Going green starts at home, in small, daily changes done consistently. You replace your lightbulbs with energy-efficient ones. You choose ceiling fans. You become conscious of your water usage. And here’s another idea, which is just as simple: You try composting. What is Composting...
Whether you’ve just gotten news about a job transfer, are looking to relocate somewhere nearby or haven’t decided when or how you’ll be moving next, one thing’s certain: you’ll care about location...
Selling your home is part work, part creativity and part persistence. But what it isn’t—or at least, what it doesn’t have to be—is difficult. Or expensive, for that matter...
No matter where you live in the United States, the summer season is upon you, and July 4 is right around the corner. As part of our green decorating series, Buy Owner is here to share a few ideas on how you can make your Independence Day celebration a little more eco-friendly...
In today’s tighter economic times, it’s becoming increasingly common for extended families to live together, whether college kids moving back home or parents joining their children and grandchildren...
As anyone who’s applied for a credit card, a loan or a lease (not to mention a mortgage) can tell you, your credit rating matters. And while it’s important to remember that you can’t raise your score overnight, there are some steps you can take that will improve it over time...
We’ve talked a lot about preparing your house for a sale, covering everything from how to Increase Your Home’s Value to the Top 10 Home Staging Tips. But what if your house needs a lot of work...
It’s a standard piece of advice to home owners, one you’ve no doubt heard time and time again: Paint the walls with neutral colors! And like a lot of similarly time-tested adages, this sage wisdom is still around for a reason. It’s true...
On hot summer days, we all tend to overuse our air-conditioning units. At the same time, we overuse energy and overpay on our energy bills. Lots of methods exist to lower the usage of air-conditioning, while still remaining comfortably cool inside the confines of our homes...
There are plenty of reasons you might want to add a fence around your property: privacy, protection, containment, architectural enhancement. No matter what your reason, there is a system out there that is perfect for you, and Buy Owner is here to help you find that solution...
Whether you just bought a new home, are about to or have been living in your current residence for quite a while, it’s always a good idea to evaluate your spending and look for ways to cut costs. One smart place to start is home insurance...
How to Stage Your Kitchen for Sale When you’re selling your home, details matter. That’s why you should pay attention to every aspect, from the entryway to the laundry room and everything in between. Get these spaces into working condition, and you’ll get your home ready to be shown...
How many times have you heard home sellers say that their home never looked as good as when it went on the market? They had lived there for years, accepting the problems—be they broken appliances or a cracked storm door or something else—as normal everyday life...
In terms of worldwide reach, social networking sites top the list. In 2008, they surpassed e-mail, and they continue to skyrocket in popularity and usage...
Are you a first-time home buyer, wanting to take the plunge and purchase property but nervous to do so? You’re not alone. Many other potential home owners are feeling the same anxiety, despite all the benefits and incentives being offered...
You are selling your home. You have taken some of the staging tips from the Buy Owner Blog and fixed up each room in your house. But what about the closets? Storage space is important to buyers and should not be overlooked when you are attempting to sell your house...
One of the most subtle ways to add a bit of flair to a given room is to choose window treatments that suit the style of the space. Is your room contemporary, old-world, country-like, etc....
Eco-friendly living is more than a one-time decision and more than a catchy buzzword. It’s a daily, routine awareness of how our actions affect the world around us...
The most recent S&P Case-Shiller home-price index showed a continued decline in home prices. Prices dropped 7.5 percent in the last quarter alone, and they dropped a whopping 19.1 percent from a year ago. This is the biggest drop the report has seen since its first report 21 years ago...
For most people, selling a home can be an emotional experience. Even though a house is just a physical structure, it feels like more than that. It’s where your kids took their first steps or where you celebrated holidays...
Whether you live in a few hundred square feet or a few thousand, odds are, with enough time, you’ll start to want more space. It’s a basic fact of life that we fill out the rooms we live in, with necessities and knick-knacks and collectibles...
Though your tax returns are completed for 2008, you can start racking up tax credits for 2009 now by going green...
A common dilemma new homeowners deal with is whether to buy or rent their new homes. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Renting doesn’t give you the freedoms that come with buying a home, while buying involves a greater commitment than renting does...
(or, the change from newspaper advertising to Internet) On average, how much time do you spend on the Internet each day? According to a poll on the New Business Blog, nearly 65% of Americans spend at least eight hours a day surfing the net...
Looking to easily and quickly spruce up a room? Here’s a quick tip: add a mirror! True, the main purpose of a mirror is to reflect, whether an object or ourselves as we brush our teeth in the morning...
In preparation for the summer, Buy Owner explained several reasons why ceiling fans are more environmentally sound than air conditioners. Continuing this trend, and to offer you further explore ways to lower cooling costs and save energy, Buy Owner has another tip for you: try solar roofing...
Many people purchase a waterfront property as second home, a vacation home. However, during these tough economic times, some might not be able to afford such a luxury expense...
Just about every home owner who decides to sell has the same concern: how long is it going to take? (That, and how much money will be made.) And as you probably know, the simplest answer to that question is that it depends...
You don’t have to buy a vintage charmer to enjoy the architectural features and customizations that come with one. Truth is, you can add features to your home’s architecture on your own, which will create a permanent difference in its overall character and design...
Whether you’ve been enjoying warm weather for months now in Florida or are still waiting for the beginnings of hot sunshine in Wisconsin, one thing’s for sure: we all love air-conditioning during summer, don’t we...
As part of Buy Owner’s mission to put more real estate information in your hands, giving you back the power in home buying/selling, we are happy to offer informative posts like this one, where we explain real estate terms...
Although times are tough in the real estate world, we must keep a cheery disposition. Here are the top five ways to stay positive during this slow market: 1...
It’s becoming more and more common for floor plans to incorporate mudrooms, providing you a convenient entry into your home, as well as possibilities for other uses! What is a mudroom? Essentially, the name speaks for itself...
A lot of first-time homebuyers remain hesitant about the market. At the forefront of concern is the potential for job loss, as more companies need to downsize. Without a job, how would a new homeowner pay the mortgage? What happens when you’re laid off...
The warm weather has finally graced the Midwest with its presence! No more waiting around for summer to come. Watch as bare branches show off flower buds and brittle, brown grass blades turn into green, lush lawns...
Spring is in the air, and there is no better place to be than Atlanta. From festivals to concerts to ball games, there are plenty of outdoor events for you to enjoy! Buy Owner is here to show you the best things to see and do in Atlanta this spring...
Pull up to a home—any home, anywhere—and evaluate what you see. That initial impression you get, created by everything from the surrounding landscaping to the building’s façade, determines the curb appeal of that property...
Because a home showing is primarily about creating an experience, convincing the potential buyers not just intellectually but emotionally that they should buy it, sensory details matter. You want to use every tool at your disposal, from sights (Curb appeal! Staging...
Because the housing market is in turmoil, with foreclosures popping up all over—maybe in your neighborhood even—working to increase the value of your home is more important than ever! Now is the time to fight back against plunging prices. And the best way to do that is to get knowledgeable...
Have you recently purchased a brand-new home or are you thinking of doing some redecorating in your current place? In either situation, are you stuck for ideas? Whether you are a new homeowner or you just want to freshen up your existing dwelling, Buy Owner has a great decorating tip for everyone...
With more and more people moving towards eco-friendly lifestyles, savvy home owners have to ask: how should this affect my property and its future selling potential? Do buyers want to see eco-friendly design choices? And, most importantly, will implementing such choices mean a higher price tag...
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