Realtor.com

A lavish estate in Las Vegas complete with an outdoor Italian streetscape is this week’s most popular home on Realtor.com®.

This custom-designed mansion will immediately transport you to Italy with its replica of a charming Italian street. From the storefront cafes to the fountain and cobblestone street, the outdoor retreat of the sprawling, 9,771-square-foot home offers a sweet taste of Italy.

Other homes that made the popularity list include a riverfront Missouri beauty with a boat dock and deck, an affordable barndominium in Tennessee, and a midcentury modern time capsule in Wisconsin.

For a full look at this week’s 10 most popular homes, keep on scrolling.

Realtor.com

A lavish estate in the Nashville, TN, area is set to be sold during a “no-reserve, absolute” auction on Saturday. The mansion will be sold to the highest bidder.

Located in Brentwood, home to many musicians, this opulent, four-bedroom property has hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment, business, politics, and country music, including Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley.

The massive mansion features many exquisite details, including fixtures from Argentina, custom woodwork, and a lead crystal chandelier from the Czech Republic autographed by Dolly Parton.

The mansion also boasts a grand entry hall with double staircases and formal living and entertaining spaces.

Getty Images / Realtor.com

David Ortiz is hoping to hit a grand slam with the sale of his $12.5 million mansion near Miami.

The iconic Boston Red Sox slugger (aka Big Papi) purchased the vacant property with his wife Tiffany in 2016 for $1.5 million.

The couple is now reportedly divorcing, according to legal documents, which suggests the apparent split may have prompted the listing.

After Ortiz purchased the land seven years ago, he commissioned a 10,178-square-foot mansion fit for a Hall of Famer. The home is in Pinecrest, FL, a suburban village in Miami-Dade County.

Realtor.com

In Chicago’s tony Lincoln Park neighborhood, lies an astonishing 25,000-square-foot mansion. Priced at $29,999,995, the estate is clearly at the top of the Windy City’s housing stock.

This six-bedroom, 11-bath home clocks in as the most expensive listing in Illinois. But it’s also a rare find in the city, according to listing agent Matt Leutheuser, of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty.

“They’ve put eight [city] lots together,” he says. “I don’t think you could do that today.”

He adds that the parcel alone is worth $20 million.

HGTV

After much bragging, bruising, and brilliant construction, the winner has been announced on Season 8 of “Brother vs. Brother,” where property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott each bought homes and renovated them to see who could ultimately make the biggest profit.

This season, to make it more interesting, there were no rules.

“We were free to buy wherever we wanted, renovate however we wanted, and spend whatever we wanted,” says Drew in the final episode, aptly titled “No Rules, One Winner.”

Jonathan purchased his house in the Los Angeles suburb of Westchester for $1.25 million and gave himself a renovation budget of $500,000.

Realtor.com

A dome home that fulfilled the owner’s dream, along with a rustic cottage that’s popular on Airbnb, is now for sale in Zion Grove, PA. The list price is $1,590,000.

“It was my parents’ property. It was my father’s dream to build it. He was a very creative person,” says daughter and listing agent Sandra Domenico, who’s with Keller Williams Real Estate. Construction took two years, and the building was completed in 2008.

“My mom was pretty good at letting him do his dreams,” Domenico continues. “He was a general contractor and hired some people to help him.”

Sunburst Pics

Pogonici/iStock

“House-rich, cash-poor” sounds like the title of a country song. After all, how can someone be rich and poor at the same time, unless they’re fighting some poetic struggle in a twangy ballad? Well, it all comes down to how much you have tied up in your home, compared with how much you have in your pocket.

‘House-rich, cash-poor’ explained in real numbers

Being house-rich and cash-poor means you have more equity locked into the value of your home than you have in liquid assets.

Leon Goldfeld, co-founder of the New York–based real estate brokerage startup Yoreevo, breaks down how the house-rich, cash-poor scenario can play out:

Daisy-Daisy/iStock

Renovating your kitchen can be a frightening process—especially when you total up the costs. A major kitchen remodel is one of the most expensive projects a homeowner can undertake. So there’s plenty of pressure to get it right.

Luckily, most common kitchen design mistakes can be easily fixed. But it’s far, far easier (and cheaper) to plan correctly from the start! Before you take a sledgehammer to your kitchen walls, make sure you’ve considered these often forgotten issues.

1. Sufficient lighting

Photo by William Byrd Homes 
While we obsess over which lamps and sconces will add the right ambiance in our living rooms, we often forget about properly lighting the kitchen. Which doesn’t quite make sense.

A kitchen is where the bulk of the household work gets done—and this is a place where working in the dark isn’t a great idea. (Plus, don’t you want great lighting to show off your delicious creations on Instagram?)

anyaberkut/iStock

How to price a home in a seller’s market may be a question that’s top of mind if you’re listing your home. Much of the United States right now is a seller’s market—which spells potential for major profits. Lucky you!

However: Some sellers may see this as an opportunity to set the bar high—maybe too high—when it comes to their list price. Others may decide on a lower asking price, in hopes of generating a bidding war.

So which pricing strategy works best in a seller’s market? Every approach has its pros and cons, so here’s how to determine the best one for you.

First, assess the landscape

Before you go about setting your list price, you’ll want to survey your area to see whether you’re truly in a seller’s market, says Seth Lejeune, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway in Collegeville, PA.

Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

The numbers: Construction on new U.S. homes fell a seasonally adjusted 4.5% in January to 1.31 million, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The drop in construction on homes follows the decline in December, when housing starts also fell by 3.4%

The drop was larger than what Wall Street expected. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal expected housing starts to drop to a 1.35 million rate from December’s initial estimate of 1.38 million.

Construction is at the lowest level since June 2020, during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic. Starts have also fallen for the fifth month in a row.

Getty Images / Realtor.com

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but it’s time for baseball superstar Juan Soto to move on from the D.C. metro area.

After an incredible five seasons of success with the Washington Nationals, including a 2019 World Series win, the talented right fielder has listed his home in nearby Arlington, VA, for $1,095,000.

The reason? He was traded from the Nats to the San Diego Padres in August 2022, in a blockbuster deal that reshaped the National League.

Now ensconced in Southern California—with a $23 million contract for the 2023 season—the young outfielder is cutting the last of his ties to the nation’s capital.

Getty Images

If you remember the housing crisis of 2008, you’ve likely heard the term “adjustable-rate mortgages,” or ARMs. But have you ever heard of a convertible ARM?

ARMs, in general, are once again catching the eye of prospective homebuyers facing unpredictable mortgage interest rates and home prices. Why? Because ARMs boast low introductory “teaser” rates, making them an attractive and affordable option for prospective homebuyers who can’t swing today’s higher interest rates and monthly payments.

The adjustment part of an ARM, where rates can rise or fall, can be risky. A spike in rates once the teaser expires means higher monthly payments down the road.

And what happens if interest rates plummet? That’s where a convertible ARM comes in. Here’s what you need to know to decide if this type of mortgage is a good option.

Photo-Illustration by Realtor.com; Photos: Getty Images (3)

You’ve probably already told several white lies this week. Yes, really. When someone asks how you are, do you always mean it when you answer with, “Doing well”? Stretching the truth here and there is pretty standard.

But when it comes to applying for a mortgage, you’re required to be 100% truthful about the nitty-gritty details of your personal finances, work history, credit score, and more. And if you stretch the truth, even by a little, you could land in hot water.

The consequences of telling seemingly harmless lies during the mortgage application process are serious. Worst-case scenario: You’ll be charged with mortgage fraud, and the penalty can include a maximum sentence of 30 years and a $1 million fine.

Shockingly, though, plenty of people do it. Last year, an estimated 1 in 131 applications contained some form of fraud, according to the 2022 Mortgage Fraud Report from Core Logic.

Realtor.com

A restored 195os-era home in Santa Monica, CA, channels some serious vintage vibes—all within a 5-minute stroll to the beach.

Designed by Thornton M. Abell, a midcentury modern architect in Southern California, the house is tucked into one of Santa Monica Canyon’s highly desirable neighborhoods, says agent Frank Langen, of Deasy Penner & Partners.

The property is listed for $10,500,000.

Built for the Haines family, the beautiful abode was included in photographer Julius Shulman’s 2013 book, “Modern Rediscovered.”

Realtor.com

A New England Cape in Duxbury, MA, is the oldest property to hit the market this week on Realtor.com.

The town of Duxbury is seeking purchase proposals for the historic home, with preference given to buyers who intend to maintain the property “in agricultural use as a primary residence” and who demonstrate a commitment to “preserve, restore, and rehabilitate the building.”

Other vintage homes to hit the market this week include a stone home in New York, an affordable abode in Virginia, and an enormous estate in New Hampshire.

Scroll down for a full look at this week’s 10 oldest homes.

Realtor.com

A building with more than a century of history is full of opportunity in Nashville, TN.

Built around 1900, the Layman Building is listed for $10 million. Three lots adjacent to the space are included in the sale, for a total of nearly a half-acre.

“It’s historic, and everyone loves to see a historic property,” says listing agent Rob Wagner, with Benchmark Realty. “And it has been completely restored, which is wonderful. It’s in an extremely hot spot of Nashville. It opens up a whole world of opportunities for a buyer.”

Located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, the building is within an easy walk of many shops and restaurants.

Getty Images

Let’s face it: We’ve all got at least one guilty pleasure when it comes to splurging on household comforts.

Maybe it’s a never-ending pricey candle addiction, or the urge to buy even more of those cute throw pillows that have you bordering on crazy pillow mania. Or you might just be like me and have a weakness for the most expensive cleaning spray and bath products in the store.

It turns out, these household items can be had without spending the big bucks—it just takes a bit of elbow grease. We spoke to the DIY experts to get the lowdown on six luxe household items you can save on by making yourself.

1. All-natural candles

Getty Images

HGTV

On the HGTV show “Married to Real Estate,” real estate agent/designer Egypt Sherrod and her husband, master builder Mike Jackson, make a winning combo as they help homebuyers find and renovate the perfect property.

Part of the fun of watching, though, is seeing decisions being made that make you go “Nooooo!” And this show’s latest episode has a few doozies.

In “Farmhouse Fixer,” clients Stephanie and Justin have a whopping $1.2 million to spend, and they hope to find a farmhouse on 50 acres near Canton, GA, about 45 minutes from Atlanta.

Justin is all about the acreage, since he fosters dreams of a farm-to-table life and teaching his kids to live off the land. However, Stephanie—who is several months away from giving birth to their second child—is more concerned with finding a house that’s move-in ready.

Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS / AFP via Getty Images

The numbers: U.S. mortgage rates rose as the market braced for further rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve to combat persistent inflation in the economy.

Rates broke a five-week downward trend, pushing demand for mortgages down by 7.7% in the latest week.

Demand for both purchases and refinancing both fell. That pushed down the market composite index—a measure of mortgage application volume—the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said on Wednesday.

The market index fell by 7.7% to 230.4 for the week ending Feb. 10, from a week earlier. A year ago, the index stood at 537.0.

Getty Images / Realtor.com

Actor Simon Helberg is best known for playing Howard Wolowitz on “The Big Bang Theory.” The character is a nerdy guy with questionable taste.

But offscreen, the actor lives in an ultrastylish Spanish Colonial in Los Angeles’ laid-back Loz Feliz neighborhood.

The house has been meticulously restored and redesigned by Nickey Kehoe, a prominent L.A. interior design firm.

And after living in the luxurious space for nearly four years, Helberg and actress wife Jocelyn Towne have listed the estate for $8,997,000.