If the “kickoff” of football season and the baseball playoffs have not put you in an autumnal mood yet, perhaps this will!  A man in California took the blue ribbon at the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival for growing a 1,704-pound pumpkin.  I wonder how many traditional pumpkin pies that would make? 

Speaking of the season… Realtor.com put together a list of homes that have recently been on the market that have a certain spook factor. Would you buy a home with its own graveyard? For the right buyer, that could be just the right selling point!

Forbes came out with its list of America’s most expensive zip codes. New York City suburb Alpine, New Jersey tops the list with a median home price of $4,295,000. Interested in what $1 million will buy in these cities? Check it out!  

Those with a smaller budget and living in thinly populated states have a higher homeownership rate than in “states with expensive homes and large cities,” 24/7 Wall Street found.

If you are interested in a global perspective, check out this infographic that compares the cost of real estate around the world. The cost for square foot in Santiago, Chili comes in lowest and Paris, France tops the list as the priciest.

Fake out? Staging a home to sell is very important especially as competition is fiercer than ever with high supplies.  Sellers who have less of a budget than before to stage should consider fake furniture.  Informed Space has introduced a new line of beds, couches and tables that are made of white plastic to “inform” a space. Interesting concept!

Switching gears now to bicycles, no pun intended. For a while, many environmentalists have been making the case for the two-wheel ride over a gas-guzzling automobile. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, at Oregon Manifest’s national bicycle design competition, innovators showed off prototypes they hope would become major players in the commuting world.  Is your area conducive to a cyclist-transit?

Have a great weekend!