If you want to know what’s popular right now, just look at what people are searching for online. Houzz recently looked at searches on its site from April to June of 2021 and compared them to searches from last year to see how home design interests are changing. What a difference a year can make. […]
Mortgage Points or No Points?
Mortgage borrowers often have a choice to pay more up front in points to get an interest rate reduction or save money and accept a higher rate. It’s a choice that more buyers are considering, particularly jumbo borrowers—those who borrow more than $510,400 in most locales. Borrowers should carefully weigh the decision when choosing to […]
Is Zoning Key to CA Housing?
As housing shortages deepen across the country, single-family zoning is increasingly becoming a prime target of lawmakers who seek to remake neighborhoods by adding density. Over recent years, some local and state governments—such as Minneapolis and the state of Oregon—have essentially eliminated single-family zoning to make way for more types of housing in response to […]
New ‘Favorite’ Room
The family room has long been the favorite room in the house—it’s where homeowners get to spend quality time with other family members. However, as the significant increase in time spent at home during the pandemic has changed preferences, homeowners now favor quieter and more private areas in the home. In a survey of more […]
4 Common Furniture Mistakes
The way the furniture is positioned in a room can have a big impact on how prospective buyers perceive the space. Apartment Guide recently highlighted some of the most common layout mistakes that designers see. Here are four mistakes to avoid. Placing furniture against the walls. “Not all furniture pieces need to go against a […]
Oregon First State to Ban Single-Family Zoning
Oregon has become the first state in the nation to require cities with a population of more than 10,000 to permit duplexes in neighborhoods that were once zoned for single-family zoning—or only one home per lot. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed four bills into law earlier this month that set out to address the state’s […]
Grads See Home in Sights
College graduates are searching for a place to live, whether it’s a home of their own, a place to rent, or moving back with their parents. And $7,481 is their magic number—that’s what they see they need, on average, to move out of their parents’ house, according to a new survey from Apartment Guide. Forty-six […]
Guiding Buyers When Purchasing a Flip
Today’s flippers are more often professional investors with access to cash as banks tightened mortgage loan guidelines and available work crews. But now, “low inventory and many buyers’ eagerness for new construction and remodeled homes has caused some buyers not to do enough checking,” says Seth Captain, managing broker of Captain Realty in the Windy […]
Lifespan of Home Appliances
Knowing the lifespan of appliances and home fixtures can help home buyers get a realistic look at replacements or repairs they may need to make. It can also be a point of negotiations between a buyer and seller: If the buyer expects that an aging appliance will need to be replaced soon, they may want […]
Best Week to List a Home
Home sellers expecting the quickest sales may want to make sure the house is in tip-top shape for showings because a big week in the housing market is quickly coming. The best week to put a home on the market is March 31 to April 6, according to a new analysis from realtor.com®. Researchers analyzed […]