Skipping a real estate agent’s commission sounds like a straightforward way to keep more of a home’s sale price, and for decades plenty of sellers tried it. Fewer are trying it now, and the ones who do are increasingly walking away with less money, not more. According to the National Association of Realtors, homes sold … Read more
A basement that felt fine all summer can turn musty within a few weeks of the first cool September nights, and the timing isn’t a coincidence of imagination. Warm, humid air holds more moisture than cool air, and when outdoor temperatures start dropping while soil around a foundation is still holding onto summer’s groundwater, that … Read more
A handful of slow, sluggish flies gathering on the sunny side of a house in September looks like nothing worth worrying about. Extension entomologists say that’s precisely the moment to pay attention. Cluster flies “enter homes in late August to overwinter and occupy attics and/or wall voids that are warmed by winter sun exposure, most … Read more
A sweater that survived an entire winter without a single snag can come out of a storage bin in September shredded with holes, and entomologists say the timing isn’t random. Clothes moth larvae need weeks of total stillness and darkness to feed without interruption, conditions a folded sweater rarely gets while it’s being worn or … Read more
A homeowner in Tampa recently received a nonrenewal letter that had nothing to do with a burst pipe, a cracked driveway, or a wind claim from three hurricane seasons back. The reason printed on the notice was a brand name stamped inside a metal box in the garage: Federal Pacific Electric, installed sometime in the … Read more
Nearly a quarter of Halloween shoppers now say they buy at least some of their decorations secondhand rather than pulling a fresh haul off a big-box shelf, and the number climbs even higher among younger buyers. That shift shows up in survey data, not just anecdotes traded in a neighborhood group chat, and it lines … Read more
Walk into almost any appliance showroom this year and the salesperson’s first question about a new range isn’t gas or electric anymore. It’s whether you’ve ever cooked on induction. Two-thirds of kitchen designers surveyed for the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s 2025 Kitchen Trends Report now expect induction to be the most popular cooking type … Read more
Most homeowners never think about their garbage disposal until the exact moment it stops grinding, usually while running late for work with a sink full of scraps and no plan B. That timing isn’t bad luck. Plumbers say disposals rarely announce their decline gradually and evenly; they run fine for years and then jam completely, … Read more
A homeowner who just spent $6,000 on a backyard hot tub, plus another few hundred a month keeping it running, tends to assume that money is at least partially coming back at closing. Appraisers say it usually isn’t. Cleveland-area appraiser Jamie Owen told HomeLight that after appraising many homes with built-in hot tubs, “I really … Read more
The pergola in a homeowner’s Pinterest board and the pergola quoted by an actual contractor rarely turn out to be the same structure. A basic prefabricated kit for a 12-by-12-foot pergola runs $700 to $4,000, according to HomeGuide, well within the range most people picture when they start browsing shade structures online. The motorized, louvered … Read more