Posts made by author 'Badger Peabody & Smith Realty'

One of my favorite things about snowy, icy, windy, cold days.... is not leaving the house (or my pajamas!). Working from home is one of the best things that has happened to my career since I quit my job and joined the ski patrol over at Loon Mountain! (Of course the ski patrol did nothing for my actual "career", but it was a blast while I was there!) I have heard a handful of people express that they would get nothing done if they worked from home. I think, when your livelihood (and capacity to pay the mortgage) depends on getting things done, the motivation shows itself. For me, I've never had trouble getting to work. Often it is the opposite!

It is not just the "pajama factor" that makes telecommuting so attractive either. Taking one more car off the road is always a plus...

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For those of us living North of the Mason-Dixon line living through cold winters is simply part of life. For most of us, we love the crisp air, countless recreational options and the breath-taking beauty of a snowy winter. Granted, the shoveling and scraping of windshields does get old towards the end of March (or beginning!) but the benefits outweigh the little hassles and we love it here. One of the challenges of living in a northern climate is selling your home while the weather outside is frightful. Today we're going to explore a few of the ways you can take advantage of the winter months to highlight different areas of your home and get those buyers off the sidelines.

A crackling fire is a bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to showing/selling your home. I...

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A family friend, who had a long, successful career as a home inspector, once told me if he had to start today, he would have chosen a new path. He cited concerns about the litigious society we live in and taking on the liability of sue-happy buyers was just not worth the risk. I couldn't agree more. But if you are the one paying for the inspection, what can you expect? As a first time home buyer, where does your responsibility lie and where does the inspector's pick up? Let's explore what is involved with the home inspection and perhaps shed a little light on the whole subject.

First and foremost, you should get a home inspection. I don't care if the home is in the process of being built before your very eyes or if it is an historic home from the 1800s. Unless you are a trained, professional...

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We've decided to remodel the upstairs bathroom this weekend. I'm writing this on Tuesday, so we will have a few more days to hem and haw about the paint color, the vanity, the mirror and all the other decisions. One thing we decided already is we don't want to have to mess with the existing tile or wainscoting (Yes, it's in the bathroom!). Our primary objective is to get a vanity where you don't have to bend over and touch your toes just to use the sink. If you haven't discovered "adult height" vanities yet, run-don't-walk to your local building supply store and bask in the glory of them. They are almost as cool as "adult height" commodes.

There's a bunch of different projects you can tackle to not only increase your enjoyment of your home while you are there,...

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So, I've never actually done something like this, but I'm seriously thinking of trying my hand at open-heart surgery this weekend. I mean, how hard can it be? It's all just plumbing, right?!
Before you get all excited and email me wanting to be the first patient, I'll probably just stick to building websites (that's my "day" job). My obviously silly point is that when taking on a large, serious task (such as heart surgery or buying a house) you really should have a bit of training and education behind you before making that first cut.

When I purchased my first home, I contacted a friend's wife who was in the mortgage business. She went way above and beyond the "call of duty" for a mortgage broker. She educated me on various loan programs for my income bracket, found me some government pr...

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