HotPads Daily :: The Official Blog of HotPads.com

Hot Pads: Jackson, WY

2009-11-16T12:37:48-05:00

As winter rapidly approaches and ski trip planning begins, my mind always wanders back to Jackson, WY- one of my top 3 favorite places in the United States.

I've always wanted a little log cabin to stay in with family and friends and think I might have found just the one in the (not "little") Big Horn Lodge, a 5 bedroom, 8000 square foot home for sale in Jackson, WY.

Look at the expansive views from the huge dining room windows! And between the log beams, wood walls, and antler chandeliers, this is a "true Jackson style" dining room!

The lodge's great room is also beautiful with dramatic vaulted ceilings, a great stone fireplace, and stunning decor.

I love how the designers ensured that you had sweeping views from every room. Just look at the size of this window in one of the 5 bedrooms!

Can't afford this place? No worries, we have lots of vacation rentals in Jackson!

HotPads Intro Video by TurnHere

2009-11-11T14:58:01-05:00

Some of you who were at the Inman Conference in San Francisco might recall the presentation by TurnHere, an online video production, advertising, and production company. They generously offered to provide a complimentary video introduction for real estate companies and we took them up on their offer.

We were extremely impressed by the professionalism of both the camera man who came to the office for the recording and the production quality of the video. Check out our brief introductory video starring Matthew Corgan, our President and CEO.

HotPads: Vegas

2009-11-04T14:55:39-05:00

Inspired by a co-worker's upcoming trip to Vegas, I took a look at some of the most-luxurious penthouses in Las Vegas and saw 2 for sale in one building. I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so here they are:

Option 1: Swanky, Cool, Trendy Style: 5 bedroom, $14m penthouse

Cool living room with velvet "seat thing" and overhead neons

with a fully-functional bar

and great play area

Option 2: 2 level, classic luxury: 3 bedroom, $7,999,000

A beautiful outdoor area with a fire pit overlooking the strip,

a pool to relax in,

and soothing colors.

Can't afford a penthouse in Las Vegas? No worries, we have tons of great hotels in Las Vegas as well!

Hot Pads: Haunted Castle Edition

2009-10-28T17:35:30-04:00

As jack-o-lanterns and spider webs adorn the homes in Georgetown, we here at HotPads are gearing up for Halloween weekend as well. One such instance is this great (and spooky) article over at WebUrbanist featuring "10 of the Most Chilling Haunted Castles in the World." One of the castles jumped out at us because, we've already spotlighted it here!

As you may recall, the Belcourt Castle boasts 10 bedrooms, 7 full bath, and 4 half baths and is truly a beautiful estate:

What you may not know is that the Blecourt Castle was bought in 1956 by the Tinney Family (for $25,000). The patriarch, Harold, was said to adore his castle, so much so that he decided to stay there in his afterlife.

Tourists flock to the Belcourt Castle, not only to look at the architecture and artifacts, but also to take candlelit ghost tours of the premise. So, if you don't mind a friendly ghost or two, this is the home for you! See this home for sale in Newport, RI here: Belcourt Castle!

"Top 10 Hottest Guy Cities"

2009-10-21T18:23:38-04:00

Fox News did an interesting piece today where they tried to come up with the 10 cities with the "hottest guys."

While tastes obviously differ from person to person, they started with the assumption that women all look for a few 'key qualities' like "love, mutual attraction and personality" but also want "intelligence, good health, emotional stability, ambition and industriousness, and good financial prospects." With that in mind, they analyzed census data that included lifestyle factors and health surveys, along with education and average income.

Let's take this survey with a grain of salt, but, all you single ladies may be interested in these "Top 10 Hottest Guy Cities."

10.Los Angeles, CA

9. Salt Lake City, UT

8. Provo, UT

7. Denver, CO

2. Boulder, CO

1. Bethesda, MD (- A wonderful suburb of Washington, DC!)

A lot of the reasoning behind these top choices seemed to have a lot to do with a low occurrence of heavy drinking and smoking, plus a good amount of higher education and competitive salaries. While it would be interesting to see which cities ranked highest in the purely physical attractiveness scale, it's a place to start!

Hot Pads: Georgetown's Evermay

2009-10-20T11:59:51-04:00

This home for sale is the first one that I've written about that I have actually seen before! Located right here in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, this 9 bedroom, 11 bath room home is priced at a cool $39.5 million- listed for the first time in 85 years!

"Evermay" is a historic estate set on 3 1/2 acres of land, overlooking Rock Creek Park and with clear sites of the Washington Monument. (Read about its history here)

This federal style home built in 1801 is "classic Georgetown" with subtle colors, rich wood, and an inviting feel.

Do you like entertaining? Well, I hope you like cooking too, because this house can accommodate 40 people in the dining room alone... and parking for 100 cars! And, like all great entertaining houses, it features a gorgeous, light-filled ballroom.

And a backyard this size in Georgetown? Take it from me and my 5x7 sloped 'brick thing'... this is unheard of!

Plus, this house is only 8 blocks from HotPads HQ, so you can drop by for a happy hour every week!

View more photos of this magnificent estate or search for other homes for sale in Georgetown!

Hot Pads: Hidden Hills

2009-10-15T12:30:49-04:00

Seeing fantastic homes for sale and apartments for rent is just part of the job here at HotPads. When a particular property resonates with a HotPads team member, I usually highlight it here on the blog. I always agree that the properties are spectacular, but this 6 bedroom/ 10 bath estate in Hidden Hills, CA just might be my dream home.

It has the unbelievable pool complete with waterfalls, rock, and a grotto area:

It has all the activities you could want- pool, foosball, ping pong, volleyball, shuffleboard, and a fully-equipped gym:

It has the indoor hot tub/ whirl pool and a separate spa room:

It has the huge wine cellar and the huge library (complete with ladder- I've always wanted one of those):

And finally, it even has the outdoor seating area with comfortable chairs, a stone fireplace, and huge flat screen.

See the rest of the unbelievable photos of this great $10.8 million listing.

Hot Pads: The Mediterranean in Miami

2009-10-13T11:21:54-04:00

It only took a few minutes of casually flipping through some of my friend's photos from her honeymoon in the Mediterranean last night to decide that it was certainly on my list of "places I need to see." But then, this morning, I came across this home for sale in Miami, FL- the spitting image of the hotel she stayed in!

From the beautiful white columns and arches with well cared for grounds...

to the gorgeous sitting areas with amazing views.

It even has the same unbelievable infinity pool seemingly flowing into the water.

And I just love this type of housing plan with the courtyard in the middle:

While I know that this isn't the Mediterranean, at least you can get the feel of it in the easily accessible US of A! Check out this great property here: 8 bedroom, 12614 sq ft water front home

Can't afford this price tag? No worries, we have plenty of great vacation rentals in Miami!