Yesterday, I walked to the dentist (about a half mile) and experienced twenty or more different kinds of wet conditions on the ground. At that time of day, it was raining on top of an inch or two of snow. Some was slushy, some was puddles on top of snow, some was untrodden snow (my
Whether you are a renter or an owner, the fear is there. Is your wall about to pour ice water into your living space? Where do you look for leaks? Which icicles are a problem? Theory: Water is, literally, mindless. All it wants to do is get to earth. Water will go down by the
Even though it isn’t winter yet, housing prices begin to drop this time of year. Winter is a bargain-hunter’s paradise, but it is also house-hunting hell. Between Thanksgiving and Martin Luther King Day, demand dries up, but so does inventory. The drain on demand is usually higher than the drain on supply. Sellers who can
If this January is any indication, the seasons are shifting in Boston area real estate. Usually between December 15 and January 15, no one is contacting us about buying a house. This year, prospective clients started calling and writing right after Christmas. Winter buyers: Some clients were looking to get on the road, heeding my
A thing of beauty is a joy forever! In honor of Valentine's Day, here is a guide to true love between a house and its buyer. Most people think about beautiful houses as those that have outstanding architecture, or high-end, well-chosen tile or other finishes. That kind of beauty speaks to everyone, at some moment.
Direct vent heating systems are the ones that run so efficiently that they can vent through a PVC pipe instead of a chimney. Why does the efficiency matter? If the air coming out of the boiler is still very hot, it cannot travel through plastic PVC pipes. Newer high-efficiency boilers and hot water heaters use
Here are four things to do to make sure you and your house survive a frigid winter night. Close and lock all your windows. They seal better that way. Close draperies on cold and windy nights to reduce the feel of drafts that invite you to raise your thermostat temperature. If you have insulated drapes
We're in the middle of snow season. It hasn't been a very snowy season in the Boston area, but when a storm hits, everyone gets a little frenzied. As a real estate agent, I get asked about who is responsible to shovel: the landlord or the tenant? Since that's a legal question, I depend on
Direct vent heating systems are the ones that run so efficiently that they can vent through a PVC pipe instead of a chimney. Why does the efficiency matter? If the air coming out of the boiler is still very hot, it cannot travel through plastic PVC pipes. Newer high-efficiency boilers and hot water heaters use
The good news is that winter house hunters will know how good their windows are; spring, summer, and autumn house hunters have to guess.Windows are surprisingly expensive to replace. They cost $300-500 each, or more, per window, with installation. Even the best windows don’t keep all the cold out. Winter house hunters, here is the