Tag: Living Spaces

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

In Focus

FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I suspect he never had to remove a stripped bibb seat.

When my wife and I bought our house, we inherited a leaky shower faucet. Moreover, this wasn’t the steady drips of a faucet fudging on the details. This was the insistent flow of an army on the march accompanied by the high-pitch hellhound whine of a valve not tightly stanched somewhere behind the bathroom tile.

After putting it off for four months, I got right on the task of fixing the problem. At all costs, I wanted to avoid paying a plumber to do the fix. So I brushed up on shower-faucet lingo online and ran to my local hardware store to buy a new stem set.

After much experimentation, false starts, and trips back to the hardware store to buy socket wrenches or O-rings, I decided to replace everything, all the way to the bibb seat at the back of the faucet contraption. Of course, for that I needed a bibb-seat tool. Tapering or non-tapering? I made an uneducated guess.

The cold-water-side bibb seat came out like it was greased with honey, but it came out. The hot-water seat, however, felt like it was greased with the Ural Mountains. It was going nowhere, and worse, I was starting to strip the seat’s brass grip with the steel of the seat tool. Things were getting desperate. Every time I tried, I stripped the bibb seat more. I was starting to get the Fear, and it was looking like I needed professional help — at least a plumber for the short-term.

I tried one last time: I hammered the bibb-seat tool in, pushed with all my might, and turned. And the bibb seat came loose.

Twenty minutes later, everything was reassembled and the water turned back on, and the leak could be counted in the past. A week later, a sink faucet began dripping.

To spiders, being abducted by aliens, and the little girl from The Ring: Please add the newest entry on my list of fears — a leaky faucet.

greg@memphisflyer.com

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Opportunities abound for the first-time home buyer

For many people, buying a first home is a rite of passage. It’s a foot firmly planted in independence and on the path to success, a true part of the American dream. But as many first-time buyers are coming to realize, it’s more than just the end-goal of a journey toward financial independence. Buying a home, particularly your first home, just makes good plain sense, now more than ever.

Potential first-time buyers may be intimidated by today’s changing housing market. Isn’t it just better to “play it safe” and keep renting in case home prices fall? If you buy now, will you be paying too much?

First, these are valid considerations. Even those who have bought and sold many homes ask similar questions. But the truth is that today’s economic environment makes it an excellent time to buy. Interest rates are low by historical standards, there are lots of choices, and sellers are offering incentives.

Perhaps, as a first-time buyer, you want to wait until prices drop lower. Actually, if you continue to wait, you may never be able to afford to get into the housing market. The truth is, even a small uptick in interest rates can wipe out any gains from falling prices.

Consider this example: If you decide to wait to purchase a home and the price were to drop $10,000 from where it is today, you could still end up losing money. How? If interest rates were to move up half a point during this period, the savings on the reduced home price would be more than offset by the higher monthly payment you would be making over the life of the loan.

Interest rates currently stand at about 6.5 percent and are extremely favorable for buyers. In fact, they are hovering near 30-year lows. But waiting to time the market is a dangerous — and losing — game. Even those who follow the market for a living can’t figure out when interest rates will bottom out. If they could, they would all be multimillionaires. Because interest rates are near historic lows, it is much more likely that they will head higher in the future as opposed to moving even lower.

Now consider the current rental market. During the past few years, many rental units have been converted to condos, resulting in fewer rentals on the market. Less supply, higher prices. Each year, your rent can easily go up 5 to 10 percent. Where is the economic security in that? When you buy a home, you’re also locking in price stability, knowing that you will pay the same monthly payment for the life of your 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Plus, renting doesn’t get you the investment or tax benefits of homeownership.

The best way to build household wealth is to own a home. Once you do, you are able to take advantage of generous tax deductions, and your equity begins to build. Your home will appreciate in value over the years, and eventually you can use those gains to sell your starter home and afford to move into a bigger house. Remember, it’s called a starter home for a reason. With so many homes on the market to choose from, your best strategy may be to scale back expectations for your dream home. After a few years, you will be able to leverage this investment and buy a larger house.

The truth is, buying your first home just makes good sense. Housing is always a smart investment, and it is by far the best way to use a small amount of money for a big return. Interest rates are historically low, and the selection of homes on the market is plentiful. Do your research and you’ll come to this conclusion: In today’s market, the real risk isn’t in buying a home, it’s sitting on the fence.

Keith Grant is president of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

How To Sell Your Home in 5 Days by Bill Effros(Workman, $15.95)

Nobody wants to get stuck with the dead weight that is a house that won’t sell. The vagaries of the market coupled with the pressures of getting on to your next living arrangement can be enough to send your blood pressure shooting. But Bill Effros thinks he has just the sword to cut through this real estate Gordian knot. He calls it the 5-Day Method, and it’s the subject of How To Sell Your Home in 5 Days.

Here’s the method: On Wednesday, “Run an ad offering your home for 50 percent of what you think it’s worth or ‘best offer.'” Mention amenities for your home, times for a home opening that weekend, and include the line “Home will be sold Sunday night to the highest bidder.” On Saturday and Sunday, show your home. On Sunday night, call everyone who left bids and determine who will pay the most. Take the highest amount, and on Monday, call the settlement agent. Including Monday, that’s actually six days, but who’s counting?

The bidding process is a little tricky. It’s called “round-robin” bidding, and all offers are left on bidding sheets that are open to view by others at the open house. After the home showing, the seller calls the bidders and asks those with low bids if they’re willing to top the high bid. Eliminations are made, and the next day, you close with that price (provided you’re happy with it).

One of the bonuses touted by the book is never having to set a price for the home — you let the buyer do it. Another is that there’s no risk. (You are encouraged to tell everyone who places a bid that it is non-binding.) It utilizes free-market concepts to determine the sale price.

Effros’ method is predicated on the idea that the process of selling a home should really be about finding the best buyer — not just any buyer. He says that many homes sell for prices lower than other people would be willing to pay. “You sold to the first bidder, not the high bidder, because you didn’t know the true value of your home. You could have sold it for more,” Effros chides.

Effros assumes that people will want to bid on a home. Many, I’m sure, would. But there’s going to be a lot of potential buyers who are turned off by the whole idea and never even look at the house.

One of the major weak points in the plan is that no mortgage lender will pay more than a house is appraised for. Having someone willing to pay the amount of your wildest dreams is one thing; getting them approved is another. Unless they’re paying cash, be realistic. Effros goes so far as to say, “The bid price isn’t wrong; the appraiser is wrong.” He suggests describing the five-day plan to the appraiser and/or bank to get them to increase the appraisal/alter their stance.

How To Sell Your Home in 5 Days also has a section dedicated to advice that is good for any home seller, whether or not they use the five-day method. Knowing what to fix is especially put under the microscope, summed up in the axiom “Fix nothing unless you’re certain you’ll get back two dollars for every dollar you spend.” (This excludes repairs required by law after a professional inspection.)

Some statements, such as “There are always more people who want to buy homes than there are homes. It’s just a question of price,” sound a little questionable. The author also claims, “When this book is exactly followed, the 5-Day Method works every time.” He adds the caveat: “Alter the method at your own peril.”

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Lofty Digs

CREDIT: Courtesy of the Lofts

Courtesy of the Lofts

The Lofts from the corner of Tennessee and G.E. Patterson

Asking when the Lofts was developed is tricky business. Sure, the building was converted to condominiums from apartments pretty recently — starting in March 2005, with the first closings coming in December of that year. But that answer neglects, oh, about 100 years of the building’s life and ignores much of the charm inherited by the Lofts.

The building was born in 1909, and its first identity was as the Orgill Bros. & Co. Hardware and Saddlery Warehouse, which served as a distribution center. There was a system of pull carts for transportation of items to different parts of the building and a circular slide system to send packages down from floor to floor. (There’s still an example of a slide on the first floor of the building.) Orgill Bros. made an addition to the building in 1917.

So when the building was ready for conversion to accommodate residents, the developer, Henry Turley Company, paid particular mind to its historic characteristics. Demolition was never considered. As Henry Turley says, “It’s the best loft I’ve ever seen. Why would you tear it down?”

Courtesy of the Lofts

The Skyline Club at the Lofts

According to Lofts sales associate Mike Parker, “Whatever we could keep in its natural state — the timbers, the concrete beams, concrete pillars, concrete ceilings — we left them as they were. Some of them even had graffiti on them.

“It’s a recycled building,” Parker adds. “It could’ve been torn down, and we could’ve put up some new condos, but we thought that would be a little plain. We wanted to get good use of the building, and the people here love the exposed brick and the exposed timbers. They don’t make them like this anymore. They don’t make beams that are three feet by three feet much anymore.”

The neighborhood’s no slouch either when it comes to character, both historically and naturally. The Lofts is located at 505 Tennessee Street, about as far west you can go in Memphis without getting wet. Turley says, “[A]lmost invariably, industrial lofts are in industrial districts, next to railroads. It so happened that our industrial spot was next to the Mississippi River. It is a singular location.”

Courtesy of the Lofts

The lap pool at the Lofts

The roof deck of the Lofts offers a panoramic view of the river and city that’ll make you wish you had eyes in the back of your head just so you can take it all in. Among other features on the top of the building — called the Skyline Club — are a lap pool (from which “you can basically hang over the side of the building and overlook South Bluffs,” Parker says), grills for cooking, a fireplace that burns a no-muss denatured ethanol, a kitchenette, a sauna, and a workout facility.

Courtesy of the Lofts

The view from the Lofts looking north

Parker says, “We talked Henry into taking the workout facility from the first floor back in a corner, in the least desirable unit, and converting one of the most desirable units, a roof garden unit, into the workout facility. … We had some really nice workout equipment, and, as Henry says, ‘Don’t hide your light under a bushel.'”

But just because preservation of the past has been key in the design of the Lofts, don’t get the idea that the place isn’t as high-tech and forward-focused as possible. Wireless Internet is provided, as is basic cable. “It’s complementary to the building and the type of people who like this loft style of living,” Parker says.

But one of the best features is sure to satisfy your checkbook and higher sensibilities both: the energy-efficient system installed in the Lofts. “We’re a common-source water heat pump system, so our utilities are very low,” Parker says. “You’re not paying to heat or cool the water with your utility bill. You’re paying to blow [the air] throughout your unit once you’ve sent the prescribed temperature to your unit via your thermostat. Water and sewer are paid out of condo fees, but you still have control of your thermostat 365 days a year.”

Mike Parker

That translates to utility bills that run about $20 to $40 a month for a studio, for example. One resident, who lives in a 2,010-square-foot unit, had a $28 bill one month.

The need for a car is diminished for many residents by the proximity of the Lofts to the trolley line. “You can literally sit on the steps, wait for the trolley to come by, wave it down, and it’ll stop at the front door, pick you up, and take you to a Redbirds game, whatever,” Parker says. “You’re saving gas and saving the environment by cutting down on how much you take your car out.”

So far, 57 units out of 122 have sold. Remaining units start at $139,000 and range in size from 860 to 2,300 square feet. Of the bigger units, Parker says, “Forget watching football. You can play football in them.”

The Lofts also has a unique lease-to-own program. According to Parker, “If you’re not quite ready to buy, you can rent within the building for three to six months, and at the end of that period, we’ll give you half of up to six months back toward closing costs, homeowner’s fees, or upgrades, when you purchase in the building. You don’t even have to purchase the same unit. You can purchase bigger or smaller.”

The Lofts is the complete package, Turley says: “We argue that it is the best and the greenest loft in America.”

For more information on the Lofts, contact Mike Parker or Ashley Bonds at 578-6915.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Leafing for Good

CREDIT: Karen Schaber

Maybe, as local architect Lee Askew put it the other day, Memphians simply can’t see the forest for the trees. Literally.

Though residents may not notice just how many trees grow in Memphis, visitors are often
surprised at how green the city is. Maurice Cox, a former mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, and associate professor of architecture at the University of Virginia, was certainly surprised. “This seems like a city within a park,” he said.

Cox and Askew were two panelists at the University of Memphis’ “Urban Design and Placemaking: A Dialogue for Change” symposium last week. Held in connection with the university’s Turley Fellowship (created last year by developer and Flyer board member Henry Turley), the symposium brought local leaders together with experts from Harvard and the cities of Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville to start a dialogue about placemaking in Memphis.

“Every building has to be understood as a building block of the community,” said J. Stroud Watson, an architect in Chattanooga. “The streets, the sidewalks, parks, and plazas are all public space, but the buildings are what frame it.”

During a day-long discussion, the panelists spoke on a variety of topics, including the importance of building structures that can be used for more than one purpose, both for the sake of the physical environment and the city’s collective psyche.

“Yesterday we were shown a historic building that the developer wasn’t sure could be saved,” said Cox. “I was looking at a building that I know can be saved and is the very embodiment of the downtown fabric.”

According to Ann Coulter, the visiting Turley Fellow and the driving force behind the symposium, the panel did not have a set goal when it began. “We didn’t want to hem in the discussion,” she said. “The focus is not just on what you do, but how you do it.”

Recently, in partnership with neighborhood groups, the University of Memphis launched the University District Initiative to address social, health, urban design, and safety issues in the neighborhoods surrounding the school.

“I crossed the street yesterday to go to the Holiday Inn,” said panelist William McFarland, director of the Atlanta Renewal Community Coordinating Responsibility Authority. “[We’re] on a college campus?! It was frightening.”

Even though only 10 percent of students live on campus, the University of Memphis has tried to create an environment that doesn’t shout “commuter college.” The school doesn’t want students to feel like they could simply drive up to their classes. But that perhaps has created a sea of parking lots surrounding the campus, which, to some of the panel, isolated the school from the rest of the city.

“Universities have a way of weakening and collapsing the neighborhoods around them. No one wants to live near loud parties,” said Askew. “There used to be houses from here to Poplar. Now there’s a parking lot.”

But if there’s a time for change, it’s now. “These were professional observers, and they saw it immediately,” said Coulter. “The panelists from out of town commented over and over how the timing is right. The city is ready. The university is ready. The development community is ready. Everyone’s really excited about the opportunities they see.”

Coulter said the group is first taking time to reflect — and to transcribe all the comments — before they decide their next steps. I hope it somehow includes Cox’s idea of Memphis as a city within a park.

I’ve heard enough people mention the city’s wonderful tree canopy to think that Memphis may be overlooking an untapped opportunity.

Frank Ricks, principal of Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, mentioned that he has heard that one of the main reasons people leave Memphis is a lack of recreational activities. But maybe the city needs to frame the question — or the answer — better.

“Instead of wishing for mountains or an ocean,” added Askew, “we should see what we have.”

What if the city committed to the vision of a city inside a park? What would it be like to live in a uniformly lush, yet urban environment? Would people feel more inclined to visit Memphis? It may be last week’s Earth Day talking, but tree-lined streets seem marketable to me. Especially as the country becomes more urban.

A group of arborists and activists recently approached the City Council about applying for the Tree City, U.S.A. program, a designation that says a city commits to a certain level of tree management.

Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee to not have this designation. The administration didn’t make any promises — cities have to spend a certain amount on tree maintenance each year — but it could be a good first step.

Especially if it would mean turning a concrete jungle into an urban forest.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Urban Suburban

CREDIT: Soupstock | Dreamstime.com

It looks like downtown Memphis’ housing market may be getting some new competition. And it comes from a reliable, even traditional, source of real estate competition: the suburbs.

Germantown presented a Smart Growth Plan draft last month for its 700-acre central commercial and government district, complete with a new logo, wi-fi hot zones, and central city condos. It is, in short, a plan that puts the urban back into suburban.

The draft, created by the Lawrence Group, follows Germantown’s recent Vision 2020 plan, one of the goals of which was mixed-use redevelopment in the heart of the city.

According to community input from the Smart Growth draft, the public wants to see Old Germantown preserved and enhanced, a walkable/bikeable community, and more housing options, with mixed-use condos the most often cited. In fact, 95 percent of study respondents said they wanted to see townhouses, patio homes, and condominiums in the $150,000 to $349,000 price range, indicating to the consultants that there is a market for housing types not currently available.

The study even mentions installing countdown timers at pedestrian crosswalks!

If you’re not familiar with the timers, they tell pedestrians how many seconds they have left to cross a street. They’re simple and very helpful, especially on heavily pedestrian thoroughfares. But … they seem sort of out-of-place for a traditional, vehicle-driven (ahem) suburb.

Smart Growth itself seems an interesting choice for Germantown’s future. The design movement encourages compact, mixed-use communities in which people can walk to a variety of destinations.

Under its recommendations, the draft says that “buildings should always frame and enforce pedestrian circulation, so that people walk along building fronts rather than across parking lots or driveways.”

Now think about Germantown Parkway. I don’t even like to drive it; I definitely don’t want to walk across it.

In other ways, the Smart Growth Plan may not be that surprising. Germantown doesn’t have a lot of open land left; it needs to utilize what it has in a way that brings in the most tax dollars.

Despite growth in its retail and medical sectors, Germantown is still very much a bedroom community. Eighty-five percent of the city’s total tax revenue is residential. An inefficient land-use plan, like the one it has currently, is a loss of potential tax revenue. And urban properties are hot.

Twelve miles to the west of Germantown, the downtown Memphis renaissance, facilitated in part by Peabody Place, AutoZone Park, and FedExForum, has followed the rest of the country in an overall condo-fication. Why shouldn’t the suburbs follow suit?

About a year and a half ago, The New York Times even ran a trend story about “the loft look,” fake lofts (flofts?) being built in gated, suburban neighborhoods. The “flofts” have the same brick, the same exposed ductwork, and the same open floor plan as historical downtown buildings that have been converted to condos, but they’ve been built from scratch.

Unfortunately for Germantown residents, however, the plan has encountered one hitch: Like overgrown grass and visible trash cans in Germantown, it’s illegal.

“The development concepts in this plan are currently illegal under Germantown’s existing zoning and subdivision regulations,” reads the draft. “In fact, the current standards are completely antithetical to the urban design principles of this plan and the city’s vision of a ‘mixed-use,’ ‘pedestrian-friendly’ central district that would ‘create sense of place for the community’ as articulated in the Germantown Vision 2020 document.”

The consultants assume that the existing code will be changed. If so, this just may prove the old axiom: The grass is always greener, especially when there’s less yard.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Built By Design

Have it your way from Architectural CustomWorks.

Berry gets by with a little help from his family. His wife, Karen, is his partner in Architectural CustomWorks, handling, among other things, the company’s accounting. She had worked for years for construction firms around Memphis doing accounting. Similarly, Berry, a licensed architect, also worked for years for other architecture companies in the area. He loved designing houses and always had the dream of actually building them. So Berry and Karen left their jobs and started their own company.

Their son Shane is involved in the family business as well. The ex computer programmer is now the field coordinator for the company.

Architectural CustomWorks does have a few employees that don’t also get together during the holidays, but the overall operation is small. “I’m like the head cook and the chief bottle washer,” Berry says.

This year marks the 10th for Architectural CustomWorks. The company began with the design and building of a group of homes at Harbor Town. By now, the company has built 35 single-family homes, not to mention CityHouse, on G.E. Patterson.

The newest project is The Enclave at Peabody Green, 6 lots on land south of Peabody near McLean. The homes will be Central Gardens-style bungalow houses. Thematically, the development will tie-in to the neighborhood that sits right on Peabody and McLean, at the

former site of the Central Library. It is scheduled to open in the fall 2007. Until The Enclave, Berry says, “We were exclusively downtown builders. [Peabody Green is] literally our first venture east of Front Street.

“We design and build residences,” Berry says, shedding some light on the company’s philosophy. The also don’t do cookie cutter: “We build custom market homes. Each one of our homes is a unique custom design for that lot.”

In 2004, Architectural CustomWorks bought the property that is now CityHouse. CityHouse is a mixed-use condominium and retail development at 6 West G.E. Patterson. Twenty-nine of 36 units have been sold (26 were pre-sales). Berry says the amenities package was “designed for a little more sophisticated buyer looking for nicer details.” Ten-foot ceilings give units depth of space, and there’s roof decks for parties or river-gazing. All kitchens have custom cabinetry and fixtures, so that no two kitchens in the building are exactly alike. Units have big, open, semi-private balconies.

The concern of any downtown dweller is parking, and, in that regard, CityHouse has your spot covered — and reserved and secured. CityHouse was built after new 2006 seismic codes were in place, so it has all the latest structural safety features.

CityHouse is built right on the trolley line that runs from Tennessee Street to Main. “It’s right outside the gates of South Bluffs, in the South Main

Interior at CityHouse

district,” Berry says. Local dining such as Spindini is nearby, and the trolley can take you all over downtown. “Being on the trolley line was a huge benefit,” Berry says. There’s a pedestrian and transporation node nearby. “When Sugar Services eventually goes away, you’ll see the corner [at Tennessee Street and G.E. Patterson] become a vibrant location of shows.The River Walk is just a few hundred feet away from the front door.

“It’s so important to introduce retail on the ground floor,” he says. “The cityscape will only continue the vibrancy it has by having some street life and some street relationship. You can’t put a weight on how important it is to have those amenities.”

Don’t just take his word for it. Berry and Karen live at CityHouse too. “We decided to put our money where our mouth was.” Their unit on the north-facing side, they can see the river, skyline, and bridge. They can walk down to Arcade and have breakfast or walk a couple blocks to Spindini for dinner

“We rarely get our car out on the weekends,” Berry says.

The next big project on the horizon for Architectural CustomWorks is called Butler Park Station, right around the corner from CityHouse, at the current site of the Butler Street Bazaar on Tennessee. “We intend to, unfortunately, demolish that building, although we hope to save some elements of the building to use in the new project. The plan is urban-style town home.” Though the project is still involved with completing layouts and design, Berry says I will be a mixed-use project, with offices and retail in addition to residential.

For Berry, one of the important things about designing and building homes is in the knowledge that he’s taking part in crafting someone’s home. “That was one of the main reasons I wanted to actually build what we designed,” he says. “When you pull it off, when you’re in there building it, you can see it coming together and can make subtle changes. You can see things you didn’t see when you were looking at the paper. You can enhance as you go along.

“If you really care about what you do, you’ll spend a lot more time on the details while you’re building. I think people we sell to appreciate that. We’re trying to make spaces work at multiple levels. I’m a real strong believer in open, flexible spaces, where people can entertain, but at the same time, where you can find nooks and crannies to feel cozy.

You know, when you’re spending time with your family. ■

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner

I kept seeing the commercials on TV for this shower-cleaning gadget that promised to transform the tile in my shower in 14 days flat. I thought, Um, have you seen my shower? We’ll put that sucker to the test.

So I shelled out my $26 and bought the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner, installed it in my little tomb of doom, and sat back for the next two weeks to see the results. As instructed, I pushed the button on the contraption once a day, after the last shower of the day when the surface is still wet. I love things that beep in a countdown kind of way, so the cleaner won that early battle with me. After a time delay, the 360-degree power sprayer squirts the cleaning solution to hit all four walls and the floor of the shower.

But does it pass the test? Consider the following to determine if it would be right for you:

What’s your shower feng shui?

If you already have a shower organizer hanging from your showerhead, you’ll have to do some rearranging before using the cleaner. The Scrubbing Bubbles folks did consider this, and there is an optional caddy that you can hang with the cleaner. It holds a few bath products and has storage for razors and sponges. However, if space is limited in your shower, you might feel a bit

cramped. My shower has a hand-held showerhead, and the cleaner gets in the way of the hose, causing the showerhead to spray off to the right.

What’s in your wallet?

The cleaner comes with the necessary four AA batteries and two bottles of cleaner to get you started. The batteries should last “up to four months” — if you keep the battery compartment clean and dry, a slight difficulty considering it hangs in your shower. Since the cleaner does not work with rechargeable batteries, you’ll need to purchase replacements about three times a year and a new bottle of cleaner (about $4 a pop) every 21 days.

Pros and Cons.

The shower cleaner is better than not cleaning at all. I started with a fairly clean shower. The cast-iron tub and white tile in my 1950s house is prone to mildew buildup, and, since using the cleaner, I’ve noticed a marked improvement here — though around day 15, I did begin to see some mildew creep up behind a shampoo bottle in the corner of the tub. While the cleaner solution has not left a residue on the tile or tub, it has made the vinyl shower-curtain liner a little cloudy. The cleaner’s instructions warn that this is likely to happen when the solution is sprayed onto dry surfaces, but the residue does wipe off with a damp cloth.

What’s the bottom line?

If you’re someone who demands an impeccably clean bathroom, you’ll probably be frustrated by what the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner is incapable of. The reach of the sprayer is impressive, and the solution smells pretty good. If you’re devoted to daily shower cleaning, the automatic cleaner is a good option, as you’re just pushing a button instead of doing the spraying yourself. If you prefer managing the upkeep of the cleaner for the ease of not having to spray daily or scrub weekly, then this is also probably a good choice for you.

If you’re a perfectionist, stick to the elbow grease. It’s the only way you’ll sleep at night. ■ — GA

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

South Rising

This April 12th through 29th, every-thing’s hotter down south.

That’s when the Downtown Home Show at South End takes place, and many visitors will get their first peek at what all the area hubbub the last several years has been about.

The South End is a 70-plus-acre area of downtown demarcated by developers at Riverside Drive to the west, Huling Avenue to the north, Front Street to the east, and Georgia Avenue to the south. Within those geographical boundaries has been a burst of construction that has seen ideas long on the drawing board turned into reality.

But it’s not an every-man-for-himself development where decisions are made independent of what’s happening in the building next door. The South End is “place-making” in action: turning bricks and mortar into places to live.

“We had a unique opportunity here of doing this assemblage of properties, to have a plan that at the end of the day becomes seamless and fits together,” says developer Terry Lynch of Southland Capital, one of the flag bearers on the South End project.

Where there’s something with a lofty goal, you can bet there’s an “ism” involved. The one on the mind of South Enders is “new urbanism.” That’s the theory of city planning that stresses having an inclusive community and a connectivity of neighborhood while being mixed-use (residential alongside retail alongside commercial), mixed-product (not homogenous in home size, price, or architecture), high-density, walkable, and sustainable.

Armed with these principles (and not a few dollars), developers joined forces to carve out a swath of land that would be created in the image of new urbanism. By the looks of things, they are well on their way to success.

Among the highlights of the South End are: formerly pedestrian-unfriendly land along streets transformed into walkable places with 10-foot-wide sidewalks, “bump-outs,” raised crosswalks, and streets lined with trees; numerous sites for public art; and planned space for restaurants, clubs, banks, a grocery store, health facilities, and retail.

There will be two anchor parks (Martyr’s Park/Asburn Park running next to the Mississippi River and Central Park at Central Station) and numerous pocket parks (open spaces tucked along streets, at intersections, and along natural boundaries).

This is an ambitious project that has been in development for over five years. The population of the South End area was 1,000 in 2001. Projections put that at 5,000-plus by 2011. In that year, there will be 2,500 housing units in the neighborhood.

The Downtown Home Show at South End is free for all visitors and runs April 12th to 29th, Thursdays through Sundays only, from noon to 6 p.m. ■ — GA

LivingSpaces@memphisflyer.com

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

New Homes: Better Than Ever

As an unsustainably hot housing market slows down to “real time,” buyers are seeking answers to lots of questions about how to find the right home. And while the old real estate saying about the three most important attributes being “location, location, location” still has some truth to it, today’s consumers are more savvy and discerning. Location is only part of the equation: It’s also about conveniences and amenities.

And for conveniences and amenities, it’s hard to beat a new home. Today, new homes are safer, more efficient, and more packed with popular amenities than ever.

Safety

Technological advances mean that today’s homes are safer, because new homes take advantage of breakthroughs in building science. Homes now have advanced electrical systems, hardwired smoke detectors, and fire-resistant construction details. Windows in patio doors and near stairways have tempered glass, which makes them less likely to cause injury if they break.

Efficiency

Home builders also have an ever-expanding array of products and materials to choose from to enable them to make a house more resource-efficient and water-thrifty. Many home builders participate in programs like Energy Star, promoting energy-efficient appliances, and WaterSense, promoting water efficiency.

“Green” building is another new trend that’s getting legs as builders return to age-old practices, such as siting a home to take the best advantage of sunlight and shade, and recent innovations such as solar shingles (not just solar roof panels), light-conserving windows, and insulation made from recycled materials. Innovation and consumer demand are combining to produce a “leaner” home. Technology has changed, and so has the market.

Lifestyle

Today’s new home plans reflect what today’s homebuyer wants: larger kitchens for family gatherings, bigger closets, ample storage space, and more bathrooms. Consumers are seeking greater ceiling heights, more — and bigger — closets, walk-in showers with multiple heads, three-car garages, and outdoor entertainment spaces with fireplaces and grills. And builders are responding with designs that provide these features.

In fact, that’s a big reason why people seek new homes. Consumers want value, but they also want choices. They want to pick their carpet colors, their cabinet styles, their light fixtures, and other design elements that help make a house a home.

The decisions shouldn’t be about whether it’s a good time to buy a home, because home ownership remains the American Dream, despite occasional highs and lows in the market. The decisions should be about personal choice: finding the home that’s right for the buyer. Choosing a new home helps make it a perfect fit. ■

Keith Grant is president of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association.