I don’t have advice this week. Rather, I clearly need some. Twice in the past few months I have ordered flowers from a florist. Twice I have been disappointed. Once
Most savvy buyers of real estate know the popular mantra “Location, location, location.” However, fewer know that on the other side of the table savvy sellers have an equally important mantra: “Lighten, lighten, lighten.”
“We’ve long known that if you want to appeal to the greatest number of buyers, use light colors,” said Annie Elliott, project manager for New Again Houses, a fix-and-flip company based in Tennessee with franchises in 11 states. In that role, Elliott has managed nearly 300 house flipping projects.
“In 95% of the homes I tackle, darkness is a big problem,” Elliott said when we talked recently about the power of light. “Dark interiors feel depressing, and make spaces feel smaller,” she said.
“Buying nothing,” I say, tapping keys.
“I like the sound of that,” he says.
“Me, too,” I say, for a change.
My husband and I recently replaced our home’s air conditioning system and eight outdated light fixtures. We are still recovering from our home-improvement hangover, for which the best cure is no spending for six months. So when a reader sent me a link to the Buy Nothing Project (buynothingproject.org), I was primed.
A global web of neighborhood Facebook groups where members post stuff they are giving away or need, the Buy Nothing Project works like a giant gift exchange where nothing is expected in return. The aim is to knit together communities, reduce excess consumption and lighten the load on the planet.
Today
Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 28F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 28F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Updated: April 12, 2021 @ 5:03 pm
He was there for her in her darkest hour. Later, she was there for his.
At age 3, Mya, a rat terrier mix, had been left at an animal shelter. Her owners deposited her there when she turned up pregnant. (Don’t get me started on whose fault that was.) Her six pups all found homes. But no one wanted a depressed, post-partum dam with a questionable past. That DC rescued her from a most certain death 10 years ago she has not forgotten.
Two years later, when DC lost his wife to cancer, Mya offered comfort and companionship, helped shoulder his grief and got him out of the house.