For the Dad Who Has Everything

If you’ve hit up the department store tie rack and cologne counter for the past few years, cruise on over to the Zillow blog. They’ve highlighted five awesome rooms just for dads–and the good news is the places are all for sale!

Arcade Heaven

This Arizona retreat holds a 4-game arcade room with room to spare for dad’s tools!

The Ultimate Kitchen

Sear steaks, entertain your guests, and watch two different ball games, all without leaving the kitchen!

The Pool Shark

This modern pool room sits in a similarly stylish pad in Manhattan

Invite the Bowling Team

Tired of going out to bowl? Invite the team over! This Texas compound has a full bowling alley in its basement

Just Shooting Hoops (or Watching a Flick)

A basketball court contained within a Manhattan townhome. Oh, and it turns into a home theater, too.

Attack of the $100 Million House!

Via MSN Real Estate, a glimpse into the world of ultraluxury listings ringing in at a whopping $100,000,000 or more. The very upper reaches of the real estate market survive in their own stratosphere, where money is no object and status is paramount. Well, as it turns out, a hundred million bucks buys you a whole lot of it.

These recently listed or sold residences round out the featured group:

1. A New York penthouse occupying 3,500 square feet. In one room. 
2. A 42,500-square-foot Texas compound with a full-floor theater room.
3. A 47-acre spread in the heart of Silicon Valley (with the condition that the current owner can live there until she dies).
4. A 9,000-square-foot duplex in New York’s Bloomberg Tower featuring a double-story living room.
5. Late fashion mogul Gianni Versace’s Miami estate, boasting a 54-foot pool lined with 24-karat gold.
6. A Los Angeles-area French Chateau containing a ballroom for 200 guests.
7. A Beverly Hills compound that’s also available to rent for $600,000 a month.
8. The country’s first $100 million existing-home sale, which includes a private car wash.
9. A $103,000,000 empty parcel in New York’s tony Hamptons.
10. A yet-to-be-completed 11,000-square-foot penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park.
11. A 60,000-square-foot Florida home with a 50-car garage previously owned by Donald Trump.

Enjoy!

Put A Cork In It!

Literally.

After being relegated to wine bottles and kids’ pinboards for decades, cork is making a grand entrance into the rest of the home. Everything from flooring to backsplashes to wallpaper (yes, wallpaper) is getting a little bit of cork. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros

• Cork is 100% natural, harvested from cork trees over and over without cutting them down. It’s an environmentally sustainable material from a reusable source. 
• It’s soft, making it the perfect flooring for people with knee problems.
• It’s naturally water resistant, so it resists mold and mildew.
• It insulates well, meaning it will keep in cold or hot air, as well as sound.

Cons

• While it’s water resistant, it’s not waterproof. It may requiring sealing every couple of years.
• It’s prone to stains and nicks, so think hard before using it in the kitchen

Cork stacks up well to many building materials, so don’t be afraid to put a cork in it!

Hurricane Season Is Here!

June 1 marked the official start of the 2013 hurricane season. While no one’s excited over the prospect of a hurricane slamming the East Coast, you can take several steps now that’ll make your life much easier if a storm heads our way.

1. Emergency Kit. You should have this one anyway: flashlights; batteries, first aid supplies; water; non-perishable food; radio (with batteries); cash.  Keep it all together in a handy place.
2. Go Bag. Pack some clothes, needed medications, copies of important papers (insurance, deed, car titles, etc.), and your home inventory (see 3) in case you need to be out in a rush.
3. Make a Home Inventory. If a storm wipes out your home, you’ll be glad you documented your possessions before they got ruined. Make a list (with photos) of major items, such as TVs, computers, and jewelry.
4. Check Your Insurance Policy. Read your homeowners’ insurance policy carefully, or speak with an insurance agent who can explain it to you. Policies often differ in coverage depending on whether the damage is from rain or flooding or a named storm, so make sure you know what’s covered.
5. Trim Trees. Any sagging, dying, or low-lying limbs need to go before gale-force winds do it for you. Don’t risk a hurricane depositing your dead trees on your roof–take them out the right way.

Above all else, make sure you have all you need to keep your family safe and minimize the disruption to your life if the worst happens.