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Cheap Cleaning Can Net You a Nice Profit

September 29, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Clean up by Cleaning Up! — Even if you can’t many many repairs or improvements, your net proceeds will increase with some old-fashioned cleaning.

Unless your home is brand new, recently remodeled or in otherwise pristine condition, chances are that, when you have a realtor in to discuss listing it, you will be furnished with a list of repairs/improvements to make. No matter how much cash you have lying around, I would caution every seller to consider the return on investment of any improvement. For example, putting in a $100,000 in order to sell the house is not a good idea. Why? You might get $50,000-$65.000 more for the house than pre-update. That’s a pretty big loss to take voluntarily. Roof leaking? If so, get it repaired, because few buyers will be interested in buying a house with a leaky roof, plus, it may suggest that the property is in bad condition in general–that kind of blanket assumption by buyers can result in appreciable lower offers. So, there are certainly repairs that have good enough return on investment to merit doing. That said, what if you don’t have the cash to paint the entire interior or put new countertops in the bathrooms?

Make it as tidy and CLEAN as possible. Have the carpets cleaned. You can save some money by renting a carpet cleaning machine from a home center and doing it yourself. Lots of people don’t like carpets (and it may not be financially possible for you to tear yours out and start refinishing the hardwood floors underneath). Clean carpets will certainly go over better than dirty, stained ones, though. Power wash the exterior. Dirt, leaves, moss and general grime do not create your house’s best look. Clean (or hire someone to clean) the windows–dirty windows make the house look dingy and depressing. Make sure your gutters are clear–clogged gutters are the number one cause of roof leaks, aside from the fact that they make the property look ill-cared for. Finally, obviously, clean your house (or have it done professionally). No buyer ever preferred a dusty, cobweb-filled interior over a clean one.

U.S. Postal Service’s Pre-Radar Navigation–Concrete Arrows?

September 29, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

U.S. Postal Service: Pre-Radar — How did U.S. Postal Service pilots navigate pre-radar? Strange, but true!

As strange as it sounds, sometimes the simplest solution, while not elegant, may suffice. When the U.S. Postal Service began to use airplanes to deliver mail, radar had yet to be invented. They flew mostly de-commissioned WW1 planes and many of the pilots were ex-Army or -Navy. Beginning in 1924, in order to help the pilots navigate at night, towers with lights (powered by generators) were installed every 3-5 miles along the transcontinental route between New York and San Francisco. At the base of these beacons, the government installed 50-70 foot long concrete arrows (painted bright yellow for greater visibility) to guide pilots and keep them on the route. So, both during daylight and dark, flights carrying mail to a demanding American public could make their way across the country without getting lost en route. While this system was only in use for about ten years, by which time the earliest form of non sight-based navigation had been developed, it grew to include about 1500 towers and was considered a success. While most of the towers are gone, some of the concrete arrows are still visible today. For more information about their locations and history, read this well-researched article.

Multi-Generational Living

September 29, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Multi-generational living is exactly what it sounds like–several generations of families living together. This trend grew during the recession: many young adults had trouble finding jobs and moved back in with their parents after college. Additionally, seniors who might have been relying on some help from their children for living expenses might have given up their residences and moved in with their kids to save money (as many of those home owners suffered job losses of their own). Additionally, seniors who are not working outside the home can help care for grandchildren and, if they drive, can run errands and help with meal preparation. Young adults can participate in those tasks as well as cleaning/house work and minor repairs, if they are handy.

Apart, though, from the financial benefits of sharing a home, Americans (a little late to the game, in my opinion) are discovering that there are some major advantages to multi-generational living. The opportunity for grandparents and grandchildren to see each other on a daily basis forms very strong familial bonds. It also means that there is less traveling for visits on weekends or holidays when many people would prefer to use the time to relax. Having young adults around with younger children may provide them with a confidante/role model (obviously, it depends on the young adult!). I also think that multi-generational living has the effect of strengthening the bonds and demonstrating the value of family. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues…

After writing the original post, above, during the pandemic, I wanted to, in late 2023, revisit the topic. I had wondered whether the trend would continue. This article indicates that it has. According to CNBC, 18% of American households are multi-genreational, a pattern that has grown steadily during the last 50 years. At this point, the main driver of creating multi-generational households is the incredible divergence between housing costs and wages. In the last 10 years, wages have increased by 54%, but housing has increased by 74%. If you look back even further (adjusted for general inflation), housing prices have, since 1965, inreased 118%, while income has only increased 15%.

With less and less available land to build on, new construction continues to lag behind demand for housing. It’s hard to see a scenario in which availability of housing increases substantially and there is no reason to expect demand to decrease–everyone needs somewhere to live. I hope that more options to the housing shortgage present themselves–there is some promise in the idea of inexpensive, quick-to-be-built modular or 3-D housing, for example. For now, though, multi-generational living remains a very good choice for many people, and not only for the cost savings.

This post was updated October of 2023.

Jen LeBow’s Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

September 24, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Jen LeBow’s Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Let it be known that I am not a gadget person. That said, there are few tools that I swear by. One of them is silicone muffin cups. I would never go back to a regular muffin tin because, even if you can get them all out without decapitating several of them, who wants to clean a muffin pan? For this recipe, I use the mini muffin cups which are available on Amazon and several kitchen websites. You certainly can make these using traditional metal muffin pans. One more thing: this is a “basic” muffin recipe which simply means that you can switch out the raspberries for another berry or for chocolate chips, or nuts—use your imagination.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you want regular size muffins, increase the oven temp to 425 degrees and they’ll probably need closer to 20 mintues. (Most muffin recipes instruct you to use lower temperatures. For a quick, great explanation of why a hotter oven makes better muffins, as well as a side by side photo that leaves no question about it, click here. )

In a standing mixer, cream:

1/3 cup softened, unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

Add:

2 eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.

Add and beat until combined:

1/3 cup water

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium) (I peel them and put them in a Ziploc bag and vent my frustrations from the day to get them to the proper consistency.)

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 t baking soda

¼ t baking powder

¼ t salt

Stir in, by hand:

1 cup chocolate chips

Scoop batter into muffin cups so they are just under ¾ full. Place muffin cups on cookie sheet and bake 18 minutes. Allow them to cool at least 10 minutes and then gently remove the muffins from the cups (you will be amazed at how easily they come out!). Cool on a wire rack a couple of hours before sealing in an air-tight container.

Fabulous Fall Festivals

September 23, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

philadelphia relocation — There are all kinds of fall events and activities in our area! Something for everyone!

We are very fortunate to live between the city and some of the nation’s best farmland when it comes to celebrating fall. Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls has long enjoyed its status as the country’s largest and best haunted house. It is, by far, the most popular single Halloween event in the area. Haunted houses not your thing? How about Ardmore’s Oktoberfest, with beer tasting, food and music and games for the whole family? Looking for more of an outdoor, harvest-themed way to celebrate fall? Besides several pick-your-own farms for corn mazes, hay rides and apple and pumpkin picking, there is the (uniquely Pennsylvanian) Kennett Square Mushroom Festival. If you are all for fun and games, but don’t mind indulging your shopping muse, try the Radnor Fall Festival. Harry Potter Festival sound interesting? Head up to Chestnut Hill. Don’t miss the Paoli Blues Fest, if you enjoy blues music. For more on leaf viewing and other fall celebrations, events and activities, click here.

Jen LeBow’s Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies (w/secret ingredients!)

August 31, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

There are plenty of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, and, to be fair, this particular treat can, indeed, be interpreted across a fairly wide spectrum as far as flavor and texture. Personally, I like them paper-thin and crispy. The recipe below is the result of my food science research and countless experimental batches. Note: they are incredibly fragile and don’t travel well, so if you intend to bring them to someone, make sure you pack them up carefully!

Preheat oven to 350.

In standing mixer, cream:

2 sticks (1/2 pound) room temperature butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Add & combine:

1 1/8 cups flour

1/4 finely ground pecan meal

2/3 cup oats

1 cup (not packed) sweetened, shredded coconut

2 t vanilla extract

1 t coffee extract (really affects the flavor)

Add and gently combine:

1 1/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Using about 2 teaspoons (not tablespoons!) of dough per cookie (really, don’t use more), smash the cookies as flat as you can with the heel of your hand onto the cookie sheet (the chocolate chips should dig into and hurt your hand if you’re doing it right!). It’s fine if some of the metal of the pan shows all the way through the dough of the cookie. Don’t put the cookies too close together or they will melt into each other.

Bake about 9 minutes.

Let cookies rest no more than 3 minutes before removing them (or they will break!) with a thin spatula to cookie racks to cool.

For some resources on troubleshooting cookies, try:

Crafty Baking Problems and Solutions

Fine Cooking Troubleshooting Cookies

Ulitmate Cookie Troubleshooting Guide

The She-Shed Balances the Man Cave

August 29, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

The She-Shed has arrived — The possibilities are endless!

With more and more research supporting the idea that leisure time and relaxation are vital to emotional health and general happiness, many people are focusing on just how to use their time, money (and space!) to embrace whatever it is that they enjoy. Evidence of popular support for this movement can be seen in a new trend popping up: the she-shed. The idea is that a pre-fab, modular or even custom-designed and built shed (or small outdoor structure) is installed in the back yard. Some are dedicated to a particular hobby, like gardening, jewelry-making or yoga, while others serve as home offices, overflow guest space or whimsical getaways. Most she-sheds have power, but not plumbing (though, of course, that could be installed). there’s even a company in Colorado, Studioshed, dedicated to manufacturing pre-fab versions of these in several styles, using renewable resources. These particular ones are pretty modern, but there are as many types of she sheds as there are “she”s. To see some additional pictures and get some ideas, click here.

Could a Robot Build a House in a Day?

August 28, 2016 by Jennifer LeBow Leave a Comment

Could homes be built in a day? — No coffee breaks for this builder!

A California University engineering professor, Behrosh Khoshnevis, is fine-tuning a robot that is designed to build houses, using CAD and 3-D printers along with concrete. The robot’s capabilities should make variations simple enough that Khoshnevis predicts it could build not only the most basic housing (like military housing, HUD housing and residential dwellings in quickly developing nations, but also more high-end, customizable homes and perhaps even habitats on lunar bases. Not only would the robots build houses faster (as they can work continuously), but they could do the job for much less money (the estimated savings are 20%-25% on financing, 25%-30% on materials and 45%-55% on labor). The robot extrudes liquid concrete in layers, and is equipped with tools not much different than the humble trowel to aid in construction. A final benefit: the brain power replacing the muscle power traditionally required in the construction industry will create jobs for older, less physically able workers. To see more, click here.

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