Changes to HOA rules or city regulations can pose a fatal risk, short-term rental investors say. Here’s how buyers and brokers can minimize revenue risks when targeting short-term rentals.

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The term, Hawaiian in origin, describes an open-air porch that’s furnished for comfort, with couches, ceiling fans, and—on the design side—tropical flair.

Not surprisingly, lanais are par for the course in homes across Hawaii, but their popularity has caught on throughout many warmer climes, from Southern California through Florida. Even homes located in temperate zones can have a lanai that can be used during the warmer months.

So if you love spending your summers lounging on your porch with a cocktail in hand, you’ll likely love it even more if you turn this outdoor space into a lanai. Here’s what you need to know about this fun home feature, so you can decide whether you want one of your own.

What to know about a lanai

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Oscar winner and wellness entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow got her start in this little ol’ mansion in Santa Monica, CA—and it can be yours if you’ve got $17.5 million.

Yup, Paltrow‘s parents, Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, snapped up this massive property in 1976. The future Goop founder was just 4.

The Paltrow clan called it home until 2008, when it was sold to Jerome Dahan, co-founder of the denim brands Citizens of Humanity and 7 for All Mankind.

As would befit this legendary Hollywood family, the home is spacious at 6,900 square feet and ultraplush with six bedrooms and  6.5 baths.

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If you’re hoping to buy a home, it’s smart to ponder this question, since even after you receive a lender’s stamp of approval for financing, weeks or even months could pass before you actually buy a house. Will that pre-approval you received a while back still be valid by then?

Since lenders realize that buying a house does take time, pre-approval does have a shelf life, but not an indefinite one. While the length of time varies, in general pre-approval is good for about three months. Here’s what home buyers need to know about how to make the most of this time frame—and what to do if your pre-approval is at risk of running out before you buy a house.

What to know about a mortgage pre-approval? It’s the first step to buying a home

If you want to purchase a home, your first step should be to prove that you have the financial means to do so. This is where pre-approval comes in.

“Pre-approval is the process by which a mortgage professional such as a broker or bank account executive examines a loan application to determine whether a potential home buyer will qualify for a mortgage,” says Matthew Reischer, an attorney and real estate agent at New York’s Flushing Real Estate.

CRMLS/ MLS via Realtor.com

A midcentury modern masterpiece with a giant-size, rooftop chess set in Pasadena, CA, has captured lots of attention. After less than a month on the market, the home has a contingent offer.

Whether you’re a fan of the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit” or you think it might be fun to try your game moves outdoors, this spacious beauty comes with an eye-catching, outdoor playground.

“The owner always imagined having a rooftop chess set, and her husband gave it to her for her birthday,” says Sharon Verani, who is co-listing the property with Mark Ogden of Sotheby’s International Realty.

Realtor.com

This month: After several consecutive years of a strong sellers’ market, an agent must help her clients accept a major market shift. What tools can her broker provide to enlighten these sellers who may have missed the "peak," but can still have an incredibly profitable sale?

Realtor.com

Beware the witches of Louisiana!

An unassuming house in Baton Rouge is creeping out potential buyers with its bewitched staging.

Like the New Hampshire home listing featuring “Halloween” movie villain Michael Myers and a Kentucky Victorian‘s frighteningly fabulous photos, this haunting home is casting a spell for Halloween.

The exterior of this newly built four-bedroom, 2,588-square-foot dwelling is picture-perfect, looking like something out of a magazine. But the interiors of this $549,900 listing have a surprise brewing.

Leaves are not the only thing falling right now. The housing market is experiencing another major adjustment, and market expert Chris Drayer offers his insights and predictions for the rest of the year and beyond.

Magnolia Network

On their new show “Fixer Upper: The Castle,” Chip and Joanna Gaines are quickly learning that making over a historic building is a lot more complicated than making over any old house.

In the latest episode, “Story of Color,” they struggle specifically with how to blend the castle’s old elements with new ones. There are many tough decisions to be made, and—surprise!—Chip and Jo don’t always agree.

Read on to see how these famous flippers figure out what to do, and learn some smart lessons you might be inspired to apply to your own abode, too.

An old exterior can still look new

Magnolia Network

The median home for sale is spending 45 percent longer on the market than it was at this time last year, according to Zillow's research team.

As midterm elections approach, Zillow crunched housing data and found that enough Americans relocated to key counties in red and purple states in 2021 to potentially shift political leanings.

The 6,230-square-foot property sold by British fashion entrepreneurs Tom and Ruth Chapman was put on the market for $42 million in June.

Join Studeo Co-Founder and CEO Rebecca Rose as she discusses how to reorient your current brokerage marketing team away from expensive service-based activities and towards accelerating revenue.

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Homes are unlike the majority of other things people buy in that the price isn’t set in stone. Sure, the listing might include an “asking price,” but as this term suggests, that’s just a request rather than a hard, unwavering demand. And that’s why comps are so important. So what exactly are comps?

Short for housing “comparables,” comps are a way to help you figure out what a home is worth based on the recent sales prices of similar properties in the area. Home sellers (and their real estate agents) use comps to help them come up with their asking price, while buyers can use comps to come up with how much to offer. As such, it’s an important concept for both buyers and sellers to master.

Here are the basics on how to find comps and wield them to your advantage.

What to know about comps

With housing comps, you ideally want to compare apples to apples—not apples to kiwi (which is, let’s face it, a strikingly unappealing fruit). In other words, it’s important for comps to be as similar to your own property as possible. While what constitutes a comp for a home will depend on each particular market, here are some ballpark parameters:

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Is a sunroom just the same thing as a Florida room or a solarium? Well … yes!

When it comes to a home’s rooms (or real estate listings), we expect to see bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, and perhaps the occasional playroom or den. But a sunroom is often an unexpected bright bonus. But just what is it, and is it something you truly want in your home?

What to know about a sunroom

A sunroom by any other name … is probably the same thing as a sunroom. Also called a solarium, Florida room, garden room, sun parlor, patio room, winter garden, or conservatory, it’s basically a space with windows or screens on three sides that let the sun shine right through—often on the southern side of buildings in northern climes to capture maximum exposure. They can be insulated and equipped with heating/cooling, or as simple as a screened-in patio.

Sunrooms are a popular amenity because–let’s face it—who doesn’t want to soak up a few more rays, without enduring chilly winds or biting bugs?

A recent story about haunted houses prompted existential debates and ghost story sharing in the comments section.

The holiday season is approaching and with it opportunities for hosts to maximize earnings. Read how Airbnb Superhosts earn six figures from short-term rentals — and how you can too.

A three-bedroom cottage in Santa Monica, a 1911 Edwardian house in San Francisco and a Spanish-style home in San Jose.

M. Ryan Gorman said the current downturn is an opportunity for his company, while noting that some competitors "may not have a plan for good times let alone a plan for bad times."

The mass-produced furniture that sold furiously during the pandemic could soon be clogging landfills.