| Habitat For Hermanity |
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 Owned by MTV/Logo, NewNowNext is Logo Digital’s hub for the latest in music, TV & movies, fashion, design, travel, beauty and health. They've smart, quirky, sassy contributors scattered around the globe feeding the site new articles and videos on a daily basis....including Hermanity!
Catch all my Real Estate & Design tips right here.
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LogoTV viewer writes to Hermanity: QUESTION: The house we're buying has chimney damage. My agent says we should focus on our loan instead? Is that right? ANSWER: Yikes, your agent just wants to sweep the chimney under the rug & focus on his commission! Watch my video for the 3 steps you need to take ASAP! Remember guys, you are the client. Your agent is supposed to always have your back & protect your best interests. A great realtors does what is right for you, not for their wallet! Have you come across any agents who were looking out for themselves more than you? Vent here!  Viewer Question: Should we get rid of our plastic wood panel walls?
Hermanity Answer: Yes!...unless you're filming a '70s porno Watch my hilarious & helpful response to a LOGO TV viewer whose husband wants dark dingy plastic wood panel walls in their basement. Bless his heart, but some men are just clueless! (That's why they need us!) Have you ever had design disagreements with your boo? How did you resolve it? Is it true what they say: Happy Wife, Happy Life? I am utterly floored by what my friend Bret Cota did to this live/work loft! This is a perfect example of how a space that serves multiple purposes can be seamlessly unified by great design. Bret operates EXALT Modeling & Talent Agency out of this live/work loft, but you would never guess it. Part office, part art installation, part photo studio, part condo, the tasteful black & white aesthetic holds the decor together. No distinction between office space, living space or art space exists. Just goes to show that when you have a strong design theme that is well executed throughout, anything is possible in a space! Also, because the steel and concrete in lofts can appear cold, Bret uses plants, wood & animal print which add a level of warmth to what would otherwise be a sterile space. And the stark contrast between black and white is diffused by touches of earth tones (beige, browns, gray), which soften the austere sleek b/w look. Hope you enjoyed these wonderful design tips! I can't wait to feature his next project! Thank you Billy Winters for taking these brilliant photos.       All photos by Billy Winters
 Question: A fellow realtor posted a homophobic Facebook post. What to do? - Jason Feinman, Pennsylvania Answer: Drop by his open house in a rainbow flag! Read the rest of my advice column here.     I stopped by my friend Sheila Frazier's shop called Strictly Savvy. After playing around with some of her hot new merchandise (check out those phabulous earrings!), she asked me my advice about what color to paint her store's floor. She is thinking black or grey? I'm thinking a lighter color because the space is already small. Dark colors will diminish it more. All you design freaks, help a sista out! What color will make her store pop?
It never ceases to amaze me how myopic some people are about their remodel choices. Making a home too customized to your own needs & tastes can often backfire. What adds value in your mind may in fact detract value!...as this LogoOnline (aka 365Gay) viewer finds out from me here. What is the worst thing you've seen a garage converted into? I'd love to hear!  LogoTV showing Hermanity some love again! Thx!
 Ever come across a helicopter seller? Hovers over you in each room, chirps in your ear non-stop , praises their house to high heaven? Give it a rest! Q: Whenever a buyer makes a private appointment to see my house, I make sure I am there to answer all their questions. After all, I know my house better than anyone! Well, a buyer asked for a second visit, but he just wants himself and his agent there and not me. What is up with that?! -Jonah A: Sometimes a seller and buyer will meet briefly during a showing – but personally, I prefer they don’t! Read the rest of my sassy sage advice here   Depending on who you ask, mixing business with pleasure is sometimes called networking....and sometimes it is called a train wreck! There are definite pros and cons to using a friend for business. Read my advice column for this reader on 365gay LogoTV Online.
Question: For our loan, should we use our banker down the street? We’ve known him for years so we trust him. But should we still shop around? – Jillian in Alabama Have any of your friendships soured over a business deal? Let me know. Gimme the gossip!  The Q&A chapter for my new book needs your questions!
Right here in the comments section, post any quandary, dilemma, complaint or predicament about real estate. It can be about loans, inspections, your agent, or the market. From silly to serious, I will answer anything you wanted to know about real estate, but were afraid to ask!    Yippee! I'm the featured Expert for the Real Estate Section! Not only did several of my tips make the final 100 Best Money Moves, but our little videoblog Habitat For Hermanity got a plug. And best of all, they made an illustration of me (by the talented Michael Hoeweler). How many people can say they've had their portrait in Money Magazine?
Run out & get the latest issue of Money Magazine , their "annual guide to the best & timeliest investments, deals, products and strategies will help you and our family make smarter financial decisions. Guaranteed." ....and check out my mug!  QUESTION
Hello Herman, I am totally insulted that my agent won’t show me any more homes until I get pre-approved for a loan...It’s not any of her business yet. Shouldn’t we find our house first and then work on a loan? -Abbie ANSWER Abbie, simmer down! No need to be insulted. Everyone is being very cautious nowadays.... Read the rest of my no non-sense advice for MTV's site 365gay. Tell me when & why your realtor nagged you! I just wrote an offer for my buyers on a townhouse that was For Sale By Owner (FSBO). The deal didn't come together because the sellers significantly overpriced the house (duh, no surprise there!) They came up with a price based on the amount of money they owed on the house and how much profit they needed, when they should have based it on the current market and recent comparable closed sales. They might learn eventually...but only after wasting everyone's months of time, money & effort.
I dread FSBO's because
 Alvin in San Francisco has a staging dilemma. Mom wants to decorate it for families....but it is a modern sleek loft!? My response may be caustic, but I say it with love. Really I do!
EXCERPT: And if you don’t mind me saying Alvin, it’s time to stop being a mama’s boy! This is your property. You bought it. You own it. You’re selling it. You are a grown ass man who can stick up for himself. Say, “Mom, I love you but your staging advice, albeit well intentioned, is without taste.” Go ahead, stab her in the heart! Read the rest here. This is a commonly asked question I get from buyers, and I am sooooo glad I got a chance to answer this for LOGO's viewers.
VIEWER QUESTION: We're buying a new construction house. Do we still need to do an inspection? HERMANITY ANSWER: I don't get this. People are willing to spend 1/2 a million bucks for a house, but can't bear to spend couple hundred dollars for an inspection. It's small price to pay for peace of mind folks.... Want to learn how an inspection can get you more from the builder/developer? Watch til the end of my clip for my hot tip! Have you ever waived an inspection and lived to regret it? Post your comments here or on LOGO's site here.  The salacious photo of the cowboys was not my doing, I promise! Logo did it!...although if that's what Southwest living is all about, I will move in a heartbeat.
Q: I miss the warmth of Florida, but I couldn’t find banking work there . I want to relocate again soon because I cannot stand Cincinnati and the cold winters here. I am considering the areas from Texas to Arizona – can you advise me on which towns both have the lowest unemployment rate and the largest GLBT population? -Doug, CT Read my recommendations here. Do you agree? Meanwhile, if you gotta question for me, LOGO says "Ask YOUR real estate question!" This frustrated viewer wants to know if he got stuck with a bad real estate agent. Duh! If you gotta ask that question, you know you gotta loser on your hand!
Let's face it. Not all realtors are knock-it-outta-the-ballpark superstars. Far from it! (In fact I can rattle off more than a few names of lackadaisical agents, but I'll be discrete for once, hehe). As I told Mother Love on her talk show last week, the bar to entry to this business is lower than Heidi Montag's IQ. This probably isn't going to endear me to the realtor community, but sometimes I am flabbergasted how incompetent & careless some of us are. (Don't hate, y'all know it's true!). But what shocks me even more is how much some clients will put up with. Clients deserve the best work from their agent. If they can't bring it, there are tons of agents more than willing to step up. So, pick your real estate representation carefully. Have you ever regretted your choice of realtor? What did you do about it?  Yet ANOTHER publication interviews Hermanity this year....and it's not even April yet! This time A.R.E. Magazine picks my brain about my favorite real estate sites, servicing the Asian-American Market & Tiger Moms.
Here's a great excerpt: A.R.E. Mag: "There is a new generation that has witnessed the foreclosure epidemic & may no longer view home ownership as the American Dream. What is your advice to them about home ownership? " Hermanity: "What? You want to live in your parents' basement forever? That's cute after college in your 20's but not so cute in your 30's. If the foreclosure crisis has taught us anything, it's that diving blindly into home ownership is bad...." Read the rest of my helpful hilarious interview, schlock full of my witty advice here!  Hey Hermanity Fans!
Here's my latest column for LogoOnline's 365gay site. Buying a house w/ a view? It might not be there forever. Views aren't guaranteed. Read why in my new column for "Ask The Expert" This poor guy in Long Island comes home from college to find a monstrous McMansion erected next door. Aside from being an eye-sore, it totally blocks his view! I break it down for this viewer here. My favorite video for LOGO thus far! "We Broke up! What to do about our house?" Please share with any friends heading for splitsville. With 61% of Californians getting divorced (at least once!), you can bet your bottom dollar people are going through this!
By the way, if you like my LOGO videos, do me a favor and comment on the actual site (you can log in with your facebook account if you want). The more reactions there are, the more they will let me do! Can you believe all the fuss this gal is making over a stove!? Is she just greedy or is it agent miscommunication?
This viewer thinks she is entitled to a stove, which belongs to her boyfriend's dad. Sounds to me like there was a miscommunication with dad or dad's agent misrepresented his intentions (tsk tsk!) . I try to break down the smoke and mirrors for her. Don't get me wrong. I love getting questions from all you peeps, but geez sometimes I wonder about y'all! Yo, it's just a stove! My first video for TV cable channel LOGO's website dropped tonight! I'm giddy to partake in Ask An Expert (By the way, I love the company I am keeping below!)   My article for 429 Magazine about the 7 things LGBT buyers should be aware of when purchasing a home. Read it here.
1. The Right Representation 2. Vet your Agent 3. Branching out Beyond the Gayborhoods 4. Location: Better Safe than Sorry 5. Different forms of ownership 6. Downpayment dilemma 7. Get it in writing!  Going green is thee biggest trend in the real estate industry---well, besides foreclosures! Find out about right-sizing, recycled materials, eco-districts. Read my article for Frontiers Magazine. Be kind to Mother Earth, s'il vous plait! By the way, here I am gracing the cover from another Frontiers Magazine issue.  .
 What a great way to kick off my Chinese New Years!
Check out my full page interview in Echelon Magazine's latest issue. Read how I got started in the biz, what my typical day is like, and my advice to new agents and people looking for a home! The article starts with "Can you say caterpillar to butterfly?" Just call me Mariah Chan! (ps: I am totally dating myself with that reference!) |
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