Home prices are rising rapidly in many markets, but Pacific Coast Builders Confidence attendees name two main factors that should quell fears of a new bubble.
Category Archives: Home Owners
Foreclosure Activity Back on the Rise
Foreclosure filings—which include default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions—increased 2 percent in May, rising from a 75-month low in April, according to the latest foreclosure report from RealtyTrac. Still, foreclosure filings are down 28 percent from a year ago.
The May increase was largely attributed to an 11 percent increase in bank repossessions. Foreclosure starts also ticked up 4 percent in May over last month, with 26 states posting increases, according to the report.
How Much Does it Really Cost to Decorate?
Eight designers share secrets about the costs of assembling finished spaces—and the numbers may surprise you!
Surveys such as Remodeling magazine’s “Cost vs. Value” report detail how much it costs to complete a variety of major popular home improvement projects each year, including the always popular kitchen and bathroom redos.
But those numbers don’t reveal many of the additional expenses that give a room a truly finished look: a good paint job, built-in cabinetry, furnishings, carpeting, lighting, accessories, and so much more. Buyers and sellers who haven’t recently decorated or remodeled have no clue how quickly costs add up — sometimes exponentially.
Emergency Preparedness
Each June, the National Safety Council encourages organizations to get involved and participate in National Safety Month. NSM is an annual observance to educate and influence behaviors around leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
This week’s theme is emergency preparedness. Here’s information about emergency preparedness provided by King County.
Cities With the Best Parks
These five cities dedicate the most land and money per resident to their park systems and the results show, with plenty of green.
If there is one thing that we value in the Puget Sound area of Washington, it’s nature. Throughout our history this community has prized the outdoors, and that’s evident in the sheer number of parks you’ll find here. One will also find that our region is full of unique places that help set our area apart.
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Do you have a favorite park? Leave a comment here and share it with us!
Tools and Techniques for Cleaning Your Deck
Alan was looking at his home’s back steps, constructed of pressure-treated wood, and decided it was time for the annual get-rid-of-the-mildew-and-seal-them program. Since they weren’t looking as green as they were last year, he figured the job would be a snap.
Read his tips for deck cleaning, that only require a few steps.
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Do you have some valuable tips that you’d like to share? Leave a comment!
Replace or Reface Kitchen Cabinets?
Mary Saunder disliked the cabinets in her kitchen from the moment she moved into her Maryland, home. “They were metal, the color of bronze,” Saunder says, “but my husband’s motto was ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.'” When her husband passed away last February, Mary decided it was time to act. “I couldn’t stand it any more,” she says. But rather than spend the $25,000 or $30,000 redoing the kitchen with new cabinets would have cost her, she settled on a simpler, cheaper and far less intrusive solution.
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What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment!
6 Low-Cost Luxuries for Owners on a Budget
So you think you can’t afford an upgraded, tricked-out pad? Not so fast! Every owner deserves to come home to a place that’s beautiful, comfortable, and accommodating to their lifestyle — without going into debt. Even if you haven’t become a homeowner yet, understanding which champagne-style comforts can be inexpensively added onto a home after closing can provide powerful inspiration for sticking to your beer budget. Here are a few of those little, affordable luxuries.
14 Ways to Style Your Mantel for Spring and Summer
The mantel is often the focal point of the living room in winter, but it can be hard to know how to decorate the fireplace once warmer weather arrives. Do you play it up with fresh colors and artwork, or let it hide out behind strategically placed chairs and plants? No matter the approach you prefer, these 14 styling ideas should spark your imagination.
When It Comes to Wood Floors, Choose Wisely
Just as with ties and hem lengths, wood flooring styles change. Colors get darker or lighter; planks get narrower or wider; woods with more or less grain show swings in popularity; softer or harder species gain or lose fans; and the wood itself may be older, newer, or even pre-engineered with a top layer or veneer-glued to a substrate to decrease expansion and contraction from moisture.
Managing The Real Estate Details 