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Seller Stories

A moving experience South of the Border
A picture-perfect house
Apartment an alternative to senior home move #692
Awaiting a special someone
Bad choices & decisions end in a story of regret #655
Basements become treasure hunts
Bathroom floor dilemma finally solved
Breaking every single rule for a very special house
Even old and needy homes will attract buyers or investors #652
Every little thing shows #698
Every real estate transaction has a story
Grateful seller makes fresh start in life
Making a trio of sad houses happy
Milk and cookies at Grandma’s house
Moves are often underestimated
Moving on opens a whole new world of diversions #658
Myrna’s clean house gave us a real head start
Old liens can haunt you #731
One client’s tale
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Preparing for a long distance move #744
Repair list grows as house empties
Rustic structure reflects over 70 years of being ’home’
Seller gives eager young couple break
Seller’s unsolicited kindness astounds both buyer and agents
Sellers must be ready to ‘let go’ if they want to sell
Their house looked so nice, they decided to stay #741
There are some properties you just never forget #683
When it comes to bad houses…#662

Seller Information

A well-presented home is key to sale
Appreciating a master of decoration
Behind the scenes: preparing a listing for the public
Bringing a house to market #727
Cleaning out my mom’s house
Details are a big part of the home selling equation
Don’t sell just to accommodate others #722
Dress up a dingy home? Why not fix it up?
Expert handles liquidation of estate with ease #663
Facing alternatives as we age
Find a theme to help buyers dream
Fresh details can enhance a property’s personality
Getting an old-timer ready for the market
Growing older: move or stay?
Have fun ‘staging’ home for sale
Here’s one for Eichler cult members
House filled with 100 years of treasures
Inherited trailer turns up unexpected treasures for neighbors
Inspections help seller, buyer prioritize repairs
It is important to be thorough when preparing a home for sale #719
It pays to take time to prepare your house for sale #699
Letting go, moving on
Little extra touch-ups give house well-cared-for-feel
Making some lists, checking them twice
Making sure the price is right
Most houses aren’t perfect, but don’t second guess future buyers’ preferences
New owners for my mom’s house
Older homeowners find options varied
Opportunity to make money on money spent #704
Preparing a house to sell #661
Readying a home for sale requires good judgment and creativity #737
Realtors are realistic about advising sellers on preparing their homes
Searching for magic in a quiet garden spot
Selling in your future? Start paring down belongings now #724
Selling my mom’s house
Selling without agent risky business at best
Selling? Let there be light! #738
Should I sell on or off market? #682
Small, sensible improvements can sell a house
Staging can emphasize a home’s unique appeal
The art of staging a home #723
The fun of preparing houses for the market #720
The ideal real estate sale: a walk through
The organization of elements in staging a home makes a difference
The route to a ready-to-sell home has many turns and detours
There are many advantages to prepping & marketing a vacant house #718
There are many variables when getting a house ready to sell #691
There is a need for a plan #690
There’s no easy formula for determining a home’s value
Thinking ahead is a good thing! #725
Time well taken does pay off #685
Tiny tasks can take the most time
To redo or not to redo – that is the question #693
To sell or not to sell? That is the question
Treating your house as a product
Up-front disclosures are the best policy #671
Value is what a buyer will pay
Wall-to-wall carpet…everywhere #697
Wanting to sell? Put your best house forward
What’s a seller to do?
When it’s time to get ready
When preparing home for sale, how much is too much?
When the mind’s eye plays tricks
Your biggest investment deserves expert attention

Home Life & Home Maintenance

A clean-as-a-dream machine
A good paint job is worth every dollar spent #653
A termite saga: from sandy brown tubes to ‘good riddance’
April is the time to celebrate your garden
Are we slaves to our belongings? #735
Bees, bees everywhere
Bestowing tender, loving care on a home, a bit at a time
Bringing an old home back to life
Change in the weather a harbinger for making those winter-time adjustments
Chipping away at others’ carelessness
Cleaning & maintenance is just part of owning & living in a house #669
Colors and fancies of the spring season
Columnists sound the alarm
Desire for cleanliness
Distressed (old) furniture pieces can make your home feel inviting #721
Do it ‘ourself’ repairs #742
Do not lie awake worrying about house maintenance #707
Do you feel guilty that your house needs cleaning? #743
Everyone likes a nice kitchen
Everything in my life is clean, clean, clean
Fall leaves lead to packed gutters #695
Fireplace fun; winter is time to get serious
Garden puts on its best face in early spring
Gardener rewarded with summer bounty
Gardening lessons may not include plans
Give new glow to old light fixtures
Grass seeds cling to life – and clothes
Gretchen gardens with gusto, talks in tongues to plants
Grout getting grungy? Call an expert
Here’s the ticket to some great gifts
Homeowners develop a caring relationship with their homes #654
Household hints: useful ways of making life easier
Houses present many new challenges
How does my garden grow?
Installing new shower worth the effort
It’s true: There are places that stringy things just don’t belong
Just what the (window) doctor ordered: A quick, clean, accurate ‘Angel’
Keep a tree or fell it?
Linens provide trip down memory lane
Little spit and polish perks up ‘60s home
Make your garden a place for retreat #676
Martha’s new house: Renewing an outdated kitchen
Mastering the significant art of window washing
Miracles do happen! #729
Mundane task yields forgotten, edible loot
Napa home is more than just another rental property
Nick cleans out (or I lose my security deposit)
Oh, deer, here they come again
Old house undergoes satisfying changes
Paint: A fresh coat can add fresh life, color
Plumbing can present many challenges #733
Rain drives my garden wild
Rain, rain, please stay away
Recipe for stove problems: Call on an expert repairperson
Regrouting the tile in Pat’s shower
Remodel for yourself, only after that as an investment #673
Sandblasting helps home regain a 1960′s style appeal
Spring begins the garden season with enticing hints of color
The ruler versus reality: Sometimes things just don’t jive
The true confessions of a bulb-o-maniac
There goes Gretchen again!
Things that go bump in the night
This old house, if it were mine…
Troublesome termite tubes torment tenacious homeowner
Try this at home: Happily bid an old refrigerator good-bye
Valuable lessons learned during remodel
Water, water everywhere.
What has eight legs and hangs out in the tub?
What to do with unwanted furnishings #688
What’s in store for all that extra stuff?
When a fire can be so inviting
Worker does wonders with wooden windows
‘Magic’ solution makes spots disappear

Buyer Stories

A project, a dream and then fulfillment
Compulsive buyer snaps up new home
Couple gets lucky at first open home tour
Couple’s commitment makes life easier for dedicated team
Couple’s compromise lets them plan for the long term
Fairytales can come true
If at first you don’t succeed, try again #684
It can take concerted work to be a buyer #689
Moving in: a celebration
Our heart’s desire #687
Shaping the dream
The glow of home ownership #736
Weighing the pros and cons of home purchase
When not even the buyer knows for sure

Buyer Information

A most important project
A sign does not necessarily tell the whole story #708
Buying a house is a big deal #710
Buying a house takes on life of its own
Buying a house: a clip-and-save guide
California is a lovely land #706
Can I buy the house I’m renting without an agent?
Couple on the fence about buying or renting in Berkeley
Doing the numbers
Even move-in ready comes with a to-do list #730
Even thinking about owning rental property is daunting
Expounding on your priorities helps your agent’s quest for ‘perfect’ home
First-time buyers more educated, but passion same
Flat roof is leaking with problems
Helping buyers help themselves
Locating buyer’s ‘perfect’ home puts matchmaking skills to test
Looking to buy? Can you describe what you really want?
Make your move-in to-do list & check it twice
Maybe you want to buy a house, maybe not
Ofttimes buyers and sellers neglect inter-agent protocol
Open house gathers unprecedented attention
Pat recalls thrill of owing her first home
Possibilities in eye of beholder
Practice envisioning a home’s potential #667
Representing both buyer & seller: good idea? #703
Search for dream often futile
Sometimes it’s baby steps; sometimes leaps and bounds
Striking the right kind of relationship is key
The agent you choose can make you or break you #739
The fine art of making decisions
These are the times that try buyer’s (and seller’s) souls
They did the right thing #716
Time must be on the buyer’s side
What once was true, is now true again #714
When there’s never a right time to buy
When you happen upon the house, be ready
Without true desire, it’s never going to happen #715

Information for Both Sellers and Buyers

A train, a treasure, uncovered
Appreciating a very special home
Are you waiting for that elusive ‘best’ moment?
Ask questions before you hire a real estate agent #709
Attractive homes still get snapped up
Berkeley: long ago and far away, yet so close
Bubbly or solemn, everyone worries
Building that elusive quality called magic
Buyers can be too forgiving of suspicious sale
Buyers want maximum appeal, but not always #732
Clients’ trust allows ‘amazing’ transformation
Do you really want to move? #686
Growing attached to a home
Home inspections: Doom & gloom or professional observations? #734
Homeowners develop a caring relationship with their homes
How not to do real estate
In home market lurks the unknown
In search of the right agent
Is the market really going south?
Just looking, thanks: An $8 million Piedmont adventure
Make a priorities list and start searching #728
Matchmaking buyers with sellers is a fine art #665
Measure EE: taking things a bit too far
Moving house is not for the fainthearted
Next chapter begins for charming old house
Once again, unsettling things going on in the market #700
Planning ahead: Review your living trust every five years
Readers become our friends: Myrna and Bethany
Realtors need to know their turf
Receipts that tell a story
Sandy closes chapter on beloved house
Selling a ‘hard-to-sell’ home #726
Sharing our happiness
Shipping costs a moving experience
The good, the bad, and the truly awful
There are many charming & beautiful things that bring us pleasure #702
There’s no place like home, Toto
Thinking of a house as a box is helpful #701
Thinking of kids when moving
Treading into the unknown
What does ‘home’ mean? #674
What role do photos play when buying/selling a house? #740
When things go wrong as they sometimes will…
Why count sheep? Take a mind tour instead
You just never know when something might come in handy
Your real estate agent can make you or break you #711

Potpourri

2014 Year end review #694
A love affair with Mr. Clean: He erases like magic
A parent’s eternal lament: What will become of our kids?
A surprise from the IRS
Agents fear buyers wouldn’t be in tune with old piano #657
Are you part of Pat’s era? Well, that depends…
Be it mundane or exciting, there’s nothing like mail
Bebe’s listing has it all
Big tree or no big tree; that is the question
Blinds go up and down, but hardly elevate a room’s style
Blitz gardening is now micro gardening #680
Bring nature inside and enjoy small elements of beauty
Can you insure against the unspeakable, the unimaginable?
Comparing notes: Gardening with Gretchen
Cottage is the apple of their eyes
Doctor’s visit prelude to near-perfect day
Down on the farm: Perusing the Encyclopedia of Country Living
Enjoy the holidays, but don’t forget those in need
Even hardworking Realtors don’t always get repeat business #745
Experience the amazing amaryllis
Exploring something new (to us): Laptop computers
Feeding our fine-feathered friends
Fireplace decorating sparks festive memories with toys and trinkets
Fun at the county fair
Going Digital with best house details
Happy 2004 or how we spent New Year’s Day in the dark
Happy holidays to you…and may your tamales be tasty
Holidays past and present: it’s all about presents
How long does it take to find a house?
Into the jaws of the beast: ‘Bulky trash pickup day’
Life in the Valley of the Quails
Modern communication – pluses and pitfalls
Money can buy happiness – earn it, save it, spend it
Nature is the greatest artist
New life for old concrete
New stuff for the new year
Nick flies the coop
Open homes for Realtors help ‘feed’ their enthusiasm for a newly listed house
Pairing down requires constant effort
Put another nickel in…Just what could a nickel buy just before World War II?
Rag (and round) rug rescue and repair
Readers share their memories
Real estate through the eyes of an ‘observer nonpareil’
Research yields the ‘truth’ of MacGregor homes
Roommates, aka ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’
Scaring up something for the garden
Snowbound tale buries apartment dweller in suspense
Speaking engagement uncovers the history of Tarpoff & Talbert
Spooky moments in real estate
Surprising homeowners at the holidays
Team Gretchen: what a difference clean makes
Television ‘staging’ show is entertaining, often misguided
That’s no mortgage; it’s a savings plan
The best-laid plans: A day not spent in the garden
The house that Sandy bought
The Joy of Flowers
The Kessler Family Singers: real estate for a song
The OSH How-To Fair is fun and informative, and it’s free!
Things that make me happy
Tis the season for handy home-improvement gifts
Toys of the past settle into Christmas present #717
Up a tree? Don’t worry, Shaun has it all worked out
Washing your clothes without all that agitation
When a tenant moves…
You just never know when it might come in handy

Consulting Information

Good news, bad news haunt vacation homeowner
Helping others as they help themselves
When remodeling, don’t over-individualize
Yes, we do regular real estate

Some Stories About Pat & Anet

A closer look at the team of Tarpoff & Talbert
A look back and a glance forward
Agent friends help out in any pinch
Always willing to look for ‘treasures’ #713
Amaryllis bulbs make our Olga ogle
Anet learns chicken sounds…in vain
Anet looks on the bright side, even when the lights are off
Anet: ‘Born to be wild’
Anet’s a real live wire
As technology overwhelms Pat, she finds comfort in a pressure cooker
Brainstorming ideas for the all important listing flyer
Coolidge Avenue exotica: Growing up with Barbara
Cowboys, Bengal tigers, divers – you’ll find it all at county fair
Dyeing eggs red – Anet’s Easter tradition
Each house tells its own story
Fluffy helps bring back childhood memories
Friends, food and fins make a home
Holiday decorations help keep our favorite memories alive
In the garden – away from it all; well away from the kids (sort of)
It can be disturbing to ‘go’ home again #672
Let’s do it for the kids…well, maybe not
Making wishes come full circle: a look at who we are
Memorable giveaways can help make listings memorable #696
New listings can be sweetly satisfying
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Pat and Anet ruminate on ways of real estate world
Realtors did their own ‘Trading Spaces’ two decades ago #650
Recycling brings pleasure to both the old owner and the future owner
Selling houses very satisfying and rewarding #660
Sometimes we think too much; it’s time to get moving and doing
That was then…a look back at our beginnings
Tools of the trade
Valentine to a perfect partner
Water, water everywhere, and…
What exactly do we do?
Words help ‘build’ awareness of a home’s features
Working with crafts brings fond childhood memories

Humor

Can we always trust our first impressions?
It’s not always easy to view a house that is for sale #712
Lost keys not found
That dreaded sound in the house: The toilet’s running!
The grand cleanup #705
The same land, same as it always was #668
‘Twas right around Christmas when Pip got the mouse


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