It wasn’t the most entertaining 90 minutes I’ve spent in New Orleans, but it was interesting. The City Planning Commission held a virtual meeting Thursday (1/5) to get public input on the new short-term rental regulations they need to create and pass before the end of March. There was plenty, and it ran the gamut...
The skyrocketing cost of homeowner’s insurance in New Orleans has become a hot topic of conversation around the Rêve office. First of all, it’s causing havoc in some of our transactions. We’re finding buyers pre-approved by primarily out-of-town lenders who suddenly lose their approval because the actual premiums are much higher than what the lender...
Succeeding as a small, local business has always been brutally difficult. These days? With a labor shortage, inflation, and a pandemic that can’t figure out that it’s time to leave? Woof. Our New Orleans business owners need all the help they can get, so now is as good of a time as any to share...
I want to make you all aware of some unusual things happening in regards to homeowners insurance since Ida’s visit to southeastern Louisiana. First, my buyers have been seeing wild differences in quotes after going under contract on a property. Some of it depends upon the neighborhood, which is not new, but some of the...
This awful photo was taken last week around the corner from our house in the Bywater. The owners, Cindy and Big Chris, also own Vaughan’s Lounge. Cindy, Chris, and their dog, Chapo, were out of town when it happened. Cindy’s son and his girlfriend were house-sitting when the fire started and thankfully made it out...
If you live in New Orleans, all of that recycling you put out on your curb every week is getting thrown in with the trash. It’s been that way since Ida, and it will stay that way for the rest of this year, at least. What are you supposed to do with your recycling now?...
Some things have to be seen to be believed. In person. In 3D. A hurricane’s aftermath is one of them. A group of us from Rêve and Eustis Mortgage recently went down to Point-Aux-Chenes for a day to deliver some supplies and help a few of the residents as best we could. I want to...
Flood insurance is a big deal in New Orleans, and some substantial changes are being made to the program starting October 1st. (There is a last-second bill in the Senate looking to delay the implementation until next year.) Premiums will be going up for the vast majority of us, but the details are pretty confusing....
Tuesday, September 7th was our ninth day without power, thanks to Ida. Our little Honda generator was getting thirsty again, but the gasoline supply around the city was improving, so I optimistically set out for petrol. Across the canal and over to Chalmette I went, and sure enough, I pulled right up to a pump...
Mindy thought the front of our house was blah. I thought it was fine. This qualifies as a significant disagreement in our marriage, and for that, I’m eternally grateful. The more I looked at it, I started to see what she was getting at. We tend to hang out on the more exuberant side of...
