Jonathan and Drew Scott

“Property Brothers” stars Jonathan and Drew Scott may make real estate look fun as they renovate houses on HGTV, but they also know that buying a house can be a daunting endeavor, especially today. Though many might worry that the current high interest rates and unpredictable market swings make this a terrible time to buy, the Scott brothers stand firm that it’s never a bad time—if you find the right house.

“You can make a good purchase in real estate whether it’s an up market, sideways market, rates up or down,” Jonathan says. “The big thing is you need all your information.”

To help shed light on exactly what info homebuyers need, the property brothers chatted with Realtor.com® as part of their partnership with Chase Bank to reveal some top real estate trends they’re seeing as well as their best advice for today’s homebuyers and sellers. They also shared some somewhat mortifying details about their own first foray into homebuying decades ago, as well as what they hope to do (and whom they hope to meet) down the road.

Can you tell us about your first time buying a home?

Jonathan Scott: We found a house that needed a ton of work. We didn’t have a bunch of cash lying around, so we saved a little bit of money. But really, the seller had to sell. He ended up doing a vendor take-back mortgage (aka owner financing) for a lot of his equity, which helped. It was a big eye-opener for us that there isn’t just one way to buy a house.

Here’s how to dress it up and choose the tools you’ll need — before you build that first roaring fire.

Although the 300-page sales contract was daunting and agent representation falls short, Inman founder Brad Inman discovered that Paris offers a lot to love, and laws that protect its citizens.

Incremental changes, one action at a time, one day at a time, will add up to behaviors that, when repeated consistently, will deliver the results you want in the year that lies ahead.

While the real estate market always presents challenges and variables, the way you respond is up to you and you alone, writes luxury agent and coach Amie Quirarte. With 2023 on the horizon, what better time to start implementing her favorite strategies than now?

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Also called “demand-type” or “instantaneous water heaters,” tankless water heaters deliver warm water only when you want it. Conventional water heaters, on the other hand, perpetually heat water whether you need it or not.

Traditional hot water tanks use electricity or gas to heat and store hot water until that magic moment you decide to take a shower or wash your dishes. As faucets dispense hot water, cold water refills the tank, and the heating process begins again.

If you use hot water faster than your tank can warm the water, you’ll find yourself feeling the side effects, in the form of a cold shower.

Tankless devices, on the other hand, heat water on the way to your faucet; as the name implies, there is no the storage tank. When you turn on the hot water tap, cold water flows into your tankless unit, which uses a much more intense electric current (or blast of gas) to quickly heat water on the way out your tap. Theoretically, the supply of hot water is unlimited.

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This is a question you might face when it comes time to sell your place. Basically, it means that before this transaction can go through, you’ll have to deal with this lien, which is placed on property by entities that claim you owe them money. Here’s everything you need to know about what happens when you have a lien on your house.

What is a lien?

A lien is a legal notice that’s placed on file as a consequence of an unpaid debt. If you haven’t paid your real estate taxes, for example, the government might impose a lien on your property. A mechanic’s lien or a construction lien might be placed by a contractor who’s done work on your home but hasn’t been paid.

How a lien is found

Before a property sale can go through, a title company is brought in to find out whether or not a seller has the legal right to sell the property. To do that, the title company searches public records for liens on the property, meaning anyone who has a claim to a portion of the money should the property be sold.

Many sellers may already be aware of liens filed on their property, but some may come as a surprise, says Barbara Carrollo-Loeffler, director of consumer and residential lending at Provident Bank in Jersey City, NJ.

Realtor.com

Looking for something historical with a side of spooky? Then you just might be interested in the hauntingly beautiful farmhouse located at 946 Goram Rd. in Brogue, PA.  It’s listed for $950,000.

The atmospheric abode holds a key role in Cameron Beyl’s horror film, “The Veil,” set to hit theaters in 2023. A preview of the flick notes that the cinematic story incorporates science fiction and mystery, and promises “intrigue and strange enigmas.”

The restored stone farmhouse, which is the main setting of the film, is one of the oldest in the region. It was built in the late 1700s and used for many years as a wheat mill.

Original farm equipment can still be found throughout the property’s three buildings, which include the main house, the garage, and a Scottish-Irish log barn. There’s a grand total of nine bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.

iStock; homedepot.com

A reverse osmosis water filter helps homeowners get better-tasting water by removing certain elements. After installing a reverse osmosis system, many folks appreciate the high-quality water that comes out of their taps; the water tends to taste and smell better, and the ice cubes are clear.

“It’s as if you’re drinking bottled water without the bottles,” says Mike Paice, a water specialist with the Sunny Plumber in Las Vegas.

Evian-quality water flowing freely from your kitchen faucet? It sounds like a real money saver, especially if you frequently buy bottled water. Read on to learn if installing an RO water filter in your home is a good decision for you.

What to know

Water that runs through an RO system is filtered a number of times: through two different types of liquids and a permeable film that allows through only the water molecules. Therefore, the water that comes out of your faucet will be rid of impurities but still have important minerals.

Photo courtesy of Bella's Landscaping via Houzz

After the past few years of climbing home prices—and a pandemic that made even spacious homes feel cramped—you’d be forgiven for fantasizing about moving your brood into a big country house.

One way to make it happen? A barndominium is what you get when you convert an old barn into a luxurious condominium-style abode. (You can also build your own from scratch.)

We’ve been just as curious as you are about these nontraditional country homes. So we talked to folks who have lived in (or sold) these unique homes. Here are the main pros and cons for all would-be barndominium dwellers.

Pro No. 1: Rural lifestyle

All the barndominium owners we spoke to echoed a similar line of thought: Living in one is a great option if you’re looking for a simple, rural lifestyle for your family.

Windermere Offers will allow people working with the brokerage's agents to compare various options for selling their homes.

Realtor.com

A beachfront home with three swimming pools but no real kitchen has hit the market for just under $6 million.

Ron Rice, founder of sun-lotion company Hawaiian Tropic, built the Ormond Beach, FL, spread in 1987 as a party palace.

Known as the “Suntan King,” Rice died in May at the age of 81. But his real estate legacy shines on.

Courtesy Realty Pros Assured

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“Gentleman’s farm,” which crops up in real estate listings, describes property where people farm just for fun rather than to make a living.

The term dates back to the 19th century, when retired sea captains and shipping agents returned to Nantucket and started their own farms and dairies,” explains Mark Quindoy, a real estate agent with eXp Realty, in San Diego. “It’s merely a gentleman who farms for pleasure, not for profit or survival.”

Pull up an episode of the 1960s TV show “Green Acres,” starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, and you’ll get the picture of this agricultural pursuit portrayed as a merry pastime, rather than a make-or-break grind where you battle locust swarms, blight, and other problems. Farming can be a good time!

Tax implications

Gentleman’s farms are often lumped together with hobby farms—pleasure farms that aren’t necessarily on a big piece of property, but may literally be in your backyard. It’s often part of a larger estate, notes Christy Murdock Edgar, a real estate agent in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.

Six out of 10 borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth bought or refinanced their homes in 2022, according to the latest Black Knight Mortgage Monitor.

Realtor.com

If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of movie history, now is your chance.

The restored beachfront inn featured in “Nights in Rodanthe” has once again surfaced on the market; and it could be yours, if you’re willing to splash out $1,699,000—a price drop of $100,000 from its initial listing in October.

Located in Rodanthe, NC, the six-bedroom inn is the setting for the 2008 Richard Gere and Diane Lane film.

Based on Nicholas Sparks‘ 2002 novel, the romance tells the story of Adrienne Willis (played by Lane), who is tasked with watching over her friend’s inn for a weekend. The only guest is Dr. Paul Flanner (played by Gere). The two spark as they sort out the complexities in their lives.

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If you’re looking to rent or buy a spacious apartment with few walls closing you in, loft living can be your ticket to happiness. As its “lofty” description suggests, these studio apartment buildings are characterized by their soaring ceilings, concrete or hardwood floors, and open, all-one-room floor plans.

Characteristics of a loft apartment

Loft apartments are typically converted factories or other industrial buildings, and often highlight this architectural history by leaving many of their raw features intact. These apartments often have exposed brick walls, high ceilings, visible piping and support beams, and wood or concrete floors. These features are actually a large part of the apartments’ charm.

“Converted loft apartments have more of a cool factor than a typical condo does,” says David Kean, a Realtor® in Beverly Hills who lived in a Los Angeles loft for seven years.

A brief history of loft apartments

Although there’s debate about when loft apartments originated—some say urban homesteaders converted industrial spaces to lofts as early as the 1940s—these wide-open studio apartments began finding their groove in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the SoHo district of New York City, at the time a wasteland of abandoned sweatshops and retired factories.

A Mediterranean-style house in Altadena, a three-bedroom retreat in Palm Springs and a Spanish-style home in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Chasidy Decker was forced out of her Meridian, Idaho, mobile home because it was parked in a residential neighborhood, which violated city codes. Now she's suing the city because its action left her unhoused.

HGTV

Erin and Ben Napier have returned for Season 7 of their hit show, “Home Town“—and in the premiere episode, they renovate a house very near and dear to their hearts: their own!

In “The Country House,” Erin and Ben head just outside of Laurel, MS, to work on the property that they plan to use as a country getaway.

“To us, vacation is really just being away from technology and work,” Erin explains.

“So we bought a place in the country,” Ben says.

Broker Connect at Inman Connect New York offers two in-depth hours of education on how best to position your company in this constantly-changing industry by learning from experts in the field.