Cape-cod style homes were built as early as the 1700s but their modern heyday was in the first half of the 1900s. These are the modest but comfy family homes, typically with only one or one and a half stories as the second floor is actually converted attic space with dormer windows to let in...Read More

The British were not the only ones to establish colonies in the New World. In areas from Florida westward to Texas and on through most of California where the Spanish language prevailed among early settlers, Spanish is also the language of the architecture. Homes built with a Spanish/Mediterranean flair still are among the most popular...Read More

Ranch-style homes started to be built during the 1940s but they became the house of the postwar baby boom of the 1950s and 60s. The suburbs were expanding and land was still cheap enough that homeowners did not feel compelled to stack the bedrooms on top of the living space. Homeowners’ Manifest Destiny would be...Read More

Craftsman styles earned their first popularity around 1900 and remained a common choice until the Great Depression in the 1930s. They are very popular in new construction and remodeling today. Relatively few homes of any style were built during the hard times of the Depression and World War II. These are sturdy houses usually anchored...Read More

If the seller does not jump at the offer you have made, expect to get a counteroffer back that is a bit different from what you have offered. The owner can either accept your offer as it stands, reject it outright or respond with a counteroffer that may change terms of the original offer.Read More

If you drive around on a Sunday afternoon, you are bound to see ‘open house’ signs strategically placed near the road pointing you to homes that are for sale and open for all prospective buyers to walk through freely without the assistance of a real estate agent. There will be a listing agent and possibly...Read More

There is no set number of houses you should see before you decide. Visit as many as it takes to find the one you want. On average, home buyers see fifteen houses before choosing one. Just be sure to communicate often with your real estate agent or the seller depending on whom you’re working with...Read More

It’s the classic move up dilemma: Which should you do first, buy the new home or sell the old one? The way you work through that problem will depend on your finances and on local market conditions. You would be able to sell the house in a world made perfect for the home buyer, but...Read More

You might not be alone when you hunt for a move-up house. If you have children who are at least old enough to talk, they are going to want a say in where you live. Even if they are destined to move out of the nest in a year or two, they want a say....Read More

New homes are a bit different than their ‘existing’ counterparts. Everything in them is so shiny and new and it’s much easier to overlook structural defects and other problems in the dwellings. Making it particularly difficult is the fact that you will have either a model home or someone else’s home which you accessed through...Read More