Smart home locks offer enhanced security and convenience, but homeowners should consider several factors before installation. Options include keypad, biometric and Wi-Fi-enabled locks, each with unique features. Compatibility with existing home systems, security features such as encryption and two-factor authentication, and power sources are crucial considerations.
The home remodeling boom continues, as homeowners leverage their equity to take on a range of house projects, large and small. But are they choosing the best projects to help boost their home’s resale value?
A fancy kitchen upgrade or bathroom renovation may have a significant impact on potential buyers. But for projects that recoup most or all of their cost, owners should think smaller, according to the newly released 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, conducted by the National Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Swapping out the front door for steel, for example, is likely to get the most bang for the buck.
Check out family-friendly showers and “future-proofing,” and what the latest home trends tell us about people’s approach to bathing.
When it comes to tackling your outdoor living spaces, it’s always important to think about how they function for daily use, entertaining, and year-round living. Selecting the right materials that can stand up to the weather (and pollen!) is also key to a long-lasting outdoor spot.
Here are 7 secrets that’ll help you make the most out of your outdoor living area—plus a few extra tips—from Southern interior and landscape design pros.
Interior designers are embracing a range of trends for spring 2025, including furniture with softer outlines, buttery yellows, polished nickel accents and customized kitchens with unique materials.
The housing market of 2024 mirrored some striking similarities to 1995, marking the lowest existing-home sales in nearly 30 years. However, the real estate landscape has changed dramatically.
Home prices finished 2024 strong, NAR data shows. But in the last five years alone, median home prices have jumped 50%.
Property owners are getting richer as home prices prove resilient against lower home sales. Nearly 90% of metro areas registered home price increases in the final quarter of 2024, according to the latest housing data from the National Association of REALTORS®. Fourteen percent of the 226 metros NAR tracks posted double-digit price gains, up from 7% in the third quarter.
Artificial plants can be a practical alternative to real ones, especially in spaces with limited sunlight or for people who travel frequently, according to interior designer Laetitia Laurent. Designer Erica McLain suggests using preserved or dried botanicals as a more authentic option and advises choosing faux plants that mimic natural imperfections and pairing them with natural elements, such as stones and raw woods.
Homeowners are embracing bold and rich colors for kitchen paint in 2025, moving away from traditional whites and neutrals.
While warm whites and classic neutrals will always be a kitchen staple, this year we’ve seen more colorful kitchens than ever before. It’s almost like homeowners are shunning the strict rules of resale value and allowing their personality to shine in the more functional areas of their homes. But we also understand that painting your space a striking sunshine yellow or verdant green isn’t for everyone—this is why we tapped top interior designers to reveal what kitchen paint color trends their clients are actually asking for right now.
This graph shows how the price of homes have evolved over the last 30 years in a few key counties in the Pacific Northwest.
For many years, NWMLS has been tracking a variety of metrics each month in counties within its service area. One of these monthly metrics is Median Sale Price, which is the middle point in the price distribution of homes sold that month, meaning half of the sold properties were priced higher, and half were priced lower. Median Sale Price is considered a more accurate representation of the market than average sale price, as it is less affected by outliers.
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