Gene Troutman - Fonville Morisey Realty

At a time when home prices have surged, these ZIP codes stand above all others as the most expensive in the nation.

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Traditional grass lawns, once a hallmark of suburban American homes, have started to fall out of favor.

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As interest rates drop, more renters might transition to homeownership, potentially softening the rental market further. However, high construction costs may limit new development in certain areas.

Rentals Cool—Here’s Where Concessions Are Picking Up A significant number of new rental units are coming to market, prompting landlords to offer concessions, such as free rent and parking, to attract tenants. This is especially noticeable in cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, and Austin, where over 50% of listings offered concessions.

Not all home renovations offer the same returns on investment.

These home remodeling projects offer the highest return on investment in history, report finds Forget a designer chef’s kitchen, the top projects promising the greatest returns in resale value are mostly related to a home’s curb appeal, according to Zonda’s recent cost vs. value report.

Let’s dive into how you can design and budget for a community garden that not only beautifies your surroundings but also strengthens community bonds.

Creating Community Gardens: Design and Budget Tips Have you ever dreamed of transforming a drab, unused space in your community into a vibrant garden oasis? Imagine neighbors coming together, enjoying the outdoors, and harvesting fresh produce right in your neighborhood. Community gardens are sprouting up everywhere, and for a good reason!

When you know how your pool works, the best ways to care for it, and how to plan for it, you’ll be ready to solve just about any potential pool problem that floats your way.

A Beginner’s Guide to Pool Maintenance Your swimming pool needs regular maintenance. That’s why it pays to develop a strong basic understanding of pool maintenance essentials, no matter if you have an inground, above ground, Intex®, or saltwater pool.

States across the country experienced a large decrease in the price of homes due to the increase of homes that are on the real estate market.

Home prices decrease in multiple states across U.S.

Ready to sell your home? By following these home staging rules and tips, you’ll be in the best position to sell your home for top dollar!

Home Staging Tips: Stage Your Home to Sell Fast

Are you looking for ways to bring the beach to your home?

34 Dreamy Coastal Kitchen Ideas to Inspire You From breezy color palettes to nautical accents, you will find inspiration to create a relaxing and stylish kitchen with seaside charm.

Looking for a great place to buy a beach house?

Wilmington to Corpus Christi: The 10 best places to buy a beach house based on average home prices, rental revenue and more Buying a second home, whether it's a lake house or a house on the beach, is a pretty significant investment for most. It can also come with many benefits, like a side hustle or extra income if you use the space as a rental property.

If your home has a swimming pool, there are certain things you absolutely must do to keep it looking good. These 8 critical pool maintenance tips will help ensure you enjoy your pool for years to come.

8 Critical Pool Maintenance Tips Every Owner Needs to Know While a pool can offer a lot of enjoyment to your family, it's not all fun and games. When you own a pool, it's crucial that you maintain it properly to ensure it lasts well and needs very few repairs over the years.

From fresh paint to landscaping, these are the projects experts say draw the most eyes to your property.

These Are the Top Curb Appeal Updates for 2024, According to Experts “The interior of a home is as important as the curb appeal,” says Jose Cardenas, a Global Real Estate Advisor with Premier Sotheby's International Realty. “Many stagers concentrate on the inside but we know that the first picture is the front of the home, so the curb appeal is paramount. Fresh...

Before listing their homes (or refinancing), sellers should understand the concept behind a fair appraisal.

4 Tips to Ensure Sellers Get Market Value In a perfect world, we will all buy low and sell high. In some places, home prices have increased by 47% since the start of the 2020 pandemic, meaning many should definitely be able to sell high. Unfortunately, not all appraisals have kept up with such fast-rising values. As a result, some homeowner...

According to the National Association of Realtors, decades of low levels of residential construction have created a national shortage of at least 5.5 million homes.

North Carolina Is Investing the 13th Most in More Affordable Housing Despite home price growth stabilizing, becoming a homeowner remains largely out of reach for many Americans. A recent Cato Institute housing affordability survey, conducted after the record-breaking rise in home prices during 2021 and early 2022, found that 87% of Americans are worried about housing...

Do you have a green thumb and a penchant for do-it-yourself projects that enhance your outdoor spaces?

18 DIY Planters Suitable For Outdoors From charming and rustic to modern and minimalist, these DIY planters are designed to not only elevate your garden’s aesthetic but also provide you with the satisfaction of crafting something beautiful with your own two hands.

Louisiana has a unique heritage that makes it an ideal budget-friendly vacation spot and low prices make it an attractive location for a vacation home. If that sounds right up your alley, here’s a look at the average home prices across various attractive Louisiana cities.

Could You Afford a Vacation Home in Louisiana? Check Out the Prices in New Orleans and 7 Other Cities Louisiana doesn’t get as many headlines as Hawaii, New York or Las Vegas as a vacation destination, but it certainly lives up to its name as a “sportsman’s paradise” thanks to its bountiful waterways, from the Gulf of Mexico to streams and estuaries to the mighty Mississippi River. But Louis...

Home appraisals provide essential information to buyers, sellers, and lenders.

What is a home appraisal and how does it work? While home sales are one of the biggest reasons to get an appraisal, other reasons for this report include home refinancing, applying for a home equity loan, or appealing property tax assessments.

Explore these cozy, aesthetically pleasing, and functional small balcony ideas.

28 Small Balcony Ideas That’ll Blow Your Mind There are a plethora of ways to create a chic and comfortable small balcony. Think about how you intend to use this space. It can be created for relaxing, dining, gardening, or indulging in your hobby.

Here’s what you need to know.

The Process for Buying Land with Cash in 11 Simple Steps While everyone you know is talking about buying a house, the thing you’re eyeing isn’t a building. It’s a plot of land. You’re filled with all sorts of ideas every time you drive past it. It makes you wonder: what’s the process for buying land with cash? You hope to make an offer on this p...

For instance, you inherited a house and want to sell it or you need to quickly sell a house that needs work.

Can You Sell a House As Is Without an Inspection? It’s Common With Fixer-Uppers If you’re wondering whether you can sell a house as is without inspection, the answer is not only is it possible, but in many cases these sales can benefit both the seller and the buyer.

12 best places for people in the market to buy their first home, and how they rank in the three dimensions.

12 Best Cities for First-Time Homebuyers: 2024 To determine the most favorable housing markets for first-time homebuyers, WalletHub compared 300 U.S. cities — ranging in size from fewer than 150,000 people to more than 300,000 — across these key dimensions.

With warmer weather on the horizon, consider these inspiring ideas for an outdoor space worth staying home for

25 Fun Backyard Design Ideas When the weather turns warm and agreeable, it’s time to start planning more outdoor activities. If you’re looking to spend some of your outdoor recreation time at home this year, consider these 25 design ideas for creating a fun, laid-back outdoor space you’ll never want to leave.

Check out these incredible small apartment living room decor ideas!

27 Small Apartment Living Room Decor Ideas Are you looking to maximize and transform your small living space? Check out these incredible small apartment living room decor ideas! Explore stylish and practical inspirations to make your living room cozy and inviting.

Are you on the hunt for farmhouse bathroom ideas to revamp your space? Check out these curated and swoon-worthy farmhouse bathrooms.

24 Best Farmhouse Bathroom Ideas to Inspire You It blends elements of traditional and vintage design with modern comforts to create a warm, inviting, and cozy atmosphere. This design and decorating technique never goes out of style.

Turns out, people in some states are going all-in when it comes to the latter.

Forget Keeping Up With the Joneses: The 15 States Where Homeowners Spend the Most on Home Improvement Projects In an analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data by Construction Coverage, the number of single-family home improvement loans originating in 2022 rose to nearly 750,000; that’s a big increase from approximately 550,000 in 2021.

When touring a property, most prospective buyers pay special attention to its bathrooms.

Bathroom Design Choices That Make It Harder To Sell A Home, According To Experts We reached out to some of the top real estate agents, house flippers, and experts in the industry to better understand the bathroom design choices that make it harder to sell a home.

Hold onto your designer shades: The founder of Oakley just unloaded his Malibu megamansion for a staggering $210 million, smashing all previous California real estate records.

Oakley founder sells Malibu mansion for a breathtaking $210M — setting a new record for California Eyewear mogul James Jannard, who started Oakley in 1975, is laughing all the way to the bank after buying the place for $75 million in 2012, according to real estate records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, which was first to report on the sale.

These patios, paths and driveways showcase beautiful and integrated drainage solutions

15 Outdoor Spaces That Rock Permeable Paving Permeable paving offers an alternative to concrete or other solid materials you might consider for the walking, relaxing or dining areas in your yard. In fact, some locales may even require it. Choosing a pervious ground material for at least some of your outdoor surfaces can improve your yard’s d...

In case you missed the memo, energy costs are at an all-time high.

4 Tips for Keeping Your Energy Bill Down In case you missed the memo, energy costs are at an all-time high. Most families claim that their highest monthly expense after groceries is their energy bill. However, as high as the prices may be, for many people sacrificing your comfort simply isn’t an option during hotter months when you need ...

You may be eager to buy a home that hasn't yet been listed. But here are some benefits and drawbacks to going this route.

2 Pros and Cons of Buying a Home That Hasn't Yet Been Listed The MLS is a marketplace for home sales. Real estate agents commonly list homes on the MLS for visibility so other agents and buyers can find out they exist.