By: Leandra Beabout | Realtor Magazine
Infinitely recyclable glass is going mainstream in core building and design materials.
These days, you don’t have to look far to see upcycled glass. Caterers and restaurants use Mason jars for cocktails and lemonade. DIYers repurpose wine bottles into candle holders or melt them down to create coasters or spoon rests. Glass can also be recycled for large-scale home products like countertops, wall panels and sculptured art.
By some measures, glass is one of the most sustainable materials on the planet. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Chemical Waste Services(link is external) (CWS), it can be recycled infinitely without losing its purity or durability. That...
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FORBES| Amanda Lauren
Not traditional yet far from modern, contemporary interior design can feel like the best of all words. Audrey Scheck of Audrey Scheck Design tells me, “While modern design refers to a specific time period, contemporary design is a more loose term designating both current and future design trends. Contemporary design evolves as interior design trends come and go.”
Current contemporary spaces have an easy, warm feel to them. Far from formulaic, they can be eclectic or even fun. Whether you’re currently designing a contemporary space or just refreshing an old one, here are nine contemporary design tips shared by expert interior designers.
Choose Curved Lines
Scheck tells me curved lines...
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The National Housing Trust will likely use some of the funding to modernize homes to be more climate-friendly—which should also drive down rents.
By: Fast Company
When Priya Jayachandran received an email from MacKenzie Scott’s foundation informing her that it was donating $10 million to her organization, she thought it was a hoax. She almost deleted the message.
But the offer was legitimate. Scott’s philanthropic organization, Yield Giving, is providing National Housing Trust, founded in Washington, D.C., in 1986, with a onetime donation of $10 million—the largest NHT has ever received—to further its work. That includes creating and preserving affordable housing, supporting affordable rent payments for tenants, and making the homes more...
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Buying your first home can be a daunting process, but with the right preparation and guidance, it can also be an incredibly exciting and rewarding venture. To help you navigate this new terrain, we've put together a list of 5 essential tips for first-time home buyers: ✨🏡
1. Draw up a hard budget and stick to it – One of the biggest mistakes many first-time homebuyers make is not having a budget. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your finances, including your current income, expenses, and savings. Be realistic about what you can afford, and stick to your budget.💰
2. Make a short list of your non-negotiables...
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By: KCM
If you’re a homeowner ready to make a move, you may be thinking about using your current house as a short-term rental property instead of selling it. A short-term rental (STR) is typically offered as an alternative to a hotel, and they’re an investment that’s gained popularity in recent years.
While a short-term rental can be a tempting idea, you may find the reality of being responsible for one difficult to take on. Here are some of the challenges you could face if you rent out your house instead of selling it.
A Short-Term Rental Comes with Responsibilities
Successfully managing your house as a short-term rental takes a lot of time and effort....
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REALTOR MAGAZINE By: Barbara Ballinger
Whether you use “workforce,” “attainable” or another term for it, housing that’s affordable to essential workers remains in short supply in many communities.
For years, the term “workforce housing” has defined a subset of affordable housing for those who earn between 60% and 120% of an area’s median income. Now, the term is losing favor.
Some feel it suggests that those who earn less than 60% of their AMI aren’t part of their area’s workforce. “The phrase has an unfair, exclusive characterization,” says Michael Liu, senior partner and design principal for The Architectural Team (TAT).
Miriam Axel-Lute, CEO and editor-in-chief of Shelterforce, a publication focused on...
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Written by : Erik J. Martin
Mortgage rates remain high, home sales — and in some areas, home prices as well — are hitting the brakes, and uncertainty is permeating the market. It’s no wonder many homeowners, prospective sellers and hopeful buyers are feeling nervous.
As of July 5, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was once again flirting with 7 percent (6.95 percent to be exact, according to Bankrate’s survey of large lenders). The Federal Reserve raised rates for 10 meetings in a row in an effort to curb inflation, before taking a pause at its recent June meeting. And sales of previously owned homes are down more than 20...
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From our friends in KCM
Today’s higher mortgage rates, inflationary pressures, and concerns about a potential recession have some people questioning: should I still buy a home this year? While it’s true this year has unique challenges for homebuyers, it’s important to think about the long-term benefits of homeownership when making your decision.
Consider this: if you know people who bought a home 5, 10, or even 30 years ago, you’re probably going to have a hard time finding someone who regrets their decision. Why is that? The reason is tied to how home values grow with time and how, by extension, that grows your own wealth. That may be why, in a recent Fannie Mae survey, 70% of respondents...
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By Aarthi Swaminathan
The numbers: U.S. pending-home sales fell in May, the National Association of Realtors said on Thursday but the housing market is still showing signs of being in recovery mode.
Demand for homes is still strong, despite mortgage rates hovering near 7%, but buyers are finding few properties for-sale to choose from as homeowners hold out on selling.
The shortage in housing inventory has become so dire that it’s pushed pending home sales down in the spring, which is generally the peak season for home-buying.
Sales fell by 2.7% from the previous month, according to the monthly index released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The figure fell short of...
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MARKETWATCH | By Taylor Getler
Overwhelmingly, home buyers view finding the right home as the hardest part of the buying process. There’s so much to consider: What can I afford? How much space do I need? And the most harrowing question of all — what am I willing to give up?
This question is even more loaded for LGBTQ+ buyers, who may face the added pressure of evaluating a new community for safety and comfort.
Social attitudes have dramatically shifted from the days where queer and transgender buyers were concentrated in just one or two neighborhoods, points out Barbara Stone, a Realtor in Dallas, Texas. Today, the community is made up...
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