Buying and owning your home can make a big difference in your life by bringing you joy and a sense of belonging. And with June being National Homeownership Month, it’s the perfect time to think about all the benefits homeownership provides.
Read MoreEven though home prices have moderated over the last year, many homeowners still have an incredible amount of equity. But what is equity? In the simplest terms, equity is the difference between the market value of your home and the amount you owe on your mortgage.
Read MoreColor is a very important. There are a fair number of companies that like to proclaim a "color of the year". And why not? It gives us some idea about what is going to be trendy in different areas of life, including what colors you should choose for your house, whether you are buying, selling, or want to create a certain feeling. Here are the colors chosen by 8 paint companies as their 2023 Color of the Year.
Read MoreWhile we love supporting local businesses, we also love the Internet and all of the abundance it provides. Large and small companies have embraced nation-wide shipping to create a dedicated following with their unique products and collections that delight their customers. We are steadfast fans of these creators and want to share our favorites with you. Here are 11 amazing things to order from companies across the nation.
Read MoreWe love taking tips and examples from our home stagers. They are professional experts on making a house feel like a work of art and have been so kind to give us a few pointers on how to live in a home that feels like it's ready for company at any moment. The key to everything: make every nook of your home beautiful. Here's how to do this in 5 steps...
Read MoreBees are amazing pollinators and their products help us in many ways. So what do you do when you have bees making a hive in your house, garage, or fence? Don't call an exterminator, call a bee rescue company.
Read MoreYes! A professional picture hanger not only does all of the measuring and installation of your art, but they can curate your pieces around your home by suggesting placement, height, grouping, and re-framing to match your decor. They can hang almost anything, from your kids’ preschool genius to your ukulele collection
Read MoreShould you renovate your home all at once or one room at a time? This is a question that cannot be answered because there is no one-size-fits-all for every home and every situation. As with all home improvement situations: it depends. We have two clients who are very different. Here are their stories that make excellent case studies….
Read MoreWhen you've leveled up your cooking game, there comes a moment when you feel the need to level up on cookware and plates as well. Not wanting to pay wedding registry prices, we decided to take a look at restaurant supply stores that would let us in to shop. We found five spots not far away…
Read MoreWhen you get an ice cream maker as a gift from your family, you know that it is actually a gift for them. A good friend of ours received such a gift and is now the proud owner of of a very nice Cuisinart® ice cream maker. Don't get it wrong--she's quite elated to have it so she can experiment with different flavors. In light of this lovely situation, we asked her to give our readers her recipes.
Read MoreWe name our kids, we name our pets, we name our boats, some of us name our cars, so why not name our houses? It shows affection to your house and adds character to the place you spend most of your time in.
Read MoreWe're almost past Dry January, and some of us didn't join the crowd in giving up alcohol. If like us, you're not quite ready to have a dry month altogether, but you want to slow down the drinking train a bit, we have a solution: low-alcohol cocktails.
Read MoreThe California Composting Law requires all California residents to separate organic waste from other garbage. We already have green bins in the side yard, now we just get to use them more than just lawn clippings and leaves. For those of us who already compost our kitchen scraps, this is no change, but for those who don't it's not a difficult transition to make.
Read MoreNerd Alert! We get a little giddy when we see one of these pop up on the MLS…Sears, Aladdin, Gordon Van Tine, Montgomery Ward, Lewis, Harris Brothers, Sterling, and Pacific Ready-Cut Homes were the big companies that sold kit homes via mail order.
Read MoreDoing puzzles is great mental exercise. Doing puzzles can be considered a complete brain exercise since it exercises both the right and left sides. The right is in charge of creativity, emotions and intuitive thinking; and the left is the logical, objective and methodical side. Here are six benefits and five great little puzzle companies that we think you should know about.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered about all of those codes on the food that you buy? What do those numbers and letters mean? Do they have serious significance? Should I be paying attention to these? Do they even make a difference?
Read MoreHi, parents! It's college tour season and if you didn't go through it with your teen last year, here's what we know about visiting potential schools. Some schools have opened up for tours and some are doing it virtually. We're concentrating on six California universities, but most schools have similar resources and guidance on visits.
Read MoreOwning an electric vehicle has nice benefits, one of which is never having to go to the gas station ever again. However, you have probably realized a regular wall outlet just doesn’t do the job. Here’s what the professionals are recommending…
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