Homeowner Guides

Homeowner Guides

Practical guides for homeowners — improvements, refinancing, renting, and everything in between.

1231 articles

Homeowner Guides articles

A List of Amazing Home Improvement Ideas You’ll Want to Try (2026) Home Improvements

A List of Amazing Home Improvement Ideas You’ll Want to Try (2026)

Five home improvement ideas from under-stair storage to an open floor plan, with NAR's 2025 Joy Scores and.

How to Redo Your Entire Home From the Inside Out: The Right Order, and Living Through It (2026) Home Improvements

How to Redo Your Entire Home From the Inside Out: The Right Order, and Living Through It (2026)

The order to remodel a whole house in, what each phase involves, lead rules for pre-1978 homes, and.

A Few Better Ways to Harness Your Own Energy at Home (2026) Home Improvements

A Few Better Ways to Harness Your Own Energy at Home (2026)

Five ways to make or save your own energy at home, rechecked for 2026 after the federal 30%.

A Guide to Cleaning Your Air Conditioner and Why It’s Important (2026) Home Improvements

A Guide to Cleaning Your Air Conditioner and Why It’s Important (2026)

Step-by-step AC cleaning: filters, condenser coils, debris, drain line and louvers, checked against ENERGY STAR and EPA guidance.

Insulation Solutions for a More Comfortable Home: Types, R-Values and Costs (2026) Homeowner Guides

Insulation Solutions for a More Comfortable Home: Types, R-Values and Costs (2026)

The main home insulation solutions compared: where each type works, recommended R-values by climate, insulating a cold wall.

How to Use Peat Moss in Gardening: Beds, Pots and Blueberries (2026) Selling a Home

How to Use Peat Moss in Gardening: Beds, Pots and Blueberries (2026)

How to use peat moss in beds, pots and acid beds for blueberries, with extension figures, what not.

How to Improve Your Home’s Energy Rating: HERS, EPC and What to Fix First (2026) Selling a Home

How to Improve Your Home’s Energy Rating: HERS, EPC and What to Fix First (2026)

How home energy ratings work (HERS, ENERGY STAR, UK EPC), which upgrades to do first, what the data.

How to Declutter Your Home: Keep, Sell, Donate, Recycle or Toss (2026) Preparing Your Home for Sale

How to Declutter Your Home: Keep, Sell, Donate, Recycle or Toss (2026)

Decision rules for every item in your house, where each pile goes, what the IRS says about donation.

3 Legal Ways to Get Out of a Timeshare (and How to Avoid Exit Scams) Homeowner Guides

3 Legal Ways to Get Out of a Timeshare (and How to Avoid Exit Scams)

How to get out of a timeshare legally: the cancellation window, a developer exit or deed-back, an attorney.

Are Renewable Energy Sources the Future? What the 2025 Data Shows (2026 Update) Home Improvements

Are Renewable Energy Sources the Future? What the 2025 Data Shows (2026 Update)

US renewables today: the 2025 power mix from EIA, what wind, solar and hydro do well and badly.

4 Facts You Should Know Before Buying a Water Heater (2026) Home Improvements

4 Facts You Should Know Before Buying a Water Heater (2026)

What to check before buying a water heater: size, type, efficiency ratings and the full budget, plus when.

How to Easily Improve Your Bathroom: Low-Cost Weekend Upgrades (2026) Selling a Home

How to Easily Improve Your Bathroom: Low-Cost Weekend Upgrades (2026)

Low-cost bathroom upgrades you can finish in a weekend, with EPA WaterSense and ENERGY STAR numbers, moisture tips.

7 Handy Tips to Find Your Dream Home in 2026 Buying a Home

7 Handy Tips to Find Your Dream Home in 2026

Practical tips to find a home you'll love: budget at current rates, a short must-have list, smarter searching.

Moving to a New Neighborhood? Here’s What to Keep in Mind (2026 Checklist) Selling a Home

Moving to a New Neighborhood? Here’s What to Keep in Mind (2026 Checklist)

A practical checklist for a new neighborhood: free flood, school and air-quality tools, how noise affects value, when.

How to Make Sure Your Windows Keep the Unwanted Out: Bugs, Drafts, Heat and Intruders (2026) Selling a Home

How to Make Sure Your Windows Keep the Unwanted Out: Bugs, Drafts, Heat and Intruders (2026)

A practical plan to keep insects, drafts, heat, water and intruders out of your windows, plus the CPSC's.

How to Build a Dog House: Sizes, Materials and Steps (2026) Home Improvements

How to Build a Dog House: Sizes, Materials and Steps (2026)

A weekend plan for a dog house: how to size it, what to buy, nine build steps, and.

Renting or Buying: Which Is Better in 2026? The Monthly Math and Trade-offs Buying a Home

Renting or Buying: Which Is Better in 2026? The Monthly Math and Trade-offs

Rent vs buy with 2026 numbers: median rent, median price, today's mortgage rate, the costs people forget and.

The Art of Setting Your Price: Round vs Precise Numbers, Search Brackets and Price Cuts (2026) Homeowner Guides

The Art of Setting Your Price: Round vs Precise Numbers, Search Brackets and Price Cuts (2026)

How to set a home's asking price: start from comps, then use price psychology, buyers' search brackets and.

Free Online Comparative Market Analysis: 3 Ways to Get a CMA (2026) Selling a Home

Free Online Comparative Market Analysis: 3 Ways to Get a CMA (2026)

Free online comparative market analysis tools, what a CMA costs (usually $0), how to build one from county.

How to Sell a House Without a Realtor in Alpharetta, GA: 6 Steps and Costs (2026) For Sale By Owner

How to Sell a House Without a Realtor in Alpharetta, GA: 6 Steps and Costs (2026)

How to sell a house without a realtor in Alpharetta, GA: the six-stage process, cost of selling on.

Exclusive Right to Sell: What It Means and Who Gets Paid (2026) For Sale By Owner

Exclusive Right to Sell: What It Means and Who Gets Paid (2026)

What exclusive right to sell means, who gets paid in five common cases, the clauses to check, and.

Flat Fee MLS Georgia: 8 Companies Compared (2026 Rankings) Reviews

Flat Fee MLS Georgia: 8 Companies Compared (2026 Rankings)

Georgia flat fee MLS compared for 2026: the MLS map, entry and full-service plans, closing fees, how to.

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a Home to Make Your Own: Fixer-Upper Checks (2026) Buying a Home

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a Home to Make Your Own: Fixer-Upper Checks (2026)

How to pick a home you plan to change: what you can't fix (location, lot, structure), what to.

Discount Real Estate Brokers in Georgia: Marietta and Cobb County Prices Compared (2026) Local Insights

Discount Real Estate Brokers in Georgia: Marietta and Cobb County Prices Compared (2026)

Flat fee and percentage discount brokers serving Georgia, compared side by side with totals on Marietta's typical home.