How Green Is Your Home? An Eco-Friendly Reality Check

Green homes have gone mainstream, and one of the most popular ways to be friendly to the environment and your wallet at the same time is to focus on energy efficiency. Less energy used means less fossil fuels consumed! (Where’s that clothesline?) Of course, “less” is a relative term. How do you know how well […]

9 Bold and Beautiful Backsplash Designs That Will Transform Your Kitchen

drewhadley/iStock Backsplash—it’s the design detail that can take your kitchen from blah to beautiful. Of course, at its core, a backsplash is meant to be functional—a protective backboard to catch spills and prevent stains behind your stove or sink. But it’s also a blank canvas just waiting for your personal stamp. And boy, are homeowners having fun with it. […]

5 Things Wealthy Americans Look for When Buying Luxury Homes for Over $10 Million

The luxury real estate market in destinations such as Hawaii’s Big Island has drastically changed through the years to accommodate a thriving full and part-time resident population, not just tourists coming for a short vacation. Just as a fluctuating market dictates the inventory available and asking prices, the needs and preferences of wealthy buyers can […]

Experts Weigh in on What the 2018 Housing Market Will Bring

Before the passage of the tax bill, experts were anticipating more of the same from the housing market in 2018. The limited supply of homes for sale was the biggest issue facing the market last year and it will continue to be a problem, particularly in the entry-level market. Although some are predicting those constraints […]

Farmhouse Chic, and Other Top Kitchen and Bathroom Trends for 2018

Is Joanna Gaines the oracle of home design? Many of the kitchen and bath trends that industry experts believe are destined for greatness in 2018 can be seen on her popular HGTV show, “Fixer Upper.” The most popular kitchen design of the year will be farmhouse, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s annual trends report. It’s marked by the […]

Self-Made Millionaire: Use this Simple Trick to Save $44,000 on Your Mortgage

According to co-founder of AE Wealth Management David Bach, “buying a home is the escalator to wealth in America.” But because of affordability issues and the fact that younger generations haveother priorities, homeownership rates — for millennials in particular — have steadily declined since the early 2000s. While home prices are set to soar in […]

Home-Buying: A Quick Formula to Determine Your House Payment

(Photo: Getty Images) Owning a home is a pipe dream for many. And here is why it is on the decline. When you’re shopping for a house and considering a mortgage loan, establishing what you can afford for house payments can be a lengthy process. You have to run calculations, get updated payment scenarios from […]