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Redfin reports that the total value of housing has now surpassed $1 trillion in eight U.S. markets. Orange County, Chicago, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. have recently joined Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Boston in this exclusive group. This expansion highlights the significant surge in home prices over the past year. Orange County California's housing market alone saw a $121 billion increase in...

Move over, feeders! Native plants are the true superstars for attracting birds with berries, seeds, and shelter. Doug Hetherington Many of us love attracting birds to our yards with feeders, but did you know that certain native plants work even better? Native plants offer birds natural food, shelter, and nesting sites year-round. Plus, their diverse food supply supports a wider variety of birds...

Benny Blanco swears by it, but does this strategy actually ease next-day aches? We turned to dietitians for some answers. kuppa_rock / Getty Images Aside from being a songwriter and music producer for several Top 40 hits, a successful record executive, and Selena Gomez’s partner, Benny Blanco is now a bestselling cookbook author. In honor of the debut of Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends, he...

Decorate for autumn in an instant. Amazon Hanging a wreath on your door is an effortless way to upgrade your entrance. Sweater weather might still be weeks away, but now’s a great time to shop for harvest-themed home decor to welcome autumn when it does arrive. Keeping your pumpkin spice latte budget in mind, we scoured Amazon for the best deals on autumn door wreaths that will instantly...

Have lower mortgage rates positively impacted the housing demand data yet? Some people have been very disappointed with the data so far, so I wanted to take an in-depth look with this week’s tracker to see what lower rates have done to these key data lines. Let’s look at two of those data lines today to see if we can spot a positive trend.  Purchase application data My belief has always been...

With 7.7 million listings on Airbnb and 7.2 million vacation homes on Booking.com, it can be tough to know which platform is best for listing your vacation rental. Both...

Find out how to cure garlic so you can store hardneck and softneck bulbs for the winter. Elena Boltunova / Getty Images Garlic bulbs are typically harvested in summer when the plant’s leaves start to yellow and dry out. Unless you intend to freeze, can, or use the garlic in recipes immediately, fresh garlic must be cured before storing it in the pantry or root cellar. Whether you grow softneck...

Knowing these warning signs could save you from costly repairs and unexpected renovations down the line. Brie Williams Chip Gaines is no stranger to unexpected renovations. Throughout five seasons of Fixer Upper, he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, navigated their fair share of inspection hiccups and surprise repairs. Now, he’s sharing his biggest piece of home-buying advice. With decades of...

Find out which hydrangeas do need full sun and which prefer shade to thrive so you can give your shrub the best light. pcturner71 / Getty Images Big, bold flowers and foliage give hydrangeas an irresistible appeal that seems to be growing every year. Traditionally consigned to shady corners, today’s wider market selection has many gardeners asking, "Do hydrangeas need full sun?"Several newly...

Since they have such a thick peel, it’s safe to skip it, right? Not so fast… tonivaver / Getty Images Produce washing is a topic our Test Kitchen gets countless questions about. You probably know that you should wash all produce items with skin that you plan to consume (plain water is A-OK!), and it’s wise to wash items that you’ll slice through the exterior to reach the flesh. That’s...