2025

The recent Maison & Objet 2025 trade fair in Paris showcased a wide variety of outdoor products, reinforcing the trend of using outdoor spaces as natural extensions of our homes’ interiors. These products featuring durable materials and innovative designs...

The adage “a place for everything and everything in its place” drove the design of this down-to-the-studs renovation in Mill Valley, California. The homeowners, a couple with a small child and another on the way, hired interior designer Ann Lowengart, with whom they were already working on their...

According to new data from the Miami Association of Realtors, total residential sales in Miami-Dade County fell by 15.5% year-over-year in February 2025, declining from 1,705 to 1,440 transactions. This decline is attributed to elevated mortgage rates, a sluggish stock market, limited condo financing, and inventory shortages at key price points. Sales of single-family homes dropped by 8% year-over-year,...

Mortgage rates are lower this year compared to last, and while they haven’t dropped to 6% yet, many are wondering if we might see a pick-up in existing home sales driven by our early indicators. Today, I’m diving into this intriguing topic! It’s important to note that my focus isn’t on last week’s existing home sales report, which far exceeded expectations – I delve into the reasons behind...

For this Boston-area family, having a swimming pool was so important that they called landscape designer Jim Stucchi to make sure the new house they were considering had room for one before buying it. Once the homeowners purchased the property, Stucchi designed the entire backyard — including...

The annual combined Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and International Builders’ Show (IBS) is always a great place to check out the latest bells and whistles available in kitchen appliances. The 2025 event, held Feb. 25-27 in Las Vegas, was no exception. Here are seven features...

Alabama governor Kay Ivey has signed into law a bill that ensures homebuyers only have to sign a buyer brokerage agreement prior to submitting an offer on a property and not before touring a home with an agent.  Ivey signed the bill into law on Tuesday after it passed the state Senate earlier this month. The bill was first introduced in early February when it was sponsored in the Alabama House of...

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) was one of the more bullish forecasters of the 2025 housing market, but the trade group has revised its outlook. In its quarterly NAR Real Estate Forecast Summit Update, economists Lawrence Yun and Nadia Evangelou said they now expect existing-home sales to rise by 6% relative to 2024 and finish at 4.3 million in 2025. New-home sales are forecast to rise...

As high property taxes continue to be a source of financial strain for homeowners, a proposal floated last month by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to ban property taxes in the state appears to be gaining traction, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal. The plan, while popular, is not without risk to the state’s revenue system, since a removal of property taxes would make the state far...

Despite having lower overall volumes when compared to the forward mortgage business, Liberty Reverse Mortgage remains one of the more profitable segments of parent company Onity Group’s portfolio, according to information shared by executive leaders at a recent investor presentation. At this month’s Sidoti Virtual Investor Conference, Onity leaders including CEO Glen Messina and chief financial...