This (Really) Haunted House Could Be Yours for $1M

Real estate agents rarely lead with the line "Soooo, the house is haunted." In fact, unless every horror movie ever made got it entirely wrong, homeowners tend to get a bit peeved once they find out their dream home is also occupied by some form of the undead - who doesn't pay rent.

But then there's the Sallie House, which is currently for sale by owner in Atchison, KS and defying all scary movie rules by openly advertising the rich - and haunted - history of the property to any and all comers.

"The value of the home is as an attraction," says the current owner of the Sallie House, which isn't owner-occupied but instead rented by the hour or, for the bravest, overnight.

Not a bad business, since, far from staying away, "people come from all over come to stay and investigate the home." And that's what the current owners are selling it as - not necessarily a tidy little home to move into (though, like many haunted houses, the Sallie House looks deceptively innocent - even charming!), but as an attraction to rent out.

Which shouldn't be a problem, since the Sallie House has gained and kept a national spotlight after it was featured on the show Sightings, which investigated the home in the early 1990s in response to a series of inexplicably odd, and even dangerous, events. The Sallie House actually made such an impression on the crew that they made a movie about their visit.

The home’s history

Before the hairs on the back of your neck stand up any further, we'll satisfy the burning question: What's actually wrong with the home? Or who is knocking around inside it?

Well, that's where it gets a little confusing. Not that the home hasn't shown a definite propensity for … expressing itself. There have been full-bodied ghost sightings, framed pictures turned upside down, even (and most famously) a prolonged episode of physical harm (which at one possibly contrite juncture, did involve the presumed "ghost" returning a misplaced remote control).

But the real Sallie House story starts far more quietly, with the building of a modest two-story brick home at 508 North 2nd Street in 1871. Nobody named Sallie exists in its origins; a family called Finney actually commissioned the building. Over the years, the home was rented out, and while one tenant did have a daughter named Sallie, nothing nefarious happened to her.

There are only two stories that connect a Sallie to the house. In one story, a girl named Sallie is brought to the house with acute appendicitis. The doctor, Charles Finney, is said to have forgotten to anesthetize Sallie; she woke up during surgery and died of shock.

The other story involves a later tenant of the house, a little girl who claimed to have an imaginary friend named, you guessed it, Sallie. Putting two and two together, basically Haunted House 101, you might infer that the imaginary friend was the ghost of the ill-fated Sallie from years back. But again, that story isn't well-documented.

Strange occurrences

It wasn't until Debra and Tony Pickman moved into the house in 1992 that intense investigation began - and with good reason. Things were getting … aggressive.

Whatever energy was pointed in the Pickmans’ direction, Tony seemed to be the focus of it. He was the one a ghost presumably returned the remote control to, although most of his encounters were much more antagonistic, including Tony getting three scratches on his arm while filming with Sightings.

Quite possibly the chiller-of-all-chillers, Tony remembers dreaming about being pulled from his bed by a little girl (remember the imaginary friend Sallie?). When he woke up the next day, there were fingerprint-like burn marks on his arm.

Maybe no surprise, the Pickmans moved out of the home in 1994, and nothing of that much significance has happened since. The current owners report having "felt a cold spot, and a few other odd occurrences," but generally things remain quiet.

Still, the Sallie House has remained a focus of ghost hunters and paranormal investigators for years, ranking on lists of America's most haunted places - and not entirely without cause. Check out 1:27:44 in this four-hour clip from Real Demon Hunting, and you'll hear a voice saying "put it right there, put your hand right there."

Whether you're a believer or not, that clip will give you some chills. And depending on your ghost preferences, it might just entice you to make an offer.

Related:

• Enter If You Dare: Inside a Real-Life Haunted House
• What’s It Like Living in a Haunted House?
• 5 Haunted Homes You Can Own Today

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/haunted-house-for-1m-194643/
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How Record-Breaking Home Values Impact Potential Home Buyers

Recent record-breaking home values in 26 percent of the country's housing markets are both a sign of recovery and another barrier for home buyers as they head out into this season's competitive housing market.

San Francisco and San Jose shattered their median home-value records months ago. But more recently, markets in the South and even the Midwest and Northeast have also surpassed bubble peaks and clocked some of the highest median home values on record for their markets.

Nearly half of all housing markets that recently reached new peaks were in the South, led by hot markets in Texas and Tennessee.

Low inventory drives up prices

Across the country, the number of homes listed for sale is much lower than it was a year ago, which means buyers' options are limited. Even if a buyer has a down payment, finding a house can be incredibly difficult. In Portland, OR, inventory is down 28 percent, while home values are at an all-time high, up 13 percent.

Limited inventory means increased competition for those homes that are available, spurring bidding wars and pricing out entry-level buyers. For first-time buyers, rising home prices and high monthly rental payments are making it difficult to save for a down payment to compete with trade-up or all-cash buyers.

Are we in another housing bubble?

The record-breaking home values have some experts worried about a new housing bubble, particularly in hot markets like San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles. San Francisco and San Jose have been appreciating at a double-digit pace for several months, and Denver has been appreciating at this pace since the end of 2013. Many view this as an unsustainable pace of appreciation.

The job market is hot in tech hubs like San Francisco and Seattle. With increased competition for homes in these markets, low inventory and high home prices start to have a real impact on renters looking to enter the housing market.

Returning to normal

The good news about rising home values is that fewer homeowners owe more on their mortgage than their homes are worth. When those homeowners are no longer underwater, they can sell their homes, raising inventory. More homes on the market means more options for home buyers. It also means we are that much closer to a "normal" housing market, where home values reach new records each month.

"These new records mean we're no longer making up ground lost during the housing recession," said Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell. "Instead, we're laying a new path forward, based on demand for housing and economic growth throughout the economy. In some ways, the housing market has seen a return to normalcy, and these markets are well on their way. In an ideal world, they'll set a new record home value every month as their home values rise at a normal pace. The fact that some markets are still off by double digits just highlights how extraordinarily inflated home values had been during the housing bubble."

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/home-values-impact-buyers-194638/
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10 Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks

Spring is the perfect time to open up the windows in your house and clean every surface inch. But don’t waste precious hours of spring sunshine while you stay in and clean.

Use these 10 tips to quickly get your home spic and span.

1. Have a plan.

When it comes to spring cleaning, the best approach is an organized approach. "I recommend having a plan, which includes an outline of the areas you plan to clean, a schedule with time slotted to do that work (for you and any family members), as well as a list of products, tools and even cleaning techniques or tips pertaining to those areas," says Melissa Maker, blogger and host of the popular YouTube show "Clean My Space."

2. Choose the right supplies.

When you’re making your spring cleaning plan, take inventory of what supplies you need to gather to begin cleaning. Once you figure out what you need, be sure to choose the most effective and powerful cleaning supplies so that the product is doing most of the work - not you.

3. Clean room by room.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you are going from room to room to complete various tasks. Choose to target one room at a time so you can see the results of your productivity quickly and not get discouraged.

4. Work smarter, not harder.

Don't scrub any more than necessary. Simple steps like soaking pots and pans before you scrub them, waiting for cleaning products to sit before you wipe down surfaces, and using the self-cleaning setting on your oven can save you tons of time.

5. Clean your cleaning supplies.

Did you know your cleaning supplies, such as sponges or microfiber cloths, are most likely the dirtiest items in your home? It goes without saying that you can't effectively clean your home with dirty supplies. So be sure to disinfect sponges or other cleaning supplies in a mixture of one part bleach and nine parts water for 30 seconds.

6. Don't forget the ____.

There are several items in our homes that we often forget to clean on a regular basis. Among forgotten items, Maker recommends cleaning behind the oven, bathroom exhaust fans, refrigerator coils, and window coverings.

7. Focus on the MIAs.

Spring cleaning can be a huge undertaking (especially depending on the size of your home), so Maker suggests focusing on the MIAs, or the Most Important Areas. When deciding which area to choose, think about the most visible ones, like the living room or home office.

8. Get rid of the clutter.

You can never truly have a clean and tidy home if you are buried in your own stuff. When cleaning out your things, remember the 80/20 rule: Only 20 percent of the items we own are truly important - so 80 percent of our belongings are just getting in the way.

9. Hire a professional for large jobs.

While many of us would be happy to tackle tasks like power washing the exterior of the house or shampooing the carpets and rugs, most of us probably don’t have the tools or experience necessary to do a sufficient job. Get friends’ recommendations on local cleaning companies that can get larger tasks done while everyone is at work or school.

10. Figure out ways to be more efficient in the future.

While you are cleaning and organizing your home, take note of all the clutter that you most often find. For example, if you are finding that most of your clutter is paper, figure out the best ways to go paperless throughout the year.

Related:

• Spring Cleaning: 5 Can’t-Miss Spots
• Winning the War on Pet Hair
• 3 Extra-Credit Spring Cleaning Tasks

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/10-tips-spring-cleaning-193638/
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House of the Week: A Paddle In, Paddle Out Oasis in Florida

Located just off Miami Beach, this tropical oasis of a home is a short paddleboard or kayak trip away from all things art and entertainment.

Between mainland Miami and mainland Miami Beach are the Venetian Islands, where this spacious 7,520-square-foot new waterfront property was just built. "You're 10 to 15 minutes away, either direction, from mainland Miami or mainland Miami Beach. You can get there by walking, bicycle, car — or by boat, paddleboard, or kayak," said listing agent Jeff Miller of Brown Harris Stevens.

And the home's private dock doesn't allow for any excuse not to.

This 6-bedroom, 8-bath modern home is on the market for $11.499 million. "The water is very calm and pleasant to go around, and everything is so close," Miller said. With art and cultural activities on the mainland Miami side, and nightclubs and beaches on the Miami Beach side, this Venetian Islands property offers the best of both worlds. It’s also an ideal year-round home or vacation home, just 15 minutes from Miami International Airport.

The home was designed by architect Ralph Choeff, who “does a tropical, modern-style home, where the inside and outside of the home blend together, so in the winter months you can open all of the doors and enjoy the inside and outside as one space," Miller noted. While the sleek design is enough reason to want to move in, Miller said the location makes it feel as if you're on your own private island in the middle of a city.

Additional perks include 40-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling windows on both floors that look onto the front, back, and side yards — while also allowing for views of the water from every angle. The home boasts a professionally designed outdoor kitchen and a rooftop shower, along with a 1,600-square-foot rooftop terrace.

Another bonus? It has 360-degree views from the roof, with a view of downtown Miami. And because of the island's central location, the rooftop terrace offers views of New Year’s Eve and July 4 fireworks shows from both nearby cities.

Photos by Blue Ocean Photography, except kitchen photos by Ken Hayden Photography

Related:

• Maui Chef Asks $3.8M for Estate That Belonged to Pineapple Pioneer
• A Brand New Mid-Century Modern in Palm Springs
• A Big Sky Ski Home With Alpenglow Views

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/paddle-in-out-oasis-in-florida-194184/
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San Francisco's Least Expansive Home

It’s hard to imagine being able to own a slice of San Francisco heaven that won't break the bank, but this 800-square-foot cottage with a listing price of $499,000 is currently for sale in one of the most expensive locations in the nation. Inside, you'll find a delightful setup with attractive wood flooring and eggshell white walls throughout.

The designer kitchen includes warm wood cabinets and dark tile flooring, along with stainless steel appliances. Although the house is quaint, the kitchen is a major selling point, offering plenty of storage space. You'll delight in spending time preparing meals while you enjoy the natural light provided by the well-placed skylight.

Prepare for your day in the well-proportioned bathroom, complete with a convenient washer and dryer. The room includes a stylish mint green bathtub. You'll always be connected to everything you need, with a door that leads back to the master bedroom, which is large enough to fit a queen-size bed comfortably and includes closet space as well as a large window.

A sliding glass door provides access to the backyard, where you'll find a brick pathway, patio area, trees and greenery, along with a storage shed. You can enjoy the California sun or host a gathering any time in this charming outdoor space that feels as though it is far from the noise of city life while being tucked in the neighborhood of Ocean View.

This neatly placed house, which is a bit too large to be officially called a tiny home, also comes equipped with solar panels, one of the major eco-friendly highlights.

Hat tip to Curbed for writing about the home first.

Anthony Navarro of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage holds the listing.

Related:

• Say a Little Prayer in this Cottage 
• Early 1800s Creole Cottage 
• Tiny Home in The Hamptons 

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/san-francisco-tiny-home-194556/
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5 Ways to Refresh Your Space for Spring

With springtime comes a sense of renewal, and a desire to clean, organize and start anew. There's nothing quite like breathing fresh air and sunshine with beautiful colors and textures all around you, both in nature and the home.

Get your creative gears turning, and whip your home into shape for spring. You’ll be surprised how a few simple changes can give you a whole new outlook.

1. Embrace natural light

Create the feel of windows with large mirrors. Photo via Laurel & Wolf.

With warmer days comes more sun, so open those blinds and bask in all the beautiful natural light. Instead of flipping on your lights in the morning, pull back the curtains and let sunshine light the way. The simple act of opening your windows will instantly lift your mood. You’ll also save more on your electric bill.

Don’t have many windows? Fake it by using large mirrors to reflect light and brighten up your room. Bonus: mirrors also give the illusion of a bigger space, making your home feel brighter, larger and clearer.

2. Give your furniture a clean slate

All-white furniture creates a spring vibe in a living room. Photo via Laurel & Wolf.

Spring is the perfect time to break out all of your lighter and cooler clothes - and this also goes for furniture. A white, beige or light gray couch is the perfect landing spot for house guests.

Light neutral chairs set the tone, reflect light and keep you from getting too warm. If desired, you can keep these pieces out year-round to invoke springtime memories and stave off wintertime blues when skies are gray. If you don’t want to commit to white furniture, invest in slipcovers that you can use seasonally and remove once colder temperatures return.

3. Let nature be your guide

Wickers and wovens are materials that work through spring and well into summer. Photo via Laurel & Wolf.

Nature comes back to life in the spring, and so should your home. Bring in lightweight natural materials - think wicker, woven baskets, light wood grain and cotton curtains. Keep it airy and light, leaning on nature to inspire you.

Switch out heavy blankets for summery picnic throws, and pack away heavy, dark decor items in favor of woven baskets paired with colorful or nature-inspired accessories. By adding earthy materials to your home, you invoke nature inside and out for a fresh and renewed feel.

4. Pack some punch with pops of color

Have fun with pops of spring brights. Photo via hayneedle.com.

Spring is the perfect time to ditch all those moody blacks and grays of winter, and trade them in for something a bit cheerier. Oranges, pinks, yellows, purples, blues and greens are all colors that recall spring and sunshine. Pick your favorite hue from the rainbow and run with it. Try a few peachy throw pillows, springy green candles or periwinkle decorative bowls.

Step out of your comfort zone and try a bold statement, or keep it cool with subtle hints of something you know you love. You’ll be surprised how much your mood lifts when you’re surrounded by a sea of pretty shades.

5. Go green and breathe deep

No backyard? No worries! Bring the outdoors in this spring with greenery. Photo via hayneedle.com.

Adding potted plants, bouquets of flowers and herb gardens to your home is a great way to bring the outdoors in. Not only do they provide beautiful focal points and improve your mood, they also give off little hits of oxygen - so breathe deep.

Hit up your local farmer’s market for pretty blooms on the cheap, or grow herbs in windowsill pots. And for all those black thumbs out there, faux plants will still give off a fresh green look, but without all the hassle and maintenance.

Whether you’re looking to freshen up a couple of rooms in your house or overhaul your whole space, there are easy steps you can take to get your home spring-ready. Give yourself a new outlook and a fresh perspective by taking the time to rejuvenate your space and your mindset.

From mixing up colors to looking to nature for inspiration, you can completely transform your home into a sunny, light and airy space that will be inviting to all.

Zillow wants to help you refresh your space this spring! Enter for a chance to win a shopping spree to hayneedle.com and interior design services for two rooms from Laurel & Wolf, for a total prize value of $5,000. Enter today.

Related:

• The Complete Guide to Spring Cleaning
• 3 Low-Key Color Palettes for a Sophisticated Home
• 4 Versatile Houseplants for Every Home

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Zillow, hayneedle.com and Laurel & Wolf, Spring Refresh Sweepstakes starts 3/24/2016 at 12:00 PM ET and ends 4/7/2016 11:59:59 PM ET. Open to eligible legal residents of US/DC who are 18 years or older. Click on Official Rules for details, odds, prizes, etc. Void where prohibited.

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/5-ways-to-refresh-for-spring-193999/
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3 Low-Key Color Palettes for a Sophisticated Home

Trendy color pairings  are not for everyone. But even if you prefer timeless paint palettes, the decision to update your home decor with new hues still comes with a lot of choices. Glossy or matte? Warm or cool tones? Pretty patterns or bare necessities? Here are three favorite palettes and pairings to help you gain a fresh perspective on your home.

Navy and white

If you’re lucky enough to call a beautiful coastline your home, a navy-and-white color palette is a perfect pick for your space. Its nautical roots and fresh, crisp look are a natural fit for a beach house or residence inspired by the shore.

Courtesy of Zillow Digs.

Navy helps bring dramatic dimension to a room when paired with white trim or wainscoting. Keep the rest of the room's colors and accessories simple and natural, adding texture throughout with jute and other natural fibers for a fresh-off-the-beach feel.

Crisp white and warm gray

A truly timeless color palette, white and gray have the ability to turn a room completely contemporary or settle it into a totally traditional space. The shades of white and gray you select will determine the personality of the room, and change how light reflects off the walls, textiles, and flooring.

Courtesy of Zillow Digs.

Try a warm greenish-gray paired with a crisp white for a transitionally styled space. The beige undertones help balance the coolness of the white, giving off an inviting vibe, perfect for pairing with vibrantly colored cushions, textiles, or accessories like rugs or ottomans.

Natural tan and warm white

Breathe life into a contemporary space with neutral tones like gray, brown, white, and beige. While this isn't a new idea, it's a luxurious take on a signature color palette, especially for a home transitioning into a modern style. (It’s also great for renters, because many rental homes already have white walls.)

Courtesy of Zillow Digs.

If you have high ceilings to work with, paint the walls and ceilings the same bright white to draw the eye upward and create visual space. Next, opt for soft natural tones in your flooring, carpeting, and upholstery. Finally, choose furnishings with texture like braided accents, woven designs, and wooded elements.

If you're dying for color, touches of red help warm up a cool and contemporary color palette like this.

For more design inspiration, check out Zillow Digs!

Related:

• Quiz: What’s Your Home Design Style?
• How to Personalize Your Rental Space (Without Losing Your Deposit)
• Home Decor Challenge: The Big Blank Wall

from Zillow Porchlight | Real Estate News, Advice and Inspiration http://www.zillow.com/blog/low-key-color-palettes-193798/
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