Heating bills this winter have left many homeowners in sticker shock. The rising cost of fuel has made heating bills jump by from 5% to 50% this winter—a warning that federal agencies made last fall. Still, in some regions, heating bills are higher than forecasters anticipated. Money Magazine spoke to homeowners who reported heating bills …
Category: News
Dec 19
Take a Tour of the New American Home
It’s all about the indoor-outdoor connection with this year’s home building showpiece. Each year, home builders and product manufacturers set out to impress crowds by showing off the latest innovations in residential new-home construction through the New American Home series. In 2022, Envy Homes, an Orlando, Fla., builder, took on that challenge, offering up a …
Dec 18
It’s all about the indoor-outdoor connection with this year’s home building showpiece.
Each year, home builders and product manufacturers set out to impress crowds by showing off the latest innovations in residential new-home construction through the New American Home series. In 2022, Envy Homes, an Orlando, Fla., builder, took on that challenge, offering up a modern-coastal design that mixes old with new. “We wanted to build a …
Dec 17
Home Organization That’s Easy to Maintain
Share these tips with your clients to help them take a deep dive into decluttering and storage for greater efficiency and enjoyment of their abode. Key Takeaways: Bookcase on top with onion and potato storage below. Having a well-organized house that functions for everyday living takes time to achieve. It requires putting in the time …
Dec 16
What Home Features Buyers Are Prioritizing
Home prices are high and buyers often can’t find a listing that includes everything on their wish lists. But buyers are showing preferences for certain home features in their searches, particularly outdoor amenities and views. Realtor.com®’s data team analyzed the home features that home buyers are looking for to identify the most popular search terms …
Dec 13
Ways Residential Gardens Are Evolving
Outdoor trends that emerged during the first two years of the pandemic continue to develop and enhance play, curb appeal, and healthfulness. Key Takeaways: After the pandemic began, many homeowners planted vegetable and herb gardens to avoid supermarkets or to start a new hobby. Gardening offered safe exercise and stress relief in fresh air versus …
Dec 12
Yard Care Tips
Homeowners have been spending more time in their backyards since the pandemic began. For a growing share of owners, it’s become a new hobby or a place to relax. Sixty-nine percent of Americans recently surveyed say that doing yard work—either maintaining it or adding or updating features—is one of the ways they like to relieve …
Dec 11
‘White Boxing’ May Encourage Sales
Home staging is all about arranging furniture and enhancing the setup of decor to help present a home in its best light. But some real estate pros are turning to “white boxing” for certain properties—the complete opposite of home staging. White boxing is about removing everything from a property and showing an empty space of …
Dec 10
Prepare Homeowners for Flood Damage
Sowers may bring flowers, but they also might cause flooding in basements, crawl spaces, and weakened foundations. Here’s how to help homeowners prepare and prevent that. Key takeaways: Heavy rains in spring, as well as the last melting snowfalls of winter, present a couple of distinct downsides: the potential for exterior and interior water damage …
Dec 09
Turnkey Homes Are in Demand
Many developers believe that turnkey homes—high-end, furnished, predecorated homes that allow buyers to easily move in—are what home shoppers want nowadays. The trend is taking root in places like Hawaii and California and in many second-home resort communities. Rob Kildow, director of sales and principal broker for Hualalai Realty, told Mansion Global about the growing …
Dec 06
Will Virtual Staging Replace Traditionally Staged Rooms?
The business of home staging is under transformation. Though physical staging has long dominated the market, virtual staging is quickly becoming a go-to option, but whether it’s the better option depends on several factors. Key takeaways: When Barb Schwartz introduced the concept of home staging in 1972, inspired by her background in theater, the idea …
Dec 05
DIY Jobs Sellers Should Stop Doing
Home inspectors say they can spot the work of an amateur versus a pro. Homeowners may have gotten overconfident with their DIY skills. Armed with YouTube tutorials and extra time at home during the pandemic, more homeowners have been drawn to DIY house projects to save money and bypass waits for overbooked contractors. Home inspectors …
