Homeownership is a major life decision.  You are signing contracts and loan documents that lock you into payments for as long as 30 years. You can no longer depend on a landlord to handle your scheduled maintenance. In other words, you are taking on a lot of responsibility. Despite this increased responsibility, the positive aspects of homeownership greatly outweigh the negatives. Homeownership is part of the American dream. You have more control and will most likely create a better life for you and your family. Here are nine reasons why being a homeowner is better than being a renter. Lo ..read more

As a new homeowner, you have a lot of responsibilities. You have to pack and move to your new residence. You have to organize and decorate your new home. You have to decide where to hang the pictures and which rooms to place particular pieces of furniture. It’s a lot of work. You also need to buy some must-have items for the new place. Here are eight essential things that you will need for your new home. These are items that you can’t live without and will quickly make your home a happy, comfortable place to live. Drapes Curtains are often overlooked but are a key design element in any room ..read more

Do you dream of building your own home? Do you have a vision of a house that is customized and built to suit your own individual needs? Do you think buying a piece of land and building a home sounds like something you would enjoy doing? If you answered yes to these questions, you want to build the home of your dream. You are probably worried about the uncertainty and challenges of building during the pandemic. While the environment is certainly different, now is the perfect time to build your own home. Easy to sell your current home There is no better time to sell your home. Real estate profes ..read more

The work-from-home movement has been a trend within the American workplace for the last decade. The laptop computer and high-speed Internet access make it easier for working professionals to effectively work from home. In 2008, 4 percent of the U.S. workforce worked from home on a full-time basis. The number was significantly higher when you include workers who might work from home one or two days a week. By 2018, that number had grown to over 5 percent of the workforce, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24% of the U.S. workforce work at least part of the time from home. The sta ..read more

People have turned to gardening and landscaping while under stay-at-home orders across the country. It’s a time-honored American tradition during challenging times. Victory Gardens were an important part of the home-front effort during World War II. Americans planted an estimated 20 million Victory Gardens, which produced roughly 40 percent of the vegetables during the war. Yard work is a great way to get outdoors and stay physically active. You are lifting things, shoveling and building. You keep moving even while stuck at home. But you don’t need to landscape your entire yard in a weekend. Y ..read more

A lot has changed in 12 months. A year ago, the economy was humming. Unemployment was at historic lows, and the Federal Reserve was slowing raising interest rates to slow the economy and reduce inflation. Many economists and business policy experts predicted that trend would continue for the foreseeable future. Then, the economy started to slow late last year and slowed drastically when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in March. As a result, long-term interest rates in the United States have plunged to unprecedented levels, similar to what was seen during the Great Recession of 2 ..read more

With the COVID-19 situation, the world is an uncertain place, but building a new home is still a realistic dream. When deciding to build a home, it’s a good idea to understand basic architectural styles. The home will be a place where you will live for a long time, and thus, you want to build a house that matches your desires and individual needs. Your decision will be based on the land where you are building the home, your personal style and the uses of the residence. Here are a few of the most common architectural styles. Something to consider even as the world confronts the coronavirus. Ran ..read more

When building a home, you make a lot of choices. A process that is not always easy. You must decide where you want to build your home and how much you are willing to invest in the project. You need to decide things like what color to paint the walls and what features you want added to the home. To help the process, you need to understand some of the current home trends. You have an opportunity to add value to the home and create the perfect living situation through the building process. As such, you should understand some of the trends in the housing market. Social kitchen The kitchen has unde ..read more

The 2020 real estate market is expected to continue its recent robust pace, as low mortgage rates and a strong job market should sustain the real estate market throughout the year. The National Association of Realtors estimates that new-home sales will increase 750,000 in 2020, an 11% rise. Supply will hurt existing home sales, and the organization is predicting a 4% increase to around 5.6 million homes. The national median sale price of an existing home is expected to grow to $270,400, an increase of 4.3% from 2019. “In 2020, more home-building activity and consequent growth in supply should ..read more

Are you thinking about building your dream home in 2020? You may have already started planning how you’ll decorate your home or what events you want to host there, but before all of that can happen, you have to decide on a floor plan. When considering what type of dream home floor plan you want to have incorporated into your home, you should consider how you plan on using the space. Are you thinking of expanding your family? Will this be the home you want to retire in? The space can feature multiple stories, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living areas, and you want to make sure that your dream home ..read more