Jennifer LeBow

What Features Do Homebuyers Most Want?

April 10, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

What specific features are home buyers hoping to find?

There are trends in everything from food to fashion to hobbies–even home design. For a while, an in-home office was all the rage. In-law suites and finished basements have had their share of the limelight as well. A recent article I read talked about the features the most home buyers are currently looking for and while some seemed obvious, a few surprised me. The number one “want”? A laundry room. Gotta admit, that one surprised me. Sure, anyone would appreciate one if it were there, but the number one “extra” that people hoped to find? Interesting. Another one that surprised me was exterior lighting. That was the single most desired outdoor feature. Patios were on the list, but that one seemed predictable. Same with hardwood floors. Energy efficient windows and appliances made the list, too. Read more.

Where Should You Retire?

March 27, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

philadelphia retirement relocation — Have you ever wondered where might be your optimal retirement spot? Let this quiz recommend a few?

When you are working and/or raising children, the criteria you use to determine where to live are very different than those you might consider upon retiring. School districts, availability of babysitters and dry cleaners may become less important. Other considerations, like a walkable town or a great library or access to an airport may become more important. Everyone’s situation is unique. While I don’t know that my husband and I (both self-employed) will ever retire, I do sometimes wonder where we might choose to live if we did. I came across this quiz, designed to take the answers you provide to the questions to suggest places that might be well-suited to you for retirement. I have to say that I thought the list it generated for me seemed spot on.

Frank Lloyd Wright–in Ardmore!

March 24, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Locally, Frank Lloyd Wright didn’t only design a synagogue in Jenkintown,–he also planned these multi-family homes in Ardmore.

That’s right! Frank Lloyd Wright built a pod of homes, which was supposed to be an experimental type of lower income housing, intended to become a widespread design, right in our own back yard. In 1939, construction began on the Suntop Homes, quadruple houses, connected along a spine, but carefully laid out so none looked into another. However, like many of Wright’s projects, construction costs quickly exceeded the budget and, in combination with the effects of WWII and neighborhood protests against multi-family housing, only one of the four was ever completed. Two of the original four units were damaged by fire (though both went through varying levels of restoration in later years). These homes included carports, which most of the owners enclosed for more living space at some point in time. Sound and fireproof brick walls separate the individual units (2300 sq. ft. distributed over four floors) and care was taken that the living spaces used during the days and nights were located next to each other for maximum privacy and quiet. The balconies and terraces as well as the integration of sidewalk and driveway all allowed for as much private exterior space as could be managed with the four residences being attached. While the Suntop Homes received their share of criticism, ranging from too-small bedrooms to leaky flat roofs to fumes from the carport being hailed as the probably cause of the fires. Mostly, though, it was the inability to build them economically which prevented this housing plan to be built as an answer to the need for affordable suburban housing in areas without much land.

Jen LeBow’s Rugelach Recipe

March 23, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Cream cheese is the secret ingredient that makes this dough so good.

Jen LeBow’s Rugelach Recipe

NOTE: This recipe takes extended time—at least 4 hours for the dough to chill and then 10 for it to thaw, 15 minutes in the freezer once the pieces are rolled and ready to go in the over and then about 20 minutes cooking time. It can be stretched out easily over two days.

In food processor, combine:

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 t vanilla

Add and mix about 20 seconds:

2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, cut up into pea-sized pieces

Add and mix just til crumbly (don’t overprocess):

8 oz. cold cream cheese, cut up into about 8 pieces

1 T vanilla Greek yogurt

Dump out on counter divide into 4 balls of dough and flatten slightly. Wrap each disc individually in plastic.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours, up to 2 days.

Bring one disc at a time to room temperature (let it sit out 10 minutes).

Leaving the disc between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or in a pie crust bag), roll out with a rolling pin til thin and about 10-12” in diameter. The plastic prevents it from sticking to the rolling pin.

Smear with raspberry jam, cinnamon and sugar and, if desired, crushed roasted almonds or other chopped nuts and/or mini chocolate chips. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, divide dough round into 16 triangular pieces, like cutting a pie. From the outside of the dough round, roll each triangle gently toward the center, putting a tiny bit of pressure on the point to secure it to the rest of the piece. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment.

Preheat oven to 390 degrees. FREEZE cookie sheet with prepared rugelach 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, brush each piece with cream. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

MED Cottages

March 23, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Is the Med Cottage a good solution for parents who can no longer live independently? Jury is still out.

There are lots of options available if your parents become unable to live independently: you can hire help to come in, you can move them to an assisted living facility, you can move in with them or move them in to your home. Now there’s a new choice: the MED Cottage. This is a pre-fab structure, about 12 x 24, which is designed to accommodate a wheel chair, necessary medical equipment and act as a generous bedroom space for your parent(s) on your property, yet not in your house. There’s a lot of debate over relegating mom to “the shed” by people who feel that it seems to clearly exclude her from the household she was supposed to be joining. Others, though, including some of those parents cite two advantages over being in the house: not feeling like they are intruding on their children’s families; after all, these domiciles have their own rhythms, patterns and rules and many parents are loathe to disrupt them. Second, they, themselves, are used to living alone; the MED Cottage is their separate, private space. I can see both sides of the argument. What do you think?

Find Out About Utlilities Before You Buy

March 22, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Does that house you’re considering buying have gas heat? A septic tank? It’s worth it to find out.

In eastern PA, your heat source could be gas, oil, electric, heat pump, propane or, rarely, geothermal. Your water could be public or could come from a well. You sewer could be public or you could have a septic tank. As a buyer, it’s important to know what utilities a property uses before agreeing to buy it. As far as heat goes, gas is the least expensive with propane, electric and oil costing more, but the prices vary. Ask the seller for recent utility bills, or at the least, an estimate of monthly costs. Remember, if you are buying a larger place than you currently have, you will probably have higher heating and cooling bills.

If you are looking at a property whose water is supplied by an on-site well, it should be tested both for safety of the drinking water and for the number of gallons it can provide per minute. You don’t want to not have enough water for a shower just because the dishwasher is running. Wells also often mean you’ll have a water softener and a monthly addition of salt or special chemicals to put into the supply once it comes into the house. Is the property hooked up to the public sewer? Great? No? It has a septic tank? That’s fine, assuming the inspection shows that it can handle the waste water that you’ll use without backing up and flooding the yard. Septic tanks usually last about 40 years, if they are serviced every 18 months or so, but putting a new one in can run in excess of $35,000, so you want to be sure that that kind of expense isn’t going to creep up on you a year after you buy the house.

So, while few people pay much attention to the utilities, it’s worth your while to find out about them.

Beet Borscht Recipe

March 15, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Jen LeBow’s Beet Borscht Recipe

Borscht is a traditional Russian cold soup.

Boil 8 oz. very small white potatoes. When cool, dice into ½” cubes. Transfer to large bowl.

Drain and reserve liquid from:

1 quart bottled borscht (like Manischewitz)

1 can (12-16 oz.) whole beets

Put all the beets (from the bottle and the can) into a food processor and pulse til fairly small. You can make it as chunky as you like it. Add to cubed potatoes.

Peel and chop 1 ½ cups cucumber. Put half of all the cucumbers into the food processor and pulse til almost slushy. Add to potatoes and beets.

Add to bowl:

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cups chopped cucumber

¼ cup chopped scallion

Combine well.

Add reserved liquid from beets and stir (carefully—this stuff stains!!) to combine.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Best served cold.

Philadelphia Family Outings

March 3, 2017 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

philadelphia relocation Family outings — Looking for something to do as a family in the Philadelphia area? There’s a lot to choose from!

Are you looking for something to do as a family in or around Philadelphia? Maybe on a weekend day, or in March, over the kids’ spring break? Well, you’re pretty lucky, as, beyond the historic buildings and sites that most people think of, there are some wonderful options! Some are weather dependent, like apple picking, outdoor ice skating, tubing down the Brandywine River or hiking the Wissahickon and, of course, some special events are time-sensitive (like the Annenberg Childrens’ Festival or the Flower Show), but there’s always plenty to choose from. One of my favorites is the Mural Arts tour. To check what’s going on at a given time or on a certain day, I’d suggest a visit to the Philly Fun Guide. You might also try 101 Reasons to Love the Main Line which includes some destinations as well as activities. If you’re looking more for a museum (you can’t miss The Franklin Institute or, a little further away in Doylestown, The Mercer Museum) or zoo type of destination, try this list. One of the areas’s best resources for (mostly, but not exclusively) outdoor activities is Fairmount Park, which includes all kinds of trails and gardens as well as buildings like the Japanese House and Smith Memorial Playhouse. If you haven’t found enough choices in the links I’ve provided above, contact me and let me know what you’re looking for–if it’s available, I’ll find it for you! Happy adventuring!

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973

Jennifer LeBow

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