Daily Archives: May 17, 2013

Mobile Marketing, How to Get Started | Mt Kisco Realtor

Do you use mobile marketing for business?

Are you wondering how to get started?

To learn how mobile marketing and social connect, I interview Jamie Turner for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast.

More About This Show

Social Media Marketing Podcast w/ Michael Stelzner

The Social Media Marketing podcast is a show from Social Media Examiner.

It’s designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing.

The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting).

In this episode, I interview Jamie Turner, co-author of the book Go Mobile. His blog, the 60 Second Marketer is ranked as one of the top 10 marketing blogs by Social Media Examiner. He also runs a social media and mobile marketing agency called 60 Second Communications.

Jamie shares how to start with mobile marketing and why you should pay more attention to mobile customers.

You’ll learn what tools to use and the difference between mobile websites and mobile apps.

Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below!

Listen Now

You can also subscribe via iTunesRSSStitcher or Blackberry.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover in this show:

Mobile Marketing

Why marketers should pay more attention to mobile customers

Jamie states that 15-50% of the people who visit your website come in from a mobile device and this number will continue to grow.

When consumers visit your website from a mobile device, you need to be there to meet them, understand mobile marketing and know how to connect with customers on mobile.

You’ll have to learn how to use mobile, as it’s a way to build a bridge between you and your customer.

standard mobile

Make sure you’re mobile-ready.

You’ll discover how more people check prices on their mobile devices while shopping and what you need to provide them to make sure they buy from you.

And you’ll hear that when people buy a product on mobile devices, particularly tablet computers, their total ticket price is typically higher than it is via a desktop computer.

It’s important to be mobile-ready—not only for B2C but for B2B too.

Listen to the show to find out how many people bought a virtual ticket on a smartphone while attending Social Media Marketing World.

Is there a social media connection when it comes to mobile marketing?

Jamie sees email as a social media tool. Sixty-seven percent of all “C-level” executives check their emails from their mobile devices. The better-known tools being LinkedIn,FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

We all need mobile websites. Remember when consumers visit your site, one of the prominent things you want to do is give them the ability to connect with you on social media platforms from their mobile device.

You’ll hear Jamie give a great example of how you can use LinkedIn on a mobile device in a business environment.

 

Mobile Marketing, How to Get Started | Social Media Examiner.

Use One of These 4 Simple Garden Designs to Grow the 12 Best Kitchen Herbs | North Salem NY Real Estate

.The stunning flavors of culinary herbs make them star players in a healthy diet, and the best way to make the most of big-flavor herbs is to grow them yourself. This article includes plans for four herb gardens, each designed to fit into a 12-square-foot area, to help you make the best use of space near your kitchen door. See Top 12 Kitchen Herbs for more on the featured herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme.

You could grow kitchen herbs in a geometrical design dating from the days of medieval monasteries if you like, but there are easier ways to include culinary herbs in your landscape design. By following a few basic guidelines and choosing to grow the herbs you’re most likely to use, you can grow a generous supply of kitchen herbs in a surprisingly small space. Add some container herbs that are marginally hardy or prone to crowding out other plants, and you’re well on your way to a gourmet herb garden.

The first and most important step is to grow your herbs as close as possible to your kitchen door. “Accessing your kitchen herbs should be as easy as going to your pantry for the dried version,” says V.J. Billings, who grows herb plants by the thousands at Mountain Valley Growers in Squaw Valley, Calif. To find great places to grow herbs, simply walk out your back door and survey every space within 20 paces that gets at least a half day of full sun. As you plan, consider the times you will dash out to grab a handful of chives, dill or basil when it’s raining or something on the stove needs your attention. Having your herbs within easy reach of a walkway or well-placed steppingstones can also make a big difference.

Herbs need average or better soil and good drainage, but they are generally not as demanding as vegetables and flowers. With kitchen herbs, it’s better to make use of a convenient location than to move away from the house in search of better soil.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/use-one-of-these-4-simple-garden-designs-to-grow-the-12-best-kitchen-herbs.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.17.13+GFSS&utm_campaign=2013+GFSS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email#ixzz2TYpjyzJQ

Organic Pest Control Series: Beneficial Insects | Cross River NY Homes

.Day and night, pesticide-free organic gardens are abuzz with activity, much of it a life-and-death struggle between predators and prey, Pest Control in Mesa is the best ally you can have when we talk about insects. We seldom see much of this natural pest control, in which tiny assassins patrol their surroundings in pursuit of their next meal. Assassin bugs aren’t picky: They will stab, poison and devour a wide range of garden pests, including caterpillars, leafhoppers and bean beetles. Check out True Pest Control, they offer the best pest control in Adelaide. Soldier and ground beetles work the night shift, emerging after dark from beneath rocks, mulch and other daytime hiding places to feast upon soft-bodied insects and the eggs of Colorado potato beetles.

Aphid lions (the larvae of the lacewing) have a hooked jaw that helps them dispatch huge numbers of aphids, caterpillars, mites and other pests. The main reason why pest control is indispensable is the threat to human, plant and animal health posed by the pests. Almost all pests are carriers of some disease or the other and have even been known to cause severe epidemics and massive agricultural destruction. Apart from destroying valuable food supply, causing death and serious health problems such as allergic reaction, the pests also lead to serious property damage. Pests like termites can eat away huge wooden structures and render them hollow and useless. Almost everyone is revolted by these pests. In fact, the mere sight of a pest scurry around on a property is enough to turn you off and question the hygiene maintained at the place. Needless to say, pest control services is something you cannot do without.

However, it is a specialized service that you cannot manage on your own. The professional services of a pest control services company have to be hired if you want to rid your residential or commercial property of pests. For more information about the power pest control services, visit powerpestcontrol.ca. Locating the pests and eradicating them involves the use of special products and equipment that these companies have. Their technicians are trained in the use of these solutions and equipment in a safe manner. With their extensive knowledge of the different types of pests, they are able to identify the places of pest infestation and decide up on the best extermination plan to use for solving the problem, for example using a Flying Termite Removal Program. Their services are focused not only on one-time pest removal, but on minimizing the chances of future infestations as well. If you are interested in periodic pest treatment of your property as a preventive measure, the pest control companies can handle it too. According to Box Elder Bug, pest invasions can cause you great discomfort, physical harm and financial loss. It makes sense to engage a knowledgeable, experienced and reliable professional to deal with the issue. If you are interested in knowing about the pest control companies servicing your area, you can log on to a local business directory and get all the required information. Before we can get into trying to understand whether biological pest control is the answer to the pest-control related environmental concerns, it would be proper to give ourselves a little background information on this whole pest control business; for the benefit of those who may be encountering it for the very first time. Now, pests are organisms (typically insects) that are injurious to the interests of the people who refer to them as such. Thus to farmers, the insects that invade and eat up their crops (whether in the fields or during storage), would be termed as pests.

On the other hand, the ‘domestic insects’ that tend to mess up with things in domestic settings (like moths, that can mess up with cloths in storage), are seen as pests by housekeepers. Worth keeping in mind is that although most pests are insects, there are also quite are number that are non-insects: with the likes of rodents (that can mess up with crops in farms of things stored in domestic settings) being seen as pests too, the fact that they are not insects notwithstanding. Having seen that pests are injurious, it would be natural that the people who happen to ‘fall victim’ to them would want to get rid of them. In the meantime, people who haven’t yet fallen victim to pests would be keen to avoid such a ‘fate.’ Hosting pests, by the way, can be a serious fate: thousands of hectares of farmland have been known to be wasted by pests in a single day, leading to losses that often run into millions of dollars. It is the steps taken to avoid pest invasion then, or to resolve pest invasion if it has already taken place, that are referred to as constituting pest control expert services, like Pro Care. Now pest control takes various forms, depending on the pests one is trying to get rid of (or to prevent the invasion of). And while bigger pests like rodents may be controlled through mechanical means like trapping, for a long period of time, it is chemical control that has worked for the vast majority of pests, which tend to be insects as previous mentioned.

The chemicals used in this endeavor are what are termed as pesticides. And while pesticides are usually very effective in pest-control, the downside to them tends to come up when we consider the fact that they tend to be extremely environmentally unfriendly. Check out pestzone to see the best way to eliminate pests on your house. Worth keeping in mind, at this point, is the fact that the chemicals referred to as pesticides tend to be very potent ones. So it often happens that traces of them remain where they were used, even after the pests are gone. Those traces are eventually washed down to the water bodies where they wreck great havoc to the (non pest) plants and animals resident in the water bodies.

Learning about the beneficial insects in your garden will make it a more fascinating place, and help you tweak it in ways that intensify the work done by wild garden allies. This is often a simple matter of avoiding the use of pesticides (including organic ones), the service of bee removal Phoenix AZ, and growing plenty of flowers to provide beneficial insects with pollen and nectar. In greenhouses or other special situations, you may even decide to purchase and release certain lab-raised beneficial insects. This will not be necessary with the beneficial insects described here, because all will naturally gravitate toward a diversified organic garden.

Although, squirrels in an attic can be a real problem, professional Baltimore squirrel removal services are usually needed as a sound resolution. Don Brody from On The Fly Pest Solutions says squirrels may be cute but in a home a wild animal can cause nightmares, such as electrical fires from rodents gnawing live wires.

Below we feature the best beneficial insects for your garden, each one beautifully illustrated. Get to know these garden helpers individually and make a plan for how you can incorporate them into your garden as part of your natural pest control strategy.Do you have termites? The first step to avoiding a termite problem is having your home regularly inspected for termites. Termite inspections Brisbane provide customers with professional wood destroying organism inspections for real estate purchases and refinancing.

Check out the other sections of our our Organic Pest Control Series: Using Organic Pesticides and Common Garden Pests.

Braconid Wasp

Braconid wasps play an important role in controlling insect pests. Braconids are beneficial insects that lay their eggs inside or on host insects, and then the maggot-like wasp larvae weaken the host pest.

Read more.   

Ground Beetle

The busy ground beetles’ diet can help control slugs, asparagus beetles, caterpillars, Colorado potato beetles, corn earworms, cutworms, squash vine borers and tobacco budworms.

Read more

Honeybee

Have you ever wondered, “What do honeybees eat?” If so, and if you’d like to attract these beneficial insects to your garden, this piece crammed full of honeybee information is a good place to start.

Read more

Hover Fly

Hoverfly larvae eat mealybugs and small caterpillars, and are especially helpful with organic aphid control. Adult hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen, and you can attract them to your garden with flowering plants.

Read more.

Lacewing

Beneficial lacewing larvae prey on aphids, cabbage worms, caterpillar eggs and more. Learn how to attract these garden helpers.

Read more.

 

Lady Beetle

Lady beetles feed on all sorts of garden pests, including aphids, small caterpillars and insect eggs. They even feed on powdery mildew. Learn how to attract them to your organic garden for natural pest control.

Read more.

Mason Bee

The mason bee is a great pollinator and can work blossoms at a lower temperature than honeybees. Mason bees are so named because they pack mud into their nests, like brick masons.

Read more.

Praying Mantis

The praying mantis is a beneficial predatory insect that provides grasshopper control and more. Learn to create an inviting praying mantis habitat.

Read more.

Predatory Bugs

If your goal is to squash garden pests naturally by attracting beneficial insects, then welcome assassin bugs with open, dirt-covered arms.

Read more.

Soldier Beetle

Brush up on your soldier beetle facts, including what soldier beetles eat, where they live, and how to attract this beneficial insect to your organic garden.

Read more.

Spider

Pest outbreaks could be rare if you have lots of beneficial insects and spiders in the garden. Learn how to attract various types of garden spiders.

Read more.

Tachinid Fly

The Tachinid or “Diptera” species is well worth inviting to your organic garden because of its ferocious appetite for garden pests such as Japanese beetles and grasshoppers.

Read more.

Trichogramma Wasp

Itty-bitty trichogramma wasp larvae develop inside of and eat insect eggs, especially those of cabbage worms, codling moths and European corn borers.

Read more.

Yellow Jacket

Yellow jacket wasps feed their young liquefied insects, with caterpillars, flies and spiders comprising the largest food groups during most of the summer. The effect: Adios, garden pests!

Read more.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/beneficial-insects-zl0z0413zkin.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.17.13+GFSS&utm_campaign=2013+GFSS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email#ixzz2TYoKNBGr

Weekend Planner: St. Pat’s Carnival, Bedford Hills Parade, Carriage Barn Party | Katonah Homes

Whether you’re in search of something fun to do with the kids or you have a babysitter and are planning a night out, look no further because Patch editors have picked a variety of events taking place to help you make the most of your weekend. Click on the headline for more information of each event that’s listed alphabetically by town.

 

Bedford: St. Patrick’s School Carnival

When: Through Sunday May 19

Where: 
St. Patrick’s School, Bedford

Cost: Admission and parking are free. Wrist bands and tickets may be purchased for rides. 

Description: The St. Patrick’s Carnival is a spring time tradition in Bedford and has rides, games, food and a raffle for a Mercedes Benz.

Bedford Hills: Fire Department Parade


Where: 
The parade starts on Babbitt Road and North Street in Bedford Hills and ends in the train station commuter lots.

When: Saturday, May 18 at 4 p.m.

Cost: Free

Description: The Bedford Hills Fire Department hosts its 110th anniversary parade and invites the community and neighboring towns to watch and celebrate.

Katonah: Carriage Barn Opening Party


When: Saturday, May 18 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Where: John Jay Homestead, Katonah

Cost: $125 and up.

Description: The Friends of John Jay Homestead will host an Opening Night Party to preview the Carriage Barn Education and Visitor Center. Proceeds from the event will go towards completing the Center’s interactive exhibits.

ELSEWHERE IN WESTCHESTER:

White Plains: Family Arts Bash

Where31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains

When: Saturday, May 18, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Cost: Free

Description: A day of fun for the whole family featuring children’s workshops, activities, prizes and food. For details, click here.

Hastings-on-Hudson: SunPlugged-on-Hudson


Where: MacEachron Waterfront Park – River Street, Hastings-on-Hudson

When: Saturday, May 18, noon to 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

Description: An environmentally friendly festival featuring live solar powered music, as well as exhibits on local solutions for environmental sustainability. 

Tarrytown: EF Culture Fair


Where: EF Education First, 100 Marymount Avenue (Marian Hall), Tarrytown 

When: Friday, May 17, 12 to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free 

Description: Breaking down barriers, EF Culture Fair is a day when students from over 40 countries around the world show off their cultures to friends, local host families, school children and community members.  Each country has its own room, which will be decorated with exhibits from the students’ home countries – some nationalities will also put on performances and others will prepare samples of their favorite food from home.

Somers: Annual Plant Sale and Veteran’s Memorial Re-Dedication


Where: Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial

When: Saturday, May 18 at 9 a.m.

Description: A bronze eagle monument set amid a new granite courtyard will beckon visitors to the re-dedication of the Westchester County Veterans Museum at Lasdon Park in Somers. While at the park, visitors are invited to shop the annual Friends of Lasdon Plant Sale, which will also be held at the park that day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All proceeds from the plant sale and shop benefit programs at the arboretum.

Yorktown: ‘Paws for the Cause’

Where: 99 Moseman Rd, Yorktown Heights

When:
 Sunday, May 19 at 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Description: “Paws for the Cause” is taking place on the Grange Fair Grounds in Yorktown with vendors – both pet related and non pet related, animal rescue groups, dog demonstrations, children’s entertainment, food, contests and more. All proceeds will go to benefit pups in high kill shelters that would be euthanized if it were not for rescue groups pulling them and transporting them up to NY. 

Briarcliff Manor: Seussical Auditions

Where: Briarcliff Manor Recreation Building (48 Macy Rd).

When: Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m. (and May 22 at 6 p.m.)

Cost: Tuition is $450

Description: The Summercliff Players, a youth theatre group not limited to Briarcliff Manor and Ossining residents, is gearing up for its summer production of Seussical. Rehearsals begin on June 24. Email summercliffplayers@gmail.com to set up an audition time.

 

Weekend Planner: St. Pat’s Carnival, Bedford Hills Parade, Carriage Barn Party – Entertainment – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch.

Jam Packed Weekend On Deck In Chappaqua | Chappaqua Real Estate

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. – Looking for something to do around Chappaqua this weekend will not be a problem—but choosing what you do might be. Several exciting events are slated to take place this weekend, along with a favorable weather forecast. You can also visit our Events page for more options in the area.

Friday, May 17

Free Ice Cream for Middle Schoolers: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For Bell Middle School and Seven Bridges Middle School students, free ice cream will be served at “Local” compliments of Chappaqua Pediatrics. 75 South Greeley Avenue

Lecture: Screenwriter Mark Bomback: 7:30 p.m. Screenwriting and Mark’s film Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington, will be the subject of the talk. A short clip of the film will be shown. Mark is also the screenwriter for Live free or Die Hard, Race to Witch Mountain and Total Recoil. Free and open to the public. Chappaqua Public Library, 195 South Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua.

Saturday, May 18

Chappaqua Farmers Market Outdoor Season: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The Chappaqua Farmers Market will welcome shoppers for their third season with new offerings.  The market’s spring/summer season will now take place outdoors at the Chappaqua train station.

Family Fun Day at Wagon Road Camp: Noon to 4 p.m. Experience “a day in the life” of summer camp at Wagon Road Day Camp. Experience the amazing adventure ropes course and imagination playground, take a pony ride, visit our petting zoo, enjoy the bouncy castle, get your face painted, and enjoy a free lunch from our Summer Camp menu.  Kids can participate in our scavenger hunt and win a prize! Free for all Chappaqua families. 431 Quaker Road, Chappaqua.

Relay For Life of Chappaqua: 7 p.m. The journey to end cancer starts with a single step. The American Cancer Society invites you to take that step with us by joining the global Relay For Life movement. When you walk to end cancer at a Relay event, it’s your opportunity to not only honor cancer survivors and remember loved ones lost, but also to raise awareness about what we can do to stay well from cancer and raise money to help fuel the world’s largest walk to end cancer. Held in the Horace Greelye High School, 70 Roaring Brook Road.

Sunday, May 19

New Castle 10K Road Race: 8:10 a.m. Sponsored by New Castle Physical Therapy and Personal Training, the 26th annual New Castle 10K Road Race is slated to begin outside of Town Hall. If you did not already register, it costs $25 to do so on the day of the race. 200 South Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua.

Tails to Trails: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce will hold Millwood’s first annual “Tails to Trails” this Sunday in the parking lot of the Millwood Animal Hospital. The event is a combination of a pet fair and a walk along the North County Trailway. The fair will include free hot dogs, water and a raffle with items such as an iPod, pet exams and Frontline products.

Free Family Concert: 3 p.m. The Pleasantville Fire Department Band will include music of Benny Goodman, Rimsky Korsakov, as well as marches by John Phillip Sousa. Featured will be solos by the flute and drum. Free and open to the public. Chappaqua Public Library, 195 South Greeley Avenue.

 

 

Jam Packed Weekend On Deck In Chappaqua | The Chappaqua Daily Voice.

Armonk Weekend Weather: Sunny, Dry Weather Forecasted | Armonk Homes

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn./WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – Don’t expect rain to spoil your weekend plans.

The National Weather Service says this weekend should be warm and sunny, with no chance of rain darkening the area.

“High pressure over the region on Friday will result in abundant sunshine and temperatures just above seasonable levels,” the NWS said. “Winds will remain from the northwest with highs reaching the low to mid 70s everywhere.”

Friday: The weather should be sunny and clear, with temperatures reaching 74 degrees.

Saturday: Forecasts call for partly-sunny skies and a high of 75 degrees.

Sunday: The weather should be sunny, with a high of 68 degrees.

 

Armonk Weekend Weather: Sunny, Dry Weather Forecasted | The Armonk Daily Voice.

Is It Better to Rent or Buy? It Depends on Location and Time | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

There are many difficult choices to make when deciding whether to rent or buy a home, but one of the most important factors is also among the easiest to determine: How long do you plan on staying in the home or neighborhood under consideration?

It has long been a rule of thumb that if you plan on staying in a home “long-term,” then you should buy instead of rent. But how long is “long-term,” really? Just how long does it take to recoup the upfront costs of buying, or to realize the savings inherent in a mortgage payment instead of a rent payment?

In some places, the answer is as short as one year – or as long as 20 years.

Zillow’s breakeven horizon incorporates all possible costs associated with buying and renting, including upfront payments, closing costs, anticipated monthly rent and mortgage payments, insurance, taxes, utilities and maintenance costs. It helps renters or prospective buyers determine the point, in years, at which buying a home becomes more financially advantageous than renting the same home. Because neighborhood selection is such a critical part of the home shopping process, the breakeven horizon is now available at the ZIP code and neighborhood level within individual cities and towns, and can often vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood.

Maybe you’re trying to decide whether to buy or rent in New York City. The breakeven horizon for New York City as a whole is 6.1 years. But at the neighborhood level, the breakeven horizon ranges from a low of 2.5 years in the Parkchester neighborhood in the Bronx, to a high of 11.9 years in the Carnegie Hill section of Manhattan.

Nationwide, the neighborhood with the lowest breakeven horizon is the Shelby Forest-Frayser neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn., at just one year. The neighborhood with the longest breakeven horizon is the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach, Va., at 20.3 years.

So, if you’re thinking of moving to the Shelby Forest-Frayser part of Memphis in the next few months, and you think you’ll be there for at least a year, you should consider buying a place there instead of signing that one-year lease. And if you’re looking to find that perfect place in beautiful Sandbridge, well, you should feel comfortable signing that multi-year lease, or get ready to live there at least 20 years if you want to break even.

5 neighborhoods with shortest breakeven:

Neighborhood

City, State

Breakeven Horizon (Years)

Shelby Forest-FrayserMemphis, Tenn.

1

FairhillPhiladelphia, Pa.

1

La GrangeToledo, Ohio

1

CorlettCleveland, Ohio

1

Sulphur SpringsTampa, Fla.

1

5 neighborhoods with longest breakeven:

Neighborhood

City, State

Breakeven Horizon (Years)

SandbridgeVirginia Beach, Va.

20.3

College HillProvidence, RI

13.3

WiltonRichmond, Va.

13

Arts DistrictDallas, Texas

12.3

Windsor FarmsRichmond, Va.

12.3

 

http://www.zillowblog.com/2013-05-16

Hugh Hefner, Crystal Harris Own First Home as Husband & Wife | Cross River Real Estate

Crystal Harris IMDb

Source: IMDb

Newlyweds Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris may need to set a price limit for exchanging gifts. Shortly after Harris made her husband a homemade gift for his 87th birthday, the Playboy magazine founder dropped $4.995 million on a Hollywood Hills mansion for the 27-year-old Playmate.

The couple finally tied the knot in January. They’d been engaged for awhile, but Harris called off the wedding in 2011. Now the newlyweds have sealed the deal with their first real estate purchase. According toTMZ, Harris is a co-owner of the property.

The modern manse is constructed in a decidedly different style than the traditional and Tudor-esque architecture of the Playboy Mansion. The 5,917-square-foot home was built in 2011 with several modern amenities, as well as a view of the city lights. A gated entrance leads into a contemporary kitchen and up a floating wood staircase into a luxurious master bedroom and bath. Outside, a white-glass infinity pool and deck provide secluded relaxation while sliding doors out front provide open-air living space.

Hefner has lived in the famous Playboy Mansion for several years, but it may come as a surprise that the millionare doesn’t own it. According to details of the lease, filed with the SEC as an appendix to his employment agreement, Hefner pays rent for the 29-room house.

With the Playboy Bunny House (across the street from Hefner’s not-so-humble abode) recently listed for $11 million, time will tell whether Hefner decides to make the Hollywood Hills home is primary residence.

 

 

Hugh Hefner, Crystal Harris Own First Home as Husband & Wife | Zillow Blog.

Eight Kitchen Counter Options That Will Make You Forget Granite | South Salem Real Estate

Its use in residential applications has skyrocketed in recent years. A 2012 survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Marble Institute, found that 75 percent of homeowners who intend to remodel their kitchens in the next two years indicated they want granite countertops Denver.

Granite’s durability, longevity and good looks make it ideal for kitchen countertops and other heavily used surfaces, including table tops and floors. Still, it’s expensive (typically $60 to $100 per square foot installed), it’s extraordinarily heavy (requiring reinforcement of base cabinets) and requires considerable upkeep.

Beyond granite, there are a multitude of countertop options available and their number just increases over time. If you’re in the market for a kitchen makeover, you may find one of these great, non-granite surfaces is just what you need:

Marble countertop

Marble countertop

Carrara marble

Marble is softer than granite, which means it stains and scratches. “But it creates its own patina when it does that,” says Alan Zielinski, immediate past president of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and president and CEO of Better Kitchens Inc. in north-suburban Chicago. “That aging process gives the marble a nice, warm look. That warmth appeals to some people – if you’re not one of them, you probably should avoid marble.”

Wood countertop

Wood countertop

Wood

Wood countertops are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, largely due to their durability and style. Adding a wood top to an island, while using a contrasting material for perimeter counters is a great way to add interest to the kitchen.

Butcher block is the most common type of wood countertop, but slabs can be crafted from a variety of woods, ranging from cherry and bamboo to zebra wood and iroko. Wear will give wood counters a charming patina, but you’ll need to periodically oil them to prevent drying.

Soapstone counter

Soapstone countertop

Soapstone

Soapstone is a smooth, matte natural stone that comes in a hues ranging from soft grey to charcoal. It is one of the only natural surfaces that is not affected by acids, so spilled coffee or orange juice won’t leave a stain. Soapstone is also heat resistant.

No special cleaners are needed to keep soapstone clean but mineral oils can be used to enhance the stone’s natural beauty.

Quartz counters

Quartz countertop

Engineered Quartz

Although some quartz countertops are actually made of quarried slabs of stone, the new engineered material is created through a manufacturing process that mixes approximately 95 percent ground natural quartz with 5 percent polymer resins. The result is a super-hard, low-maintenance, natural looking countertop that’s available in a wide range of colors.

“Because quartz is a composite material, it brings with it both the practicality of natural stone and the consistency of a manufactured product,” says Zielinski. “It’s resistant to scratching, but it can be scratched and it’s resistant to heat, but you don’t want to set a hot frying pan on it.”

Eight Kitchen Counter Options That Will Make You Forget Granite | Zillow Blog.