Monday, September 20, 2021 / by Grace Katz
There are five types of paint finishes, categorized by their reflectiveness:
Flat/Matte: Flat paints (also called matte paints) have the least amount of shine. They provide the most coverage of any other paint and require fewer coats to cover imperfections like nail holes. While they’re great for coverage, they’re the least durable type of paint and will be damaged if treated with cleaner, so they’re best used in low-traffic areas, like dining rooms, and surfaces that won’t be touched much, like ceilings.
Eggshell: Eggshell finishes are a very popular paint finish. They’re slightly more lustrous than flat paints (with the delicate low sheen of an eggshell), they still cover imperfections, and they’re more durable than flat finishes (though still not quite as durable as satin or gloss finishes). Eggshell paints are great for places with low or medium traffic, like living rooms, hallways, and entryways.
Satin: Satin finishes are th ...
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Friday, September 17, 2021 / by Grace Katz
Set yourself up for home buying success
In today’s ultra-competitive housing market, buyers need to be strategic to get the home they want.
Luckily, there are some simple best practices you can follow when house hunting and applying for a mortgage that will put you on the road to success.
If you know what to expect — and how to avoid common home buying mistakes — you can give yourself the best possible shot at scoring the home you want. Here’s what to do.
Mistakes can cost you when buying a house
When you’re preparing to get a mortgage and buy a new home, it’s important to clean up your personal finances and present yourself as a strong borrowing candidate.
However, that doesn’t just mean saving up cash for a down payment and closing costs.
It also means avoiding common financial mistakes that can reduce your borrowing power, or even, in a worst-case scenario, get you denied for a mortgage.
Buying ...
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Friday, August 13, 2021 / by Grace Katz
Talk to almost any housing expert and they will likely say the housing market is not in a bubble. This is despite that home prices are soaring at historical highs across the country.
In February, prices surged 12% year-over-year, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, which is the highest increase since February 2006—right before the housing market crashed, sending home values into a free fall.
For buyers waiting for the housing fever to break and home prices to plummet, they might be in for a big disappointment. However, experts say there could be a smaller price correction.
“Today’s housing market is riddled with both good and bad signs,” says Ali Wolf, chief economist at housing research firm Zonda. “Homebuyers today are purchasing for many healthy reasons: Low-interest rates, more flexibility to work from home and increased saving are all rational reasons for buying a house. The frenzy fueled by these . ...
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Sunday, July 4, 2021 / by Grace Katz
Picture this: You’ve got a new place to live, and each and every room is painted the same shade of white. Minimalists may delight at the idea of an all-white abode, but others might shudder at the thought of colorless walls. If you fall into the latter camp, you’ve got some paint color decisions to make (and some painting to do).
Picking a paint color for all the rooms in your home can befuddle — and overwhelm — even the most decisive people. Do you want to go for something bright and colorful, dark and moody, or pale and neutral? If you plan to sell your home in the future, one of the best methods is to paint in colors that help a house sell. Follow these colorful tips from real estate agents to figure out what’s best for your home, room by room.
Kitchen
Opt for color in the kitchen — something energizing or bold. Navy blue with gold hardware and accents is particularly popular.
“I love a rich navy blue because I thi ...
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Friday, July 2, 2021 / by Grace Katz
In the recent NAHB study, What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 Edition, side-by-side double sinks and walk-in pantries ranked as the most popular of 30 listed kitchen features. This result is based on a comprehensive, nationwide survey of 3,247 recent and prospective home buyers conducted in the summer of 2020.
Among other things, the survey asked recent and prospective buyers to rate over 200 home and community features using the following, four-tier scale (which emphasizes how a particular feature influences the buyer’s purchase decision):
Topping the list of kitchen features, the side-by-side double sink and walk-in pantry are rated essential or desirable by 81 percent of buyers. More than four of every 10 buyers think the double sink is so essential they would be unlikely to buy a home without it, the highest essential share of all kitchen features listed. After the top two, four features are wanted by more than 70 percent of buyers: table spa ...
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