With New Year’s Eve almost upon us, the question on many of our stressed-out minds is: Where should we go to celebrate? Well, MTV has declared that you should burn or shred all those invites you’ve no doubt received to star-studded clubs, swanky Champagne lounges with views of Times Square, or “Star Wars”-themed celebrations complete with stormtroopers, BB-8s, and wookies. Nope, MTV argues that the hottest, hippest place to ring in the New Year may be a whole lot closer than you think: home. Glorious home!In “9 Reasons House Parties Are the Place to Be on New Year’s Eve,” MTV makes a surprisingly convincing argument that all of us—even ye young party animals!—would have a whole lot more fun clinking glasses of bubbly in our humble abodes than out at some epically annoying, jam-packed club.
As someone who’s attended house parties on New Year’s Eve for the past four years (and plans to again this year), I always harbored the sneaking suspicion that I did so because I was a tragically uncool—well past my “slipping past the velvet ropes” heyday. That’s why I was oddly gratified to see MTV confirm that my choice of venue does not mean I’m lame. On the contrary, me and my friends are apparently part of a cutting-edge trend, blazing a new path where hipsters are already following, noisemakers in hand. Not convinced? Here are a few of MTV’s most lucid reasons why homes parties rule: It saves moneyBecause as MTV put it, “Face it, going to a bar on New Year’s Eve is like throwing money into the ocean.” So true. You’ll have a place to sit“Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a million years old to enjoy sitting down.” … and lie down“Any house party can turn into a slumber party when you need it.” You know almost everyone there“You’re all for meeting new people, but sometimes it helps to have mutual friends around to assure you they’re cool and not creeps.” Anyone can throw one“It doesn’t take much other than a little bit of notice and a few pals hoping to bring in 2016 without the hassle.” So this New Year’s Eve, I’ll be toasting the hot new trend of the house party and hoping it sticks around for years to come. Keep your wookies to yourself. Click here to read more
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Winter is the perfect time to tackle important home projects. But why stop at just improving your home? There are tons of great DIY projects out there that can improve your living situation and save you serious dough. Here are some simple winter projects to help you get started.
1. Update your insulationInsulation helps keep the heat you generate inside your house, allowing rooms to stay warmer for longer. If you think you’re losing heat too quickly after you turn down the thermostat, you may want to inspect your insulation. Replacing old batches or adding pipe and tank insulation is a relatively easy way to help your home maintain its warmth and shorten how long you run your heater. 2. Seal pesky draftsAnother great way to keep heat inside (and energy costs down) is to eliminate any drafts you find in your home. Using a caulk gun to seal gaps in walls and windows can help minimize the amount of warm air escaping your house. You may also want to consider checking your doors’ weatherstripping for any openings. Replacing weatherstripping is a relatively simple process and shouldn’t put too much strain on your wallet. 3. Buy energy-smart lightbulbsOne of the easiest home improvement projects you can tackle this winter is to swap out your old incandescent bulbs for efficient LEDs. While the initial cost may be rather steep—LED bulbs tend to cost three times more than traditional incandescents—the lifespan of an LED is significantly longer and uses far less energy. If you’re unable to afford the initial cost of LEDs, though, you can look into compact fluorescent lights. These offer similar energy savings to LEDs, albeit without the same lifespan and high upfront cost. 4. Install a programmable thermostatBy automatically adjusting your temperature when you’re sleeping or at work,programmable thermostats can help you drastically cut down on your energy use. Models run at a variety of price points and installation should only take a couple of minutes. Some versions even allow you to adjust your thermostat from your phone, giving you extra control over when your heat or cooling kicks in. Click here to read more Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Trevor Cahill recently re-signed with the Chicago Cubs for the 2016 season, but he’s still keeping a foot (or at least a property title) in Arizona.The 27-year-old right-hander just bought an updated modern inParadise Valley for $2.75 million. The seven-year veteran may bemaking the switch from starting pitcher to reliever in the Windy City.
Speaking of conversions—his new home was originally built in 1994, but according to the listing, the six-bedroom, six-bathroom home was fully updated in 2015. Sadly, we don’t have any interior photos of this stunning home, but we did uncover a video of the All-Star pitcher’s new digs. The home features an open floor plan with some seriously sleek modern touches, including a glassed-in wine cellar and wet bar. In the living room, the TV takes center stage (doesn’t it always?) with a mosaic frame backdrop and an electric fireplace underneath. Out back, a large covered porch blocks the Arizona sun while fountains feed into an in-ground pool. It looks like the perfect spot to unwind after a long season of toeing the rubber. Click here to read more Home price growth gained strength in October, according to a report released Tuesday, even as more recent indicators suggest the pace of home sales has dramatically lost momentum as the year draws to a close.
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index covering the entire nation rose 5.2% in the 12 months ended in October, stronger than a 4.9% increase in September and among the largest increases all year. The 10-city index gained 5.1% from a year earlier, compared with a 4.9% increase in September. The 20-city index gained 5.5% year-over-year compared with 5.4% a month earlier. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected a 6% increase in the 20-city index. “Generally good economic conditions continue to support gains in home prices,” said David Blitzer, managing director at S&P Dow Jones Indices. Mr. Blitzer pointed to consumers’ expectations of low inflation and further economic growth, as well as recent increases in construction of new single-family homes and apartments as tailwinds for the housing market. After years of volatility, home price growth appears to have stabilized at an annual rate of around 4% to 5%. But while price growth has remained fairly steady throughout the year, the pace of sales has continued to ricochet, in part because high prices have started to scare some buyers out of the market. The hottest markets in the country, primarily on the West Coast, continued to show double-digit price gains, with San Francisco, Denver and Portland, Ore., all reporting 10.9% year-over-year gains. Twelve cities saw bigger year-over-year price increases in October than in September. Click here to read more ’Tis the season to refinance: In the wake of the Fed’s first interest rate hike in nearly a decade, thousands of homeowners are worried rates will climb even higher and want to lock in a refinance in advance of any more increases.
As we covered yesterday, there are plenty of good reasons to refinance right now. However, there are also many great reasons not to, even in the face of an irresistible deal. Does any of your refinancing rationale sound like the reasons below? If so, you may want to think twice about refinancing. Bad reason No. 1: You want to save money but may move soonPerhaps the most important question to consider before refinancing is how long you plan to hold on to your home. If there’s a possibility that you may need to leave in the immediate future, you probably shouldn’t bother. Why? Simple math: Since the cost of refinancing could run up to several thousand dollars, you need to stick around long enough to reap the benefits of the lower interest rate (and monthly payments). If you have to sell the property within a year of refinancing it, you may as well throw a bonfire with the thousands of dollars you spent on the refi. So how long is long enough? Generally five years is a decent benchmark, although it varies based on the percentage you’ll save. “The general rule of thumb is that if you’re not getting 1% [reduction in your interest rate] or something near it, it’s probably not worth it,” says Kristen Euretig, a certified financial planner and co-founder of Brooklyn Plans. “It’s easy to find a refinance calculator online and figure out how long you’d have to stay in your home to make the refi pay for itself. Even if you’re only going to be in your house for four years but you hit the break even point in two years, then it’s worth it.” Click here to read more With New Year’s Eve almost upon us, the question on many of our stressed-out minds is: Where should we go to celebrate? Well, MTV has declared that you should burn or shred all those invites you’ve no doubt received to star-studded clubs, swanky Champagne lounges with views of Times Square, or “Star Wars”-themed celebrations complete with stormtroopers, BB-8s, and wookies. Nope, MTV argues that the hottest, hippest place to ring in the New Year may be a whole lot closer than you think: home. Glorious home!In “9 Reasons House Parties Are the Place to Be on New Year’s Eve,” MTV makes a surprisingly convincing argument that all of us—even ye young party animals!—would have a whole lot more fun clinking glasses of bubbly in our humble abodes than out at some epically annoying, jam-packed club.
As someone who’s attended house parties on New Year’s Eve for the past four years (and plans to again this year), I always harbored the sneaking suspicion that I did so because I was a tragically uncool—well past my “slipping past the velvet ropes” heyday. That’s why I was oddly gratified to see MTV confirm that my choice of venue does not mean I’m lame. On the contrary, me and my friends are apparently part of a cutting-edge trend, blazing a new path where hipsters are already following, noisemakers in hand. Not convinced? Here are a few of MTV’s most lucid reasons why homes parties rule: It saves moneyBecause as MTV put it, “Face it, going to a bar on New Year’s Eve is like throwing money into the ocean.” So true. You’ll have a place to sit“Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a million years old to enjoy sitting down.” … and lie down“Any house party can turn into a slumber party when you need it.” You know almost everyone there“You’re all for meeting new people, but sometimes it helps to have mutual friends around to assure you they’re cool and not creeps.” Click here to read more Pro golfer Dustin “DJ” Johnson narrowly missed winning the U.S. Open in 2015, but he’s clinched a victory away from the links. Known for his prodigious driving ability, he’s just sold his North Palm Beach, FL, home for $3.83 million.In October, he placed the luxurious 4,448-square-foot home on the market for $4 million. And in true golf style, it’s just a short drive from the swanky new place he bought just a few months ago.
In September, the nine-time PGA Tour winner closed a deal on a much larger (8,200 square foot) mansion in Palm Beach Gardens for $4.95 million. As for the house he just sold, the single-level, four-bedroom house built in 2013 was renovated with new hardwood floors, a marble-stuffed master bathroom, an outdoor kitchen, and a “state of the art” integrated sound system. Oh, and the 1,000-bottle wine room doubles as an office, Johnson and his wife, Paulina Gretzky—a model and daughter of the legendary Wayne Gretzky—sold their home for $175,000 under the original asking price after almost three months on the market. Listing agent Jeremy Browne declined to comment. Click here t0 read more Everywhere you turn these days, you hear just how “smart” your home can be. In fact, 2016 is being hailed as the year that our homes truly enter the high-tech future, and all that talk about the “Internet of things” becomes more than just blather. Only what exactly does this all mean?What are the new smart objects available for your home, and how will they all work together? For a glimpse at some of the cutting-edge highlights, check out these products below—some currently for sale, others soon to be released—that can make your house seem a whole lot savvier in the year ahead.
It’s good to be smart! Your fridgeThe upcoming Series 8 edition of the Bosch HomeConnect Refrigerator will snap a photo of the interior every time you shut the door. First, it will convince your kids that the little light does, indeed, go off when the door is shut. But more important, you can view these fridge pics later on your phone when you’re at the store trying to remember if you need milk or if you’re stocked up on dinner ingredients. Bonus: You can keep an eye on how that week-old paella is looking, if you dare. $2,500, Bosch Click here to read more For $23.5 million, you can be the lord or duchess of your own Downton Abbey here in the states. No, really. This picturesque 466-acre equestrian farm estate for sale inPoughquag, NY, is enough to make the entire Crawley family jealous.Outside, the estate known as Sugar Maple Farm has a breathtaking array of tree-lined paths, ponds, and lush grazing areas leading up to the eight-bedroom Georgian mansion.
Inside, every nook and cranny of the 18,803-square-foot mansion is filled with historical charm. The formal dining room is wrapped in hand-painted murals, kept warm by a large fireplace with Colonial-style mantel, and lit by a crystal chandelier. The master suite comes with a private sitting area and a master bath with soaking tub overlooking the grazing areas. There is even a classic study with built-in bookshelves, wood-paneled walls, and fireplace. We can smell the cigar smoke and classic port from here.Of course a lord never wants to leave his manor, and you won’t have to. The estate comes with an indoor basketball court, gym, and pool. If working out isn’t your bag, you could just amble around the acreage. For more on this sweet farm, check out the video below. Click here to read more This month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and his wife put their 1,900-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home—which was featured in 2009 in Dwell magazine—in the city’s trendy Echo Park neighborhood on the market for $1.65 million.
Since Garcetti became mayor in 2013, they’ve lived in the Tudor-style Getty House (L.A.’s official mayoral residence) and are just now unloading their former digs. (In between, they lived in a contemporary home in Silver Lake.) Built in the 1950s, the hillside property features eco-friendly upgrades, including solar paneling, a tankless water heater, and bamboo flooring. But it’s also a cozy retreat with an organic vegetable garden in raised beds, a citrus orchard, an outdoor deck with amazing views and water feature, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a chef-grade kitchen. We wondered what other tantalizing properties with local political pedigrees are on the market—and we found some! From a Mid-Century Modern abode in Desert Hot Springs, CA, to a sprawling mansion in Nashville, here are eight more homes for sale that were formerly residences of mayors. While most U.S. cities used to house their mayors in official mansions, that is rarely the case anymore—New York and Los Angeles are the rare exceptions. Still, these private residences provide insight into local political leaders.Once home to Mayor Daniel Hoan, who presided over Brew City from 1916 to 1940, this four-bedroom, two-bathroom Victorian just west of downtown still has its pocket doors, etched-glass and stained-glass windows, fireplaces, and wooden staircase intact. Yet modern upgrades are here, too, including stainless-steel appliances, two updated full bathrooms, and central air. You can turn the renovated attic into a playroom or master suite. Click here to read more |
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February 2016
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