Homes are increasingly flooding, not from weather-related events but from old pipes and valves, worn-out hoses on second-story washing machines, and faulty connections from appliances that use water, The Wall Street Journal reports.The uptick has sparked an increase in extensive water damage to homes that has been reported to insurers. One in 50 homeowners filed a water damage claim each year between 2013 and 2017, according to Verisk A
What is the key to happiness? It may be living in a city known for having happier residents.WalletHub, a personal finance website, analyzed more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities to find the happiest cities of all. They examined 31 key indicators they culled from positive psychology to rate happiness, including the depression rate, income growth, average leisure time per day, life expectancy, job satisfaction, unemployment, commute time, d
Slower home price growth, deflated sales, and lower mortgage rates could create abundant opportunities for potential home buyers this spring.Though home prices are still up year over year in all 50 states, the overall affordability outlook is improving, according to Black Knight’s latest Mortgage Monitor Report. The decline in mortgage rates has helped increase consumers’ buying power by more than 6 percent and reduced mortgage payments on an
The amount of time it takes to sell a home has been dropping for the last four consecutive years, but in February, the typical home sat on the market for 83 days, which is unchanged from a year ago. That’s a sign that the market is slowing but not reversing, according to realtor.com®.The site’s researchers evaluated the 250 largest metro areas from March 2018 to February 2019 to see where homes are selling the fastest, and there’s wide flu
Townhome construction outperformed other building sectors in 2018, bringing more entry-level housing to the market. But while townhouse construction, along with other submarkets, softened during the fourth quarter, it is still poised for further expansion as more renters enter the sale market, the National Association of Home Builders reports. Townhouse construction—or single-family attached housing—also helps builders grapple with land short
Complaints about the condition of homes on military bases, including lead poisoning, mold, and poor construction, have grown worse since the problems were first revealed in a Reuters investigation last August. NBC News did a follow-up piece Friday looking at whether there has been any improvement but found that the number of complaints by military families has increased, now getting the attention of lawmakers.Seventy-three percent of homeowners
Your color palette makes a huge difference. Bronze, brass, nickel, or chrome? Choosing metals for your home can be daunting, so here's a suggestion: Don't choose just one. All the best designers know there's no magic in being matchy-matchy—and that policy is true for metals as well as bedroom sets. Instead of agonizing over the "right" metallic finish, consider mixing them up.We realize this concept might be daunting to some, so, to
From the way furniture is arranged to the colors of the paint, a home’s space can cause your body to respond in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. Distaste for the way something in a home looks can even raise your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone associated with a wide range of health problems.The Patch Boys, a drywall repair franchisor, highlights some of the biggest stressors when it comes to design, and
After weeks of declines, mortgage rates reversed course, but are still lower than a year ago.“While mortgage rates very modestly rose to 4.41 percent this week, they remain below year-ago levels for the fourth week in a row,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “In late 2018, mortgage rates rose over a full percentage point from the prior year, which was one of the main reasons that weakness in home sales continued into early
Smaller cities with lower home prices were once again among the top-performing housing markets this month, a trend that started emerging in January this year, according to the latest report from realtor.com®.“We’re seeing more interest in secondary markets,” says Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Homes are a little bit more affordable, and buyers are looking for that affordability.”Midland, Texas, once again toppe
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