Home with Kalen

Home with Kalen ☕ A place for all things HOME in Kentucky

🏠 Real estate & fun local events

🍰 My kitchen & garden creations

🍓 Homemaking & Humor I love to create & share.

I'm a homeschooling mom of 3 living in Kentucky with my husband.

Did you know? B & I have owned and/or built 5 houses here in Lexington over the years! Each one had something we loved a...
05/09/2026

Did you know? B & I have owned and/or built 5 houses here in Lexington over the years! Each one had something we loved about it or needed for that stage of life. While we don't love moving, we've built wealth over the years through equity & selling, AND it has helped us meet amazing neighbors and fit our lifestyle in different seasons. I've also moved *twice* while pregnant!

Happy Mother's Day weekend! Let me know when I can help you find your next home. 🥰🥳

I've got goats milk soap processing on the shelf! Sprinkled with rose petals, cornflower, and calendula... and also infu...
04/18/2026

I've got goats milk soap processing on the shelf! Sprinkled with rose petals, cornflower, and calendula... and also infused with a long-infusion calendula oil. 😍 My kitchen is kinda small so when I soap I have to clear everything and everyone out! But I get it done and I always feel a lot of joy while doing it.

I'll have to clean up the edges on this one once it's hardened because I cut it while it was still a bit soft. I can get a bit impatient. 🤣🙈

How are you going to enjoy your mortgage this weekend??? Yard projects? Deep cleaning the hallway closet? Baking up some cookies?

Closing day for my clients! CONGRATS to them and their two teenagers. They moved back to Kentucky from Alabama and lande...
03/30/2026

Closing day for my clients! CONGRATS to them and their two teenagers. They moved back to Kentucky from Alabama and landed in a pretty neighborhood and a well-loved home (the carpet was PRISTINE). We navigated some inspection issues and found ways to make this transaction closure for the sellers and a new beginning for my buyers. 🥰

Springtime real estate is always wild and wonderful! I'd love to help you find home. 🥳

My client gave me a gift today and it cracked me up! 😂 But it is also so sweet & generous... just like their little fami...
03/23/2026

My client gave me a gift today and it cracked me up! 😂 But it is also so sweet & generous... just like their little family. I can't wait to go to Buc-ees and pick out some goodies. Thank you, H family! 🥹🥰🥳 I loved being your Realtor.

Seven Trending Paint Colors 🧐 Two variations on white? I'm not sure how I'm feeling 'bout it. I think #3 is my fav... i...
03/05/2026

Seven Trending Paint Colors 🧐 Two variations on white? I'm not sure how I'm feeling 'bout it. I think #3 is my fav... in a bedroom with some flowy lace curtains and maybe a gold vintage mirror & a vase with some eucalyptus branches on the dresser? Shew... vibes.

CLOSING DAY! My clients from Nevada have lived in Kentucky for 3 years now with their son and two daughters. They decide...
03/02/2026

CLOSING DAY! My clients from Nevada have lived in Kentucky for 3 years now with their son and two daughters. They decided to buy their first home here, in one of the most beautiful smaller towns where the people are friendly and outdoor adventures are plentiful. This is a picture of their front yard where they might garden, plant a little orchard, or just let their kids run and play. Behind the house there's woods to explore, and spring flowers are already sprouting all over the property.

Buying a home is a privilege. I got to help them find the right one, do the paperwork, and get safely to the closing table, while we negotiated for the sellers to pay my commission so it was no cost to my clients to have my representation. Everyone wins! 🥰

Our 5 year old pomeranian Poppy lost her singleton puppy on Sunday morning. We've all felt sad and cozied up in the hous...
02/24/2026

Our 5 year old pomeranian Poppy lost her singleton puppy on Sunday morning. We've all felt sad and cozied up in the house to take care of our Poppy-girl. We've made sure she's extra spoiled.

Cleaning, laundering the blankets to be extra fluffy, watching comfort movies, and looking out onto the backyard, knowing spring is near... all of it helps. Home is healing. Home is hope.

RED FLAGS, Y"ALL. 🚩 Buyers beware in the central KY real estate market!✨ Do I have to pay my buyer's agent to show me pr...
02/17/2026

RED FLAGS, Y"ALL. 🚩 Buyers beware in the central KY real estate market!

✨ Do I have to pay my buyer's agent to show me properties and help me buy a house?
🚩 NOT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO. A buyer's agent can negotiate for the seller to pay the buyer's agent commission on the buyer's behalf if desired. This is normal in our market.

✨ Does representing myself mean I'll automatically save money and get a lower price on the house from the seller bc they won't have to pay a buyer's agent?
🚩 NO. Listing agents almost always have a higher fee negotiated already for the seller to pay them if an unrepresented buyer comes along because it is more work and liability. So the seller is often just paying the listing agent more money instead of that money going toward YOU having representation.

✨ Do I have to use the listing agent or person hosting the open house to purchase the house?
🚩 NO. Using a buyer's agent to represent only you ensures that an agent is working solely with your interests in mind. They can show you ANY house listed by ANY person, including a For Sale by Owner or something you went through during an open house.

✨ But do I *really* need a buyer's agent? I can use ChatGPT or Google and do this myself, right?
🚩 Please don't do this alone. You're at a huge disadvantage up against licensed, experienced listing agents. You also don't have the relationships to local lenders, inspectors, appraisers, and other agents that a buyer's agent can have, which means you can't fully leverage those things during negotiations. An agent can protect your heart and your investment, and if you negotiate to have a seller pay their commission - you especially have nothing to lose letting a professional help you through this.

Don't have a coat closet? 🤷‍♀️ Make yourself a coat corner! Listen, I know these days we are flooded with imagery of bea...
02/16/2026

Don't have a coat closet? 🤷‍♀️ Make yourself a coat corner! Listen, I know these days we are flooded with imagery of beautiful, perfectly kept homes. But I wanted to show you something real. We live in a house from 1969 with no real coat closet so my solution was command hooks (the waterproof shower ones are strongest) and a hanging shoe organizer for things like gloves, kneepads, scarves, dog grooming stuff, etc.

This is a little corner that you only see when going down into our basement or out into the garage, and it certainly doesn't look aesthetic, but it functions for us! We keep our shoes in a wall-hugging unit by the front door where we come in.

Now... I *am* thinking about possibly wallpapering this area something bright and fun...but it isn't necessary. It is okay for your home to work for you and look lived in.

See the respirator? 🧐 What do you suppose I use that for regularly?

It's LOVE WEEK, y'all! 🥰 I hand-picked some fun events around town for date nights or time with friends.
02/09/2026

It's LOVE WEEK, y'all! 🥰 I hand-picked some fun events around town for date nights or time with friends.

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