The Real Story Blog: All things Real Estate
At my 9-to-5 job, I have been working incessantly on this project. Despite layoffs and paycuts, I’ve had my nose to the grindstone slamming out this project with my colleagues.
This is a wordpress based blog that features housing predictions, market analysis, and podcasts with some of the industry’s big boys and girls. This was not my design, but a production that I spearheaded with the help of my fun and inspirational colleagues, Terry, ML and Jim.
Why I think this is pertinent to ohbrooke, is that it has really relative content. All the posts and podcasts have been of interest to me as we all feel our way through the dips and peaks of the Real Estate market. I am always trying to keep up with great Real Estate advice, and this is a great resource. You can check it out at www.therealstoryblog.com.
Some questions I have in general about Real Estate:
1. I’ve bought low, now how do I sell high and ensure that I’m not buying high on the next house?
2. Can you put an offer on multiple short sale properties, only to drop out after being accepted by one?
3. Will owners who have sold their home through a short sale be 1099′ed by the lender?
Delight.com Giveaway Winners
As chosen, by the Random Integer Generator, these are our winning commenters (Congrats!):
Giveaway Announcement Tomorrow
Delight.com’s Giveaway winners will be chosen tomorrow – I’ll post the 2 winners in the morning. I love those RuMe bags and can’t wait to see the turnout!
Before the announcement, I thought I’d put together some of my favorite home accessories from the Delight.com website.
GurglePot Koi Pitcher {That we all loved so much}
Woodgrain file folders {Why don’t I have these?}
Megan Furth Academy Website
Not a prize winning portfolio piece, but just what the client ordered.
Meganfurthacadamy.com is a project I’ve been working on over the last few weeks. The whole site was built on WordPress so the client can make changes as needed without paying excessive fees for a custom content management system.
Check it off the list!
High End Shims
Don’t know what to do with your business cards that suddenly have the wrong URL on them? Chop them up and slide them under your baseboard to stop the hardwood from creaking.
{insert blatantly fake smile here}
I’m Loving White Pillows
This week anyway.
After purchasing the Ophelia Vag pillow for my new chocolate couch, I have been on the lookout for great looking white pillows. Because I’m a color and pattern-aholic, it never really occured to me to use white pillows in decorating. Even my bestie, Shannon, has had white pillows on her couch for quite sometime, but I didn’t realize the greatness until I had my own. I think I’m so impressed with the white pillows because they neutralize the room when you’re like me and have LOTS of colors. Also, they serve as new bright and refreshing focal point in a darker room.
Here are some pillows that fit the bill:
Gold Embroidered Wave pillow {Wal-Mart}
Evelyn Pristine pillow with gathers {Bliss Living}
Miki pillow cover, brown on white {Miramiki}
Silk Burnout Velvet pillow cover {Etsy}
Daisy Pillow {Paper Cloud}
Ophelia Vag pillow {Ikea}
White and Brown Woodgrain pillow {Mod Decor}
Yellow Bird pillow {Etsy}
From 60 to 17
Yesterday could have been one of the most bizarre days I’ve had in a long time. My 9-to-5 company did a major layoff – HALF the company. So today I am part of, what I can count, a 17-person advertising agency. When I was hired, almost 2 years ago, there were some 60 employees. I was finishing up my digital graphics degree, my husband and I living with my mom until we could figure out what to do with our house 2 hours away that wasn’t selling.
Prior to that, I was working in Berkeley as a graphic designer for a boutique real estate firm. I had a lot of fun at this company – great food in the area, fun coworkers, and SHOPPING just one block down the road on hip little College Avenue. My ONLY complaint at this job was Berkeley’s biggest weakness: PARKING. I had to move my car every 2 hours, which made for 3 aggrivating trips to circle the block, wipe off chalk, and a hike back to the office. One day, despite my best efforts, I received a parking ticket {my SEVENTH parking ticket}. In my stupor of frustration, I jumped on Craigslist to see if there was another graphic design job that could offer me the courtesy of a parking lot at the least. I replied to one ad, interviewed the next day, and before processing what had actually happened, I had landed my current job.
I have never looked back. I get to do fun web design and programming – both challenging and exciting, and I get to work with creative people all day. I have unfortunately watched my friends at work, one-by-one, leave or get laid off. I am grateful for my job today and the friends I have made on this interesting ride from 60 to 17…
My Haircut
Ok, this isn’t actually a picture of my haircut {how did that become a blog tradition anyway?}. In the last couple of weeks I have probably had 20 people tell me that I look like Megan Corkrey from American Idol {okay, we both have big teeth and dark roots… I get it}. While I think this does look like me, maybe when I was seventeen, I can’t help but look at the following picture and think…
I look great in red lipstick! Off to Sephora…
Giveaway from Delight.com!
My husband and I have been religious about taking our reusable grocery bags to the grocery store every week. However, I’ve noticed lately that when I run other errands, like the drug store or mall, that it stings a little bit more when I have to use their plastic bags. It’s seemingly impossible to keep my reusable tote bags with me at all times and I wish I had a small one at hand in the event of an impromptu shopping trip. Here is where Delight.com comes in!
I have become a recent subscriber to Delight.com: a website that showcases one useful and pertinent product per day. I subscribe to their website through my google reader and I am enjoying wide range of products that I have seen so far.
Delight.com is celebrating their 2 year anniversary this month and are sponsoring a fun giveaway for us! 2 winners will receive a set of three compact and durable reusable RuMe tote bags! Besides functional, these bags are so ridiculously cute. The winner will be able to choose which patterns they would like to receive. Check out Delight.com to see the cute patterns!
How to enter:
Go to Delight.com and check out their products. Come back and leave on comment here telling us what product you like or what you like about the delight site.
For an extra entry – subscribe to Delight.com and get a daily feed of fun products. Leave a separate comment telling me you subscribed.
For another extra entry - Twitter or blog about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did so.
Contest closes on Wednesday, March 25 at midnight.
If you find more products on delight.com that you enjoy, they are running a promotion of $5 shipping on EVERYTHING!
I’m making lemonade out of an ‘S’ load of lemons
ohbrooke.net is now ohbrooke.com!
On Tuesday I signed closing papers for the sale of my Sacramento home, chopped my hair, and lost my domain name {ohbrooke.net}, all before 11 am. Apparently my hosting company had the wrong email address for me, so they were unable to inform me that the domain was expiring. Somehow in the 20 phonecalls I’ve had with them this year, they haven’t mentioned, “oh, and hey, your domain expired 2 months ago…” It was the only product of several I have with them that was not on auto-renewal. Fantastic!
So, needless to say, despite the excitement of the close of the house, and the mediocre haircut, I was devastated by the domain loss. Here I am, 25 year old wife that drives my husband crazy with my boring independent films and need to rearrange furniture incessantly, just feeling my way through this blogosphere. I have been cultivating the traffic and content with the help of friends family and new blog friends.
This brings me to yet another transition that has reared its ugly head this week. An unstable day job, the loss of a real estate investment, and now a blog identity crisis. This imposed transition has me thinking:
Should I change what I write about?
I would love to write about more personal things, not just design, is that okay?
Should I cut my losses and quit?
As I scrambled to find a new domain name to see if I could somehow recover and patch together the traffic equity that I have gained intensely in the last few months, I found a very expensive light at the end of the tunnel. ohbrooke.COM was purchased but not in use, and so I emailed the owner to see if I could take this unfortunate event and spin it into a positive. Here is how the emails went:
Me – Are you using the domain ohbrooke.com? Is it for sale?
Him – I currently am not using ohbrooke.com; It was in development but the model flaked out. If you are interested in the domain, please make me an offer. I would be curious what you plan to do with the domain name.
Me – It looks like you own it for about 6 more months, I’ll give you $40 for the six months.
Him – A fair market value for this domain would be in the $550 to $750 range. I would sell the domain for $550.
Me – $200
Him – $375
Me – $300
Him – Deal.
So, the lemonade in this “S”-load of lemons is that I’ve now upgraded to ohbrooke.COM. Now I have to figure out – how to let my readers know I’m here, what direction I want to take this blog, and what on Earth I’m doing with my life.
Thoughts?
Giveaway Tomorrow!
I have been a little distracted over the weekend from recent happenings at my 9-to-5 job, so no life-altering Monday posts. HOWEVER – tomorrow I’ve got a GIVEAWAY for you, sponsored by delight.com. Pop over to their website to get a heads up on what they’ve got and get ready for fun little giveaway tomorrow!
Pattern Tips from Stacy and Clinton
As I was trying to break in the couch by going out of my way to watch a little TV {wink}, I caught an episode of ‘What Not To Wear’ on TLC. I know my mom loves watching that show, and if I indulged myself a little more to watch TV more often, I probably would too. They have really great style tips that I think are worth knowing. On one of last week’s episodes, Stacy and Clinton gave pattern advice to their ‘student’. I thought it was very appropriate to how we decorate our homes. Here are their 3 rules of thumb:
• Neutrals are black, tan, gray, navy and green and can be combined together in any shade.
• Neutrals can be mixed with any color or pattern.
• Other colors and patterns can be mixed together if the same colors are present within the color palette.
This is a really good way to measure the colors and patterns in your home. Don’t get hung up on mixing blues and blacks or reds and pinks, etc… there are much fewer rules to decorating than you think. I myself am breaking a few of these rules in my home, but that’s just how I like my home to look. So, a la Stacy and Clinton, if you are going to do pattern in your home – the patterns can be different if they contain similar colors. They’re right! See if it applies in your decorating…
Unique Photo Frames
I saw this post from Design Sponge about Photojojo’s glass jar frames. I thought this was such a fun idea to make your photos more interesting. You can see the tutorial at Photojojo.com.
Facebook’s “25 Things”
Whether it’s appropriate or not, here’s my ’25 things’ as posted on Facebook. This way you little more about me, and when you comment, I learn a little more about you! ;) Don’t forget to ‘friend me’ on Facebook – and Rosie – THIS GOES FOR YOU TOO! :)
1. I raced everyone in my grade (even raced the yard duties and custodians) to win the title of “Fastest Girl in Fourth Grade”.
2. I dated a guy with O.C.D. and it drove me crazy. We were late to everything because he had to comb his eyebrows and iron his jeans before we left.
3. I must always have chapstick on my lips. I reapply hourly.
4. I used to think that ‘workaholics’ were ridiculous. Who would EVER want to inflict more work on themselves than was necessary. This week I realized I DO.
5. If the bed is against the wall, I will not sleep on that side because of the spiders.
6. When I’m mad, I cry – and I hate it.
7. I am terrified of being lazy. For this reason I cannot enjoy: sleeping in, watching TV, taking naps, or relaxing.
8. I am the youngest of seven children. My brother is 17 years older than me.
9. I was voted ‘Most Likely to be President’ in 8th grade.
10. I met my husband at 18 and I got married at 19. I’m convinced my co-workers thought I was pregnant and was getting married to cover it up. Just happens that I found him early, and getting married was the best decision I’ve ever made. We have so much fun together.
11. I think it’s unfortunate that people think they need to get married or have kids to be happy.
12. When we were younger, I would do my sister Paige’s Art homework, and she would do my Math homework.
13. I think a true friend is someone I can eat a Starburst with: you eat all the reds and pinks, I eat all the oranges and yellows.
14. Going to a GREAT movie for the first time is my favorite thing to do – however you don’t know you’ve done it until it’s over.
15. I’m terrified of airplanes.
16. I’m the Yahtzee QUEEN.
17. I’m turning into my mother… good thing is my mother is hip, understanding, relaxed, and ready to party.
18. I miss going dancing.
19. I wish I were better at cooking, and I wish I liked running.
20. I wish I owned a letterpress.
21. Married for nearly 6 years, and I have NEVER flatulated in front of my husband.
22. I want to eat cookies everyday. Sometimes I do.
23. When I was born, my parents were expecting the boy they thought they were having. I went home in a baseball onesy, and my name was going to be Ryan.
24. I go in phases, red hair, brown hair, tongue ring, short hair, blonde hair… I get bored easily.
25. I’ve owned three homes by 24. Oh, the lessons you learn in real estate.
The New Couch
My friends are probably beyond tired of hearing of my couch escapades. If you remember, I had already gotten a new couch just a few months ago. As it turns out, that couch was as hard as a rock. I never sat down and watched TV and we never had people over because it just wasn’t comfortable. I even started developing some upper-back pain because of the angle of the cushions. So – big fat lesson learned, and a renewed appreciation for craigslist: we sold the couch for just $200 less than we paid for it and moved onward and upward.
Now, I’m not as big of a furniture snob as you may think I am. I do however cringe when I hear these words: “sectional” and “rounded arms”. A sectional always sounded like one big mammoth piece of furniture, and I’ve already had two couches with rounded arms, so I wanted something new. Because the shape of our living room is so narrow, there isn’t enough room for a couch and a loveseat, and our best option is a sectional. Turns out, sectionals aren’t as ‘not cute’ as I thought, but 90% of them had rounded arms and I just couldn’t do it.
After sitting on probably 50 different couches, we made our decision and I must say, I’m quite happy. The couch was firm at first, but after jumping on the cushions {yes, one cushion at a time, my husband and I jumped on the cushions while we watched a golf tournament}, they loostened up quite niceley.
{sigh}… so glad that stress is over and my living room looks better than ever, with BEAUCOUP seating for friends. May I present, Macy’s “Bradley” sofa:
Now, if I could just figure out what to do to make my boring little contemporary kitchen look a little bit less generic!
