Homegrown 2022 (on Substack)
"Homegrown" on Medium has moved to a new place: Substack. For $5 per month (or $50 per year), you can read all "Homegrown Tales" content. For $80 as a founder, get full access to “Black Girl In a Doggone World™,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color” and “Window Shopping” too.
This is a place for homeowners, condo owners, board association reps and contractors to chat.
Check out "Homegrown: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam" podcast.
Are you looking for one of my Homegrown Tales posts from 2019-2021? Click here. 2023? Click here.
This is a place for homeowners, condo owners, board association reps and contractors to chat.
Check out "Homegrown: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam" podcast.
Are you looking for one of my Homegrown Tales posts from 2019-2021? Click here. 2023? Click here.
54. Should landlords be more open to sex workers as tenants? ~ Fair Housing Act does not protect sex worker discrimination
53. Are Airbnb-friendly apartments the future for landlords? ~ Landlord bans Airbnb rentals? New option for tenants!
52. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Navigating Mid-Year Landlord Lease Changes? ~ Are Renters Required To Agree To New Lease Requirements Mid-Year?
51. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Building a Bar In Your Rental
50. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Volume 5R ~ Note from the Editor
49. Mouse problem? Tuckpointing may be the answer ~ Steel wool stuffing and repainting walls aren't the only way to keep mice away
48. Go4Rent Magazine: Hit or Miss: Are Real Estate Professionals Getting In Their Own Way?
47. Go4Rent Magazine: The Price for Pets
46. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Clean Laundry Appliances, Cleaner Clothes
45. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Eight Items To Look For During a Rental Walk-through
44. How to file a Small Business Claims lawsuit in Illinois ~ The pros and cons of suing a condo board: Can a homeowner win?
43. Green cleaning at home ~ Eco-friendly ways to clean with kids or pets at home
42. Two expenses to let the mortgage company pay ... if you're not a frequent saver
41. Go4Rent Magazine: Correcting Miscommunications: Language Barriers With Tenants and Realtors
40. Electric baseboard heater on fire, speedy lesson in how to use a fire extinguisher ~ Once again, I learned why I should always listen to my dog
39. Condo board member and property manager ban unit owner from renting her parking spot ~ Limited Common Elements vs Assigned Parking vs Deeded Parking
38. Finding the perfect parking spot renter ~ A review of Spacer, SpotHero and Craigslist
37. Go4Rent Magazine: Artificial Intelligence for Rentals: Friend or Foe?
36. Go4Rent Magazine: Tenants Welcome, Disruptive Guests Need Not Arrive
35. Go4Rent Magazine: Closing Deal Is Done? Give a Gift to Celebrate!
34. Condo associations, when is it time to notify Building Violations? ~ When an inactive condo board refuses to make common-area repairs
33. 3 ways to recycle microwave glass plates ~ Recycle perks, reuse fails
32. Buy a new construction home, a rehabbed home or invest in an 'as is' home instead? ~ The question to consider before buying a home
31. Empty nesters: Prepare to live alone, distribute belongings ~ Besides having an executor, here's the other thing to prepare for pre-death
30. When HOAs say 'stop feeding the birds,' there's a reason ~ HOA sues couple for $250K for feeding wildlife
29. Upsides and downsides of condo rental restrictions ~ Why would condo associations not want to enforce them?
28. From condo renter to condo owner: Is this in the rental agreement? ~ For prospective tenants who want to be owners, know your options
27. Should your bathroom include a bidet? ~ What new bidet users need to know before making this bathroom upgrade
26. First floor: Great for grocery drop-offs, bad on pipes ~ Pipe snakes, drain cleaner, vinegar: Does any of it help with pipes?
25. When anti-vaxxer tenants or landlords collide ~ Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson: Should it be in the lease requirement?
24. Is the co-living ban racist? To me, no ~ Why a condo board member sees Shawnee City Council’s decision differently
23. 5 tenants who landlords should hold off on evicting ~ Mortgage companies want their money, too
22. When your key breaks in the lock ... and tweezers, pliers, screws and knives won't pry the key out
21. Becoming the dog poop detective for your home lawn ~ Whether it's with malice or ignorance, dog owners shouldn't leave poop on your property
20. Beware of Realtors doing double duty as property managers ~ While Realtors can do both, hiring one for both jobs can be problematic
19. Nationwide battle between squatters and property owners ~ Virginia home sold for $805K with squatters living in the basement
18. 4 reasons we all need battery backup ~ From car to home emergencies, planning ahead should be mandatory
17. Black homeowners, make sure your mortgage lender treats you humanely ~ How mystery shopping prepared me for housing discrimination
16. Old phone, new home surveillance system ~ Taking advantage of free mobile surveillance apps
15. An overly talkative chaplain helped me get a green thumb ~ The house plant I neither wanted nor expected became therapeutic
14. If you don't know how to take care of a lawn, find someone who can! ~ My counterargument to the New York Times advice column
13. Getting your neighbors to go green ~ Christopher Herz’s book ‘The Last Block in Harlem’ is a good guide for the green community
12. ‘Gift’ your junk mail ~ Don’t ‘Return to Sender’: Mail carriers are saving you money
11. Millennials are becoming first-time homebuyers in unconventional ways ~ Micromortgages may be onto something
10. Go4Rent Magazine: Even With Homeowners Insurance, Regular Roof Maintenance Is Key
9. Go4Rent Magazine: Wabi-Sabi: Adding Imperfect Beauty to the Home
8. Hey landlords, AI real estate tech can't fix your lack of soft skills ~ Even if the renter and property manager are a match, customer service matters more
7. Abolish pet fees, improve memory ~ Another way to make rental property more attractive in a competitive market
6. Can PeerSpace rival Airbnb for side income? ~ Landlords can make use of empty space when tenants are scarce
5. First 16 black Evanston residents chosen for housing reparations ~ Illinois is first to offer reparations to African-American families
4. Go4Rent Magazine: No Vaccine, No Rental: Can Landlords Reject an Unvaccinated Tenant?
3. Go4Rent Magazine: COVID-19 Left Tenants and Landlords Scrambling
2. Go4Rent Magazine: Battle of the Bedbugs
1. Bronx fire should remind residents to check smoke detectors ~ Making sure fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are updated
53. Are Airbnb-friendly apartments the future for landlords? ~ Landlord bans Airbnb rentals? New option for tenants!
52. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Navigating Mid-Year Landlord Lease Changes? ~ Are Renters Required To Agree To New Lease Requirements Mid-Year?
51. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Building a Bar In Your Rental
50. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Volume 5R ~ Note from the Editor
49. Mouse problem? Tuckpointing may be the answer ~ Steel wool stuffing and repainting walls aren't the only way to keep mice away
48. Go4Rent Magazine: Hit or Miss: Are Real Estate Professionals Getting In Their Own Way?
47. Go4Rent Magazine: The Price for Pets
46. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Clean Laundry Appliances, Cleaner Clothes
45. Go4Rent Magazine (Renter Edition): Eight Items To Look For During a Rental Walk-through
44. How to file a Small Business Claims lawsuit in Illinois ~ The pros and cons of suing a condo board: Can a homeowner win?
43. Green cleaning at home ~ Eco-friendly ways to clean with kids or pets at home
42. Two expenses to let the mortgage company pay ... if you're not a frequent saver
41. Go4Rent Magazine: Correcting Miscommunications: Language Barriers With Tenants and Realtors
40. Electric baseboard heater on fire, speedy lesson in how to use a fire extinguisher ~ Once again, I learned why I should always listen to my dog
39. Condo board member and property manager ban unit owner from renting her parking spot ~ Limited Common Elements vs Assigned Parking vs Deeded Parking
38. Finding the perfect parking spot renter ~ A review of Spacer, SpotHero and Craigslist
37. Go4Rent Magazine: Artificial Intelligence for Rentals: Friend or Foe?
36. Go4Rent Magazine: Tenants Welcome, Disruptive Guests Need Not Arrive
35. Go4Rent Magazine: Closing Deal Is Done? Give a Gift to Celebrate!
34. Condo associations, when is it time to notify Building Violations? ~ When an inactive condo board refuses to make common-area repairs
33. 3 ways to recycle microwave glass plates ~ Recycle perks, reuse fails
32. Buy a new construction home, a rehabbed home or invest in an 'as is' home instead? ~ The question to consider before buying a home
31. Empty nesters: Prepare to live alone, distribute belongings ~ Besides having an executor, here's the other thing to prepare for pre-death
30. When HOAs say 'stop feeding the birds,' there's a reason ~ HOA sues couple for $250K for feeding wildlife
29. Upsides and downsides of condo rental restrictions ~ Why would condo associations not want to enforce them?
28. From condo renter to condo owner: Is this in the rental agreement? ~ For prospective tenants who want to be owners, know your options
27. Should your bathroom include a bidet? ~ What new bidet users need to know before making this bathroom upgrade
26. First floor: Great for grocery drop-offs, bad on pipes ~ Pipe snakes, drain cleaner, vinegar: Does any of it help with pipes?
25. When anti-vaxxer tenants or landlords collide ~ Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson: Should it be in the lease requirement?
24. Is the co-living ban racist? To me, no ~ Why a condo board member sees Shawnee City Council’s decision differently
23. 5 tenants who landlords should hold off on evicting ~ Mortgage companies want their money, too
22. When your key breaks in the lock ... and tweezers, pliers, screws and knives won't pry the key out
21. Becoming the dog poop detective for your home lawn ~ Whether it's with malice or ignorance, dog owners shouldn't leave poop on your property
20. Beware of Realtors doing double duty as property managers ~ While Realtors can do both, hiring one for both jobs can be problematic
19. Nationwide battle between squatters and property owners ~ Virginia home sold for $805K with squatters living in the basement
18. 4 reasons we all need battery backup ~ From car to home emergencies, planning ahead should be mandatory
17. Black homeowners, make sure your mortgage lender treats you humanely ~ How mystery shopping prepared me for housing discrimination
16. Old phone, new home surveillance system ~ Taking advantage of free mobile surveillance apps
15. An overly talkative chaplain helped me get a green thumb ~ The house plant I neither wanted nor expected became therapeutic
14. If you don't know how to take care of a lawn, find someone who can! ~ My counterargument to the New York Times advice column
13. Getting your neighbors to go green ~ Christopher Herz’s book ‘The Last Block in Harlem’ is a good guide for the green community
12. ‘Gift’ your junk mail ~ Don’t ‘Return to Sender’: Mail carriers are saving you money
11. Millennials are becoming first-time homebuyers in unconventional ways ~ Micromortgages may be onto something
10. Go4Rent Magazine: Even With Homeowners Insurance, Regular Roof Maintenance Is Key
9. Go4Rent Magazine: Wabi-Sabi: Adding Imperfect Beauty to the Home
8. Hey landlords, AI real estate tech can't fix your lack of soft skills ~ Even if the renter and property manager are a match, customer service matters more
7. Abolish pet fees, improve memory ~ Another way to make rental property more attractive in a competitive market
6. Can PeerSpace rival Airbnb for side income? ~ Landlords can make use of empty space when tenants are scarce
5. First 16 black Evanston residents chosen for housing reparations ~ Illinois is first to offer reparations to African-American families
4. Go4Rent Magazine: No Vaccine, No Rental: Can Landlords Reject an Unvaccinated Tenant?
3. Go4Rent Magazine: COVID-19 Left Tenants and Landlords Scrambling
2. Go4Rent Magazine: Battle of the Bedbugs
1. Bronx fire should remind residents to check smoke detectors ~ Making sure fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are updated
©2008 Shamontiel L. Vaughn | All rights reserved
