Real Talk.

Think ChatGPT or Zillow can tell you what your home is worth? Here's why pricing a New Orleans home is far more complicated—and human—than any algorithm can predict.

A seller who believed his historic home wouldn't sell. A 150-year-old Esplanade Avenue home that sat on the market for six months. A ballroom waiting to be understood. A kitchen full of tiny chickens hiding a secret above its ceiling. A Bridgerton-inspired ball that brought the house back to life. And a buyer who discovered it all through Instagram. The story of how understanding a home—not just marketing it—helped 723 Esplanade sell for $1.5 million, in record time, and with

Or more accurately: why you probably shouldn’t let it lead. I was sitting an open house recently during one of New Orleans’ historic home tours when I started playing a private little game of hide-and-seek with myself. Not with the buyers. With ChatGPT.

I wrote Prepped to Sell because I wished there was something sellers could read before or after our first consultation that would help them feel less overwhelmed and more empowered. Over years of client conversations, listing launches, marketing strategy, and real-world experience, I realized we had already written the book—we just hadn’t pulled it together yet. This is that bridge between feeling stuck and making moves.

She’s the person who knows what form is missing before anyone else catches it. She knows who sued whom for what ten years ago and why it matters now. She understands the systems, risks, and institutional knowledge that quietly protect both clients and agents every single day.

Yes — legal commercial short-term rentals still exist in New Orleans, and yes, there is currently still a path to purchase and operate existing compliant commercial STR properties. This post explains that path and who can help.

Bridgerton’s architecture isn’t fantasy. See how New Orleans Greek Revival homes capture the same symmetry, drama, and historic presence.

Every homeowner has a project that lives louder in their head than it does in real life. I’ve now seen it enough times to give it a name.

Carnival season is here. Discover where Team Cool Murphy is actually buying King Cake in 2026—from longtime favorites to new spins across New Orleans.

I’ve repeated the line for years: “Homes in New Orleans sell in the spring.” Then I started questioning it. This piece is what I found when I stopped relying on folklore and started tracking buyer commitment instead. It’s January 28 — and the season may already be underway.

Paris had La Belle Époque — the moment when the world finally saw what had been there all along. New Orleans is having that moment now. I’m calling it Authenticism: a return to good old things, real materials, and homes that still carry their stories. If you’ve ever loved brick, plaster, old wood, and rooms that feel like they’ve been lived in… this one’s for you.

We used to pray for rainy days at Six Flags because the lines disappeared. House hunting works the same way. Here is why rainy open houses are a secret weapon.

There’s a feeling most people selling their home are desperate to avoid. It’s not “we priced it wrong. It’s not “this is taking longer than we thought. It’s not even “we need to do more work.” It’s the colder one: “What the hell is going on… and does my house even matter?”+---------

Why I’m rejecting fear-based business advice in 2026 and choosing collaboration, community, and a harbor over a moat in real estate.

Ugly sweaters, wagging tails, second-line energy, and a whole lot of heart. Deck the Dogs brought New Orleans together in support of Take Paws Rescue—and every dog got their moment to shine.

I Dodged This Like a Nervous Bunny. If you're following along, you know I've been writing an agent spotlight post every week for the past four weeks, and enjoying every minute of it. Until now. My agents asked me, ''when are you writing the piece about you?"

A mid-century home. A reluctant seller. A market where half of listings are withdrawing unsold. Here’s how story, strategy, and preparation turned 6400 Cartier into a case study worth reading — and the first chapter of Prepped to Sell in real life.

Ashley George is the quiet force behind Cool Murphy’s most seamless, high-performing listings — the producer, strategist, and media brain who turns vision into reality. From equestrian grit to real-estate precision, she’s the one elevating every room, every frame, and every campaign with mastery that most people don’t even see — they just feel the results.

Meet Craig Ernst, New Orleans’ trusted historic-home expert. Architecture, history, and real estate insight — all in one steady, brilliant voice.

A captain doesn’t need to be the loudest, the funniest, or the flashiest. When the weather turns, they’re the one whose hand stays steady on the wheel. You don’t always expect the captain to look like this. But Desiree McSwain doesn’t fit anyone’s template — she rewrites them.