Planning on selling a home this spring? It’s time to get ready. While mortgage rates have risen in the last year, experts say 2017 will still see strong home sales as job growth continues and people who’d been waiting to enter the market take the plunge into homeownership. To attract buyers in any season —

We got spoiled in 2016. Mortgage rates fell below 4 percent at the beginning of the year, and they spent the summer flirting with record lows. And they began 2017 above 4.25 percent. It’s a good idea to keep things in perspective, though. For most of the past 50 years, homebuyers would have been delighted

1. Start with your credit. Credit reports are kept by the three major credit agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. They show whether you are habitually late with payments and whether you have run into serious credit problems in the past. A credit score is a number calculated from a formula created by Fair Isaac based

Traditional patios are often paved or gravel areas right off a home’s back door. There can also be an opportunity to add a secondary patio set apart from the house. The advantage of including a secondary seating area — or satellite patio — is that you create a reason for guests to step away from

Addressing these details when planning your kitchen will ensure a smoother project with more personalized style Some of the questions you ask when planning a new kitchen are obvious, such as, “Do I want white cabinets or wood?” and “Do I want stainless steel appliances?” But there are many design decisions that you might not

Break out of your winter rut and update your house for sunnier days. We asked designers how they refresh their homes for spring — here are their quickest and best ideas. If you are thinking of selling your home this spring, now is the time to freshen things up for those buyers walking through the

When renovating a kitchen for a family in Indiana, designer Susan Brook knew that storage would be important, says Carol Crotta in the Arizona Daily Star. The family asked that every inch be utilized for maximum storage. Here are a few of the clever solutions Brook designed for the family that you could utilize in

A DIY painting job doesn’t have to equal crooked lines, besmirched floors, and ceramic sinks speckled with robin’s egg blue. Use these simple painting tips and tricks from the pros to make the process faster and less messy — and ensure a gorgeous end result. 1. Soak Brushes in Fabric Softener to Keep Bristles Soft

Taxes? Gross! Who wants to think about government paperwork, especially when your hand still aches from signing the 977 forms required to buy your first house? But listen up: As a new homeowner, you can typically wave bye-bye to the 1040-EZ form and say hi to itemizing your deductions on Schedule A. That means you

Grimy bathroom walls are a major red flag to buyers. Here is an easy way to get rid of surface mold: Mix a spray bottle with one part water and one part bleach. Just spray it on the wall, and watch the mold disappear. Give it a fresh coat of paint, and your grimy bathroom