I've been reading through our old blog posts, and I was also thinking about reasons why people decide to move and sell or buy new homes, and it hit me... expanding families are a major reason why people move.  However we've never addressed this!

So once you have your new home, it's time to start thinking about a nursery and creating the perfect room for your child. I've rounded up some tips and ideas to help with decorating the exciting new space:

-As we all know, nurseries and all baby colors tend to be pastles, calming and reassuring, but this is actualy because babies can only see in black and white. As their eyes develop the next color they can see is red, but bright colors can be confusing and unsettling to them, so sticking with light yellows, baby blues, and gentle pinks is your best bet. They're subtle and calming color schemes to help your baby rest.

- Chalkboard and whiteboard paints are a great way to add something a little different to a children's room. Although a nursery may seem a little young, often times you need a room that they'll grow into and having a chalkboard wall or whiteboard dresser can make the room a fun and interactive place.

- Wall decals of simple things like trees or cute animals can spruce up a space and make for easy redecorating with age. Picking a gender neutral color and putting up wall decals will allow for the room to evolve. In the end you just have basic painted walls but you can change out the decals as your baby grows up or even if you decide to switch rooms around you won't have to worry about the paint job.

-In the end a nursery is a room for your child to grown and learn in, and lots of growing and learning means lots of dirt and messes, so try to make as many items and surfaces in the room washable. Consider what things can just be sprayed down or tossed in the washing machine and what things would take a bit more cleaning to maintain.

I hope these tips are helpful as you begin the exciting journey with not only a new home, but a new family member!

The Courthouse as is right now

I'm going to stray just a bit outside of the city today and talk a little bit about a new development in East Cambridge. The Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse is no longer in use, and thus is sitting upon some valuable real estate that developers are practically drooling over. Currently three developers/investment firms have submitted plans to the city, DivcoWest, Legatt McCall, and HYM. Although little is known about the plans Legatt McCall submitted, DivcoWest and HYM seem to have big ideas for the 22-story court house.

DivcoWest has even released renderings of the imagined new building, which appears to have a fairly modern and sleek exterior. Apartments have been a consideration, as the city and the neighborhood would love to offer more housing, and affordable housing at that. Beyond this the plans anticipate 460,000 square feet of office space, and 30,000 square feet of retail space under DivcoWest.

HYM's plans are far more drastic in terms of a transformation, as they hope to strip the entire building down to the steel skeleton and start all over with an emphasis on a glass exterior. This plans includes 50 apartments, removing the top three floors of the building, a town plaza with outdoor seating, some retail space, and an excess of office space, 40,000 square feet to be more exact.

There's no doubt that Legatt McCall has something big up their sleeve too, but now we must wait in anticipation to learn which plan will be selected and to watch the new building come to life.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy which is used to create positive energy in space based on the spacial relation of the home and the colors, light, and air in a given space. Many people both within Asian cultures and simply those looking to refresh their lives have taken to feng shui in their homes.

Essentially Feng Shui is a minimalist approach to decorating which is believed to change the energy of a home. In turn this positive energy is reflected in those that live in the home. Without all the clutter of everyday things like mail on the counter, magazines sprawled across the coffee table, and dog toys on the ground, you can live a less stressful life.

Here are a few simple and basic ways to Feng Shui your home!

These are just some basic and very straight forward tips to help you as you try to settle into your new home, or even as you try to stage your old home for sale!

We've recently been posting both on here and on the website about how September 1st is growing closer and closer. For anyone that has ever lived in Boston you know that it is a big moving day. August 31st everyone needs to get out of their old place and then into their new place on the 1st.  A majority of leases start in September and everyone is excited to move right in to their new place but some people are still looking. The Charles Realty wants to help you find the right place and we're working hard to present you with the tools to find the right apartment.

We have search tools on our website that are extremely helpful in finding exactly what you want in a home. You can select the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, the location, and your price range and have a whole list of homes presented to you in your search. There are many other search engines from larger website that have similar searches but more often they do not offer the options to even narrow down your search to specific neighborhoods. Of course we understand Boston and we know there is a big difference between wanting to live in the North End or Beacon Hill, something that those larger websites don't recognize. So don't hesitate to give our rental search tools a try. We also use similar search tools for any sales, not just rentals.

We also offer a brief renter's guide along with all the information to access our rental team. Naturally our rental team is our greatest tool, with a team of 6 experienced agents who all live in the Boston area themselves, they understand the need to find just the right place. Each agent truly listens to what their clients want and need in a home and work tirelessly to match them to exactly the right place.