Home Staging On A Budget
Stay on budget with home staging by de-personalizing, maximizing, sanitizing, modernizing and neutralizing. http://bit.ly/1DeFlwX
Kitchen Remodel
Thinking of remodeling your kitchen? A built-in, pull out cutting board over a garbage bin is just one idea of how to make the most of your space. (http://bit.ly/1BnrUp0)
Pantry Staples
Knowing the price of your pantry staples and not overspending on them is a great shopping list trick. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-start-a-pantry-staple-price-tracking-list-grocery-shopping-216964?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+apartmenttherapy/thekitchn+(TK+Channel:+Main)
State of the Market
With three months behind us, 2014 is shaping up to be the year of increased activity in home sales. This should come as no surprise to anyone 
who has kept up with the recent housing news.
According to Southland Realty’s analysis, the list price per square foot increased on both a year-over-year basis and a month-over-month basis, though only slightly in the case of the latter. At the same time, the total number of homes on the market decreased on a year-over-year basis, but increased modestly on a month-over-month basis.
Our analysis indicates that the majority of area are primed for sellers. The combination of low inventory and high demand has caused home prices to increase. As the home buying season (typically the warmer months of the year) continues, house hunters might face greater competition from each other, which has the potential to further increase sale prices. This is not unusual, as the housing market is seasonal.
Home Sweet Second Home
Vacation home sales in the United States increased 10.1 percent in 2013, as Americans rekindled their love of second homes.
The number of vacation homes sold in 2013 jumped to 553,000 from 502,000 in 2012, according to data released today by the National Association of Realtors.
Of all home transactions in 2013, 11 percent were vacation homes, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors.
Seventy-eight percent of all second-home buyers said it was a good time to buy, compared with 68 percent of primary residence buyers, according to a NAR survey.
The typical vacation-home buyer was 47 years old, had a median household income of $92,100 and purchased a property that was a median distance of 435 miles from their primary residence, the NAR survey found.
Thirty-four percent of vacation homes were within 100 miles of their primary residence and 46 percent were more than 500 miles away, according to NAR. The typical buyer plans to own their recreational property for a median of 10 years.
The NAR study also found that the number of investment-home sales declined 2.1 percent to 1.21 million from 1.23 million in 2012, but those sales had been typically under a million during the market downturn. Investment homes were 24 percent of all transactions in 2013, a decrease from 27 percent reported in 2012. In both vacation and investment home transactions, all-cash purchases remain common. In 2013, half of investment buyers paid cash as did 46 percent of vacation-home buyers, according NAR.
Try Some Crackling Bread!
Ask a Southerner whose memory goes back far enough about crackling bread crumbled up in buttermilk – and watch his eyes light up! This is a tried and true recipe…
2 Cups Cornmeal
1 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
2/3 Cup Cracklings
Sift into a bowl cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Pour into this enough boiling water to make a stiff batter. Add cracklings. Mold into oval shapes (pones) and bake in a hot (425 degree) oven, until light brown. Serve with tall glasses of very cold buttermilk, and be sure the hot crackling bread is to be broken into the milk and eaten with teaspoons.