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?

An existential moment in Newport

One of the best things about living in Newport is the way history seeps out of the sidewalks, usually when you least expect it. Ghosts are everywhere...

Yesterday morning I took my dog Gwen for a walk. We were headed to Island Cemetery to check out the gravestone of Richard Morris Hunt, the architect of Wrentham House, which I'd just been to see a couple of days before & which had blown me away.




Anyhow, on the way we passed some guys from the Department of Public Works replacing a stretch of pavement. Naturally Gwen dragged me over so she could sniff out the excavation trench, and there, right smack at the bottom of it, were the broken but clearly recognizable remains of a colonial clay tobacco pipe, just lying there in the dirt for all to see. The sight immediately unmoored me from my normal reality. Who'd dropped it? When? What was their life like? What IS time?

How very odd, that they were there & now they were gone & I was there instead...and someday it will be my turn to be gone, and someone else will be standing on this street corner, scratching THEIR head over this same existential riddle. Because no matter how I sliced it, there was no denying the fact that there at my feet lay a small clay pipe - proof that time exists, reality exists, that life and death are unutterably & irrevocably real. Really real. Almost every second of every day we allow ourselves to forget that.

Overhead fluffy white clouds slipped unconcernedly and implacably by. So what else could I do? I walked on, to the cemetery.

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.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO BUY A HOME?

When you can get the most house for your money.When rates are at a historic low.When you have the itch to buy.

320 Grandview Rd in East Greenwich, RI

Rates have had an unbelievable run of late with the intent of stimulating the economy. The Fed reduced rates in January with the largest rate reduction in 20 years. They dropped even more in February and now they have done it again. Rates are at an historic low.

So then......NOW......is the time to buy your home!!!!

You hear from the media that the housing market is in a slump. This being true, this is when you can get the great deals on homes AND the great deals on mortgages.

So then......Who is the big winner in this game? YOU are!! You, THE BUYER, are the winner at this time when you buy a house today.

How Much Longer Can This Continue? In the long run, these rate cuts will entice more international investors, boost consumer confidence, leading to higher rates. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to purchase your home. Start your search today. See mortgage options.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Charmed, I'm Sure

Charming Newport Cottage, that is Charmed.

Every home has a story to tell, and some have stories dreams are made of! This charming Newport Cottage has had its share of wonderful families over the years, and for the last two owners dreams have come true. Perhaps there is a lucky charm on this cottage. First 'wish come true' came to the couple with the arrival of a beautiful baby boy, after hoping for years to start a family. The next owner was charmed by a wonderful relationship and proposal of marriage. This property is now under contract and will soon go to a new family. We wish the new owners every success, with good tidings to their every request.

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.