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Right at home: Solutions and help for small-space living

By Kim Cook Associated Press Setting up home in a small apartment poses all sorts of challenges. First, there’s the floorplan: With small rooms come issues like storage, and where to put the bed. Then there’s the furniture: Will it fit up the stairs, and will you need a toolbox and an engineering degree to put it together? Retailers and design services have answers. Design-your-space websites can give you accurate floor plans and helpful decor suggestions. Cleverly designed furniture is scaled for smaller footprints, and might come to the door in easy-to-assemble formats, or ...

How home improvement funds upgrade your new house

By Annie Millerbernd of NerdWallet If you’re preparing to buy a home, you’ve probably been saving up for the down payment and other closing costs. But if that nest egg can only get you through the front door, it may not be enough. Once you own the home, you also own its peeling wallpaper, aging water heater and the carpet on which past owners’ pets have traipsed. A home improvement fund can help ensure your newly purchased house is a well-functioning, comfortable home. Here’s why home improvement savings are a homebuyer must-have and how to build yours. REPAIRS AND ...

US housing market fuels bidding wars

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Would-be homeowners are increasingly opting to pay sellers more than their asking price in hopes of edging out rival buyers as heightened competition for few homes on the market fuels bidding wars. About 52% of U.S. homes sold in January fetched more than their list price, up from 40.2% a year earlier, according to data from Redfin, a national real estate brokerage. It was the greatest share of homes sold above asking price ever recorded by Redfin, in data going back to February 2012. The trend is apparent in some of the nation’s most expensive housing ...

Bringing it home: Find inspiration in public spaces’ decor

By Melissa Rayworth Associated Press Sometimes, sitting in a public place like a hotel lobby, you notice a mix of colors youíd never considered using in your own home — and you realize you absolutely love it. Or you see furniture that’s much more modern than you thought you liked, but itís just what your living room needs. Interior designers say clients often tell them about public places with style they want at home. This can function as a useful shorthand, says Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, design director and partner at Nate Berkus Associates, who designs commercial and ...

Gray: A ‘sneaky color’ is red-hot for painting interiors

By Katherine Roth Associated Press When it comes to painting rooms, gray is red-hot. Benjamin Moore carries over 150 shades of gray, and Sherwin-Williams says that of their top 50 colors for interiors, 30 are grays. “The trend toward gray started in Scandinavia, became big in the U.S. around six years ago, and is still on the rise,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. Andrea Magno of Benjamin Moore says, “Gray is not going anywhere, and is still growing in popularity. It updates things instantly, and it’s evolving over time. And we’re ...

Buying homeowners insurance? Ask these 4 questions first

By Sarah Schlichter of NerdWallet Purchasing insurance may not be as fun as choosing new furniture and paint colors, but it’s a critical part of the homebuying process. Your homeowners insurance policy is a financial safety net in case of a disaster, so you’ll want to ask a few important questions to make sure you have the coverage you need at a price you can afford. WHAT’S THE DWELLING COVERAGE PER SQUARE FOOT? Imagine that a fire burned your house to the ground and your policy didn’t pay out enough to rebuild it. That could happen if your dwelling coverage — the part ...