Housing Chatter delivers the news you need to know about current events in the housing market in simple terms. We have no political or institutional affiliations so you can be confident that our content and commentary is unbiased. Housing Chatter is brought to you by your professional Realtor®.

Modular Homes: A Rising Industry

Whether it’s called a modular home, a systems-built home, or a factory-built home, the modular home is a misunderstood product. Despite a steady growth in sales, the modular home industry still battles public misconception. The move towards green modular homes and a continued commitment to consumer education are helping to raise the public’s perception of th ... Read More »

Easy Redecorating Tip: Change the Cabinet Knobs

Can cabinet knobs are a cheap and easy way to refreshing a tired room, or put finishing touches on a redecorated kitchen or bathroom. It is often not even considered by many who redecorate on their own, but consider a cabinet or fixture with a new cabinet knob before thinking of throwing it out. You may be surprised at the results. There is a wide variety ... Read More »

Use a maintenance checklist to keep pool clean and efficient

In the desert, having a backyard pool can seem like a true oasis. But that oasis comes with a few potential headaches. First, there’s the pool equipment — the motorized pump, sand filter, etc. — which can be expensive to maintain or replace. Then, there’s the chemistry of keeping a pool clear, which is a little more complex than filling a floating duck wit ... Read More »

Fitting Old Doors in New Frames

Salvaged wood doors are like secondhand suits—for a perfect fit, you'll probably have to do a little tailoring. Make any cuts with a circular saw—one with a sharp blade and guided by a straightedge clamped to the door. (Cutting a door on a table saw is too dangerous and hard to control.) As a general rule, your work will look best if you line up the door's l ... Read More »

Old Doors, New Uses

Introduction For centuries, doors have marked our comings and goings, shut out storms, and guarded against intruders. They've also provided a handsome focal point, whether placed inside a house or out, with raised wood panels, arched tops, or leaded-glass insets. Most doors sold at home centers today are little more than utilitarian molded metal or plain ... Read More »

How to landscape a dog-friendly garden

Get a dog and there goes the garden. That's what many homeowners conclude, but it doesn't have to be that way. Slide show: Photos from dog-friendly gardens Dog owner Bud Stuckey and his wife, Maxine McClellan, have been breeding champion American cocker spaniels for 14 years. His home garden in Felton, California, provides a safe, comfortable environment f ... Read More »

5 (totally practical) ways to use repurposed glass jars

A year or so ago, I started saving glass jars. Inspired by the seemingly overnight rise in trendiness of the Mason jar, and coupled with a sort of obsessive satisfaction I get out of not wasting things, my little collection of old salsa, pasta sauce, olive and jam jars grew steadily. The problem was, I had no idea what to actually DO with the jars. I turned ... Read More »

How to Hire a Contractor

Finding the right skilled help for a home update or repair project requires more than just opening the phone book or surfing the Internet. Unfortunately, there are bogus home repair contractors and handymen who will take your money and run. See also: AARP's "Home Fit" Guide. Here's the homework you need to do when hiring someone to work in your home. Cont ... Read More »

Ways to make your homes entrance more inviting

A homeowner should not have to put up a sign that says "front door this way." But I have seen many situations in which a home's entry was not well defined and created difficulties for the owners. In one situation, the main entrance was on the side of the house and up a flight of stairs, but it appeared to be in the front, which was actually the garage. On ... Read More »

Top Strategies for Killing Weeds

Different weeds require different control tactics. In order to know your best method to kill any particular weed, you need to understand it – how it grows, when it grows and the best time to attack it. Annual Weeds From the moment annual weeds sprout, they’re racing to flower and set seed. Your job is to interrupt the process. If you can’t kill weeds or pul ... Read More »