Mortgage Rates Just Dropped Again—and More Good News for Housing This Fall
Sep 8, 2023
Mortgage rates fell for the second week in a row, averaging 7.12% for a 30-year fixed-rate loan in the week ending Sept. 7, according to Freddie Mac.
 
This downward trend is a welcome relief after rates spiked to a 22-year high of 7.23% two weeks earlier. Still, these rates are formidable—more than double what they were two years ago when they dipped below 3%—which has ground America’s housing market to a near standstill.
“The housing market has shuffled along at a slow pace for more than a year now as the market waits for mortgage rates to stabilize or decline,” says Realtor.com® data Scientist Sabrina Speianu in her analysis. “Heading into the fall housing season, mortgage rates, home prices, and housing availability continue to remain a challenge for both homebuyers and home sellers; ...

13 Summer Projects To Do Before The End Of August
 
It’s hard to think of home maintenance when the beach is calling your name. While you’d most likely want to grab a refreshing drink and head outside rather than grab your tools and do some maintenance, there’s work to be done this summer.
 
General Summer Home Maintenance Tips
1. Stay Out of the Attic
Attic temperatures can reach 120 to 150 degrees in the summer. These temperatures are hazardous, so save any attic maintenance projects for the fall or winter.
 
2. Stay Indoors or Do Your Maintenance in the Morning
There are many summer home maintenance projects you can do indoors. However, if you are adamant about working on the exterior of your home, do it in the early morning to beat the summer heat.
 
3. Take Advantage of Companies That Are Slow in the Summer
Chimney sweeps, gutter cleaners and dryer vent cleaners come to mind. Usually, most homeowners wait until the fall and win/ ...

By Realtor.com Creative Studio
Looking for a little help with home repairs or general maintenance issues at your place?  This new app could be your solution to finally getting that leaky sink fixed or completing the final touches on your DIY house project by giving you expert help right at your fingertips.
1.    In April, Frontdoor launched a first-of-its-kind app to support homeowners as they repair their homes. What does the app do?
Frontdoor is the one-stop-app that helps homeowners tackle home repair and maintenance issues with a few taps on an iPhone or Android device. Homeowners can download the app for free through the App Store or Google Play, then use it to do one free video chat with one of our experts for real-time home repair diagnosis and solutions— for everything from running toilets to glitchy washing machines.
 It’s powered by our proprietary Streem video technology, but the ...

DIY Backyard Fire Pit: Build It in Just 7 Easy Steps
The perfect backdrop for outdoor fun is closer than you think, thanks to our step-by-step instructions.

Turn your backyard into a cozy camp spot by making your own fire pit. This DIY project is easy to complete, and you’ll be making s’mores around the fire in no time.
Get ready
Before you begin building, consult your local fire code to see if fire pits are allowed in your city and, if so, how far away the fire pit has to be from a structure.
Then, gather your supplies:
Bricks for the fire pit wall
Gravel
Twine or string
Tape measure
Stake
Large shovel
Trowel
Tamp
Level

When purchasing bricks for the fire pit wall, go for something sturdy like retaining wall bricks or concrete pavers. Some home improvement stores even carry bricks specifically designed for fire pits. Use a layer of firebricks, which have a higher heat resistance, on the inner layer of the fire pit as an extra safety measure.
Now that yo ...

The 6 Best Home Design Apps for Projects Large and Small
 By Brittany Natale/NYC

Planning a home design project can be overwhelming, especially for homeowners who have no idea where to start. Luckily, there are a number of home design apps that can help ease some of the pressure.
“Home design apps allow users to experiment with different design options and see how they will look in their space,” says Artem Kropovinsky, founder of Arsight, an interior design studio based in New York City. “This can be a helpful way to try out different ideas and see what works best before committing to any changes.”
Cost-effective and convenient, home design apps come in handy if you’re someone with a busy schedule. Whether you’re looking to create floor plans, visualize home renovations, or experiment with color schemes, these apps offer quick and useful tools to help bring projects to fruition.
Design apps “can also be. ...