Shady porches and north-facing steps don’t have to go bare. The trick is mixing evergreen texture with clear structure so containers feel composed when flowers aren’t pulling the weight. I build mine like a little landscape—one anchor, a few fillers, and a soft spiller—then lean on foliage to carry the season. Start with an evergreen…
Buyers are walking into showings more prepared and more skeptical, and the shortcuts sellers take before listing are showing up in inspection reports, repair addendums, and, increasingly, canceled contracts. The projects owners skip are not just cosmetic oversights, they are signals that shape how buyers price risk, structure offers, and decide whether to stay in…
Across the country in 2025, home inspections are turning up a different mix of problems than they did even a few years ago. Inspectors are still catching the classic trouble spots, but they are also zeroing in on environmental risks, aging infrastructure and the hidden flaws of brand‑new construction that can quietly drain a buyer’s…
As extreme heat, deep freezes and violent storms become more common, the weakest links in a house are showing up faster and failing harder. The systems that quietly keep daily life running, from HVAC to wiring to plumbing, are now on the front lines of climate stress. Knowing which ones are most likely to break…
Inflation is no longer just a line on an economic chart, it is quietly rewriting the rules of homeownership. As everyday costs climb, people are rethinking how they repair, upgrade, and even live in their homes, trading splashy renovations for strategic maintenance and hard choices about what can wait. I see a clear pattern emerging:…
Across the United States, a quiet backlog of home repairs is building up behind closed doors, from leaky roofs to aging furnaces that owners keep promising to “get to next year.” What looks like procrastination at the individual level is adding up to a structural problem, as essential maintenance is delayed, costs climb, and the…
Across the country, homeowners are discovering that the tiniest drips can trigger some of the biggest financial shocks. What starts as a faint stain on drywall or a barely audible hiss behind a wall is increasingly ending in five‑figure repairs, denied insurance claims, and even policy cancellations. As repair costs and premiums climb, small leaks…
Home insurers are no longer content to price policies off square footage and ZIP codes alone. As climate losses mount and repair costs climb, companies are digging deeper into what is happening inside the walls, wiring and even Wi‑Fi networks of the homes they cover. I see a clear shift toward more granular scrutiny of…