration Hardware set, its the well-curated homes that sellers have created over years. Its the homes with, sure, the West Elm sofa but the antique dresser and found oriental rug and 20+ years of art collecting over an Ikea credenza.  Via Its the mix of a well-loved but finely-curated home that often catches a buyer's eye. Its a look that they often can't describe or put their finger on because it wasn't what was recently in the Crate and Barrel catalog.  This is the beauty of "high-low" decorating. Mixing styles for an eclectic look, sure, but mixing pieces of found art and furniture with the budgeted-for purchases. It makes for a layered, well-thought out look that is hard to achieve with simple online shopping and thus is often coveted.  Via I try to do this with my own staging, mixing i...

If you've ever sold a house, or are currently thinking about it, you might have stressed about the prospect of doing so. Even in the best of circumstances, its a hard process. It involves letting go of what is likely an emotional place, you have to prep your home for someone else to look at and judge, you have to pack and move, and while many people are fortunate enough to sell their homes so they can move into a nicer or larger place, selling is often accompanied by major life changes (financial change, divorce, death of a family member, moving across country, making space for a new baby, etc). So, needless to say, its already a lot to take on. Being a buyer is equally stressful. How do you compete against other buyers in a seller's market? How do you navigate the world of mortgages and pre-approvals? How much does it even cost to buy a home? What should I be worried about during an inspection? There's a lot to take in when searching for a home and spending a significant...

This year I am happy to present real-life examples, from my wonderful clients, of people making houses their own. In many cases that I will share here, that goes beyond decor and paint. I have been fortunate enough to work with many wonderful clients who saw potential in a home and realized all or some of that potential in their homes so far. Its great to see people making less-than-perfect homes their own, earn some equity in the process and, of course, share their story! ---  For our first Renovation Story we have the wonderful Kevin, who is remarkable with the work he does on homes. (He's also a talented musician and you can follow him on Instagram !)  This is actually his third home I've seen him work his magic on. When I helped him buy his current place almost 4 years ago, it was a typical South Philly row home. It wasn't awful, but it was a little bland and dated everywhere and the kitchen smelled remarkably of cooking oils. But Kevin had a vision a...

Its finally summer and that means its time to think about the seasonal to-dos around your home. Luckily, summer is an easy time of the year where you don't need to take much time from vacations and outdoor lounging to take care of maintenance items around your home. Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash 1) Get Your AC Serviced  Ideally, you can take care of this before summer hits, but now is still a good time to make sure all is in working order before any issues arise. Same goes for installing window units and making sure they are all in working order! 2) Clean Out the Gutters  Typically thought of as a fall activity, summer is a good time to get a jump on this. After all of the Spring rains and falling flowers, your gutters will likely need a clean out to stay functional. 3) Exterior Painting and Masonry  Summer is a good time to get to exterior work before the leaves of Fall and after the cooler temps and rainy season of Spring. Check for any repo...

Its rare to get into a coveted school district for a "reasonable" price without having to do a ton of work. Yet, this home at 513 Chandler Ln in Villanova seems like just that! Listed at $450,000 and currently low taxes for Radnor (~$7000) its a price many people can still afford. For that you get 3 full bedrooms, 2 full baths, one an ensuite from the master, and half bath! There's a nice sized living room with fireplace and dining room and an updated kitchen. The kitchen is small, a galley, but its a very liveable condition. Plus there is central air in place! Whats really great here is it sits on an acre of land so not only is the yard space fantastic, but there is room to expand, which makes this house a great opportunity. An addition off of the kitchen/dining could allow for an expanded kitchen, family room and potentially a 1st floor bedroom for guests. It has a charming stone front and a two car garage that could get connected to the home via a mu...

I talk a lot on this blog about DIY updates, inexpensive upgrades, and not passing on homes that require a little TLC. I do all of that because I personally find a lot of value in saving the money, making your own equity in a home, and putting your own spin on things. I've had a chance to compare two bathroom projects in my own home. We are finishing up our master bathroom renovation 4 years after we renovated our hall bathroom. Our house is a mid-century split and it came with all of the wonderful mid-century bathroom tile that you surely know well. We had a blue bathroom... A fuchsia half bath with carpet (eww...) We had a light pink master bathroom with a corner shower.... We had/have a yellow guest bathroom.... The reason we were able to afford a house with 4 toilets was because they were dated, and for that I am very grateful! And these bathrooms were SO WELL MADE. I know there are some people out there who hate gutting these mid-century baths, even ...