Contributed by Kyle Foley In our over 39 years as custom home design builders, we’ve seen it happen more often than we like, and more frequently than it needs to. The somber truth is that over 50 percent of custom builds never get off the ground, including those where the client has already purchased their lot, and may even had plans drawn. The number one reason...
Is it parks, schools, city services or affordability that you should look for when searching for a home with higher than average resale value? All of these factors matter, in fact, and homeowners lucky enough to be near one popular grocery chain enjoyed a boost in their home's value. Jennifer Von Pohlmann recently headed into the aisles at RealtyTrac.com to get the...
Contributed by James White, homeyimprovements.com If the idea of spending hours on end deep-cleaning the house doesn’t appeal to you, take the “spring” out of “spring cleaning” and try monthly deep-cleaning instead. When you tackle one room in your house each month throughout the year, the only thing you’ll have to think about come next spring is enjoying...
Contributed by Paul Kazlov, Global Home Improvement In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about metal roofs and their manifold benefits. And why not? As one of the most durable roofing materials available on the market, metal roofs have outshined the famous asphalt shingles, slates, and other composite roofing materials. Here are eight reasons why homeowners...
Contributed by Doug Watson, CEO of Frontier Title With more than five million homes sold annually in the United States, purchasing a home remains at the center of the American dream. A large percentage of these buyers will be making this major purchase for the first time, which can be an extremely stressful and overwhelming experience. Even for an experienced homebuyer,...
Near or far, there’s no short of challenges when it comes to moving. Between organizing an entire household, changing addresses and vetting out movers, relocating to a new home can be more hectic than happy. And the biggest stressor of all? Packing. To help alleviate some of that stress, we’ve compiled a list of clever shortcuts that will ease the burden of packing...
Contributed by Tori Toth A home buyer’s gut reaction never goes away. That’s why a home seller should critique each area of their home, or recruit a judgmental friend who can help answer questions like these in each room of their home: Is the room cluttered or clean? Are there minor repairs or updates needed? Review the six areas of a room. The four walls, the...
Contributed by Brandon Cartee When buying a new home, chances are you spend a lot of time inspecting various aspects of the property. Before making an offer, be sure to take a closer look at one hidden area of the home: its foundation. Foundation problems can be costly to repair, so you need to know they exist before making the purchase. A Door That Is Not Square Often,...
Revisiting population data, the U.S. Census Bureau recently zeroed in on the living arrangements of adults over the last 40-plus years. Notably, the majority of adults in both 1970 and 2014 shared a household with a spouse. But if trends bear out, the gap between married adults and unmarried adults sharing households will close – fast. As of last year, spouses sharing...
Inspiration comes from a variety of places, from design magazines and blogs, to Pinterest and Instagram. But for those not involved in the world of design, inspiration is usually sparked from the media, in particular our favorite TV shows. Eighties-style wood paneling, 90s-era purple walls and even the 2000’s periodic table shower curtains - they have all sparked...
