HotPads Daily :: The Official Blog of HotPads.com

Hot Pads: The Hottest Entries in the Southwest

After writing a post spotlighting great homes in Georgetown, I received a number of "tellafriend" emails with real estate listings boasting other enviable or unique features.  It seemed silly to keep them to myself, so from time to time I'll share with the community (if you find a listing you like, let me know!)

The theme for this edition of "Hot Pads" is Hottest Entries in the Southwest.

"Most Palatial" 

Look at these gorgeous stairs leading up to the main house in Scottsdale, AZ.  It would be hard not to feel like royalty ascending these!

5 bedrooms, 10 baths, & 6 car garage

"Most Cardio-Required"

Maybe you like to "make an entrance"... well, do I have a home for you! I really like the description too, "This house defines SEXY real estate." I'd agree.

Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, AZ

"Most Art-fully Decorated"

This piece, called "Dance of Life" commands attention at the entrance to this incredible property in Sedona, AZ.

The whole house is artfully decorated, check out more pictures!

"Most Ghost Town-esq"

This totally unique, huge estate in Scottsdale, AZ does have the sort of feel of a historic ghost town from the front.

Check out Silverleaf at DC Ranch, it's truly gorgeous.

"Best Camoflaging"

This house almost dissappears into the surrounding mountains, but don't be fooled, it includes all the amazing luxuries like 5 bedroom suites, a 6 car garage, and a pool with a waterfall!

All in a guard-gated luxury community in Las Vegas!

Well, that's it for now! You can see more luxurious and amazing houses on HotPads on the Hottest Pads!

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Tired of seeing that listing? Now hide it... on HotPads.com

Everyone is very particular about their next home.  Very often, at first glance you know if a house or apartment is a bad fit for you.  Now, on HotPads, you can make sure that you never have to view the listings you know just won't work again by just simply clicking and hiding that listing.  (See screen shot below...and my fat red arrow.)

So, now anyone can customize their search on HotPads with Favorite Listings (bright blue), Viewed Listings (gray), Hidden Listings (vanished)...and you can share all of these listings plus notes about them with your spouse, roommates, or concerned parents by clicking "My Favorites" in the top right corner of the screen and linking to your saved listings.  Below is a link to some of my saved listings in Miami.  This works with or without an account... but having an account is preferable. 

My Miami Saved Listings

Hot Pads in Georgetown

I was watching a show last night about a woman searching for her first home in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC.  Naturally, I immediately zoned in as Georgetown is both the location of HotPads' HQ, as well as where I happen to live.  Inspired by the beautiful homes, I decided to take a look at the homes for sale on HotPads in Georgetown and wow, do we have quite a selection!

Awesome Bed Nook

I'm in love with this arched bed nook... It's so regal, yet so cozy!

See the whole listing

Enviable Bookshelves

I've always dreamed of having my own library, however I really don't have the storage for it.  (My already tiny room is almost overrun by piles of books everywhere)

The rest of the house is pretty nice too!

Great Seating Table

I love the sofa-like seating around this eating/card table!

3 bedroom/ 3 bath house

What A Closet!

I think no explanation is neccessary for this one- what every girl dreams of! Oh walk-in closets with a TV, chandelier and shoe racks...

It was hard to pick my favorite element for this one!

Perfect Patio

This backyard/patio would be perfect for entertaining.  And, it's right in the heart of Georgetown!

6 Bedroom on P Street

Well, I could go on forever, but I think I'll wipe the drool off and just leave you with those 5!  Check out some more Georgetown Real Estate! 

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HotPads Says Goodbye to an Old Friend & Welcomes a New Team Member

From brilliant, committed employees to out-of-the-box thinking and the desire to make the internet a better place, there are numerous reasons for HotPads' success.  However, one of the most important components of HotPads is the thing that gets us going every morning, mid-morning, post-lunch, mid-afternoon, and many evenings: coffee.

Now, I know our dedication to coffee has been well-documented, but the arrival of our new friend Mr. Bunn NHB Professional Coffee Brewer  (in black) comes at the expense of having to say good bye to our old one: the Bodum Santos Electric Vacuum Coffee Maker.  

The Bodum Santos Electric Vacuum Coffee Maker put in some great work here at HotPads.  Unfortunately, like his predecessor before and the one before that, Bodum has decided to retire, once again citing "over use."  Coffee time was always an adventure with Bodum, especially when Matt brewed it, and it sure wasn't shy about leaving it's mark on the tables, walls, rugs, and our hearts. The coffee it brewed was remarkable and we will miss it.

Now, the engineers begged me not to introduce our new coffee maker, saying it wasn't cool enough... it didn't even have it's own YouTube video showing it in action... but I think we ought to give the proper introduction to the newest and integral member of our HotPads Team: Mr. Bunn.  We look forward to the good times with you and I know you'll prove them wrong.

Update 3:38pm: AND our shipment of girl scout cookies is on the way.  Today couldn't be better!

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HotPads Integrates Google Street View into Housing Search

HotPads is committed to giving our users the most information possible during their housing search.  From our demographic heat maps to points of interest and neighborhood information, we have strived to make our users the most informed housing shoppers as possible.  And we have just added a new functionality to that end: Google Street View.

If a picture speaks a thousand words, there are about a million words spoken with Google Street View. This integration allows users to see exactly what the property looks like and what is in the surrounding area. 

(isn't Miami Beach beautiful?)

The utility of Google Street View to users is immense; you can chart your walk to work, get a feel for the neighborhood, get a sense for the traffic, and become well-aquainted with a place before you even step foot on the same street.

Check it out by going to HotPads and clicking on a listing! 

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Pittsburgh Couple Loses Case against Google

Yesterday, Pittsburgh couple Aaron and Christine Boring lost their $25,000 suit against Google, whom they claimed "significantly disregarded (their) privacy interests" when the Google Street View team traveled up a private road to take pictures of their house.  

Google claimed that, in the age of satellites, "complete privacy does not exist" and that their house, though it is on a road market 'private', is part of a "residential community in the twenty-first-century United States, where every step upon private property is not deemed by law to be an actionable trespass."  

The U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania agreed, and found that the "Plaintiffs have failed to plead- much less set out facts supporting- a plausible claim of entitlement to injunctive relief."

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Happy 200th Birthday Honest Abe!

Today is the 200th birthday of one of the greatest American Presidents in our country's brief history. 

Growing up less than a mile from where Lincoln spent 6 of his formative years (age 22-28), I have a particular respect for this man.  He was a poor, goofy looking prairie man with only 18 months of formal education that grew up to save the Union, end slavery, and put the US back on the path of the ideals of the Declaration of Indepence.  (Pretty nice resume.)

There are going to be celebrations all over the country over the next year, particularly in Illinois (The Land of Lincoln, not the Land of Blagojevich).  I hope everyone has the chance to celebrate Lincoln's legacy in some form.

Below... (The yellow building is Linconln's home in the village of New Salem and the red building is in Petersburg, IL.  Lincoln surveyed my town and helped lay out its streets and New Salem became a defunct village soon after Honest Abe left for Springfield, IL.)

 

Happy 200th Birthday to Charles Darwin as well!  Wow.  What a day. 

Friday Funday: The Cornify Edition

It's Friday afternoon.  It's been a long, hard week and you just can't wait til that clock strikes 5.  Well, in the mean time, I have something that will make the last remaining hours of your day truly... SPECIAL.  

Have you ever been sitting in front of your computer, maybe searching for real estate or catching up on industry news and thought to yourself, "man, this page is great and all, but I just wish there were more unicorns on it!" If the answer is yes- and I expect that it is- then Cornify is for you!

Cornify is "the #1 unicorn and rainbow service worldwide, giving websites sparkle around the world." And, trust me, it does just that!  

Whether you just want one little unicorn friend:

or 10...

 

cornifying your page turns an exciting page into an exciting page with unicorns and rainbows! 

The one drawback: user experience is extremely hindered when using Cornify in conjunction with HotPads (or any site for that matter)

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