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Goodnight, Bob

By Alison Rogers, Friday, September 28, 2007.

The thing about writers is that we tend to be cranky. The shift from looking inside -- to digging down to find all those wonderful thoughts and metaphors -- to dealing with the outside -- that ever-ringing phone -- is just too harsh, and it happens too often.

So it's always surprising when a writer has a reputation for being nice and good-humored, and it's even more surprising when that writer is approximately three times as productive as any of his competition.  more...

An agent's closer look at Zillow Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, September 28, 2007.

At Real Estate Connect I had a chance to sit down for a one-on-one interview with Rich Barton of Zillow. Love them or hate them, Zillow is now generating about two-thirds as much traffic as Realtor.com. Can your business afford to ignore such a powerful place to advertise for just pennies?  more...

Six ways to save on homeowners insurance

By Robert Bruss, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Editor's note: Robert Bruss passed away on Sept. 26, 2007. This was one of the last real estate columns he wrote. Inman News is publishing Bob's last work as a final salute to the nation's most well-known real estate writer.

A few days ago I was chatting with my longtime insurance agent. Among other things he mentioned some good news and some bad news about my homeowners insurance policy.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.  more...

Automated exterior lights boost curb appeal

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Whether it's a softly lit path on a summer evening or the safety and welcoming glow of the front porch light when you come home from work on a dark winter night, exterior lighting adds both safety and curb appeal to any home. To help make the lighting more convenient as well, there are a number of exterior timers and other light activation devices available that will work for just about any situation.  more...

Why do design-review boards insist on 'Disneyfying' cities?

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Today's city planners are terrified by the prospect of a blank wall. They, along with their micromanaging brethren on civic design-review boards, would much rather see a pastiche of meaningless fakery than an honest piece of wall with nothing on it.

The horror vacui of planners and design-review boards is a well-meaning but ill-informed reaction to modern architecture of the postwar era, which has long been pilloried -- often quite rightly -- for its mechanistic repetition, superhuman scale, and dearth of ornament.  more...