Photo Bloopers

Just when you think there's nothing worse than trying to get information on a home for sale that has only one exterior photo...you see some that may be better off without additional photos. If you've ever tried it, you know it's not that easy to take great photos of a home for sale. It's hard to get the light right. Just a little clutter looks like a lot when you photograph it. Even if you have the loveliest tile in a sparkling new half bath, how do you get more than a corner of the bathroom?

Even though they may not help sell the house, some are quite amusing and I've been collecting some for a blog. Did these poor sellers ever look online at what their agent posted? Upon further research I found there are sites and blogs dedicated to bad real estate photos. Yes, really!

So just for a giggle...

Dumpsters!

Wasn't there an empty corner in this room?

This is for a piece of vacant land.

Taken while falling down the stairs?

Note the ankle bracelet on this guy. Does home confinement mean he conveys with the house?

Bathrooms are tough, but closing the lid really helps.

Got any you'd like to add?

10 Signs of Fall in Newport

In addition to the crisp, clear weather and a bit of foliage, there are more things that signal the end of summer and the beginning of a new season in Newport.

1. Less boats and more empty docks and moorings every day

2. The festival/concert tent at the Newport Yachting Center disappears and the Ice Skating Rink returns

3. PARKING! – no more sticker parking and no more meters

4. the lifeguard stands at the beach disappear

5. the roses have a second (third or fourth if you have the right kind) bloom that surprises even those who enjoy it every year

6. the summer college kids are replaced with school year college students

7. visitors who arrive on the cruise ships enjoy our scenery and history with less crowded streets and shops

8. the big yachts are at Newport Shipyard preparing for their sail south

9. the cannons at the 3 yacht clubs, which signal the flags going up at 8am and down at sunset, go silent

10. ??? any suggestions for #10?

Really Good Mortgage News - REALLY!!

When you read this you’re going to think it sounds too good to be true.

We all hear about mortgage interest rates going up and down. In recent weeks there has been a rather significant dip. I began to wonder if there was an easy way to refinance from 6.75% to the current much lower rates. I called my lender (Wells Fargo) and asked a flurry of questions, to which all the answers were “yes.”

I was told I could refinance whenever I liked with no fees, no closing costs, no cost at all. I could refinance now, and again next month, or next year, or next week if rates changed again – as many times as I wanted. He asked me all the relevant questions about employment, income, etc. and processed the application in just a few minutes. The approval was given instantly and they’ll send me the paperwork to sign and have notarized.

The bottom line? I’m saving $195 per month in interest just because I asked. In my book – that’s big!!! I feel like I just found $195 in last winter’s coat pocket. So many things I’d rather do with $195!!

Call your lender now, so you don’t spend a penny on interest that you don’t have to. I hope your lender is as friendly as mine.

A Great Deal in 1866

The Newport Public Library has posted a link to America’s Historical Newspapers. You can find articles from the early Newport Herald, Newport Mercury (back to 1758), Providence Gazette and many more Rhode Island and early American newspapers.

Whether you have research to do or you’re just generally interested in getting a feel for life in a different age, newspapers are a wonderful source. Not just the news stories and the photos, but the advertising also.

How about this ad printed in the Newport Mercury on April 7, 1866 for house lots on the Point? This agent was absolutely right! Those lots are worth hundreds of times what he was selling them for then.

Go to http://www.newportlibraryri.org/ and enter your library card number. Enjoy!!

The Sniff Test

What do you like to smell when you walk into a house that you’re considering buying and making your home?

Do you notice the smell?

Do you remember the house by the smell?

What smell would make you take that home off your list of possibilities?

We all weigh the perception of different senses differently. Smell is just one that is more important to some. There are those of us may not be concerned about street noise, while others absolutely must have bright sunlight.

Hopefully, when you visit a property for sale any odor there belongs to the current residents not the house or the neighborhood.

Suggestions abound regarding what scent sells a house. Sellers watch the “sell it” shows on TV, read articles and get advice from friends. They light candles scented with everything from pumpkin to ocean breezes. They bake bread and cookies. They plug in air fresheners. Sellers take note: buyers walk in and wonder what the seller is trying to cover up.

My favorite scent in a house is none at all! No mustiness, no pet odors (including pet food), no potpourri, no strong cleansers or disinfectants and no hint of last-night’s-dinner. It can be done. A house cleaned and prepped for the market should be in this condition anyway.

What scent do you think sells a house?

Flower Envy

How would you know that the grass is greener if you can’t see over the fence?

One of the nicest, not-to-be-missed events in Newport in the spring/summer is the Secret Garden Tour. This June 20-22, the tour is in The Point section, one of our most beautifully preserved historic neighborhoods. Even if you live here and pass through The Point regularly, you’ll be surprised at what you see. Not only are the gardens delightful, but very varied and surprisingly large. You’ll see larger gardens than you ever thought would fit in such a dense neighborhood and you’ll see petite gardens that make the most of a tiny courtyard.

What a treat to be invited in to smell the roses, wander the paths and, of course, take home new ideas and a list to bring to the nursery!

This spring I’m a guest in a house on the Historic Hill and am enjoying my host’s garden as it springs to life. My question is…why have I never planted poppies? Even the buds are wondrous works of art.

Have you fallen in love with The Point? While you're there take a look at some homes that could be yours: waterfront with a dock at 100 Washington Street, a gracious Victorian B&B at 49 Washington Street, or a stylish contemporary loft condo in a converted schoolhouse at 11 Willow Street.

Everyone (Even You!) Can Live in a Grand Home in Newport

One of Newport’s most famous and outstanding features is its collection of grand homes. Great stone mansions, heavily decorated Victorians and rambling Shingle Style cottages are to be found in surprisingly large numbers in various parts of the city.

Yes, some are museums and a few are still homes for descendents of the Golden Age families who built them. But many have been divided over the years into multiple units as apartments and since the mid-1980’s as condominiums. And this is where YOU come in! Priced between $300,000 and $3,000,000, there’s one to suit just about everyone.

Would you like the first floor with the original formal rooms with coffered ceilings, a marble fireplace and leaded glass windows?

Perhaps the second floor where exquisite bedrooms and sitting rooms have been turned into gracious living spaces?

How about a sunny spot in the eaves of a lovely Victorian in the Kay/Catherine neighborhood? You’ll be surprised to see almost 1,500sq ft of space up here.

And with each one, you’ll share a grand foyer, estate grounds and an impressive address with your fellow owners. Close your eyes and picture what life was like living in the WHOLE house!

Still haven't found a gift for Mom?

It’s not too late to find that special gift for your Mom (or a Mom you know) for Mother’s Day. What would be really exceptional, really unforgettable? What would show her that you’ve been listening? How about a house?!?

Working at Lila Delman Real Estate, you’re bound to occasionally fall in love with a property in the inventory. So if I could choose gifts for some of the many wonderful, hard-working Moms/agents here at Lila Delman, here’s what I would choose.

Families…are you paying attention?

Laura Fauntleroy – 145 Prospect Farm Road – Her face lit up the minute she saw this outstanding home. Perfection in every direction.

Kim Doherty – 325 Ocean Avenue – For a lady who loves architecture and appreciates a masterpiece.

Susan Gustavson – 78 Macomber Lane – Susan has perfected her own beloved cottage and I picture her honing this little gem into her waterfront retreat.

Robin Nicholson – 330 Gray Craig Road – I know she looks forward to every appointment here and grows to like it more every time she visits.

Bridgette Soby – 25 Bedlow Avenue – More room, a nice private yard for play space, and a stylishly renovated house where no detail has been overlooked.

What You Get for...$7 Million

What You Get for... $7 Million

This week the popular NY Times online feature "Property Values" includes a Lila Delman Real Estate listing in Middletown, RI.

Sometimes it's $400,000, sometimes it's $15,000,000...but it's always interesting to compare your area of the country with others and the properties featured in this column are always unique in some way.

The Lila Delman Real Estate listing that's featured in this article is the Kennel Cottage at Gray Craig. Once a home for the original estate owner's prized Pekineses, now a beautifully renovated home on over 8 acres. The home is a dream, but the grounds are one of the great surprises left here on Aquidneck Island. With commanding views of Little Compton and beyond from a cistern at the highest point, to a 30,000 sq ft walled fruit orchard with a magnificent Italianate tea house, one must think that when Gray Craig was divided, the Kennel Cottage got some of the choicest and most private areas of the estate's landscape. Check out the tour and come back as more photos will be added as the flowers bloom.