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Unlike single-family homes, multifamily homes are dwellings with more than one unit that each have their own bathroom and kitchen. Interested in how this type of property could pay off for you? Read on for our breakdown of multifamily homes.

Multifamily home characteristics

The most attractive part of investing in and renting out a multifamily home is the steady revenue stream you can get from collecting rent. Most people living in a multifamily home are looking to offset mortgage payments by using the income from renting out the other unit, says Lee Kiser, principal and managing broker at Kiser Group in Chicago.

There are also tax advantages to buying a multifamily home. You can write off expenses related to your rental income and deduct the prorated portion of the mortgage interest.

Also, an owner-occupied property may be a wise choice for homeowners living with members of their family, such as their adult children or elderly parents. They can live in one of the units for a period of time and not have to fork over all their savings on rent or a mortgage.

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A storybook house is a quaint style of architecture known for its cottage-inspired sloping roof, turret, and other fanciful features. Also called fairy-tale homes, they essentially look like a family of elves or maybe Snow White herself would answer the door if you knocked.

Although these houses evoke visions of the European countryside, this style is wholly American—specifically, Hollywood in the 1920s. At that time, soldiers had recently returned from Europe after World War I, and those who went to work in Los Angeles’ film industry (including Walt Disney, who drove an ambulance in Europe) often built sets inspired by the villages they saw in England, Belgium, and France.

“Silent films were often set in Europe in an earlier era, and actors, set designers, and audiences alike fell for the charming look of the houses in these film sets,” says Douglas Keister, photographer and co-author of “Storybook Style: America’s Whimsical Homes of the 1920s.”

A history of storybook houses

The home thought to be the original storybook house was known as the “Witch’s House,” built in 1921 on a studio lot, designed by an art director to serve both as offices and a film set. In 1926, the house was converted to a residence and moved to a corner in Beverly Hills, CA, where it remains today (and where it scored a cameo in the movie “Clueless”).

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In today’s hot housing market, rents are on the rise, which may have you wondering whether it’s time to consider becoming a landlord and buying a rental property. After all, who doesn’t like the idea of raking in rent checks from tenants every month? Still, being a landlord isn’t a cakewalk; it takes work, and sometimes being a landlord may seem like you’re shelling out more than you’re bringing in from rent.

And let’s face it, knowing how to be a landlord and knowing how to be a good landlord to your tenants are two different things.

Just so you know what you’re getting into, here are some tips on becoming a landlord who not only makes money from rent but also keeps tenants happy.

Figure out if you can afford to become a landlord

Renting out real estate on which you’re paying a mortgage is a balancing act. To be a successful landlord, you have to make sure that the money coming in from rent covers what goes out—or else you’re operating at a loss on your real estate.

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A micro-apartment is the urban equivalent of a tiny house—a small dwelling, typically under 300 square feet, some as little as 100—that is gaining popularity in pricey cities where larger apartments are financially out of reach.

These pint-sized pads give people a chance to live in the thick of things without blowing their paycheck … that is, if they’re willing to do some serious downsizing. Here’s the lowdown on micro-apartments, where you can find them, and how they make diminutive dwellings far more comfortable than you might imagine.

Where to find micro-apartments

A decade ago, micro-apartments would have been illegal in most cities. But the dearth of affordable housing options for singletons and lower-income individuals prompted a change in zoning regulations so developers could build smaller dwellings to meet this pent-up demand.

“Cities like New York City had size regulations amended in order to accommodate construction for these über small apartments,” says Steven Giles, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman.

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Painting brick, for the most part, is entirely doable—and can give your old fireplace or brick house an easy face-lift. But you’ll want to plan carefully and do your research first. Painting brick isn’t like painting any old surface.

First up, you should know that not all brick should be painted.

Rick Watson, director of product development at Sherwin-Williams, recommends against painting brand-new, porous brick. Instead he advises opting for at least a year to pass so the brick can weather. This will also allow for leaching, a process in which alkali (mortar) and efflorescence (the white powder you sometimes spot on brick) have time to leach out of the brick before painting.

And while you can paint the outside of a fireplace, it is typically not recommended that you paint the brick inside a masonry fireplace, he says, as there is no guarantee the finish will withstand contact with open flames from a fire.

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Offers came in quickly for a home with centuries of history in Santa Fe, NM.

Property records show two dwellings on the land date to at least 1848. Unofficial records reveal that a structure sat on the one-third-acre parcel even earlier. The property listing indicates the original dwelling was built in 1786—more than 125 years before New Mexico became a state.

“We’re a very old city, and many of the properties go back that far,” explains listing agent Clara Dougherty, of Dougherty Real Estate. “It may have just been one or two rooms, but it is very typical of Spanish colonial homes—they add on to them. If you have another child or need another room, you go ahead and add another room.”

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Your home might not be a contestant on the “Ugliest House in America,” but do you have a sinking feeling it could still compete strongly on the HGTV show?

Alas, some homes are downright ugly—inside and/or out. Yet, there are often plenty of silver linings to even the unseemliest spaces, and we’re here to remind you of them all!

So don’t beat yourself up just because your dwelling isn’t the pristine palace you always dreamed you’d have! Instead, check out some of the smart reasons to love (or at least appreciate) your homely home.

1. You’re saving money, honey

Owning an ugly home means it was probably more affordable than its lovelier cousins. Your mortgage is likely smaller, too.

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Those hoping to watch their home’s value soar might want to live near this grocery store.

Homeowners who lived closest to an Aldi, a German chain of discount supermarkets, saw the greatest home appreciation, according to a recent report from real estate data firm ATTOM. Home values jumped 58% for homeowners near an Aldi compared with 49% for those not far from a Trader Joe’s and 45% for those close to a Whole Foods.

“Having a grocery store nearby, particularly a store with a brand that resonates with the homebuyer, is definitely a plus, and one of the conveniences that can differentiate one home or one neighborhood from another,” says Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence at ATTOM.

“There’s also probably a psychological factor involved. Buying a very expensive home located near discount retailers and grocery stores may be offsetting to prospective buyers, while budget-conscious buyers may worry about cost-of-living issues if they purchase a lower-priced home surrounded by luxe retailers.”

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Property brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott are the ultimate good sports, and they prove it on the latest “Celebrity IOU” when Drew accepts a dare to do a little topless jackhammering alongside former football star turned “America’s Got Talent” judge Terry Crews.

The sight of Drew’s dad bod, next to Crews’ ripped contours, is not all that flattering, but it’s all in the interest of helping Crews create a backyard fitness sanctuary for his family’s beloved driver, Frank.

In the episode “Terry Crews’ Outdoor Upgrade,” Crews insists that Frank is much more than a driver.

“He’s a friend and like an older brother to me,” Crews explains.

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The offers came rolling in a week after a hobbit house for $380,000 came on the market in Keene, CA. And within three weeks, the quirky abode found a buyer.

“The seller is an art teacher at a middle school not far from the house, and she has such an eclectic sense and is very much into ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Tim Burton,” explains listing agent Christy Rabe, with Platinum Realty Group.

“You just walk in, and you just feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is such a cute little cottage,’” Rabe adds.

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The numbers: The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. 20-city price index fell 1.2% in September, its third consecutive monthly decline.

The decline matches the forecast of economists were expecting a 1.3% decline.

Year-on-year appreciation rose 10.4%, but that reflects the stronger conditions in late 2021. The figure is down from 13.1% in August.

A broader measure of home prices, the U.S. national index, fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in September.

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The gigantic Rocky Mountain home formerly owned by Larry Walker, who played for many years with the Colorado Rockies, has come on the market in Evergreen, CO.

Catch it for $3,950,033.

The sprawling estate on 6.5 picturesque acres sports eight bedrooms, 12 baths, and 13,452 square feet of interior space.

Built in 1996 and subsequently renovated over time, the megamansion features heated floors for chilly winter mornings, a library, game room, home theater, wine cellar, personal gym, built-in bar, and six fireplaces.

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If you’ve recently bought a home, it’s normal to second-guess some of your decisions, large and small. A whopping 72% of recent homebuyers have regrets about their home purchases, according to a recent survey.

Many believe they paid too much (which makes sense in this wild market), but most others say their purchase was rushed. Details were overlooked, compromises were made, and now they live with regret. Every. Day.

The kitchen is one room where that regret sometimes simmers on low 24/7. Maybe buyers were willing to overlook an out-of-date kitchen if it meant they could afford an otherwise respectable house. Or perhaps they underestimated how much counter space they would actually need.

Read on for insight into the regrets homebuyers have about their new kitchens. Our experts offer cheap fixes for some issues and more involved solutions for others.

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The once-hot housing market has been humbled in recent months. Higher mortgage rates, raging inflation, and widespread recession fears have brought the market to a standstill. Now a wave of mass layoffs at the country’s largest and highest-profile tech companies could hobble it even further.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, laid off about 11,000 workers. Amazon has plans to let go of about 10,000 employees. And there’s been an ongoing bloodbath at Twitter since Elon Musk became the “Chief Twit.” These are the kinds of companies that grab big headlines and often influence the direction of smaller organizations. They also play an outsized role in the nation’s psyche.

Most homebuyers want to ensure their jobs are secure before making what is often the largest purchase of their lives, one that many will spend the next 30 years paying off. Higher mortgage rates have sidelined scores of potential homebuyers, while concern over the economy has caused many others to hold off on purchasing homes.

Nearly 137,000 workers were let go from about 850 tech companies and startups this year, according to tracking website layoffs.fyi.

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When the weather heats up and you want to spend all your time outside, a rousing game of bocce is one of the coolest lawn games you can incorporate into the design of your yard. Also known as Italian lawn bowling, bocce dates back centuries—and it’s a breeze to learn how to play. Plus, throwing a bocce ball requires only one hand, leaving the other free for a seasonal cocktail.

Building a bocce court

If your summer calendar is an endless loop of backyard barbecues and festive get-togethers (Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, to name a few), a bocce court will provide hours of fun for adults and kids. Here’s how to build one.

1. Measure the area for the court

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A mansion known as the “Glass House,” in Boulder, CO, delivers crystal-clear Rocky Mountain views.

Built in 2008, the four-level masterpiece has hit the market for a whopping $12,995,000.

“The No. 1 feature of this home is the setting—sitting on a hill overlooking Boulder, offering incredible views to the west and to the east,” says Hunter Jorgensen of Compass, who is co-listing the property with The Patrick Brown Group.

And next on the long list of selling points? That would be the property’s luxe materials and impeccable construction.

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With mortgage interest rates near 7% and home prices hovering at a national median of $425,000, many homebuyers might be wondering how they’ll be able to pay for a property, and searching for ways to reduce costs.

While there are a variety of mortgages aimed at helping homebuyers afford a home—such as FHA loans and VA loans—one type that’s often overlooked are USDA loans, which offer excellent terms to those who qualify, including a 0% down payment and low interest rates.

Here’s everything you need to know about USDA loans, and whether they’re right for you.

What is a USDA loan?

A USDA loan is a mortgage that is either issued or guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Also known as Section 502 or 504 loans, these programs are specifically reserved for people with low or moderate incomes looking to buy in designated rural parts of the country.

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Most people crave spacious homes. But, sadly, the reality is often quite different. The good news: If your bedroom or office feels cramped, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start knocking down walls or building additions to create a more open, airy ambiance. We have some answers!

Making a small room look bigger

A room’s size, after all, is as much a matter of perception as it is the nitty-gritty square footage. One easy way to create the illusion of space is to carefully choose the paint you slap on those walls.

Read on to learn what colors make a room look bigger, and get to it!

White

Designers love covering a tiny room in white paint, which promises to make even the smallest spaces feel a bit more grand. Because white reflects light, the room will feel brighter and more open. Plus, white walls give homeowners unlimited freedom to decorate (or even pick a fun, bright accent wall).

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A planned community is a housing development where the homes, roads, stores and other features are carefully designed and orchestrated to make living there as convenient and enjoyable as can be.

For instance: Shopping centers may be deliberately situated within walking distance of planned community homes, which are typically attached—condos, townhouses, apartments—to make travel by foot manageable. Trees and flowers are planted alongside most streets, along with hiking/biking trails. High-speed commuter rails whisk workers to nearby urban centers for their 9-to-5 jobs. There may even be village-wide Wi-Fi, to boot.

Contrast this with the ad hoc way communities are usually built: In many cases, a developer just plunks down row housing on a parcel of land nowhere near commercial districts, which means you’ll have to always grab your car keys for a carton of milk. Sometimes, luck or some modicum of forethought helps these neighborhoods turn out OK, but planned communities, by contrast, put plenty of, well, actual planning into that whole process.

History of planned communities

The first planned community in the United States—Riverside, just outside Chicago—was built in 1869 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who designed New York City’s Central Park. Riverside, with its curved streets, ample greenery, and homes set at least 30 feet from the road, remains a beautiful and affluent community today, with a population of approximately 8,800. Large portions have even been designated National Historic Landmarks.

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Refinancing should take anywhere from 30 to 45 days on average, although that can stretch to 60 days if you hit any snags along the way. In other words: Don’t expect a refinance to happen overnight!

Although the refinancing process can take awhile, it’s definitely worth considering if you want to take advantage of a lower interest rate or withdraw some cash from your home equity (check a refinance calculator to see if refinancing makes sense for you).

Here’s why the process takes so long, plus some things you can do to speed things up.

Why refinance a mortgage?

The reason refinancing takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days is that it involves a series of procedures. Although it will be a little faster than getting your initial mortgage, it still has many of the same time-consuming steps.