Approximately 90 percent of seniors over 65 years old intend to stay in their homes for at least 10 more years, according to AARP. As a result, remodeling companies report an uptick in the number of customers doing upgrades and remodels to allow them to age in place.

Fortunately, there are some simple changes you can make to your home to make your home comfortable and safe as you age.

· Install Grab Bars – Install bars and railings in high-risk locations, such as bathrooms and bedrooms.

· Ramps – Often older people need assistance when walking. Add a discreet ramp to the home to allow those needing wheelchairs, walkers, or canes to enter the home safely.

· Utilize Smart Technology – Smart technology has improved the security of senior

June is Time for Yards, Watering, and Heat Management [[+]] Austin Area Market Inventory Improves While Closings Remain Robust: Chuck Farr’s June 2022 “Talking Real Estate” ENewsletter

Welcome to the Summer Solstice, homeowners, tenants, prospective buyers, and real-estate investors! In the news,the Austin Board of Realtors says that in May, “residential home sales declined 6.7% year over year to 3,633 closed sales as the median price rose 19.6%, maintaining the all-time record of $550,000 set in April 2022.” (Check the [[“Talking Real Estate” Monthly Enewsletter]] for all the market details!)

Summer Home Maintenance Tips: Summertime has its own home maintenance checklist in Central Texas, especially for existing property owners. Here are a few

Natural design elements have been on trend for the past few years. Sustainable wood, stone, and fabrics add simple beauty to spaces in all parts of the home. The color palette of these materials tends to be soft beiges, creams, and browns; lovely tones but without a pop of color, create cool, drab rooms that lack personality. In keeping with the natural theme, designers and stagers are using plants to add dimension and warmth.

Decorating with plants takes more strategy than adding a pretty pot to a coffee table. Here are a few tips for incorporating plants into the design scheme that home stagers use to make a home more appealing:

• Choose Low-Maintenance Plants – Choose plants that do not require a lot of attention and water. This is

If you’ve been anxious about being able to buy a home, you’ll like the latest news in March 2022 from the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Housing sales are slowing down.

In February 2022, existing home sales were down 2.4% from one year ago and down 7.2% from January. Supplies of listed but not-yet-sold homes totaled 870,000 units, up 2.4% from January, but remain 15.5% lower than a year ago (1.03 million.) The supply is 1.7 months at the current sales pace, up from 1.6 months on hand in January.

As interest rates cross the 4% threshold and prices continue rising, monthly house payments have risen by 28%, says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. The median existing-home sales price rose to

You’ve heard the term, “NIMBY.” The “not in my backyard” theme involves a group of residents working to prevent more development in their community. With the tight housing market and rising home prices, millennial buyers are complaining that they can’t afford to live where they work and play – and they want solutions.

The need for more, and affordable, housing is not a new concern. Dating back to the early 2000’s, suburban and urban communities have recognized that they are unable to attract younger home buyers due to the lack of housing options. Strategies must balance the need for more affordable housing, with the impact on traffic, services, schools, and other community amenities.

Some innovative community councils are using this crisis as an

It’s time for fun in the sun, and not too late to make some improvements to your deck. Before you have family and friends over for summer barbeques, take a weekend to make your deck more attractive, comfortable and better integrated with your backyard.

You want your deck and yard to look like they flow together. One way to do that is to plan around what you’d like to view, such as side gardens with flowers. The deck steps can lead down to the landing area or pavers in the grass that allows you and your guests to walk around and admire the plants up close.

Just as you want to orient your deck to pleasing views, you want to block out views that aren’t as nice. It’s easy to add screens, outdoor curtains or lattices so that you can enjoy the fresh

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, the real estate industry in the U.S. is beginning to ask questions. How will the war affect the economy and how will it impact the housing market? At the very least, global conflict is unnerving, but is there hidden opportunity for American homebuyers?

According to REALTOR Magazine, stocks and cryptocurrency have been volatile. As sources of payment for homes, these may impact the luxury real estate market the most. Inflation is at a 40-year high, and only likely to get worse. Household budgets are already being tested with rising oil, gas and food prices. Rents, home prices and new construction are more expensive. Lumber prices have soared 40% in the last year. Higher mortgage rates will slow homebuying

A new study by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) found that between 2010 and 2020, nearly 980,000 households shared $2.1 trillion in housing wealth. How did they do it? Time and patience.

NAR defines a middle-class homeowner as one earning an income of over 80% to 200% of the area median income in markets with 50,000 or over middle incomers. If they purchased in 2010 at $162,600, they were likely to accumulate $229,400 in housing wealth, 86% of which is attributable to price appreciation over time. Within these markets, median single-family residences appreciated by 8.3%.

The top 10 rising middle-income housing markets were Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (103,690), Austin-Round Rock (61,323), Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin (55,252),

Summer is traditionally a busy time for buyers and sellers. This year has been no exception—and with lower interest rates, many homebuyers are finding the competitive environment challenging. With multiple buyers competing for properties, even terrific offers are often being outbid. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make your offer more attractive to the sellers and increase the chances of getting the property.

• Have Full Pre-Approval – A step beyond pre-qualification, a pre-approval involves submitting your full application to underwriting. Your lender will collect all your financial data and submit for review. This is stronger than a pre-qualification; a pre-approval requires the buyer to provide the proof of their ability to

The popularity of home improvement television shows has increased the number of home projects. Unfortunately, not everyone is capable of knocking down walls and retiling their kitchen on their own. If you’re one of these non-DIY-ers, you will need to find service professionals to help, but choosing the right person for the job is critical. Here are a few simple tips to help ensure you hire the best person for your project.

• Check References and Reviews – One of the easiest ways to verify the experience and professionalism of a contractor is to read online reviews. If someone has been in the business for a few years or longer, you should expect to find plenty of reviews to read on Yelp, Angie’s List, and other sites. Asking for local references is