US News & World Reports asked me for advice on selecting a real estate agent. My favorite quotes from the article:

COMMUNICATION:

POINT OF CONTACT:

FOLLOW YOUR GUT

Herman Chan of LuxSFHomes.com is a technology savvy pioneer and personality in the real estate industry. He does business faster, better, and more efficiently with the use of technology and has no plans to stop. He arms himself with the tools and software to most effectively do his job while on the move. Considering the multiple documents needed for the modern real estate transaction, Herman knows it's a no-brainer to go green and mobile.  DocuSigning helps him do just that.

Often found with his iPad or Mac, Herman is capable of selling any property at any moment. Interested buyers? Herman uses DocuSign for Google Drive to easily and quickly send disclosure packets without having to ever print a single page. Sellers want to list their mansion on the spot? No problem. Herman uses DocuSign Ink on his tablet to capture the sellers' signatures right there in order to close the deal in-person without leaving the property. 

Herman encourages current and future real estate agents to embrace DocuSign. Not only does it save time but also it saves deals. Last year, on a road trip to Los Angeles, he received an urgent call (Hands-free of course) from his Berkeley buyer. She saw a hot property at an open house, but offers were due in an hour!  Any delay would have cost his client her dream home. Without skipping a beat, Herman quickly pulled over, whipped out his iPad and sent his client the paperwork to DocuSign. Within minutes she DocuSigned the offer and shortly after, the sellers accepted the offer. SOLD! Thanks to DocuSign. 

Follow Herman and get great tips on his real estate Info-tainment site at http://www.habitatforhermanity.com/

DocuSign for Google Drive: The easiest and quickest way to get your documents signed

New customers and existing free and trial users of DocuSign are eligible to Save $50/user on our annual plans* when purchasing for up to 10 users on DocuSign.com with promo code DIGITAL50. Offer Code good until Jan 31st. *Discount not available for the DocuSign individual plan

Read my HILARIOUS article for Frontiers Magazine!  I've written a lot of articles for them, and I just love that they let me be me! 

Spring is around the corner, and you are itching to redecorate your place. Problem is, you’ve got a dead-end job, your sugar daddy just cut off your AMEX or you’re just plain cheap! Decorating ain't cheap. No problem. If you’re low on cash but want a home makeover, you do what any resourceful Millennial does—you upcycle!  
    
For those of you living under a rock, upcycling is turning something old into something new. Before you Restoration Hardware snobs start dissing me, I'll have you know that upcycling is the hottest design trend now. Not only does it save you money, but it is great for Mother Nature. We need to be mindful of the stuff we consume. We are such a wasteful society, living in a throwaway culture. How many times have you bought a sequened off-the-shoulder top you just had to have, but only wore the darn thing once—and it was for a 1980sFlashdance Halloween party. I know I have! What a waste of $50! Before you toss it out like yesterday's trash, try to upcycle it! It is uncanny how many old, tattered things you own that can be repurposed for some fantabulous new home décor pieces.
    
Here is what I did recently to update my living room via upcycling. I was getting sick of my drab sofa. It needed to pop. It would be too expensive to buy a new one. (And have you seen the cost of shipping and handling recently?!) So I decided on a more affordable way to revive my sofa—pillow accents! I went into the closet and reached deep in the back trenches where I store clothes I rarely wear. I shut my eyes, grabbed some random pieces, and out popped a tube top, mu'umu'u and a knit miniskirt. (Guess I never threw away my old drag outfits. I’m such a hoarder!)
    
Being flat-chested, the tube top was too small. Not enough fabric to make a pillow/cushion cover. The mu'umu'u was too big. (Although I might save it for a mattress cover upcycling project!) That left the mini-skirt. It was perfect! I stole an extra pillow insert I had lying around the guest room closet, found a yard of double-sided sticky-back Velcro in the kitchen junk drawer and twirled into the living room to start my project. It literally took me 10 minutes. I placed the Velcro on the front and back waistline of the skirt, flipped it inside out to hide the Velcro seams, stuffed the pillow insert into the skirt, then sealed up the front and back hem with Velcro. After transforming my mini-skirt into a pillow, I thought, “Damn, Herman, this is too cute for my busted-up sofa. I’m gonna sell it on Etsy! For real!”
    
The fabulous thing about this skirt-turned-pillow is that it’s Velcro’d. You don’t need to mess up your Lee Press-Ons with any sewing! You can assemble and disassemble easily. This is especially handy when you get a last-minute date and all your clothes are dirty. All you have to do is waltz into your living room, grab the pillow, rip off the Velcro and toss it on. It’s a skirt again! Sigh, the joys of upcycling! Bottom line: Don’t be so quick to trash your junk clothes. You can always make a cute décor piece to brighten up your home.
    
Drop by my place HabitatForHermanity.com and I'll show you how to upcycle your old jockstraps into a macramé plant holder!

Herman Chan is a real estate and design expert whose blog Habitat for Hermanity offers a glimpse beyond the glitz and glam of real estate and design. (And it ain’t always pretty!) You’ve seen his trademark helpful, hilarious flair on HGTV House Hunters, Logo and Huffington Post. His new webseries, Real Estate Real Simple for theSan Francisco Chronicle, debuted this year. He was also once a Frontiers cover model.

Waterfront Shopping Center asked me for some quick decor tips. 


If real estate décor expert Herman Chan looks familiar, you’ve probably spotted him on HGTV’s shows “My House is Worth What?” and “House Hunters.” When not helping clients find their dream homes, he’s helping them stage their space for sale. We snagged this busy realtor for a Q&A on how to design your own “Habitat for Hermanity:”

What are the most common mistakes people making when staging their home to go on the market?

Herman: Staging on their own! Some people think they have impeccable taste and will try to decorate solo, but decorating for yourself is different than staging a house to sell. I realize times are tough and not everyone can afford a stager, so instead of shelling out thousands of dollars, consider doing a one-time consultation—that way, you’ll have a guideline as to what colors to use and what furniture needs to be added/removed.

What are some easy improvements that can make a home more attractive to potential buyers?

Herman: Instead of painting all the walls, which can get costly, sometimes an accent wall is all you need for a pop of color. Also, bathroom and kitchen remodels historically have the highest return on investment. They can be expensive, so a quicker and more affordable facelift is a fresh paint job and/or new fixtures. It is amazing what a new coat of paint and some shiny knobs will do.

If you could tell your clients one important thing, it would be?

Herman: Be careful not to get too trendy. Fads come and go quickly and there is nothing worse then spending a fortune on decking out your home only for it to look dated shortly after.