A fresh coat of paint makes everything it touches seem brand new. But such new beginnings cost real money. Professional painters charge around $4,000 for labor and materials to paint the exterior of a 2,500-square-foot, two-story home and roughly $5,500 for the interior. Painters’ rates may range from $20 to $60 an hour, but around…
If a dripping faucet wakes you up at night, the thought of paying a plumber may be what keeps you from falling back asleep. Most homeowners have experienced anxiety related to their home, according to a new report, with home repairs and maintenance topping the list of stressors. NerdWallet’s 2018 Pulse on Homeownership reports that nearly two-thirds…
Home shoppers outnumber home sellers in many places. If you’re a home buyer, you need every competitive advantage you can get. That’s why it pays to know how to find motivated sellers and persuade them to choose you. The definition of “motivated seller” has changed since the depths of the economic crisis about a decade…
When responsible first-time home buyers need help buying a home, the family bank can sometimes lend a hand. Younger home buyers face a mountain of obstacles, including rising home prices and interest rates, too few homes for sale and unpaid college debt. Student debt is a major source of trouble. When the National Association of…
A house with a fabulous view can be hard for a home buyer to resist. But seeing the mountains, water or city lights from the comfort of home comes at a price. The hazy part is figuring out what that added cost is — and whether it’s worth it. That’s where real estate appraisers and…
Flying cars still seem to be a few years away, but don’t let that stop you from having a futuristic home! Take a look at these pieces of Smart Home technology that come highly rated by the experts. The ecobee4 Smart Thermostat From the ecobee website: “When you place sensors in your favorite rooms, ecobee4 can read…
Your visions of hosting fancy family barbecues and planting elaborate container gardens can come with a big cost: building a backyard deck. The average cost for a wood deck is about $10,950, according to Remodeling magazine’s “2018 Cost vs. Value Report,” while a composite deck — typically made of recycled wood fibers and plastic —…
Every year, first-time home buyers venture into the market and make the same mistakes that their parents, siblings and friends made when they bought their first houses. But today’s novice buyers can stop the cycle. Here are 12 mistakes that first-time home buyers make — and what to do instead. 1. Shopping for a house first before a mortgage…
Trisha and Dennis Rawlings, a couple in their early 30s, are moving to suburban Chicago and leaving their over-60-year-old first home in the St. Louis area behind. “We were looking at potentially buying a house,” Trisha says. But in the area where they want to live, the options within their budget were limited to purchasing…
If you’re planning to sell a home in spring, prepare now for the crucial (and fun) job of luring home shoppers. Homes that look loved and well-maintained get more attention — and first impressions matter: “A buyer makes their buying decision as they are coming up the front walk or walking through the front door,”…
