A garden path can be as simple as a strip of mowed grass through a meadow or as elaborate as an intricately laid flagstone entryway. While you may not opt for either extreme, understanding the range of available materials — their pros and cons, maintenance needs and durability — can...

Summer officially begins June 20, but why wait until then to get into the summer spirit? Get a jump-start by prepping your home and garden for warm weather, setting up the perfect drip-dry spot for beach towels, reorganizing the kitchen (hello, smoothie bar) and more. These to-dos cover all the...

In one of the most chaotic weeks for economic headlines of the year, mortgage rates remained relatively stable, which is a stark contrast to the madness caused by the Godzilla tariffs a few weeks ago. Can this stability last?  Despite elevated rates, having fewer wild fluctuations on a day-to-day basis creates a healthier mortgage market for consumers and those working in the mortgage and real estate...

A firefighter and his pregnant wife were unable to buy a two-bedroom home in the neighborhood where they grew up; two teachers had dashed dreams of owning their bungalow near the school where they work. These are just two examples of the heartbreaking scenarios you hear about in the real estate business. It’s no secret that we’re in the throes of a housing affordability crisis—anybody in the real...

The annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held this year in London from May 20 to 24, was packed with creativity and inspiration as always. Houzz was there to cover the emerging trends, from woodland gardens to dog-friendly spaces and even the use of AI in outdoor...

Designing for wellness at home means creating spaces that are good for physical and mental health. It incorporates everything from improving air quality to using textures, materials, colors, shapes and furniture layouts that ease anxiety and make us feel closer to nature. Here experts weigh in,...

Following the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area at the start of the year, a new study has emerged that suggests banks with physical locations are less likely to extend mortgages to impacted residents, while online lenders are continuing to be active. First reported by the The Washington Post, the study — published on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) — suggests that traditional...

Roughly 56% of professional home remodelers in the U.S. reported taking on projects to facilitate a customer’s aging-in-place goals, according to findings from the National Association of Home Builders‘ (NAHB) Q1 2025 Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The survey first added questions related to aging in place beginning in 2004. The first-quarter 2025 results are the “the lowest percentage recorded...

Welcome to Tech Pulse — a new weekly series rounding up the latest in technology, including tools, integrations and trends impacting mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Fannie Mae partners with Palantir to detect, prevent mortgage fraud Fannie Mae has teamed up with Palantir Technologies to crack down on mortgage fraud. The partnership, announced by Fannie Mae CEO Priscilla...

The dedicated reverse mortgage development workgroup inside the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) has been working diligently for much of the past year to develop holistic support for reverse programs across new and existing MISMO subscribers. It’s also working to publish data in an industry-standard format to increase efficiency among stakeholders. George Morales, the...