Here’s a quick look at few of the fabulous home-related happenings taking place around the Twin Cities in the upcoming weeks and months….

RAVE Awards

Celebrate Great Residential Design!

Wednesday, August 13
6:00-8:30p.m.
MacPhail Center for the Arts
501 South 2nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401

Join AIA Minnesota and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine on Wednesday, August 13 for a celebration of this year’s RAVE Awards!

The winners will be recognized at an event, sponsored by Marvin Windows and Poliform, at The MacPhail Center for the Arts in Minneapolis on Wednesday, August 13 from 6:00-8:30p.m. Program jurors, James Dayton, AIA, James Dayton Design, Kevin Flynn, AIA, LEED AP, EcoDEEP, Andrea Myklebust, sculptor and public artist and Shawn Gilliam, Homes Editor, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine will do a program and present the awards.

Join AIA Minnesota and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine on Wednesday, August 13 for a celebration of this year’s RAVE Awards!

The winners will be recognized at an event, sponsored by Marvin Windows and Poliform, at The MacPhail Center for the Arts in Minneapolis on Wednesday, August 13 from 6:00-8:30p.m. Program jurors, James Dayton, AIA, James Dayton Design, Kevin Flynn, AIA, LEED AP, EcoDEEP, Andrea Myklebust, sculptor and public artist and Shawn Gilliam, Homes Editor, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine will do a program and present the awards.

Reservations are required. Price is $20.00 per person (register at http://www.aia-mn.org/rave/). Tickets are available at the door for $25.

The deadline to register is 5:00p.m. on Tuesday, August 12.

Homes by Architects Tour

September 20-21
Join the American Institute of Architects Minnesota as 29 architect-designed homes in the Twin Cities area open their doors for one weekend in September. The tour, created by AIA Minnesota, promises to be truly standalone, showcasing how an architect-designed home is the product of a different process. Experience the lifestyle of these homeowners and find out how they worked with an architect on their new or remodeled home. Learn how an architect can add value to the entire process from concept and design through construction and completion.

Tour homes are located in Burnsville, Chanhassen, Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Greenwood, Lake City, Lindstrom, Prior Lake, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Stillwater, St. Paul, and White Bear Lake. Learn more at www.homesbyarchitects.org.

18th Annual Fall Home & Garden Show

Minneapolis Convention Center Hall B & C
1301 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: 612-335-6000

Maps / Directions / Parking

Show Dates & Hours
Friday, October 3
1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday: October 4
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday: October 5
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Produced by Midwest Home magazine, you’ll have 3 days to discover the latest trends, techniques and designs from the premier experts in and around the Twin Cities. Look for many new and exciting show elements and the return of your favorites.

* Second Year Under Midwest Home Magazine Ownership
* The Finest Products for Living
* Thousands of Dollars in Home Remodeling Project Giveaways
* Luscious Garden Areas

For more information, visit  www.homeremodelingshow.com.

Parade of Homes Free Consumer Seminars

Thinking of building a new home, or remodeling? Don’t miss these FREE consumer seminars, open to the public.

Professionals in the home-building industry will present information essential for anyone considering building a new home or remodeling.

The seminars are free, but require a reservation. Call BATC at 651/697-1954 or register below to reserve a space.

All seminars are held at the BATC office, 2960 Centre Pointe Drive, Roseville, MN 55113.

http://www.paradeofhomes.org/seminars/seminars.aspx

Managing a rental property is no task for the faint of heart, and that challenge only multiplies as the list of properties grows. Fortunately, Massachusetts-based Investment Instruments, —makers of Rentometer, which we covered not long ago—has come up with a tool to help make the job easier.

Rentomatic, their latest offering, is a site that focuses on facilitating relations between property owners and tenants.

A portion of the site dedicated to landlords provides a secure environment for managing properties, including quick views on upcoming or critical events for each; income and expense tracking tools specifically designed for real estate; and the ability to advertise multiple listings online, track important lease, rent and tenant information, and create detailed income and expense items.

A separate tenant portion of the site, meanwhile, gives tenants a straightforward way to communicate maintenance requests, for example, as well as to make and track electronic rent payments.

Launched in January, Rentomatic offers basic tools for up to 5 units for free, while the advanced plan costs $30 per month. Management of electronic rent payments costs $5 monthly per lease.

Once again, the web streamlines countless tiresome tasks in one fell swoop!