Landscapers say they see homeowners repeatedly making the same mistakes in yard design, whether it's using the wrong plants or not keeping up with maintenance. Landscapers recently shared with Apartment Therapy some of the most common yard mishaps they see, including:Going too big. “Don’t be seduced by showy plants you see on the internet or at the nursery,” says Jenny Jones, senior landscape designer at Terremoto Landscape Architectur
Certain grocery stores may help lift nearby home values, particularly if those stores happen to be Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Aldi, suggests a new analysis from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm. Home sellers who live near a Trader Joe’s earned 51% more at resale than the average seller, according to the study. Homes near a Whole Foods or an Aldi sold for 41% and 34% more, respectively.ATTOM researchers analyzed average home va
More homes are being outfitted with smart-home technology—devices that enable remote control and monitoring of household systems. A new analysis from Harvard University’s Remodeling Futures Program shows high demand for such devices and predicts the trend to only get bigger over the coming years, despite some recent security concerns and device breaches.But more than half of consumers say they find the internet of things “creepy,” an
Kitchen islands have become the focal point in many homes, and there are plenty of reasons why real estate pros are spotlighting them in their listings.Kitchens have transformed into multifunctional spaces in recent years, and the kitchen island is turning it into a social gem. “The island gives families with children the opportunity to combine cooking, homework and socializing, the latter being especially valuable,” Lene Halse Hornemann, des
Big metro cities like San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles are notably absent from realtor.com®’s latest list of the top-performing housing markets in the country. Instead, more suburban areas—like Grand Rapids, Mich., and Omaha, Neb.--are topping the list.Housing affordability has been fueling demand in smaller, more suburban housing markets, realtor.com®’s 2019 hottest ZIP codes report notes. The average home price of $272,000 in th
The home may look great, but if you don’t get this one thing right, buyers won’t be buying, real estate pros say. And that all centers around the smell—the sense that too many home sellers neglect to pay attention to.Some home sellers may be noseblind to their home’s scent, and they need the real estate professional to offer a fresh unbiased opinion.“One of the easiest ways to evoke pleasant feelings about a space is to enhance the
You can move mansions.Some homeowners are taking their houses with them when they relocate. More than 8,000 structures are moved each year, Tammie DeVooght Blaney, executive director of the International Association of Structural Movers, told The Wall Street Journal. Most of the structures are moved due to environmental hazards and historic preservation, and some are high-end single-family homes—at 4,000 square feet or more.Most homes can
Lakefront homes may offer buyers a chance to get a waterfront property at a more affordable price than a vacation home on the ocean. “Lake towns often offer people an affordable destination with water sports, amenities, natural beauty, and an array of often top-quality dining options,” says Clare Trapasso, senior news editor at realtor.com®. “Some of these lake towns also double as ski resorts in the winter. Those who enjoy cold-weather sp
Homeowners are staying put in their properties longer, but the length of homeownership tenure varies geographically. Fixr.com, a home improvement website, recently studied where homeowners are staying in their homes the longest versus shortest amounts of time.In cities with the shortest homeownership tenure, the median period of ownership is less than 10 years, according to Fixr.com. The city of Enterprise, Nev., has the shortest homeownership te
Home sales appear poised to reverse their downward trend, as contract signings in each of the four major U.S. regions rose in June, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest Pending Home Sales Index. The West saw the highest increase in contract signings last month, according to NAR’s report.The index rose 2.8% to a reading of 108.3 in June. Contract signings are now up 1.6% year over year, ending a 17-month streak of annual
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