by Jeff Pittman | May 13, 2015 | So Cal Cities
Long Beach has so many neighborhoods, areas and places to check out including Retro Row just down 4th Street. You can partake in a variety of vintage shopping, sips, awesome eats, and even get beautified all within a block. Stretching between Cherry and Junipero, Retro Row is home to over 40 kitchy, hip, independent merchants. It’s bike friendly, hosts tons of unique events and full of the creative spirit that makes Long Beach such a cool place to live. There’s tons of areas to explore in Long Beach but it’s time to put Retro Row at the top of your list! Check out these 9 rad shops and restaurants to hit on your tour of this vintage niche. Here are 9 Reasons To Check Out 4th Street Retro Row In Long Beach: GOOD EATS ART DU VIN WINE BAR They’ve got games, they only spin vinyl and of course they’ve got a great selection of wines to choose from. Pop in for Wino Wednesdays when a glass of house wine is just $4 or stop by any time to play a game of Cards Against Humanity with the local crowd. Art du Vin serves up a variety of wines coupled with fine cheese, meets, honey and fresh, hot homemade bread. Plus they carry a few beers and ciders to accommodate everyone’s taste. PORTFOLIO COFFEEHOUSE If you’re looking for some cool and friendly ambiance, Porfolio Coffeehouse is a great place to go. The coffee shop and café sometimes features local artists and live music, the customer service is great and it’s got WIFI so it’s the perfect spot to study or...
by Jeff Pittman | May 13, 2015 | Homeowners
When the weather heats up this summer in SoCal, we’ll all be desperately trying to keep the temperature down at home. If you don’t have air conditioning, or if you’re trying to save on the cooling bills this presents a particularly sticky situation. Some rooms are naturally hotter than others based on their location and size but fortunately there are some easy ways to keep the hottest room cool this summer. You don’t have to sweat it out to save money or pay an arm and a leg to keep the air conditioning running all day – there’s plenty of painless tricks that can keep you cool. Here are some ways to keep the house cool & your energy bill low this summer: CLOSE OFF UNUSED ROOMS You probably have rooms in your home that aren’t in use all the time like that extra bedroom or your home office. Closing those doors during the day will make a world of difference in keeping your warmest and most utilized rooms more comfortable. That being because shutting the door keeps the cool air confined to just the rooms you use. REVERSE YOUR CEILING FAN DIRECTION Did you know that setting your ceiling fans to blow counter-clockwise creates a wind-chill effect, making your inside temperature lower? It’s true. Change the rotation of your ceiling fans with the seasons for optimal temperature and energy consumption. SWITCH YOUR LIGHTBULBS Yep, making a simple switch from incandescent bulbs to the newer, more efficient CFLs will have a significant impact on the temperature of your rooms. About 90% of the energy produced by traditional incandescent bulbs is...
by Jeff Pittman | May 11, 2015 | Buyers
Home Buying and Selling Etiquette As with any other event in life that involves interaction between people, home buying and selling real estate requires you to follow certain etiquette rules that ensure a pleasant experience for all involved. No need to keep your pinkies up, but having manners indicates that you have respect and consideration for others in this very personal business. Here’s your accelerated course at real estate finishing school including what every person must know before their first real estate deal. FOR BUYERS RESPECT TIME Agents and sellers put in a great deal of effort and coordination into preparing a house for showing. So be respectful of the schedule your real estate agent has drawn up and stick to it. If you are going to be late, inform your agent in advance so that others are not inconvenienced by the delay. Remember that they have a life to live too. Your agent may have other clients lined up for a showing. Your seller may have postponed her outside commitments to prepare the house for you. Respect time – yours and others’. While requesting appointments, don’t ask for a showing on Friday night at 9 pm or 8 am on a weekday morning. Also, be realistic about how many houses you can see a day. As much as you would like to see all houses on the same day, you won’t be able to squeeze in more than 9 or 10 on an average day. Showing up at the doorstep unannounced and unescorted by your agent is a strict no-no, though it may be okay if it is an...
by Jeff Pittman | May 8, 2015 | Weekly Quote
“To have an excellent lifestyle means to enjoy your life the way you like it.” ~ Anonymous
by Jeff Pittman | May 6, 2015 | Buyers
Buying a property is a serious investment that calls for a thorough and professional inspection beforehand. Now, even though an expert is supposed to examine the place before the purchase, it never hurts to do your own inspection, just in case. The things you want to check out are those correlated with your everyday life; that is, stuff you are going to do on a day-to-day basis. They may seem obvious but not every homebuyer even thinks to do these small inspections themselves. Here are 6 DIY home inspections you can do before calling in the professionals. PULL BACK CARPETS One of the most expensive jobs done by qualified professionals is mold removal. Unless you want to spend a fortune on a good cleaning company, check every room – and especially the bathroom – for signs of mold. It usually looks as if the walls are dirty, there is no way you don’t notice it. Plus, if there is lots of mold in the property, even if it is not visible, you are going to smell it. Now that we have mentioned mold, here is what else you might be missing out. Mold and mildew don’t always show. Sometimes they are hidden under furniture and carpets. To find out if this is not the case with the property you want to buy, simply pull part of the carpet back so that you can inspect the floors. It will also allow you to check the condition of the carpet itself. TASTE THE WATER If the pipes are old, you may end up getting some extra stuff in your glass every...
