Sure, money’s tight, but home improvements still aren’t completely stalled. Here’s what’s hot right now in bathroom remodels. By Jennifer Kelly Geddes Even though inflation has been sending prices soaring through the proverbial roof, homeowners are still willing to dig deep into their wallets to upgrade their bathrooms. The 2022 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study polled more than 2,500 homeowners who renovated their bathrooms in July of this year. And the results shed some surprising light on what people are changing—and how much they’re paying. Per the report, the national median spent fo ..read more

The Federal Reserve’s rate hikes slammed the brakes on the housing market and may cause a recession that would lead home prices to plunge. (Getty Images) By Clare Trapasso The U.S. Federal Reserve has completely upended the housing market, taking it from turbocharged to rapid deceleration. The effects of the Fed's rate hikes in its war against inflation are being felt in just about every crevice of the economy, as recession fears are quickly mounting. The stock market keeps falling, companies are scaling back on hiring or letting workers go, and mortgage interest rates are rising even mo ..read more

Use these stone and brick garden edging ideas to lend character, definition, and texture to your landscaping beds. By Viveka Neveln Brick Garden Edging   Brick is a common landscape edging choice: It's classic, widely available, and relatively inexpensive. Push bricks tightly together to minimize spaces between them that turf can slip through. To prevent heaving and unevenness in your garden edging, set your bricks in a bed of sand. Note: If you set the brick just above the soil, you can use it as a mowing strip, running your lawn mower's wheel right over the brick. This eliminates t ..read more

There's more to maintaining a beautiful yard during autumn than simply raking up dead leaves, and these steps will ensure your yard not only survives but thrives during the colder months ahead. CREDIT: SCHULZIE / GETTY IMAGES By Emily Goldman Fall denotes beautiful rich-hued foliage and crisp, cool temperatures, but with this change in weather comes a change in your yard's needs. "After a long summer of pets, kids, and searing heat, your lawn can be left looking battered and worn, which is why the fall is the perfect time to repair it," says Brian Parker, senior live goods merchant ..read more

Home sale contracts are falling through at the highest rate since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why is this happening—and what can you do to make sure that your own real estate offer doesn’t crash and burn? Here are some of the reasons deals are collapsing right now, and what to do to help prevent this from happening to you. (Getty Images) By Kimberly Dawn Neumann Owning a home is the American dream, but at the moment it’s more like homebuying cancel culture. According to a 2022 survey by home warranty site Cinch Home Services of 1,000 Americans who have tried to buy or sell a ..read more

What is earnest money? Depositing earnest money is an important part of the home-buying process. It tells the real estate seller you’re in earnest as a buyer, and it helps fund your down payment. However, the earnest money check is different than the downpayment. It is typically cashed and held in a title company trust account, or in the broker’s escrow company account. You get a receipt from your brokerage when you hand in the earnest money. (aydinmutlu/iStock) By Angela Colley Without the requirement of earnest money, a real estate buyer could make offers ..read more

Buying a home has never been easy. However, over the past few years, the process has become truly herculean as buyers have been pushed to emotional and financial limits. Sellers, on the other hand, largely have been able to sit back and enjoy the ride, which has typically culminated in a massive payday. (Getty Images) By Clare Trapasso The housing market has shifted dramatically over the past few months. Higher mortgage rates have thinned the pool of buyers, begun to rein in runaway home prices, and forced many sellers back to the negotiating table. The changes are leading buyers and&nbs ..read more

(MLS via Realtor.com) By Judy Dutton The housing market has been called plenty of things this summer: red-hot, insane, brutal. But the latest word du jour to describe the state of real estate today is almost shocking in its tepidness: balanced. This term cropped up most recently in an analysis by Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu, who notes, “Our weekly data suggests that the U.S. housing market keeps progressing toward a more balanced market.” Many economists of late have remarked on the market’s more even-keel turn. “Selling prices will level out a ..read more

In the past year, two cities in New Hampshire have topped the Realtor.com list of the hottest real estate markets. Here’s why... (Realtor.com / Getty Images) By Meera Pal What is it about New Hampshire? It’s the ninth state of the union, the site of the first potato grown in these United States, and, perhaps most laudably, the home to not one but two of the nation’s most desirable real estate markets. Over the past year, two cities in the Granite State have topped the Realtor.com® hottest markets list: Manchester, which held the top spot for nine out of 12 months, and Concord, which ..read more

Wow, is it me or did summer fly by this year! Yet, here we are, kids are back or about to be back at school and the leaves will start to change before you know it. You know what that means don't you, it's time to start thinking about decorating your house for the Fall season! By Caitlin Sole Whether you have a balcony, a wraparound porch, or just a small stoop, you can add seasonal touches to your outdoor space using pumpkins, mums, and more with these fresh fall porch ideas. It's easy to give your front porch a seasonal refresh with a few fall decorations. Adding fall flowers, pumpkins, gour ..read more