Every real estate brokerage is pretty much the same -- right? Even though this seems like common knowledge among buyers, the truth is that the real estate brokerage where your agent hangs their shingle can have a pretty big influence on your home buying experience. Some brokerages excel at holding...

Style is as individual as human beings are, but we can generally agree that there are some style trends that should be left in the past -- some in the very recent past, others long ago -- because they make your rooms look, well, terrible. And dated. Before you jump on the latest home decorating...

If you've always rented before, then you might not have put too much thought into which neighborhood you were planting your (temporary) roots. After all, most leases are up after a year, so you can change your mind in a matter of months. Buying a house, however, is a different story: if you don't...

If you've never bought a home before, the sheer number of mortgage loan options can be overwhelming. What's the difference between a conventional loan and a government loan, and should you go with an adjustable-rate or fixed-rate mortgage? Even if you have bought a home before, if it's been several...

Taking a vacation somewhere you love can make you wonder what it would be like to own a vacation home there. It's only natural to dream about having an easily accessible dwelling that you can tap whenever you want to come back to your favorite vacation spot, and owning a vacation home can in fact...

Even though humans are a species that builds and maintains our own shelter (also known as "homes"), we can all appreciate the beauty that the natural outdoors has to offer -- and indeed, there are entire industries dedicated to beautifying our own outdoor spaces so that we can reap maximum...

Implementing some "green" upgrades in a home you own is almost always a great investment -- first, because it can often save you money as the homeowner, and second, because more and more buyers are looking for homes that are energy-efficient and have other environmentally friendly attributes.

Paying less than the listing price for a house might seem like a pipe dream in some markets, but for savvy buyers who know what they're doing, it's a very real possibility. That said, making an offer that's lower than the listing price can also be a dangerous game to play if you don't know the...

Staging a home isn't an exact science -- it's more of an art, one that covers several rooms and flows throughout a home. If you're thinking that it doesn't sound easy, well, it isn't; there's a reason why stagers can command serious dollar amounts for the work they do.

In most parts of the country, the strong seller's market we've been experiencing for several years is softening -- which means that as a seller, it might not be as easy to find a qualified buyer for your home as you'd hoped. If you're in a situation where you really need to sell sooner rather than...