New Home

It’s where you’re supposed to be.

It doesn't have to be expensive.

Amp up your security with this connected tech.

While moving is a great opportunity to pare down belongings and have a fresh start, it’s not on anyone’s list of Fun Things to Do. Spending money on the right things, though, can help keep your move smooth and successful. Whether it’s to stave off potential moving disasters or to make things just a bit easier on everyone involved, these are the things you should never scrimp on when moving. You’re moving on and starting over.

Although it doesn’t get talked about much on House Hunters, the one feature that can really make or break a new home isn’t the kitchen, bathroom or the backyard; it’s your neighbors. And good neighbors, I think, are more an issue of nurture than nature—when you set a friendly tone with new neighbors upfront, you’ll find it’s easy to build and keep a relationship with them, no matter who they are or how they live. But the first step, of course, is to meet them.

I want to propose a new addition to the list of Things That are Better When You’re 22.

Reliable internet is a necessity these days. I actually came really close to signing a lease for a perfect little apartment close to work a few years ago, but ducked out at the last possible second after discovering that I’d be locked into a crappy internet provider (a wise decision later confirmed by online reviews of said ISP). The point is, nothing should stand between you and a strong and fast internet, and your router placement has more than a little to do with it.

There’s a lot of confusing things about adulthood that you probably feel like somebody should have let you in on–things like paying taxes or how exactly health insurance works. Eventually you find your way, and it pays off in more ways than just being able to read a 1040 form. Once you’ve been out in the world for a while you begin to develop a taste for the finer things in life–and your home life is all the richer for it.

Is your baby moving out? If you are channeling your existential emptiness into the project of helping to decorate his or her new space, then there are a few guidelines to keep in mind so you’re helpful and involved, but not TOO involved. Chances are you have some duplicates hanging around the house that you could unload for a good cause. Silverware, kitchen tools, small appliances, sheet sets — anyone starting from scratch will be happy for these hand-me-downs to get them going.

Not all decorators are created equal. A new homeowner, for instance, has a wildly disparate lifestyle than someone who’s lived in the same apartment for 10+ years. Weekends look different. Shopping trips look different. Even your web history looks different. Read on as we examine the things that separate the active decorators from the passive decorators, and determine which of these two totally different stages of nesting seems more like you right now.

How many people can you host at once? Two? 10? You’re probably counting sofa cushions right now in your head. The reality is, the “right” number of living room seats is different for everyone, and largely dependent on the amount of space you have available.

Q: I am lucky enough to have had a super group of guy friends who packed up my truck for me on the other end of the state for my recent long-distance move. I want to thank them with an appropriate gift – but what is actually appropriate in this case?

Part of the glory of vacation is staying in a whole new place, full of new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences. However, sometimes a vacation home can feel a bit too new and unknown: what was that noise, where’s that weird smell coming from, and where is everything – I can’t find anything?!? Here are 10 ways to make your summer home-away-from-home feel homey.

When you’re young and carefree, where you live is sometimes just a place to sleep between working and being a social butterfly. And that’s fine. That’s what being young is all about. But most of us, at some point or another, wake up, look around and realize that our home is no longer Dorm Room 2.0, but has the markings of a real, grown-up abode. If you think this might be happening to you, here are 10 signs to look for: Re-edited from a post originally published 6.16.

We’re living in employee housing and there’s a good chance we’ll be given a house upgrade in the next 1-5 years. We’ve put off buying furniture for this house while we wait to hear — but how long do you wait? Champagne problems, obviously, but it’s simply time for new furniture: we’ve hit that magical moment when all of our mattresses, couches, and dressers decided to give up and fall apart all at once.