Almost all Rhode Islanders have been affected by the Iway Construction Project, which has moved the intersection of I-195 and I-95 further south. Sometimes it has been painful, but the results seem to make traffic flow better.
Recently, outside our corporate and Providence office, demolition work has begun during the evening to remove the old sections of I-195. This has started at the intersection of Wickenden, South Main, and South Water Streets.
If you had driven under the old highway, you would have noticed steel beams constructed to reinforce the overpass supports. This partially obscured the view of the brightly colored murals painted onto the concrete support structure.
Most of the overpass is now gone, revealing the murals once again. But now they are visible in full daylight. So, we sent out our media team and recorded the following film for history and for those who may not travel over the Point Street bridge onto Wickenden Street. Enjoy.
The guest on my radio show this past Sunday was my good friend Krista Watterworth, interior designer and host of HGTV’s “Splurge and Save.” Krista has lent her style and expertise on our show in the past, and you may remember her other HGTV series including “Save My Bath,” “You Should Live Here,” and “The Big Reveal.”
Splurge and Save is a half hour design makeover series that shows homeowners how to get the biggest bang for their buck. Using her design secrets, Krista shows how to pull together any room, how to build the right budget for any room, and, of course, how to stretch every dollar.
Krista uses all the pieces of a room – like furniture, rugs, window shades, or accent tables – to get high style without the high cost. Using one or two really nice pieces as a focal point, and complementing them with more budget friendly options is a great way to stretch a dollar when designing. Putting a designer chair next to a knock-off sofa, or repainting an old end table and topping it off with a $500 vase are some of her techniques.
And while she never did share the passion for cooking, which her big Italian influenced family had growing up, she did learn from watching them that attention to detail, balance of color and flavors, and careful selection of ingredients were the secret to all great recipes. These are the sensibilities that Krista brings to her website, RoomRecipes.com, a great blogging community about practical home design.
Check out “Splurge and Save” on HGTV and visit her website, you will get some great tips for the budget minded homeowner.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Inman Connect in New York City. Inman Connect is a conference held twice a year by Inman News. Inman News is a leading voice in independent Real Estate news and the conference is focused on marketing, technology and all things Real Estate.
I really enjoyed Sam Grobart presentation entitled: “Tech’s Crystal Ball”. Sam is the assistant technology editor for The New York Times and had some great insight on some fun tech stuff and the latest gadgets. Here’s his presentation from NYC. Enjoy!
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and City of Providence Department of Planning and Development are hosting a follow‐up meeting regarding street design details for the new street connections being built on both sides of the Providence River as part of the I‐195 relocation project.
Changes to street design based on community feedback will be presented, including new alternatives for the Wickenden Street / Point Street / South Main/ South Water intersection.
When I first opened up my company in 1981, people would ask me where I worked and I would say “Residential Properties”…almost as a question, since almost no one knew who we were. Today, I am proud to say that the RPL Chevron is a very recognizable symbol in Rhode Island and surrounding communities in neighboring states.
The real estate industry today bears little resemblance to the way we did business back then. The internet has changed everything. According to the 2009 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 90% of respondents used the Internet at some point, seven years ago only 41% of buyers used the internet. When asked where they found the home that they ultimately bought, 36% of buyers found the home on the Internet; another 36% learned of that home from a real estate agent. In 2001 48% of the people found their home through an agent and only 8% of the people found their ultimate home from the internet.
It is not always what happens, but how you react that determines your success. I am proud of the amount and quality of information we provide regardingRhode Island Real Estate. With more and more information on the web, more people are turning to a professional for help sorting through all of it.
And how do people choose their agents? They look for someone with a great online presence who has knowledge of the process and the market. That’s the lesson to be learned from NAR’s annual profile of buyers and sellers.
The most effective methods to bring buyers and sellers together are the Internet, working with an agent (who learns about properties through the MLS), and signs. 84% of buyers learned about their home through one of these sources. If you want to sell your home, look for an agent with a great reputation, whose company has a great web presence and good market share.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and City of Providence Department of Planning and Development are hosting a follow‐up meeting regarding street design details for the new street connections being built on both sides of the Providence River as part of the I‐195 relocation project.