First Time Home Buyer Tips

Here's what you should know.

Experts weigh in.

Heated floors, anyone?

Here's what bothers them about your humble abode.

According to pros.

One of them's in the bathroom.

Steer clear of these red flags.

Two lists for two situations.

Here's how to budget for it.

Paint, paint, paint.

Here's what you should know about the market and the pandemic.

According to real homeowners on Reddit.

Single women are buying more homes than single men.

While you could browse homes online and do virtual tours, a good ol’ fashioned open house still has plenty of merits and is an efficient way to browse properties that are for sale in your area.

Whether they're finished or unfinished.

Hold your horses on a career change, for one.

Here's how to start renovating wisely.

So long, turn-key properties.

Believe it or not, it's doable.

Don't be the "confused homeowner."

According to home experts.

Build those assets.

Keep buying avocado toast, millennials.

Everything you need to know about working with a buyer's agent.

Let's break down this real estate lingo.

The problem with old houses, I learned, is that they are never not a project.

The pros outweigh the cons.

We're talking savings of more than $30,000.

Think of this "good faith" deposit like an engagement ring.

From air filters to zoning laws.

It's not just milk and mascara that goes bad.

Lessen your chore load, prevent future headaches, and save a little cash, too? It's a win, win, win!

Don't let a good market pass you by!

“Millennials may perceive home buying as more risky than previous generations because we were raised on infinite choice, frequent change, and came to age with a lot of financial volatility.”

Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and draw comfort from your own sense of knowing: "This is right for me."

Plus, how to know if this myth is keeping you from buying a home.

Plus: the math behind why.

The more appealing a home is on the market to the majority of buyers, the higher price it may fetch.

Wait until you get to Starbucks.

And here are some tips on how to speed up the process, too.

Your new home isn't the only thing that gets a renovation.

Is there anything better than cozying up with a good book and a mug of hot tea on a rainy weekend morning?

We're not mind-readers, but we are pretty savvy with the Google!

It all comes down to the doors.

Want to increase the value of your home? There are apps for that. Really, when you think about it, your smart phone can serve as a remote control that keeps your home running smoothly (and looking good, too!)

It's the classic example of expectation not quite matching up with reality.

Shag carpet was all the rage in the 1970s. Wallpaper borders and glass bricks were beloved in the 1980s. Along came the blonde wood in the 1990s. And here's what experts say they expect to go out of style next.

Can you even believe these are the same apartment unit?

How is someone supposed to feel secure in laying claim to a piece of property when it may not even be habitable by the time they pay off the loan?

And remember, you can't predict exactly when and where all the major, paradigm-shifting natural disasters will happen and how they will affect you—but you can take steps to be prepared, not petrified.

While each state has its cosmopolitan areas and scene vacation destinations, the majority of people live not in magazine-ready house, but something small, affordable, and lovely without tons of hassle. Surprisingly, this shakes out to just two home styles across the entire country.

Buying a home is most likely the largest purchase you'll make in your lifetime—and one of the most confusing. Why wouldn't you want an expert you know you can count on?

Certain elements of older homes are likely to always be valuable and in demand—regardless of current trends.

Remember the joy you experienced going to the candy store growing up, when a couple bucks meant the opportunity to load up on every sweet treat your little heart desired? Well, homeowners can recapture that childlike glee with a trip to their friendly neighborhood dollar store.

Even enthusiastic, well-intentioned upkeep isn't safe from costly mistakes.

While a hands-off home owner's association is the ideal, that's not always what you get.

Freshly-painted walls and new hardwood floors might actually be a bright and fresh disguise for shoddy work and a whole mess of other problems lurking beneath the surface.

Sometimes your washer/dryer dreams are bigger than your new condo's closet.

When buying a home, you don't really get to decide your must-haves: The market does.

While ranch homes may call to mind cookie-cutter suburban developments, the core of its design is proving to have a timeless appeal to young, working families—even if it's not what they first had in mind.

You have questions about what is probably the biggest purchase of your life, and your real estate team should be on standby with answers. But experts say that over the years, one common question has surprisingly gone by the wayside.

The walls were there for a reason!

While they love being your trusty “phone-a-friend” during your home shopping (or selling) experience—they really, really do—there are some questions that get, shall we say, a little tedious.

While you may think real estate agents are too clever (and qualified!) to make rookie mistakes in the home-buying process, they're prone to the same excitement that can cloud rationality, too.

From complicated cleaning to uncontrollable heat, these architectural wonders may not be all they're cracked up to be.

You may have realized that not everyone who wants to own a home does (especially if they're a Millennial). It's not because they can't afford the monthly mortgage payment, it's because there is a barrier to entry for mortgages in the tune of thousands of dollars, a.k.a. that pesky down payment.

This adorable, stylish home in Joshua Tree on the market for just $265,000. Yes, that genuinely affordable price tag is no mirage.

Though I really just want to ignore the weeds and towering grasses surrounding my home, the reality is that I have to do something with my yard.

It seems quite absurd now that this sealed the deal for us, and lead us to close on the biggest single purchase of our lives.

Whether you’re looking for cost-effective ways to get your house in shape to sell or are just after a refreshed look, these simple additions offer a great return on your investment.

I've corralled eight of the most Googled questions about tiny homes and spoke with real owners, builders, and dwellers for real answers. Here, they clear up some of the uncertainty.

Although having a pool in your own backyard provides plenty of perks, it also comes with a slew of (expensive) pitfalls—some of which you might not realize until it’s too late.