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Low interest rates help buyers and owners
Interest rates for 15- and 30-year fixed mortgages continue to stay low, reports CNN Money. Last year, the 15-year fixed rate averaged 3.07 percent, but last week, it dipped to 2.56 percent. The...
View ArticleTiny houses make great second homes
The tiny house phenomenon is a social movement of people who intentionally downsize their primary homes to under 750 square feet. Now for most households, especially those with children or extended...
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Key housing incentives for a healthy middle class
Housing incentives are key for a thriving middle class, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Simplifying the tax code should not do away with the incentives that have helped...
View ArticlePut yourself into the home you build
When architect John Nystrom set out to build his retirement home, he knew the sky was the limit. But “as many architects would testify, [I] could never afford what I was capable of designing,” said...
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North America’s first “active” house
North America birthed its first “active” house in St. Louis, Mo., in March of this year. What is an “active” home? Essentially, it incorporates a comprehensive green design on the interior and...
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What is Universal Design?
Housing trends can come and go. But one design strategy might survive the test of time. Universal Design (UD) is the design of products and environments usable by most people, regardless of age or...
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U.S. housing prices jump
The real estate market has posted a significant year-over-year gain of 10.9 percent from March 2012 to March 2013, reports Time. All 20 cities measured by Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price...
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Kitchen cabinets that go higher and deeper
Kitchen cabinets have gone through a makeover in recent years, especially as homes have gotten bigger. Some homeowners have found that the traditional upper cabinets at 12 inches deep cannot...
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New housing trends tied to employment
Work/career mobility is becoming a mainstay of the U.S. labor landscape, and it may have a significant effect on housing. During the recent recession, mobility was down. The U.S. Census Bureau...
View ArticleHow Gen X and Y search for homes
Younger buyers may be searching for homes in ways that are different from their parents’ generation. First, Gen X and Y almost always start looking online. Move-in ready or updated houses are more...
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May housing news
Home building continued to grow in the month of May by almost 7 percent to an annual pace of 914,000 homes, reports CNN Money. Multifamily units like apartment buildings accounted for a large portion...
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Home builders and economists optimistic about housing
Mortgage rates are steadily climbing, but home builders and economists remain optimistic that the spike won’t halt the housing recovery, reports The Wall Street Journal. Rates reached above 4 percent...
View ArticleCreate a designer feel in your home
The HGTV Smart Home 2013 features design details that any homeowner can imitate. Designing to scale and decorating with tone on tone colors are two key strategies used for the HGTV house. Watch the...
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How to woo the seller
Many experts say that residential real estate is currently a seller’s market with narrow inventory bringing in scenarios of multiple bids. Buyers who have to compete are often encouraged to write...
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U.S. vacation homes on the mend
The U.S. vacation home market is on the mend, according to Bloomberg News. Vacation-home demand depends on a household’s discretionary spending income. The fact that this market is currently becoming...
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The impact of schools on housing
Young buyers who are just starting their own families or who have children typically look to buy in areas boasting strong schools. Cara Ameer, broker associate and realtor at Coldwell Banker Vanguard...
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Mortgage delinquencies are stabilizing
Overall, mortgage delinquencies are showing improvement throughout the U.S. Home finance balances written off in the first quarter of 2013 decreased by 23 percent year-over-year, totaling $69.7...
View ArticleTop 5 U.S. sellers’ markets
Real estate experts have concluded that in some regions of the U.S. housing market, sellers are at an advantage, meaning that homeowners are able to swiftly unload their homes close to asking prices....
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Home prices posted biggest annual gain in May 2013
Home prices have been rising since early 2006. According to CoreLogic, prices increased by 12.2 percent in May 2013 from May 2012, the most significant annual incline since February 2006, reports...
View ArticleLess stuff, more experience
Micro-apartments may be the urban trend of the future. In San Francisco, the average city studio rents for $2100. But the micro-apartment featured in this CNNMoney video is located in the SOMA...
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