Blog
Ideas for Dry-Scaping
You’ve decided to make your new home as ecologically sustainable as possible. You’ve changed out the toilets for low-flow versions and added insulation, installed bamboo flooring, energy-efficient windows and natural gas appliances. Now, it’s time to tackle the yard. Before…
Elections Affect Homeowners
One of the very first discussions the Founding Fathers had was about how to balance the rights of all individuals with the rights of those who owned property. They knew that if only property owners could vote, the rights of…
Black Friday Home Sales
As we prepare to enter the holiday shopping season, home sellers may think it is too late to sell their home this year. You may have heard that homes sell better in the spring, so you might be tempted to…
DIY Renovation Tips
If you’re thinking of buying a fixer-upper for the first time, whether to live in yourself or to flip, doing some of the renovations yourself can be satisfying and economical. You’ve watched plenty of television shows where novices remodeled a…
Can I Sell My House with a Reverse Mortgage?
To help you through your retirement, you took out a reverse mortgage on your family home. Now, several years into your retirement, you son wants to buy his childhood home so you can move to a warmer climate. Can you…
Pamper Your Home with More Spring Cleaning Tips
We all love a good pampering. Your home is no different. A little spring sprucing gives you house that extra special attention it needs. Whether you start on the inside or the outside, give your home some special treatment and…
What to Know about Fall Leaves and Your Home
This time of year, leaves turn beautiful shades of red, vermillion, orange and yellow. We enjoy their beauty. We take photographs. We collect them. Our children play in them. For a homeowner, however, leaves pose the possibility of damage to…
Moving During Holiday Season
Whether Thanksgiving weekend or the full week between Christmas and New Years, the holidays may be the best time, or indeed the only time, you can plan the move to your new house. Here are some tips to make the…
How Does a Pool Affect My Home Value?
As temperatures begin to rise, the lure of sparkling sunlight reflected off rippling blue water draws many homeowners to invest in an in-ground pool. That a pool adds to quality of life, there is no doubt. When it comes to…
Having a Thanksgiving Weekend Open House
To have an open house or not to have an open house over the Thanksgiving weekend: that is the question! Many sellers assume that the Thanksgiving holiday weekends and the week between Christmas and New Years Day are less than…
The First Thanksgiving in Your New Home
You’ve invited everyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with you in your new home … a joy-filled day with family and friends, good company, great food, celebrating old traditions and creating new ones! The first holiday gathering in your new home celebrates…
Current Color Trends — Sophisticated Gray
Out with the old … beige, cafe au lait, pale mocha, bone … favorite neutrals for the past decade, may give way to more sophisticated gray-based neutrals. So you might ask, isn’t gray just black and white mixed? Well, yes…
Winterizing Your Vacant Home
Whether it is your summer vacation cottage, or your recently vacated home put up for sale, proper winterizing prevents your home from deteriorating while it’s empty and saves you money both now and later. Make a list Decide what needs…
What to Know about Your FHA Mortgage Insurance
An FHA mortgage is a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, insures loans so that lenders will offer appealing rates to less qualified borrowers at a…
Holiday Decoration Safety
Each year, fire departments across the country respond to home and structure fires caused by holiday decorations. In a study by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2011 showed an annual average of 230 structure fires that began with…
Lighting a Fire in Your New Fireplace
As the weather chills, snow falls and socializing moves indoors, what could be more inviting than a warm cup of cocoa in front of a bright crackling fire? If your new home has a wood fireplace, here are some basics…
How to Prepare for Emergencies in Your New Home (Part 1)
When you move into your new home, you may not think to revise and update your emergency plan, but natural disasters strike without warning. Avoid being caught without a plan in place at your new address. Here are ten steps…
Use Memorial Day Sales to Your Home’s Advantage!
Keeping your home comfortable and up-to-date seems like an expensive endeavor. With trends changing so fast, our wallets can hardly keep up! Lucky for us, Memorial Day is just around the corner. If you shop smart at the sales this…