Guide to Buying a Home
If you are thinking of buying a new home, you must pay close attention to a great many details to ensure that you find one that will suit your needs and preferences.  Before you start shopping, you should sit down with the members of your household to discuss the features ...
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Accomodating Disability
If someone in your household uses a wheelchair, has a sight or hearing impairment, or any other disability requiring special features in your home, you usually can find a builder to accommodate your needs. If you contact a builder when a home is in the preconstruction or early construction stage, ...
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Moving to Your New Home
Organization is the key to an easy move, so plan your move carefully. If you hire a professional mover, choose one with a good performance record. Make sure to seek written estimates and references from several moving companies before making your final decision. Here are some tips for a successful, hassle-reduced move. Ask your ...
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Home Buyer's Dictionary
ARM? GPM? PITI? You'd have to be a cryptologist to figure out some of the terms buyers encounter during the home buying process.  Doing research on how to buy a house before beginning the process can greatly improve your experience and prepare you for the exciting course ahead. And with ...
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Pre-Settlement Walk Through Tips
Before you go to settlement on a new home, you and your builder will "walk through" the house to conduct a final inspection. The walk-through provides an opportunity for you to learn how your new home works and to spot items that need to be corrected or adjusted. Often, a builder ...
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Pre-Settlement Walk Through Checklist
You're getting ready to close on your first new home purchase and all that stands in the way of your homeownership is the pre-settlement walk through. While your excitement is understandable, the home is yours once your close on your loan, so be sure your expectations and the sales contract ...
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Choosing a Home Builder: Custom Builder vs. Production Builder
With so many types of home building companies out there, it's a little tough to figure out who does what and who builds what. Here's a quick run-down on how to tell the difference between custom and production home building companies. Custom home builders generally:  Build on land you own. Some custom ...
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Mortgage Basics
A mortgage is a long-term loan that uses real estate as collateral. A mortgage loan is commonly used for buying a home. Mortgage loans are usually fully amortizing, which means that the monthly principal and interest payment will pay off the loan in the number of payments stipulated on the ...
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New Home Size Reaches All-Time High in 2005
June 26, 2006 - The average size of a new home climbed to a record high last year, according to annual data on new-home characteristics released by the U.S. Census Bureau last month, and in terms of amenities the distance between homes built today and homes built 30 years ...
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Buying a Custom Home: The Advantages of Working With a Realtor
Buying a home requires quite a bit of research. To choose the right home for your family, you'll want to explore communities, amenities, home styles, floor plans, builders, and financing options. Some home buyers prefer to do all the legwork themselves. Others prefer to work with Realtors. (A Realtor is ...
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10 Things to Consider Before Signing on the Dotted Line
Lisa Albrecht shares lessons she’s learned while building her dream home. Making the decision to build a new home is a thrilling prospect. For many, it is the realization of a dream. But many potential new home owners don’t realize that some of the decisions made after signing a contract would ...
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Under One (Good) Roof
Second in a series by Glen Salas for the PATH partners Whether ordinary or ornate, the roof is your first line of defense against the outside elements. Photos courtsey of CertainTeed You’re about to make what is probably the biggest purchase of your lifetime – and then leave it outside, ...
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Building Technology 101
Understand What's Going On Behind Your Walls, Floors and Ceilings. By Glen Salas for the PATH Partners Bones of the home. The walls, windows, roof and foundation make up what building professionals call “the building envelope.” Of all the comforts of home, surely one of the most important is physical comfort: a ...
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Carefree Exteriors
Good-Looking, Time-Saving Products for your Home photo courtesy of CertainTeed.com CertainTeed offers the gamut of low-maintenance vinyl siding choices, from value-priced options to simulated shakes. What's behind the trend toward low-maintenance products for the home? Her Home went one-on-one with home buyers and builders to discover the perceptions and values behind ...
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Heat for the Feet
Radiant Floor Heating by Susan Conbere and Kate Fried, for the PATH Partners   At the height of summer, your home heating system may be the farthest thing from your mind. But if you’re planning a new home, it’s not too early to think about the kind of system you want installed. And ...
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Holistic Home
A Better Living Approach When it came to building their new home in West Pasco, Washington, Betsy and Keith Peterson wanted a home that would deliver energy efficiency; a comfortable, healthy living environment; security; water conservation; and lasting durability. And their high-performance, environmentally-friendly home also had to be affordable – on ...
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Home Is Where the Hearth Is
The Newest Directions in Fireplaces Homeowners can enjoy a warm fire from the inside and outside of the home simultaneously – without having to invest in two separate fireplaces, with Heat & Glo’s Twilight™ II. photo courtesy of Heat & Glo Nothing says “welcome home” like a fire crackling in the fireplace. ...
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Making The Most of the Lay Of The Land
On the side of a Maryland home, a raised bed of herbs and local flowers gives way to an indigenous lawn punctuated with sprays of wild buttercups and, beyond, native maple and pine. This landscape wisely groups plants that prefer to have their feet wet closer to the run-off, ...
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Plan Now To Breathe Easier Later
Plan Now to Breathe Easier LaterStudies conducted by the EPA indicate indoor levels of pollutants are sometimes 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels Sniffle prevention. Planning ahead before you build to make your home's air healthier, may save on tissues later. If you're like most who plan to build a new ...
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Planning for Pets
For many families, pets contribute some of the feelings of warmth and comfort they associate with their homes. More than half of all U.S. households have a pet of some kind. According to a survey done by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, these homes include 77.6 million cats and ...
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Setting the Stage For Resale
Professional Presentations to Help Sell Your Home ABOVE: This picture shows a complete transformation with a roomful of new furnishings, accessories, plants and candles. Sprucing up a home before putting it on the market is hardly a new idea. Most of us have been through the process of repainting walls, replacing ...
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Organized Rear Foyers
Providing Hassle-Free Take Offs A drop zone provides a convenient spot for keys, mail, cell phones and laptops. photo by Ken Guthrie Her Home recently asked women what contributes stress to their daily lives at home. One of the most frequent replies was: “Getting my family out the door on time in ...
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Taking It To The Top
photos courtesy of Armstrong Decorative Ceilings Today’s ceilings have come a long way from the blank, flat surfaces of the past. Innovative products and creative applications are topping rooms off with character and charm. Gone are the days when ceilings required little thought or planning. There have never been more ...
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Tame Your Utilities
When you’re thinking about building a new home, the location of the plumbing, heating and cooling systems probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Or the second. But if easier maintenance, greater comfort and lower energy bills sound appealing, it’s worth giving some thought to where these systems ...
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The Changing Faces of Concrete
These fireplace surrounds by Sonoma Cast Stone of Sonoma,California, show concrete’s versatility...from sleek Contemporaryto Old World to Southwestern.   Sonoma Cast Stone’s Chef Sink provides fluid lines with functionality. A perforated stainless steel bottom protects the sink from years of pot and pan abrasion. A stainless steel rack slides across the sink. ...
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Transitional Trends
The Best of Both Worlds Simple columns and light fixtures give the transitional home an understated elegance. “Right now, transitional design is probably even hotter than contemporary,” says Marshall Wallman, custom home designer for Design Basics, Inc. “In transitional design, you take the stuffiness out of traditional style and the ...
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10 Things to Remember After You Sign Your Contract
Lessons From Real-Life Experiences, Part Two Lisa Albrecht shares more lessons she's learned while building her dream home. In the second part of her journey, Lisa provides advice for the framing stage. 1 Keep your eyes on the job. Keep your blueprint (or mini print) close at hand to verify that dimensions and ...
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