Home Ownership

Home ownership is one of the most rewarding responsibilities of a person’s life. That’s why it’s so important to consistently add value and keep up with regular maintenance. Whether you’re a new owner, keeping up with your current home, or looking to sell, prioritizing tasks can be daunting. We aim to help figure out what is most impactful to your home with expert advice. We cover all types of DIY and contracted projects. Check out the articles below for a wide range of answers to common homeowner questions!

Must Read Articles About Home Ownership :

What's it Worth to You? How to Add Value to Your Home

It doesn't matter if you're about to say goodbye or you're just settling in for the long-haul: your home means something to you. That's why it's worth adding enjoyment value to your home as well as potential upgrades for a higher resale price at the end of it. Whether you want to spruce up your home to make the most of it or add to an imminent resale price, try these simple tips to create more value from your property.

A Maintained Home is a Happy Home: The Top Home Maintenance Tips Everyone Should Know

When it comes to home maintenance, you should abide by the one to four percent rule. This rule states you should spend between one and four percent of your home’s value each year on repairs and maintenance. You may wonder what type of repairs you should focus on to keep your home well maintained. This can vary based on the house, it’s age and other factors, and there are some general guidelines you can use. Regardless of if you build or buy, keeping your home properly maintained is a must.

Remarkable Health Benefits of Being Organized

Of course, too many things lying around has clear health hazards, such as tripping over toys in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, clutter causes many internal problems which – although less obvious than the Lego maze strewn across your family room floor – are quite impactful on your life. Read on to learn five reasons why getting organized is vital to your overall well-being.

Evaluate Your House for a Deck

In the summertime when the living is easy, there’s nothing quite like a deck for cooking out, entertaining, or simply relaxing. In addition to boosting outdoor living space, a deck can be an asset when you sell your home. Planning a successful deck requires careful consideration of your site, your budget, and the features you should — or shouldn’t — include. Here are some planning priorities to bear in mind.

Recent Home Ownership Articles:

Creating Storage Underneath Your Stairs

By: Jan Soults Walker who is a nationally published home improvement writer. Jan Soults Walker and her husband, Dave, once built a window seat with flanking bookcases into a kitchen. It remains one of their favorite storage projects to date. Sweep out the dust bunnies. Clear away the clutter. Time to put wasted space beneath the staircase to work with these customized storage solutions. Closet: One of the simplest and most common under-stairs storage solutions, a closet can be li... [Read More]

8 Tips for Adding Curb Appeal and Value to Your Home

By: Pat Curry who is a former senior editor at "Builder," the official magazine of the National Association of Home Builders, and a frequent contributor to real estate and home-building publications. Here are eight ways to help your home put its best face forward. Homes with high curb appeal command higher prices and take less time to sell. We’re not talking about replacing vinyl siding with redwood siding; we’re talking about maintenance and beautifying tasks you’d like to live wi... [Read More]

A Dozen Foyer Ideas for Under $100

By: Cara Greenberg who is a veteran writer on architecture, design, and gardens for magazines and newspapers, including This Old House, Coastal Living, and Garden Design. Her blog, casaCARA: Old Houses for Fun and Profit, is based on her experience owning six properties. When you open your front door, do you step into what looks like a lost-and-found? Here’s how to organize the jumble and avoid a bad trip. If there’s one place in the home that cries out for organization, it’s ... [Read More]

Get your home holiday-ready with these 5 simple tips

‘Tis the season for holiday entertaining! When it comes to creating an inviting and warm home, it’s the little things that make all the difference. The residential experts at Progress Lighting divulged five easy – yet impactful – changes you can make to brighten your home this holiday season. The best part? They are all updates that can be completed in a weekend. 1. Set the mood for any entertaining scenario with dimmers. Dimmers allow you to control the environment of your home in a very p... [Read More]

Holiday Help Choosing and Caring for a Christmas Tree

Reprinted from NAHB.org with permission of the National Association of Home Builders®. The Christmas tree is the centerpiece of holiday memories for many people. Whether your family’s trees tend to be Norman Rockwell-like perfect, or more like the sad, spindly Charlie Brown variety, here are some things you should know to ensure you get the tree you want, and keep it in good shape throughout the holiday season. The most common places to purchase Christmas trees are r... [Read More]

Home Safety: How to Child-Proof Your Kitchen

By Jeanne Huber, who is the author of 10 books about home improvement. She writes a weekly column about home care for the Washington Post. Your busy kitchen can be the most accident-prone place in the house. Here's how to child-proof your home, starting with the most essential and simplest steps. Child-proofing your kitchen takes constant vigilance. As youngsters grow and gain mobility, you’ll need to work harder to keep your kitchen safe. Here’s how. Purge the problems If it’s n... [Read More]

15-Minute Home Makeovers

By Lisa Kaplan Gordon, who is an avid gardener, a member of the Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association, and a builder of luxury homes in McLean, Va. She’s been a Homes editor for Gannett News Service and has reviewed home improvement products for AOL Here are 7 house pick-me-ups that take about as much time as brewing a pot of coffee and fit your schedule whenever you have a few extra minutes. 1. Switch the plates. Upgrade your drab, plastic switch plates with snazzy cover... [Read More]

Tips on How To Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon Is your home ready for holiday visits from friends and family? Here’s how to prepare for the invasion. I'm lucky and have a guest suite always ready for holiday guests. But even with a dedicated space, preparing my home for the annual onslaught of friends and family takes time and forethought. Some preparations for holiday guests take only a few minutes; some take a lot longer. My advice: Start preparing your home for the holidays now. Prioritize The day... [Read More]

9 Ways to Avoid Gobbling Up Energy on Thanksgiving

By: Courtney Craig Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Wasting energy on Thanksgiving? Don’t be a turkey. A few days before Thanksgiving Install a dimmer switch for the dining room chandelier. Every time you dim a bulb’s brightness by 10%, you’ll double the bulb’s lifespan. Most CFLs don’t work with dimmers, but you can create mood lighting with incandescent and LEDs. The dimmer switch will cost you about $10. Plan side dishes... [Read More]

4 Leaf Removal Tools that Clear Yards of Fall Debris

By Lisa Kaplan Gordon, who is an avid gardener, a member of the Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association, and a builder of luxury homes in McLean, Va. She’s been a Homes editor for Gannett News Service and has reviewed home improvement products for AOL Just for fun, take an inventory of all the leaf removal tools cluttering your garage. If you’re like me, you’ve got a half-dozen rakes of different sizes and materials, a couple of blowers in various states of repair, and a couple... [Read More]