Hoodle Blog

Are you dreaming of your next vacation getaway at a fancy hotel suite where you can lounge in the lap of luxury, surrounded by fancy furniture and delightful décor? Are you drooling over the latest interior design magazines and wishing that you too could indulge in a home renovation to give your modest looking bedroom a total makeover and have it dripping with all the a la mode trends?

From 55-plus baby boomers to seasoned seniors in their late 70s, 80s and beyond, older adults span a wide age range. And so do choices in housing for those demographics.

You may have heard the debate of whether vinyl or fibreglass make the best choice for your windows if you’re having a new home built or if you are doing a home renovation. Perhaps you have even gone over to a builder’s supply store or are seeking a home builder to consult with. Read on to see 5 reasons why fibreglass might be the option that’s clearly the best over the years and will have you looking at the brighter side of things. Pun intended.

So, you think you’ve found your dream home after months of relentless search and research. The interior design is immaculate. The landscape design- perfect. The neighborhood is ideal, and the location is prime. This is it! The price is right within your budget, and you are all set to move in – except because the price is so “right”, you find yourself in a bidding war with a few dozen other potential buyers who are vying for your dream home!

Smart homes devices are becoming increasingly mainstream. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the global market for smart home tech is expected to expand by 26.9 % in 2019 compared to the year before. It’s not just the early adopters or that super tech savvy kid down the street who’s making the switch, it’s also seniors, people with certain disabilities and families of all shapes and sizes who are jumping on board and embracing the technology.


Real estate Is generally the largest investment an individual or family makes financially. As with any investment, it is important to stay on top of how environmental conditions other circumstances affect your investment. Deferred maintenance is when the needed attention is not given to the investment. When basic maintenance and repairs are put off too long or not attended to at all, the cost can add up to get back to working order.

There are many questions that come up in the home buying and selling process that impact how we make our decisions in a real estate transaction. Questions from buyers may be ones such as, Is this the right time? Is this the right house? Is this the best location?, What if another house comes on the market that’s better?  Or, Is this the best investment?.  Sellers also many times have concerns asking questions such as, Is this the only/best offer we will get?, What if we get another showing or offer?, or Is this the best time to sell? 

I am a St. Louis-based Realtor and was recently hired by a couple who were looking to buy their first new home in several years. They were looking for low-maintenance living (there is no such thing as “Maintenance-Free Living”). As we went through the discovery process we determined: where they wanted to live: how big a home they wanted; how many bedrooms and bathrooms; the limits of their budget; whether they want an existing home or a new construction home; etc. They did their homework and had all of the answers. They knew what they wanted. They said they had been driving around and found a townhouse they were interested in. However, knowing they wanted everything on one level I asked if they were sure they wanted a townhouse or villa? They said they wanted a townhouse. So I checked it out and it looked like a villa to me.

Between the tiny-house craze and bestselling books about minimizing your life, we’ve probably all thought about downsizing at one point or another. But is it really the right move for you at this moment in time? Before you decide to move forward with downsizing, it’s smart to spend some time thinking about the possible repercussions and what it’s going to mean for your life so that you can do it the right way — without regrets.

Buying and selling real estate can be a long and involved process or it can be smooth and quick. As with most any situation in life, you get out of it what you put into it.  I would like to share with you some thoughts from both sides of a real estate transaction and why it’s important to do your homework, make no assumptions, and be prepared for anything.

“Is this a good time to sell my house?” That’s one question that real estate agents are used to fielding, but as a homeowner, the answer might not be quite so obvious. Whether or not you should sell your house now or wait a few months (or years) depends on a number of factors, including the current market where you live, but there’s a lot that you can do to help educate yourself about the best time to sell a house and when to make a move.

I gathered seeds in my garden today, carefully removing each one from the dried out pods encasing them. It’s hard to imagine something so small and withered holds so much hope and promise for next year.

We have all heard this as being at the heart of real estate. Location is vital to the decision making process for buyers, realtors, companies, and communities.  This is the number one phrase in real estate and is repeated three times for emphasis of how important it is.

I think we all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing that day. As if it were a slow-motion video playing over and over again in our minds.

Selling your house can be an intensely emotional experience in any market, but it’s particularly nerve-wracking when it seems like other homes are going under contract in a matter of days while your listing lingers. In that situation, sellers can’t help but wonder if there might be something wrong with their place.