Channing Gillis, Realtor

You’ve bought a small starter home. How exciting! The smaller size makes the home more affordable but requires some smart decisions on furnishings. Here’s how to get the most living from the least space.

Starting Out With a Starter Home First-time buyers often purchase a starter home - a smaller, more affordable housing option. Here’s how to get the first taste of the American dream.

Can you sell the house you’ve owned for just a few years and make money? Not necessarily! Do your homework before you list.

Buying a Home For the Short Term: Does It Make Sense? Sometimes life intervenes and you need to sell after owning for only a few years. Here’s how to decide whether buying a home for the short term makes sense.

We honor the man and the dream today. Best wishes for a happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

A good use of vertical space? Or an accident waiting to happen?

Desperate for a more organized home? Perhaps you’re a candidate for using the KonMari method!

Is the KonMari Method for Me? Here’s a breakdown of what the KonMari method of decluttering entails and how to answer the question Is the KonMari method for me?

Building a pool requires lots of planning and complex work. Let’s jump into the details to see if that sapphire oasis is right for you.

So You Want to Build a Swimming Pool Before you take the plunge and build a swimming pool, take a look at this inventory of all the elements you need to consider before construction can begin.

Houses with furnishings in place sell better than those whose rooms are empty. Physically staging a house with actual furniture can be expensive and time-consuming, but with "virtual staging" it’s easy and economical to make a house look like home!

Using Virtual Home Staging to Sell Your House Bringing in furniture to stage empty rooms is expensive. Get that benefit without the work and cost by using virtual home staging to enhance your listing.

Investing in an island home: A financial risk or reward?

You’re ready to redo a room in your house. But how do you know whether you need an interior designer or decorator?

Interior Decorator Versus Designer: What’s the Difference? Many people use the terms interior decorator and interior designer interchangeably. What’s the difference, and who do you need for your job?

What is a conforming mortgage loan, and why does it matter to you as a borrower? Learn here.

What’s the Difference Between a Conforming and a Conventional Mortgage? When you are shopping for mortgages, you may come across the term conforming loan. Is that something different than a conventional product?

One of the costs paid at closing is the real estate transfer fee. What is this fee, and what is its significance to you?

What You Need to Know About Real Estate Transfer Fees Real estate transfer fees are one of several costs paid at a home purchase closing. What is this fee, who pays it and how much is it?

Here's to entering a healthy, happy and hopeful New Year!

Which element in this photo would inspire you to choose this design collection?

You can make a small balcony feel like a park with these expansive decorating ideas.

Making Your Balcony a Relaxing Oasis If you live in a small urban apartment or condo, you can relieve any claustrophobia and enjoy the outdoors with a smartly styled balcony.

A radiant floor heating system eliminates the uneven heating you get throughout the house with a traditional duct-and-vent system. Heat your home from your feet up with radiant floors.

Warm Your Toes With Radiant Floors Radiant floors are a home heating method that doesn’t use traditional HVAC air ducts. Here’s what you need to know about radiant floors.

I’m moving overseas. Can I just buy an adaptor for all my electronics and appliances? Find out here.

Should I Take My Appliances When Moving Abroad? Here’s a guide to what appliances can be easily moved abroad and what should probably be left behind in your home country.

‘Tis the season! Wishing you a Christmas filled with love, joy and laughter.

What's your style - A or B?

Don’t spoil the delight of planting a beautiful tree or building a deck by hitting a utility line. Call before you dig!

Watch Out for that Utility Line on Your Property! Before you pull out the shovel and start digging, take steps to avoid hitting a utility line, which could turn a dream project into a nightmare.

Reality TV design shows have romanticized living in a barndominium. Do they live up to the hype? Here are the pros and cons of making a home from a barn.

Is a Barndominium the Right Home for You? Reality TV design shows have popularized converting old barns into homes, known as barndominiums. Before spend money on one, let’s take a look at the facts.

Lowly, drab concrete has undergone a Cinderella transformation. Durable yet easily customizable, concrete is stepping out in style.

Boring No More! Trends in Decorative Concrete If you think concrete couldn’t be more bland, think again. Today’s decorative concrete can be a design powerhouse. Take a look at these great examples.

Get-Togethers with your BFFS: Home or Restaurant?

Dreaming of relaxing in your own home sauna after a stressful day of work? That’s the life! Here are the benefits and disadvantages of adding a sauna to your home.

Pros and Cons of Home Saunas Relaxing in a sauna at a fitness center may make you wonder about owning one at home. Here are the pros and cons of adding a home sauna.

A loft apartment or condo can be a funky, chic place to live, but there can also be disadvantages to loft living. Weigh the positives and negatives with this handy guide.

Would You Love Loft Living? Urban loft living is a stylish way to take repurposing to a whole new level. Read on to find out whether loft living is right for you.

Do you see beauty? ...or a mish-mash of objects that need dusting?

Opinions vary on how often to wash bed sheets. Read this guide on how to practice good bedding hygiene.

How Often Should You Wash Your Bed Sheets? Is there any place on earth cozier than your own bed? Here’s our guide to keeping bed sheets clean from all that microscopic stuff in the bed.

May the wonderful Spirit of Hanukkah follow you throughout the holiday season.

Those glistening, glittery Christmas decorations seem like toys to playful pets but can harm them. Here’s how to decorate beautifully without putting your fur babies at risk.

Holiday Decorating and Pet Safety Your pet can get hurt in a romp with the Christmas tree or holiday decorations. Here are some ideas for maintaining pet safety during the holidays.

Which element do you think makes the most dramatic impact in this bathroom?

Robocalls are a growing frustration for Americans. Protective apps for cell phone are abundant, but how can you stop these irritations on your landline?

Stopping Robocalls on Your Home Landline There’s no good time to receive annoying robocalls. Mobile carriers have apps to protect users, but how can you repel this scourge on your home’s landline?