Downsizing for Empty Nesters and Retirees

It sounds so satisfying, in a way, the prospect of working your whole life and then retiring—it’s a goal most of us have, to reach for a reward for decades of toil. With no deadlines to meet, no schedules to keep, no one to answer to, retirement means time to travel, engage in hobbies there […]

How to Make Buying and Selling at the Same Time Work

Buying a home is a serious undertaking, and can be stressful at times. Between keeping paperwork organized, meeting deadlines, and research—and working to sell your home at the same time can turn into one big, overwhelming headache. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re buying and selling a home simultaneously. You […]

Investing in a Home is an Investment in Your Future

Is buying a home a good investment? You’ve probably heard from the media, parents, older relatives, and, of course, real estate professionals that buying a home is a great investment that always helps to secure your future. You’re told buying a home is a good investment that will appreciate over time, and that it will […]

Advice for Single Homebuyers

Home-buying trends have changed over the last decade, and in today’s new market, more single homebuyers are entering the real estate market than ever before. And, single women have now outpaced single men as a percentage of homebuyers—a whopping 21 percent of all new home purchases are credited to single women. Single men and women […]

What You Need to Know about the Neighborhood

In the National Association of Realtors’ 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 64 % of buyers ranked quality of neighborhood as the most important consideration when selecting a place to live. While it’s just not possible to know everything there is to know about a neighborhood before you buy a home move in, a […]

Your Handy Home Maintenance Checklist

Financial responsibility is usually first on your mind when buying and right after you’ve purchased a home, but there’s also time and labor required in the form of home maintenance. Keeping up with these tasks will keep you from future headaches and wasted money. As a new homeowner, it can seem intimidating or totally overwhelming—but, […]

Top 10 Inexpensive Ways to Improve Your Home to Sell

Whether you’re preparing to sell your home or perhaps want to improve it inexpensively for your own enjoyment to consider selling later, here are 10 good strategies for you to consider. The actual cost and return on investment for each project will vary, depending on both your home’s condition, age, and real estate values in […]

Is renovating your kitchen before a home sale worth it?

When it comes time to selling a home, homeowners often consider remodeling to try to increase the market value. Remodeling may be smart in some circumstances, but it can also be a double-edged sword: While most home sellers would be unwise to do absolutely nothing to improve their homes before they sell, they’d be equally […]

Ways to Brighten Up Your Living Room this Winter

Winter days are short. Many of them can be dark, gloomy, and full of dramatic weather. Since you’ll probably be spending most of your time indoors to avoid the cold, you might want to make your home as bright and cheery as possible. A few easy and inexpensive changes can make a big difference. Screens […]

Growing Food Through the Cold Season

Sure, you can extend summer’s harvest into fall, but the really impressive gardening happens in the dead of winter. With a few low-tech tools, you can protect plants from hard freezes and harvest fresh food for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and beyond. Season-Extending Techniques Hardy varieties: Some varieties of garden plants simply grow better in […]