Real Talk.

Something wicked this way comes. Home appraisals are changing November 2, 2026. More detail, possible delays, and what buyers and sellers should know before the traffic jam.

Getting your house on the market is only the beginning. Once buyers start clicking, saving, showing up—or not—we start learning. The Buyer Barometer is how we turn buyer behavior into something useful, helping us understand where people are getting stuck, what the market is telling us, and when it’s time to listen, learn and pivot.

How much is your home worth? There isn’t one magical number hiding inside the house. Value depends on who’s actually shopping, where they’re spending their money, what else they can buy—and what they’re choosing when they do. Here’s how we study the evidence, figure out where a home competes today, and determine whether smart changes to pricing, presentation, or positioning could change where it competes tomorrow.

Getting your home ready to sell isn’t one giant project. It’s a sequence—and doing the right jobs in the wrong order can cost you time, money, and a whole lot of unnecessary stress. Before you spend Sunday turning your closet into a boutique, let’s talk about what actually needs to happen first.

David Ogilvy once said, "The consumer isn't a moron. She's your wife." It's one of my favorite quotes because it manages to be funny, provocative, and useful all at the same time. Like most good observations, it isn't really about the thing it's supposedly about. It's not actually about consumers. It's about people. More specifically, it's about the dangerous habit of assuming that people who don't think like us must not be thinking at all. If you've worked with clients long

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Darcie Braai isn’t just selling homes — she’s preserving stories. Meet the Queen of Algiers Point: Realtor, preservationist, and local leader helping shape the neighborhood’s next chapter.