…when you paint it to increase your curb appeal. We haven’t made this suggestion yet to any of our clients. But with summer just around the corner, we might just pick up on this tip.

Whether you are using a realtor, searching for a new home to purchase, or selling your home on your own, the internet can be a fantastic (and free) way to get the info you need. The Akron Beacon Journal recently had a piece suggesting a few great websites. We loved them too!

• AllAroundYourHome - www.allaroundyourhouse.org (look under “Home Sales”
• Home Buyer’s Information Center - www.ourfamilyplace.com
• Real Estate ABC.com - www.realestateabc.com
• Realtor.com - www.realtor.com
• Staged Makeovers - www.stagedmakeovers.com (this one wasn’t in the news article but it is definitely our favorite!)

Imagine designing the perfect beach - blue skies, never too hot or too cold, no rain, water is pure and the surf is perfect. Well there is such a place. The Sheraton Seagaia Resort in Miyazaki, Japan. They have built an ocean dome only 300 meters away from the natural beach.

It boasts a flame-spitting volcano that erupts every hour, causing the hi-tech wave machines to start up for that perfect surf. White marble sand was brought in for beach lounging.

Temperature, wind and humidity are constantly controlled to provide the perfect atmosphere. What a great design. For pictures visit.

because you didn’t have any house numbers! It is a pet peeve of mine when I go on an appointment and cannot find the house because there are no house numbers visible from the street. Usually I can tell I have the right house thanks to the sign your realtor posted in your yard.

If you do have house numbers make sure they are in great condition (can we say “curb appeal?”). If you don’t, well put them up! They can be found at any hardware store for very little money.

Warner Bros. Studios is the first to build a GREEN studio (not to be confused with a green screen or a green room). We give them two green thumbs up!

One of my pet peeves is excessive packaging! It is an extra cost to the consumer, a pain to open, and just ends up in a landfill anyway. So when I read this article about the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, puttng the pressure on its vendors to cut down on packaging, I was excited. Kudos to Wal-Mart…saving you money and the earth.

Hi my name is Rachel, and I’m a shop-aholic.

Not sure if you are making the right decision when it comes to making a purchase for your home? Maybe you need a little reassurance. Try researching your possible purchases online. We explored some of the sites and found millions of items that other people have purchased and want you to know about. Its like getting advice from a friend. It works the other way too. Once you take an item home and fall in love with it, you can share with the world your passion for purchasing. 

My favorite was ThisNext.com. It was easy to search and had tons of home furnishings and accessories. Other to try are Kaboodle, ShoWiki, StyleFeeder, and StyleHive. Happy shopping!

Of course we are fans of any kind of designer from The University of Akron, even electrical and computer engineers. They are responsible for the designs of objects in our homes too right? There was recently an article in the Akron Beacon Journal about their senior projects being on display (kind of like a science fair for brainiac college students).

One of the inventions was a sensor for microwave popcorn. It actually counts the pops and the time between pops. If you’ve ever read a bag of popcorn, it literally tells you to do this. Another household invention was the “Aquarium Paradise” which basically maintains itself - feeds the fish, adjusts the chemicals, fills the tank, etc. The only thing it doesn’t do is remove the belly-uppers.

Every year we volunteer for Rebuilding Together, a not-for-profit organization of volunteers who join together in rebuilding and repairing the homes of those in need.  This year we were at a home in Akron, OH along with a group of realtors from Howard Hanna and The University of Akron’s ASID student chapter. Three of us had the task of painting the master bedroom - ceiling, walls, and trim.

Rachel was cracking the whip and assigning tasks. One volunteer named Berger came up with an excuse.  Rachel responded, “Berger, I’m not buying what you’re selling.” Speaking of cracks, her crack was hanging out of her low rider jeans. Her friend announced, “Rachel, plumber’s crack.”  Rachel came back without a second of hesistation, ”Yea but you like it.”  

The reason that I hire a professional painter for my own home (which I update frequently) is that wet paint and I don’t get along. The first incident occurred when I noticed a patch of the brand new carpet not covered by a dropcloth. As I opened the dropcloth my arm knocked over the tray of paint on the ladder, all over myself and the fresh uncovered carpet. Rachel, my loyal assistant, literally had to give me the shirt off her back (she had three more on - several to spare).

Being the eager volunteer that I am and not easily discouraged, I did not hesitate to jump back on a ladder with a tray of wet paint and get to that blue ceiling. After a while a while of everything going smoothly, I moved the ladder not realizing that the paint tray protruded considerably, and the ladder went right into the wall, paint tray first. Naturally an enormous amount of white paint (not the wall color) poured down the wall, trim, and onto another uncovered spot of that new carpet.

Rachel mentioned that I had two strikes already and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. I can proudly say by the end of the day I didn’t strike out and we got all of the paint off the carpet. Rachel met her goal that day, to not break a nail, and the room looked stunning. We had a great time volunteering and the homeowner was full of smiles, tears of joy, and hugs for all of the volunteers.