The art deco Latchis Hotel invites out-of-towners to spend the night at a special Inspirations rate. For an additional fee, a package is available with two movie tickets and dinner at a local hot spot. For information and hotel reservations, call 802-254-6300.

Originally published in The Commons issue #236 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014). This story appeared on page B3.

BRATTLEBORO—On Saturday, Jan. 25, four gardening experts, each with international experience, will present their thoughts, pictures, and videos at Garden Inspirations, an all-day workshop at the Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro.

Only 100 tickets will be sold, with proceeds supporting the ongoing restoration of the main hall of the Latchis Theatre. Though it may be snowing and 17 degrees outside, in the Ballroom Theatre upstairs at the Latchis, all will be warmth, color, and inspiration for spring.

The lecturers include Julie Moir Messervy, a nationally known garden writer, designer, and lecturer from Saxtons River; Dan Snow, dry stone waller from Dummerston, known across America for his skills and artistry; Helen O’Donnell from Putney, and Gordon Hayward, also a nationally known garden designer, writer, and lecturer from Westminster West. Hayward is also vice president of the Latchis Arts Board.

Messervy will begin the day at 9 a.m. with her PowerPoint presentation, “Landscaping Ideas that Work.” Her images will come largely from her own work across the country. Her goal is to illustrate design principles in her gardens that audience members can apply to their own gardens.

In the afternoon, Messervy will screen her video: “Inspired by Bach: The Music Garden with Yo Yo Ma and Julie Messervy,” the story of the garden she designed with Yo Yo Ma based on the structure and rhythm of a Bach fugue.

Snow will offer a PowerPoint presentation of his work with stone. Examples range from the practicality of stone retaining walls to the fantastical. Snow will also screen his video “Stone Rising: The Work of Dan Snow” in the afternoon.

O’Donnell, an artist as well as a garden designer, and who maintains gardens professionally, will show slides and speak on her two monthlong stints as volunteer gardener at Great Dixter (www.greatdixter.co.uk), the garden of the late Christopher Lloyd in southeastern England.

She will present her inside view of Great Dixter as she worked under head gardener Fergus Garrett during March 2012 and July 2013.

Hayward will present his PowerPoint presentation “Fine Painting as Inspiration for Garden Design.” He first gave this lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1994 and has refined the lecture since at museums and garden clubs across the country.

This is a lecture about elements of composition — defining depth, itinerary of the eye, color, line and rhythm — as shared by the painter and the garden designer.

The workshop ends at 4:30 p.m. Throughout the day, Messervy, Snow, and Hayward will sell and sign their books: more than 12 titles. Lunch is included in the ticket price.

Tickets for a full day of Garden Inspirations are $125, and may be purchased at the Latchis Hotel, 50 Main St.; by calling Gail Nunziata at Latchis Arts, 802-254-1109, Ext. 3; or by visiting www.brattleborotix.com.

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ST. PETERSBURG — For months, people who live, work and play along the southern half of 34th Street worked together on a master plan to boost economic development in the area.

They’d been told their work would be taken to city leaders for final approval in December. But that hasn’t happened yet, and residents recently learned it won’t be presented now until springtime.

They are dismayed, along with the City Council member who represents the area, renamed the Skyway Marina District.

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“We’re just getting started,” a frustrated Steve Kornell told the Tampa Bay Times this week. “If you have all these people and get everyone excited then tell them nothing’s going to happen for a while … that’s a good way to kill the enthusiasm.”

Kornell, normally one of the more diplomatic voices on the council, plans to bring the issue up at today’s council meeting. He has asked city staff to present the same report it made for residents in October. The meeting drew more than 200 residents.

“I’m tired of having to drive north to spend my money,” said Jodi Davis, who is on the steering committee that developed the plan. “We are taxpayers, too. I think it’s important to consider there are areas of the city that are not getting their economic needs met.”

The new plan for the district, a 1.5-mile stretch of 34th Street between 30th and 54th avenues S and surrounding neighborhoods, envisions multistory development, more restaurants, improved transportation and upgrades to infrastructure like sidewalks and landscaping.

Kornell said people don’t realize how diverse the area already is. It’s home to a marina, waterfront homes, the state’s oldest community theater and commercial corridors. But many businesses have left.

Residents there say they are tired of the negative stereotypes and lack of attention.

Broadwater Civic Association President Tom Ando said he remembers a time when the area was thriving. The decline was slow, and progress was stagnate after the Great Recession.

“I feel like there’s a lot of resources have been devoted to downtown and Midtown and certain areas,” Davis said. “We’ve waited in line.”

Davis said she got a message in December from city staffer Gary Jones, who has worked with the neighborhoods on the plan, saying it was going to be delayed.

Jones said the goal now is to present the plan to the development review commission in spring for a recommendation and then take it City Council.

“In this case we were ambitious with our deadlines,” Jones said Wednesday. “Typically a plan can take a year.”

Davis said she is trying to remain optimistic, but she and other neighborhood leaders don’t want the momentum to slow.

They feel good about today’s presentation though.

“Once the rest of the council sees the plan and what ideas we have, I’m expecting their minds to open up to it,” Ando said. “Hopefully they’ll be impressed with it as much as I was.”

Kameel Stanley can be reached at kstanley@tampabay.com, (727) 893-8643 or @cornandpotatoes on Twitter.

Former resident leaves legacy of lush landscape

By Cathy Tallyn Staff writer

Rossmoor had a friend in Lillian Barrett.

The longtime resident left provisions that some of the trust she established be used to beautify her old neighborhood on Golden Rain Road at Entry 14 and other spots in Rossmoor.

Barrett lived in Rossmoor for more than 20 years before her death.

She wanted to help beautify Rossmoor, said Sue DiMaggio Adams, president of First Mutual. First Mutual is the primary beneficiary of Barrett’s largesse.

The Lillian Barrett Trust is administered by Barrett’s nephew, Alvin Barrett.

The first project was specified by his aunt, he said. It was to be a garden of daffodils in her entry because she loved daffodils.

A memorial garden with thousands of daffodils and other landscaping was planted toward the rear of the entry. And, each spring, 5,000 daffodil bulbs are planted in various spots on Golden Rain Road.

Other projects have included creating a viewpoint on Golden Rain Road at Entry 7. Passersby can stop and see a view of the East Bay and Mt. Diablo. A picnic table and benches add a welcoming touch. Some shrubs and trees were also added.

There were also landscaping projects at the corner of Golden Rain Road and Pine Knoll Drive as well as the corner of Golden Rain Road and Lower Golden Rain Road.

“I’ve been pleased with the results,” Barrett said. “Part of the credit belongs to Rich Perona. He comes up with the ideas.”

Perona is Rossmoor’s landscape manager, who suggests landscape projects for First Mutual. Barrett and Perona confer on the ideas.

This year’s landscape project will be on the left side of the entrance to Golden Rain Road at Entry 26. Part of the existing landscaping at the entrance and slope will be removed. A small wall will be installed along with new shrubs and bark.

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As the city moves forward with a project to clean up the upper of the two Laurel Lakes, Laurel officials are asking residents for landscaping suggestions.

Officials from the Prince George’s County’s Department of Environmental Resources told the community in November that designs for a dredging project to excavate sediment from the upper lake were nearly complete. County officials expect to have fully completed designs and all the necessary permits in place by March, so that dredging can begin in mid-July.

According to city officials, landscaping around the upper lake is intentionally not part of the dredging project, so that local residents can have the opportunity to share their own ideas and preferences.

Suggestions can be emailed to parks@laurel.md.us. Officials said all submitted suggestions will be reviewed to “develop the best landscaping plan possible,” according to a press release.

With the dredging project, the county hopes to remove 15,000 cubic yards of sediment from the upper lake, located near Oxford Street. The project will cost about $1.5 million.

ayeager@baltsun.com

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

A year ago, we saw far fewer “For Sale” signs. And this year, there are even fewer.

The surprising thing about the real estate market is its resiliency. It never fails to surprise how decisively a market turns. When it’s time, it’s time. And it’s clear to us that 2014 is looking very good for real estate.

There are a few troubled spots on the horizon: Mortgage interest rates are at least one percentage point higher than they were a year ago. And home prices are higher. That means homes are less affordable than they were, particularly since incomes haven’t risen, in real terms, in years.

That’s good news, and not so good news for sellers. It’s great that home prices are rising. In part, homes that were in foreclosure or listed as short sales, have closed and now prices are rising again. But rising interest rates (depending on how high they go) mean fewer buyers can afford to pay those higher prices.

At the end of 2011, mortgage interest rates reached 3.7 percent, before falling back. In 2012, mortgage interest rates were about 3.3 percent on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. We ended the year with mortgage interest rates around 3.5 percent for a 30-year fixed rate loan. In 2013, we ended at 4.3 percent for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. (If you’re wondering, we think these rates are still great from a historical perspective.)

The Federal Reserve has indicated it will now pull back its monthly spend of $85 billion in mortgage-backed securities and Treasury securities, which it did to keep interest rates at historic lows through 2015, or when the employment rate falls to 6.5 percent. The economy is improving. Third quarter 2013 GDP numbers were revised upward to 4.1 percent. The economy hasn’t grown that fast in years.

So, with low inventory, still low mortgage interest rates, and modestly rising prices, here’s what you need to do to get your home in selling shape for 2014: 

• Overcome any possible objections a buyer would have.

Buyers are always looking for a reason not to purchase your house. Your job as a seller is to eliminate any potential objections that would stand in the way for a buyer to make an offer.

If you really want to sell quickly, you’ll work hard to exceed the buyer’s expectation of your home as well. If your home is competitively priced, and your home’s condition exceeds a buyer’s expectations based on other homes in the neighborhood, you’ll get an offer — even if it isn’t the offer you want.

• Get your home into selling shape.

Cleaning your home is a must. After that, you should consider hiring a stager to give your home the television-worthy polish so many buyers expect today. (Yes, they want your home to look like something they’d see on HGTV.) Assess what other sort of work needs to be done, such as fixing things that don’t work, touching up paint, or cleaning or replacing your carpets.

Decide if you need to update your landscaping, and paint, clean or tuck point your home’s exterior. And if you’re selling in January, clear out the holiday decorations as quickly as possible.

• Invite at least three agents to create a comparative marketing analysis (CMA).

Often, sellers simply call the agent who sold them their home to list it. While you may wind up hiring that person, you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you invite a couple of other agents in from different firms. That’s because each will bring different ideas to the table about how much your house is worth and what kind of marketing plan will work. They’ll all have different experiences to draw on and have different buyers in mind who may want to make a quick offer.

• Understand what it will take to sell your home.

If you live in an area littered with foreclosures, you may have to meet that price point in order to sell. Is it worth it? Probably not, but you’ll have to really evaluate price and timing in order to get the most for your property. If homes have begun to appreciate, you might be pleasantly surprised. Again, a CMA will be incredibly helpful.

• Be realistic about the market.

Find out what types of properties are selling in your area and how many days they’re sitting on the market. Accept the reality of your local market and make sure you price your home realistically.

Don’t blame your broker if you don’t get three offers over your list price within 24 hours of putting your home on the market. Sellers who set sky-high (or even pretty high) prices could wait months or years for an offer (one of my neighbors has been trying to sell his overpriced home for years) and may wind up with the same price they would have had if they’d priced their home correctly the first time — or a lot less.

In this real estate market, one of the worst things you can do is overprice your home from the start. The more realistic you are, the better off you’ll be.

• Rent if you can’t sell and buy at the same time.

We don’t recommend putting in an offer on another property until you have some serious interest in your current property or unless you have enough cash to cover the expenses of both properties for six to 12 months.

It’s fine to start researching other neighborhoods, but if you’re not sure what you want to do, consider renting on a short-term or month-to-month lease. While a double move is a pain, and does have some added costs, it’s a lot cheaper than carrying two mortgages for two years.

• Read all documents thoroughly before you sign them.

Why would someone sign a legal document he or she hasn’t read? I’m not sure, but home sellers do it every day. If you’re going to sell (or buy) in the coming year, promise yourself that you’ll take the time to read and understand the listing contract, offer to purchase and loan documents for your next purchase.

(If you’re taking back a loan for the home buyer, have an attorney prepare the documents so you are sure to be protected.) Unless you’ve got cash to spare, a mistake in these documents and the warranties they contain could seriously affect your finances.

• Don’t be greedy.

One big mistake many sellers make is to get a little greedy, particularly if the first offer is above the minimum acceptable price you’ve set. Then the negotiation becomes a game of how much you can get.

Remember, a successful sale means everyone walks away feeling happy. If you get so greedy that the buyer walks away, you’ve let the deal get the best of you. Resolve to be reasonable and you’ll end up shaking hands with the buyer at the closing. You should also know that there aren’t unlimited buyers out there, and if you lose one it might take you quite some time to find another.

Ilyce R. Glink’s latest book is “Buy, Close, Move In!” If you have questions, you can call her radio show toll-free (800-972-8255) any Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Contact Ilyce through her Web site, www.thinkglink.com.