Photo courtesy of Fletcher6 / Creative Commons

A widow’s walk isn’t a sad scene from a funeral. It actually has to do with an architectural feature found on many 19th-century North American homes along the coast. Also known as a roof walk or widow’s watch, it is an iconic feature of coastal homes, like those found in Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. For lovers of antique homes, the widow’s walk is definitely not something to cry about.

“’Widow’s walk’ is an architectural term for a rooftop terrace area enclosed with railings that became popular during the height of the whaling industry in New England,” says Gerard Splendore, a broker with Coldwell Banker Warburg in New York.

The architectural feature is still popular with New England homes today and is cherished for its character, intrigue, and the potential stories older homes may harbor.

What is a widow’s walk?

Also known as a viewing platform, a widow’s walk has a long and interesting history dating to the 1800s.

realtor.com

A micro-apartment is the urban equivalent of a tiny house—a small dwelling, typically under 300 square feet, some as little as 100—that is gaining popularity in pricey cities where larger apartments are financially out of reach.

These pint-sized pads give people a chance to live in the thick of things without blowing their paycheck … that is, if they’re willing to do some serious downsizing. Here’s the lowdown on micro-apartments, where you can find them, and how they make diminutive dwellings far more comfortable than you might imagine.

Where to find micro-apartments

A decade ago, micro-apartments would have been illegal in most cities. But the dearth of affordable housing options for singletons and lower-income individuals prompted a change in zoning regulations so developers could build smaller dwellings to meet this pent-up demand.

“Cities like New York City had size regulations amended in order to accommodate construction for these über small apartments,” says Steven Giles, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman.

borchee/iStock

If you’re a novice gardener, you’ve probably asked yourself all about annuals and perennials when picking out flowers at your local garden store.

Annual and perennial are classifications based on the lifespan and bloom cycle of a particular flower. It’s something that gardeners need to pay particular attention to so they can make sure their blooms thrive. 

Annuals and perennials bloom at different times and need to be maintained differently, so be sure you know what type of flower you’re planting before putting it in the ground (or flowerbed, or pot).

What kind of plants should you choose? We’re here to help you decide. Dig in to discover everything you ever wanted to know about annuals and perennials. 

cnythzl/iStock

If you ever plan to buy a house, establishing a track record of past payments is essential, because it proves to mortgage lenders that you’ve paid people back (which means they’ll be more apt to loan you money for a home).

Still, if you have no credit history—because you’re young or just never bothered—how long does it take to build it from scratch?

Here’s the straight dope: Done right, it can take as little as six months. Done wrong? It can take several years. So if you’re in a rush to establish credit to buy a home, you’ll want to know the right way to go about it! Heed this advice to learn what to do.

Building credit: A timeline

At a minimum, you need to open at least one credit card in your name. From there, you just need to make a purchase using the card, and then make a payment. Once you’ve made your payment, your creditor will report your payment to one or more of the major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian).

Plus69/iStock

Painting brick, for the most part, is entirely doable—and can give your old fireplace or brick house an easy face-lift. But you’ll want to plan carefully and do your research first. Painting brick isn’t like painting any old surface.

First up, you should know that not all brick should be painted.

Rick Watson, director of product development at Sherwin-Williams, recommends against painting brand-new, porous brick. Instead he advises opting for at least a year to pass so the brick can weather. This will also allow for leaching, a process in which alkali (mortar) and efflorescence (the white powder you sometimes spot on brick) have time to leach out of the brick before painting.

And while you can paint the outside of a fireplace, it is typically not recommended that you paint the brick inside a masonry fireplace, he says, as there is no guarantee the finish will withstand contact with open flames from a fire.

Getty Images (3)

Buying a house while simultaneously selling your current home is always a treacherous tight wire to traverse—but in today’s high-priced, high-interest-rate housing market, it’s both a blessing and a curse.

The good news for home sellers is that over the past year, demand for homes has driven prices through the roof, pushing home equity to record levels. Homeowners are essentially sitting on a pile of cash, which would definitely come in handy if they start shopping for a new home.

Yet any homebuyer out there today will also face steep mortgage interest rates, which have more than doubled over the past year to the 7% range. This has raised the cost of housing by around 70% compared with a year earlier, according to a recent analysis by Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale.

Most sellers who move would need to get a new mortgage, at a higher rate. It’s no wonder, then, that many are deciding to stay put.

David Parnes and James Harris of Million Dollar Listing LA share their secrets for success in helping investors in the shifting market. It will take thoughtful and savvy moves to keep investors purchasing into 2023.

A renovated showplace in Los Angeles, a ranch house in Sonoma and a midcentury home in Orinda.

A renovated showplace in Los Angeles, a ranch house in Sonoma and a midcentury home in Orinda.

Find out how Lancaster, California, agent Christina "Queen" Stratford learned that staying positive and connected is a winning combination.

The broadcast journalist recently painted the floors of her Florida bungalow. Some people loved the idea; others hated it.

In a discussion after Q3 earnings in which Compass reported falling revenue, Inman asked the "Selling Sunset" star to expand on remarks he made about the brokerage at ICLV back in August. He obliged.

Final Offer is a web-based offer submission and management solution offering listing marketing, home search and showing coordination.

In order to run a productive business, commercial brokers have to carve out time for tasks like marketing, networking, and continuing education. So, why make growing a business more complicated than it has to be?

Fathom Realty’s 100% commission plan, with no monthly fees and an annual cap at 12 transactions, generates the income to take your business to the next level so you can close more homes.

As the CEO of Localize, Granot saw a troubling trend. Agents and brokers are spending thousands of dollars on leads, but they only convert 0.5% to 1% of them. What happens to the rest of them?

Elm Street Academy is ready to give you a deep understanding of how to nurture your existing relationships so you can generate more repeat and referral business.

A trend has emerged in luxury real estate: Long before prospective buyers purchase properties, they consume high-end home and lifestyle content as entertainment — and leading agents are leaning in.

Tune into this session to see 3 reasons why you need a listing concierge now and how you can get every listing market-ready quickly and with $0 due until closing.

TonTectonix/iStock

Most people crave spacious homes. But, sadly, the reality is often quite different. The good news: If your bedroom or office feels cramped, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start knocking down walls or building additions to create a more open, airy ambiance. We have some answers!

Making a small room look bigger

A room’s size, after all, is as much a matter of perception as it is the nitty-gritty square footage. One easy way to create the illusion of space is to carefully choose the paint you slap on those walls.

Read on to learn what colors make a room look bigger, and get to it!

White

Designers love covering a tiny room in white paint, which promises to make even the smallest spaces feel a bit more grand. Because white reflects light, the room will feel brighter and more open. Plus, white walls give homeowners unlimited freedom to decorate (or even pick a fun, bright accent wall).