Real Talk.

Sometimes the most interesting question isn't where a neighborhood begins or ends. It's what happens when you invite people to experience it instead. A reflection on houses, community, creativity, and why the best places can't always be explained.

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.

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.