More homeowners are leaning towards maintenance-free faux turfs for their yards, according to landscapers.Architect Christopher Brandon of Brandon Architects in Costa Mesa, Calif., told The Wall Street Journal that about 75% of the projects he does for modern-style homes now ask for artificial grass. Since faux turf does not require water and the green stays vibrant all year long, there is virtually zero maintenance. Bran
Florida and its sandy beaches may be thought of as prime getaway territory in the U.S., but it doesn’t have the highest concentration of vacation homes in the country. Instead, that title goes to Maine, according to a new study from IPX 1031, a 1031 exchange resource. IPX 1031 analyzed data from more than 29,000 census-designated locales across all 50 states to identify the states with the highest percentages of vacation pro
Hispanics are posting the largest homeownership gains of any ethnic group, new Census Bureau data shows. The wave of growth is a far cry from four years ago when the Hispanic homeownership rate reached a 50-year low. Since then, ownership among this segment has risen 3.3 percentage points, Census Bureau data shows.To be clear, whites still have higher levels of overall homeownership. The Hispanic homeownership rate is at 47.4%, which st
Buyers put a lot of their focus on the kitchen. After all, it can be one of the most expensive rooms to remodel and its features and conditions can make or break a sale.Designers recently shared a list of the items with realtor.com® that could be subtly sabotaging a kitchen’s attractiveness, including:Fluorescent lighting“Nothing screams ‘cheap kitchen’ more than outdated fluorescent tube lighting with a yellowing plastic cover,”
Nearly 30% of Americans believe that there is a negative social stigma against renters, according to a new survey from Apartment List. This belief is held by renters and homeowners alike.“Some of what we found was surprising,” says Igor Popov, chief economist at Apartment List.Apartment List surveyed more than 5,000 participants in June across the country. Some of the survey respondents referred to renters as “second-class citizens”
Lower mortgage rates are bringing out more potential home buyers. In certain parts of the country, this has translated into a lot more competition. In markets that have seen prices become more moderate, supply is lower than it was a year ago and bidding wars are becoming more prevalent. For example, a recent Redfin housing index notes that cities like Oklahoma City; Richmond, Va.; Memphis, Tenn.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Atlanta are seeing buyer d
A “move-in ready” home may mean different things to different buyers—everything from having freshly painted walls to having window blinds included.Bungalo, a real estate platform for buying newly renovated homes online, surveyed more than 550 home shoppers between the ages of 25 to 54 on what elements are required for a home to be considered “move-in ready.”If you’re going to use the term to describe your listing, here’s what most b
JD Composites, a Canadian homebuilder, has constructed a three-bedroom home in Nova Scotia that is made of 612,000 recycled plastic soda bottles. But the attention has mostly centered on how the home can withstand extreme winds—even a category 5 hurricane.The builder, which melted thousands of plastic bottles and injected them with gas to form the walls of the home, tested the plastic panels for hurricane resistance and found they could withsta
Tropical Storm Barry, which crashed into Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane over the weekend, may still bring heavy rain and flooding to the Gulf Coast for days. Barry largely spared New Orleans, which was expected to feel the brunt of the storm, but Louisiana and the Gulf Coast still could get up to 20 inches of rain in some areas.Life-threatening flash floods and possible tornadoes are still possible in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, southe
How do you measure residents’ happiness? It may come down to having social relationships, financial security, strong ties to the community, good physical health, and plenty of career prospects, according to a new survey.The 2019 Gallup Well-Being Index examined responses from more than 115,000 adults ages 18 and older on how they feel about their lives and what they experience on a daily basis. Overall, well-being in the U.S. has seen a gradual
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