Home & Garden Blog Articles (page 2)
Learn about Home & Garden
A Home for the Holidays
by Chris Petry While conventional wisdom might suggest that the holiday season is a slow time for real estate, there’s also compelling counter arguments for why it isn’t or, at the very least, why it shouldn’t be. If we break it down to purely numbers, then yes, you’re likely to see less new listings and less sales in the time period between mid-November and January. Tha
It's Soup Season!
by Chris Petry Go ahead, laugh it up, sun worshipers. You know and I know, these 70-degree days won’t be able to hold out much longer. If there’s one thing about cold weather, I think we can all agree on, it’s soup. I guess there are dissenters out there somewhere. An old friend of mine once broke up with a girl who told him she didn’t like soup. “How can you unila
Scholarship Program 2022-2023
by Chris Petry Every year at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred & Stouffer Realty, we grant scholarships to three lucky students who exemplify the traits of our Dream Innovate and Grow Scholarship Program. Each student receives $1,000 toward his or her education, every year for up to four years, for a total value of $4,000. It’s the least we can do. We get it: college is ex
The Pumpkin Invasion
by Chris Petry Is there any singular item more indicative of the Fall season than a pumpkin? When it comes to Fall décor, from mid-September to late November, pumpkins reign supreme. Their staying power has to, in some small part, boil down to their simplicity. Sure, you can carve a face into one or paint it but it’s far from necessary. Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes a
The Colors of Autumn
by Chris Petry Depending on the survey, anywhere between 29 and 42% of Americans rank Fall as their favorite season. I know what you’re thinking; doesn’t this fly in the face of conventional wisdom that suggests most people are at their happiest half way through their third Mai Tai on a tropical beach in early July? I bet if you asked them by the time they finished that Mai Tai, the
The Pleasures of Reading
by Chris Petry Go ahead and groan. It’s okay. I get it. Reading is not for everyone. Indeed, some people will tell you it’s a chore or worse, a punishment. My theory? They’re just not reading the right material. Don’t think I’m here to convince you that you should spend your downtime brushing up on the philosophical musings of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy or crossing off
Take a Break! It's Labor Day
by Chris Petry Next Monday, many businesses will remain closed for the day in observance of Labor Day. Labor Day is a federally-recognized holiday, celebrating the hard work of the nation’s citizenry. While work is nothing new, it was only after the Industrial Revolution that lawmakers, union leaders, and activists began to make headway in advancing policies that prioritized the safety of
Back to School
by Chris Petry I spent most of the weekend tossing and turning, my inner monologue bouncing around innate topics like ping pong balls against my skull. What will be this week’s blog topic? Needless to say, when I handed in a paper using Cryptozoological creatures as metaphors for the human psychological need to pursue the unattainable, my Editor was none too pleased. Then she suggested a
Barbenheimer: Why Do Things Go Viral?
by Chris Petry I admit it. I fell prey to the Barbenheimer hype train. If you’re not active on one of the major social platforms (TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) or pop culture/film industry news sites (Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Screen Rant, Collider, etc.), you may be wondering what I’m talking about right now. This week saw the simultaneous releases of
The Northern Lights
by Chris Petry Earlier this week as I was reviewing a list of potential topics for the day’s blog entry, my exuberant colleague bounced into the doorway of my office with an idea of her own. “Do you already have a topic lined up for this week? How about the Northern Lights? It’s trending right now.” Truth is, I was torn between discussing the benefits of sunblock and the
