{Set up your Airbnb rental with my referral link and ask me for feedback!} Beyond Pricing analyzed the best places to invest in short-term rentals, based on occupancy and nightly price. Surprised that the most popular cities for short-term rentals are in coastal cities — along with Washington D.C.? When you look at the Airbnb…
An Airbnb guest asked me what restaurants I recommend in Rockridge that are in walking distance from my rental on Lawton Avenue. What better reason to compile some of my favorites! For their UC Berkeley graduation celebration, I gave them a list of very nice, high end restaurants that require reservations along with casual dining…
Building ADUs on a property with a single-family home or multi-family building has become the most popular way to think about multi-generational living or generating income during retirement. (The New York Times reports on the popularity of ADUs — although ignore the very low prices per square foot quoted!) But what if it turns out…
Murals on walls inside houses has been a time-honored tradition through the ages. In Berkeley, the murals adorning the walls of Pauline Kael’s house in Berkeley became legend. More rare is seeing murals, or little “spot” paintings, on the exterior of houses. There’s nothing I love more than seeing houses that reflect the passions and…
Who doesn’t love a trend report? It’s so much fun seeing what materials, colors, textures, and decorating styles the experts and purveyors are calling “it.” So what to do when Pantone names “Viva Magenta” their 2023 Color of the Year? Paint the town pink?! The thing to remember as a home owner is: It’s up…
True confessions: I never had extermination done after buying my house years ago. After all, no termites were crawling or flying around. How did we know if the termites were old school or a current infestation? Then there was a live termite incident. Three different pest inspection companies did estimates, with three wildly different recommendations….
Beyond home insurance, there are a few things to ponder before embarking on home ownership. Here are 3 super important things that might save you and your loved ones a lot of headaches and money in the future: 1) People talk about having a will, but a trust might be even more important. Having a…
Holiday lights and cheer are ablaze this holiday season in Oakland, Piedmont, and nearby towns. Here are just a few holiday season events to get us out of the house and enjoying our fresh, rain-cleansed air: Temescal Artisan Craft Fair – Neither rain nor rain stopped Head West holiday gift fair vendors from showing up…
There is no shortage of explanations for why houses are sitting on the market and not selling in late 2002. High interest rates Uncertainty about the future The chance of layoffs The prospect of house prices going down Unrealistically high price expectations from sellers Multiple choice! Is bad Feng Shui driving home buyers away? Real…
I grew up in Southern California, where Trader Joe’s got its start. That’s how a 1982 Trader Joe’s flyer ended up in the glove box of one of our family cars. Finding this treasure inspired me to write a Trader Joe’s history book analyzing how what used to be “health foods” and “ethnic foods” you…
