. They move fast to get the home back on the market quickly to minimize their holding costs. They seldom take time or spend the money to address high-cost items, like plumbing, foundations, and electrical replacement.
Has the home sold within the last six months or so and for a much lower price than the current asking price?
Is the home owned by a non-occupying seller?
Has the seller owned other homes for short periods before reselling them?
Are the updates largely cosmetic? New sink, old pipes?
Were permits obtained where necessary?
Is there a detailed list of improvements or recent home inspection available?
Your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Showcase Properties Sales Professional can help you get vital information about the home so you can look past the dazzle of new décor and evaluate this home fairly compared to other properties in your price range.
Believe it or not, Spting is here. While it’s always a good idea to give your home a little TLC this time of year, that’s especially true if you’re planning to put it on the market this spring. And what better time to clean then when you are supposed to stay at home? Here are a few tips to help you with a thorough spring cleaning that will leave your home looking its best.
One of the most important first steps is to tackle all of the clutter throughout your home, and a good way to do so is to have everyone make a donation pile. Anything that’s no longer being used can certainly be appreciated by another family, from old toys that the kids aren’t playing with anymore to clothes that have been outgrown. You’ll feel good about helping others while also making your home more organized.
It’s always a good idea to have your windows professionally cleaned at least once a year and the spring is an ideal time to have them scrubbed inside and out. You might not even realize that dirt and smudges have accumulated over the course of the year, but you’ll notice the difference when your crystal-clear views are on full display.
Whether you make a family activity out of it or call in professionals, a landscape clean-up is likely in order because weeds, leaves and other unwanted debris has a way of collecting in the backyard during the winter. A fresh layer of mulch and pruning trees, shrubs and hedges will go a long way toward beautifying your grounds.
After being cooped up indoors all winter, everyone can look forward to getting back outside. Thankfully, it’s time to brush off your outdoor furniture and take it out of storage or try revamping your backyard with a new set of loungers and dining table for al fresco entertaining.
Calling in the painters to do some touch-ups around the home can make all the difference. If you’re the type who likes keeping everything in tip-top shape, a fresh coat is always a surefire way to remove the general wear and tear that shows up over the course of the year.
$1,440 Donated YTD for 2020!
I don't want to discover a new world through familiar eyes. God know how many books I've read or movies I've seen where that is the case - not that it doesn't always make for a good story, of course. But I want our world through unfamiliar eyes. Like, the character has no idea what things are and how things work, and we get their perspective as they try to make sense of their surrounding. We're the fantasy world to *them*.

It's less about discovering something new, and more about viewing the old through a new lens.A new annual award that reinforces MAD’s commitment to celebrating the next generation of artists working in and advancing the disciplines that shaped the American studio craft movement, the Burke Prize is an unrestricted $50,000 award made to a professional artist under the age of forty-five working in glass, fiber, clay, metals, or wood.
Named for Marian and Russell Burke, two passionate collectors of craft and longtime supporters of MAD, the Burke Prize will be determined by an annual jury of professionals in the fields of art, craft, and design following an open application process.
Eligible applicants are professional artists under the age of forty-five working in glass, fiber, clay, metals, or wood. Applicants must be American citizens or permanent residents, living or working within the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the US Virgin Islands.
The applications will be reviewed by a jury led by Shannon Stratton, Chief Curator at MAD, and available starting February 2018. The first winner of the Burke Prize will be announced in the fall of 2018.
The prize is meant to celebrate and support young artists who represent the next generation working in the traditional American studio craft disciplines of glass, fiber, clay, metals, or wood. In the past, “young” or “next generation” has often meant under the age of 30 or 40. We have expanded this to 45 to accommodate the length of time many artists take to complete schooling as well as the exceptional financial burden that schooling places on young artists today, requiring most to pursue full-time employment before they can fully dedicate themselves to the studio.
We recognize that there are many talented artists over the age of 45, but most (although not all) have had the benefit of time to create a stronger professional network and economic foundation for their practice. By giving visibility to the next generation of artists working in these disciplines, we hope to carry craft into the future both by inspiring artists to pursue these disciplines and by inspiring curators, critics, and collectors to recognize their work. In the end, this impacts the whole field.
What is the jury looking for in the winner?
The prize will recognize exceptional artwork in form and concept. Please submit the work that you see as best representing your art practice, and that reflects both your mastery of your craft and your innovation within your field.
Do I have to work solely in one of the five mediums (glass, fiber, clay, metals, or wood)?
No, you do not, although these mediums and your skill in handling them, both manually and conceptually, should be evident in your application. Applicants can work in all five mediums, a combination of these mediums, or a combination of these mediums and others not listed, like video or performance.
I don’t have an MFA. Can I still apply?
I work in one of the mediums listed, but I focused my schooling on painting (or video, or another studio discipline). Can I still apply?
Craft has been a hobby of mine for some time. Should I apply?
While we accept applications from self-taught artists, your practice should be a full-time, professional pursuit, not a part-time hobby. In the end, it is up to you to judge your commitment to your practice before taking the time to submit.
The application database will open February 1, 2018.
Join SoLo Craft Fair for our first event of the year on 31st March. We will be returning to the beautiful ballroom of the Balham Bowls Club.
Beat the high street queues and have a more enjoyable shopping experience. Grab a drink from the bar, browse the local stalls selling handcrafted gifts, enjoy the live music and get creative by joining in the workshops and the doodle wall.
As always, we will have a children's activity corner so the little rascals will be kept busy creating their own masterpieces!
Join us at Balham Bowls Club, 7-9 Ramsden Road, Balham, SW12 8QX 12-5pm - free entry!
Saturday 31st March 12-5pm.
The Winter Designer Maker Fair is Kingsgate Workshops’ annual festive craft and design sale.
This year a selection of contemporary craft makers and designers, producing everything from high-end ceramics to paper sculpture, will be selling their work from a new outdoor market and in curated indoor shop spaces in our Victorian warehouse building. Unique and precious gifts, decorations, and wrapping paper will all nestle together on our fairylit market stalls.
We’ll also have festive food and a chance to peek inside the building and its beautiful yard, which are both usually closed to the public.
Celebrate the launch of our new revamped yard space – our beautiful garden is now twice the size, covered in twinkling lights, warmed by roaring fires in our patio heaters, and scented with woodsmoke and gingerbread spice.
The gingerbread scent we mentioned will be emanating from The Lounge Cafe's beautiful pop up kitchen, overflowing with lebkuchen and mulled wine. If you fancy something to take home to save for later, we'll have stalls full of festive treats ready wrapped for presents too!
Visitors can head inside the building for a Christmas grotto for grownups, showcasing the objects made by studio holders in festive displays, and to see inside a selection of studios to get more insight into the making of the ceramics, jewellery and painting on display.
Chisato Tamabayashi's beautiful paper installations will cast enchanting shadows on the pavements outside.
Our exclusive artist designed goody bags will be available for the first 20 visitors – after that, a donation of £5 will secure you one, plus a selection of limited edition badges designed by our studio holders.
Who are Kingsgate Workshops?
Kingsgate Workshops started life as an artists’ squat in the 70’s, and has blossomed into a charity which celebrates and supports the creative work of over 75 artists designers and makers who work in the building, and many more who take part in our artist residencies and shows.