Q. Dear Jay, I’ve always heard that winter is a slow season for real estate. With the holidays coming up, I’m wondering if it’s better to wait until spring to list my home. Is there any benefit to selling now or should I hold off until 2026? — Shana B. A. Dear Shana, this is one of the most common questions homeowners ask each year and it’s a great one. While spring is traditionally known as the “busy season” for real estate, selling during the holidays can offer unique advantages, especially in today’s changing market. It is key to understand […]

Sometimes we get emotionally attached to the way our homes look, from the floorplan to the furnishings, so it’s often hard to see them through new eyes and imagine changes. One suggestion is to clear out a room you want to rework. Declutter. Move furniture out of the space. Do whatever it takes to clear your mind and see the room as a blank slate. Here are some ideas that will help you rethink your style.

More home sales are canceling before closing than in recent years. January saw over 41,000 canceled contracts, representing 14.3% of pending sales—the highest rate for this time of year since 2017. This shift reflects changing market dynamics and buyer behavior. Several factors are driving the uptick in cancellations. With inventory at its highest since 2020, buyers have more options and feel less urgency. Economic uncertainty, layoffs, rising costs, and fluctuating interest rates add hesitation even after going under contract. Affordability remains a challenge as mortgage rates hover near 7% and prices stay elevated, leading to sticker shock during inspections and […]

CARISSA CHESANEK – Your home decor says a lot about who you are, but it doesn’t always have to be brand new to do it. Many home designers say used items can work just as well, if not even better, to add personality to your space. We spoke with two design experts to hear their … Continue reading Home Decor Items You’re Better Off Buying Used, Designers Say →

AMANDA LAUREN – When it comes to interior design, paint can work magic. A fresh coat of paint can instantly transform a room from basic to fabulous or from stressful to calming. However, with so many colors available, it can be hard to choose the right one — and if you aren’t 100% sold on … Continue reading 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Paint Color →

Happy Monday, Sometimes the most powerful moments in life don’t come with confetti or big announcements. They come quietly—through a small act, a kind word, or a thoughtful gesture that seems almost insignificant at the time. There’s a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul that’s stuck with us. It’s about a young boy, quietly struggling, who … Continue reading The Power of a Simple Gesture! →

Be The Reason Someone Smiles Today! There’s a story told in Chicken Soup for the Soul about a teacher who took a moment to tell each of her students how much she appreciated them. She had each student write something positive about their classmates. The exercise felt simple—almost silly—but years later, after one of the students had … Continue reading The Ripple Effect! →

Who Needs an Invisibility Cloak? Several years ago, scientists at Duke University created what they considered an “invisibility cloak.” The metamaterial bends electromagnetic radiation around itself, making whatever it covers appear invisible. So far they have only tested the device with microwaves, but the theory may work with visible light, too. It’s all a rather … Continue reading The Freedom of Being “Unreachable”! →

Spring–A Time of Change The changing of the seasons presents several opportunities throughout the year to consider how life itself changes and how it remains the same. Hearing the first frog calls of spring feels at once reassuring, and also just a little unsettling. It’s consoling to know that the spring will always follow the … Continue reading Spring Into Something New! →

BPT – The psychology of color reveals what most people already know:  Color can evoke strong emotions. Members of the design team at Whirlpool Corporation are well versed in how color impacts mood, which is one of the reasons they spent years researching color trends to identify the best possible choice for the KitchenAid® 2025 … Continue reading Color Your Kitchen: Butter Makes Everything Better →

BY azbigmedia, Used with Permission Phoenix solidifies its reputation as the nation’s industrial powerhouse, with 32.6 million square feet of industrial space under construction and a thriving medical office market driving commercial real estate demand, according to LGE Design Build’s newly released Q4/Q1 Construction Delivery Outlook report.“Phoenix continues to lead as a dynamic hub for […]

Hunting for Another Bargain? When’s the last time you went to shop at a store because they were advertising a big sale? Or pulled over to check out the offerings at a weekend yard sale? Or spent an hour browsing through listings on eBay and Facebook Marketplace? We all love to get a bargain when … Continue reading Less Stuff, More Joy! →

Take Five In current culture, we’re pressured to do more, want more, get more, not only for ourselves, but others, too. Doing everything in excess sometimes doesn’t turn out well, though. Overworking, taking more than we need, loving money, worrying about what others think–none of these sound like benefits, do they? This week, we will … Continue reading Step Back to Move Forward! →

Pack Your Insight How wonderful it is to learn new things and see new places! How would we ever grow as individuals if we never experienced anything different from that which we see and do in our daily lives? Two different voyages come to mind, however, when considering the discovery of that which is “new” … Continue reading Seeing the World with New Eyes! →

It’s More Than a Job Researchers in Sweden have studied what makes us happy, and they’ve discovered something interesting about work: working to achieve a goal, even more than attaining that aim, is what makes people most satisfied. Of course, there is a caveat. Hard work is satisfying, but only if it suits you, by … Continue reading Finding Balance In What You Do! →

Opposites Detract Don’t you just love the irony of today’s quote? Steinem implies that simply separating people into two categories is too simplistic, but at the same time, she uses that very same technique to convey her meaning! Learning what something is by defining what it is not has been an age-long practice in education. … Continue reading The World Isn’t Just Two Sides! →

Replacement Therapy Surely you’ve seen many posts on social media that contain a touching message, then suggest that if you share it with ten people you’ll receive a “special blessing” by the end of the day? It usually also warns that the person who doesn’t forward it will experience some unknown tragedy.  Those types of … Continue reading When Fear Knocks, Let Faith Answer!? →

Replacement Therapy Surely you’ve seen many posts on social media that contain a touching message, then suggest that if you share it with ten people you’ll receive a “special blessing” by the end of the day? It usually also warns that the person who doesn’t forward it will experience some unknown tragedy.  Those types of […]