Home buyers’ strategy: Top any top bid

Posted OnApr 14, 2014
Tight market drives escalation clause use GLOBE CORRESPONDENT Jay Fitzgerald KATHERINE TAYLOR FOR THE GLOBE Katrine and Stephen Campbell bought this house using the tactic.  Katrine and Stephen Campbell were up against stiff competition from 10 other bidders for the Reading home they wanted to buy. So the couple tried an aggressive strategy to give
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Is That An Ant Or Do I Have Termites?

Posted OnApr 12, 2014
Your Move To Boston Newsletter excerpt/ Laura S. Rossinow Broker/ Agent There’s nothing like having a swarm of flying insects in your yard (or worse yet in your house) to suddenly make you realize how important it is to be able to tell the difference between a termite and an ant. Mistaking a swarm of
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How to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants

Posted OnApr 09, 2014
Written by Annie Thornton, Houzz Editorial Staff Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in handy.  For much of the year, Tom Richardson harvests everything from tomatoes to kale to carrots from six juniper beds in his parking strip farm in Seattle. Though the boxes, built by
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A Tight Ship

Posted OnApr 06, 2014
By William Morgan | DESIGN NEW ENGLAND MARCH 05, 2014 Architect Lyle Bradley turns a dysfunctional East Boston row house into a tidy home and garden for his family GREG PREMRU The row house architect Lyle Bradley renovated in East Boston is painted a cheery green. The casement windows are recycled double-hung sashes turned on
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Your April Checklist for a Smooth-Running Home

Posted OnApr 03, 2014
Written by Laura Gaskill, Houzz Contributor Shake off the winter blues and spring into action to get your home in the spirit of the new season! With gardens springing to life, the days lengthening and the outdoors beckoning (even if it is still chilly), April is a month of renewal. It’s time to dust off
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Did This Winter Wreck Your Roof?

Posted OnApr 02, 2014
By Amy Hoak, MarketWatch Contributor Shutterstock.com Between heavy snowfall and extremely low temperatures, this winter has been tough on many Americans. It’s also been tough on America’s roofs. Roofing contractors are expecting an uptick in business as the weather warms up and people start to notice problems, said Tom Bollnow, senior director of technical services
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The 5 Best Time-Tested Remodeling Projects-and the Worst

Posted OnMar 28, 2014
By: John Riha Image: Sally from LoveOfHomes.com A new steel front door tops the list of home improvement projects with the best ROI, boasting a long-term return of 97.2%. Although kitchens and bathrooms always steal the spotlight in a home remodel, they aren’t necessarily the ones that have the highest return on investment when you sell
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Mortgage Rates: From Dirt Cheap, to Cheap

Posted OnMar 27, 2014
Research & Analysis | March 24, 2014  The same home you considered buying a year ago with a $200,000 mortgage would now cost about $90 more in interest payments per month, or about $1,080 per year, given the rise in mortgage rates since last year. But let’s put this increase into perspective – and take
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Homeowner tax perks are very much on the line in 2015

Posted OnMar 25, 2014
Written by Ken Harney, Inman News Contributor Image via Shutterstock. Raising standard deduction would reduce the sting, but what about home values? Widely dismissed as DOA when it was introduced, a massive overhaul of the tax code including perks for homeowners proposed by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp contains a seductive formula that will be
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