homes: Old Home vs. New Home - 07/24/13 05:19 AM
Some homebuyers are capable of purchasing a higher-priced home – as long as it’s fairly new construction that will save them money on maintenance and upkeep costs, according to research by the National Association of Home Builders.  The study analyzed utility, maintenance, property tax and insurance costs based on the age of the home.  For example, maintenance costs for homes built before 1960 totaled $564 per year on average, while they averaged $241 for homes built after 2008.  Similarly, operating costs average nearly 5% of the home’s value for pre-1960 homes, while they average less than 3% for homes built after … (1 comments)

homes: Kitchen Help - 12/29/12 02:08 AM
Pantries come in all shapes and sizes, from walk-in pantriesto slide-out drawers under your counters.  Some homes feature a built-in pantry, but for those that don’t, creating one can be easier than you think.
For a makeshift pantry, consider converting a kitchen closet or cabinet into a pantry by adding shelves throughout the space.  If you have an empty wall in or just outside the kitchen, consider hiring professionals to break through the wall and install shelves and a door.
Once you’ve figured out where the new pantry will go, organization is the key to making it useful and efficient.  Start … (4 comments)

homes: Protecting the American Dream - 09/12/12 09:21 AM
The National Association of Home Builders has launched a new website, www.ProtectHomeownership.com, to inform consumers about the various tax, legislative and regulatory policies under consideration by Congress that could change the structure of homeownership and inspire the public to take action to protect it.  The site also documents homeownership’s importance to individual households and to local, state and national governments by providing various economic reports and data, poll questions and frequently asked questions.  It offers multiple ways for consumers to help protect this aspect of American life, including signing an online petition urging policy makers to keep housing a national priority, … (0 comments)

homes: Trend Towards Smaller Homes Continue - 11/29/10 12:16 PM
New single-family homes are getting smaller, and the trend is likely to last well beyond the recession, according to research from the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). The median size of a new single-family home has dropped from a peak of 2,268 square feet in 2006 to 2,100 square feet in 2009. Homebuilders attribute the recent decline in home size to consumers' desire to keep energy costs down, the lack of equity in existing homes available to roll over into new ones, tighter credit standards, less interest in buying homes as investments, and a growing number of first-time buyers. Despite the … (1 comments)