Gardening Tips for First-Time Homeowners
June 16, 2025
Getting into gardening doesn’t have to be intimidating. The right plants can add beauty to your lawn, boost curb appeal, and even put fresh food on your table.
Getting into gardening doesn’t have to be intimidating. The right plants can add beauty to your lawn, boost curb appeal, and even put fresh food on your table.
As inspectors, our job is to help clients see beyond the paint and plaster, separating serious concerns from harmless imperfections. Some issues signal costly repairs ahead, while others are purely cosmetic and easy to fix.
Whether you’re buying your first home or just brushing up on the process, this guide covers everything you need to know: what a home inspection is, what inspectors look for, and what to do once you get the report.
Because attics are rarely used, homeowners often overlook them entirely. Many become cluttered storage spaces, making access difficult and sometimes even dangerous.
FPE Stab-Lok panels are widely recognized as a red flag for home inspectors, electricians, and insurers alike. But what led to this poor reputation among industry professionals?
New responsibilities and decisions can stack up quickly, but that doesn’t mean you have to feel overwhelmed! With the right clarity and know-how, buying a home can be smooth and even enjoyable.
Millions of Millennials are finally feeling comfortable transitioning from renter to owner, and their unique needs are having an effect on which properties are most sought after.
As we enter into the fall, the college football and NFL seasons are finally underway. Practice is over, and the time for speculation and prognostication has ended. Now it’s time for players to make plays, and for all of the hours put in during the offseason to lead to some tangible results. In other words, it’s game time. Success at any level of football ultimately goes back to the playbook: both the team’s knowledge of the plays and whether those plays fit the team’s personnel. The right playbook really can be the difference between just another mediocre season and taking home some hardware, so you can bet that fans everywhere are hoping their teams did their homework heading into this season. In our everyday lives, we usually do not have the benefit of a playbook to help us make our decisions. We don’t have a personalized guide we can follow to file our taxes, no coaches telling us which car to buy, and no scouting report that outlines how we should raise our kids. But when it comes to buying and maintaining a home (shockingly), we sort of do. When purchasing a house, buyers order a home inspection from a
Becoming a new homeowner can feel intimidating to some. Between maintaining your yard, keeping major systems in good repair, and identifying costly projects like installing new flooring or countertops, there’s certainly a learning curve that comes along with the homeownership experience. With that said, veteran homeowners will undoubtedly say the experience is worth it! Over time, new homeowners naturally have to pick up many skills to keep their property in tip-top shape. Starting with simple fixes, their knowledge of home systems tends to expand until they’re ready and confident enough to DIY a new deck, handle a moderate plumbing repair, or dive into any ambitious “handyman” job. Understandably, these types of projects can still feel far-off for most newer homeowners, but there are options for those looking to get their feet wet with a more approachable DIY job. Refinishing wooden furniture is a fabulous way to give a piece new life, and although this task requires time commitment and determination, the basic knowledge required is not very demanding. So, if you’d like to take your first steps in becoming a DIY Pro around the house, here’s a basic outline on how to refinish your furniture. Step 1: Clean Once you’ve
Between wearing green, spotting four leaf clovers, and being surrounded by little men with red beards, St. Patrick’s Day is full of lighthearted and strange traditions for families and friends to enjoy. Everybody can always use a little extra luck in their lives, and throughout the years, families have come up with plenty of unique traditions to usher in some good fortune as they move into their new homes. In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at some of these superstitions to make your next move jinx-free! Lay a Positive Foundation Depending on how early in the process people begin to interact with their new home, many believe in writing positive messages on the frames of their houses and behind the drywall, and even scattering coins in the foundation in hopes that good, fortunate days are ahead. These traditions may be traced all the way back to “foundation deposits,” where groups in ancient Egypt and Sudan buried sacrificed animals, valuable tools, and pottery underneath cornerstones of important buildings in blessing rituals (according to historians at the Egyptian Museum in Manchester). Today, items that new homeowners place within their foundation and in their framing are a bit more
Getting into gardening doesn’t have to be intimidating. The right plants can add beauty to your lawn, boost curb appeal, and even put fresh food on your table.
As inspectors, our job is to help clients see beyond the paint and plaster, separating serious concerns from harmless imperfections. Some issues signal costly repairs ahead, while others are purely cosmetic and easy to fix.
Whether you’re buying your first home or just brushing up on the process, this guide covers everything you need to know: what a home inspection is, what inspectors look for, and what to do once you get the report.
Because attics are rarely used, homeowners often overlook them entirely. Many become cluttered storage spaces, making access difficult and sometimes even dangerous.
FPE Stab-Lok panels are widely recognized as a red flag for home inspectors, electricians, and insurers alike. But what led to this poor reputation among industry professionals?
New responsibilities and decisions can stack up quickly, but that doesn’t mean you have to feel overwhelmed! With the right clarity and know-how, buying a home can be smooth and even enjoyable.
Millions of Millennials are finally feeling comfortable transitioning from renter to owner, and their unique needs are having an effect on which properties are most sought after.
As we enter into the fall, the college football and NFL seasons are finally underway. Practice is over, and the time for speculation and prognostication has ended. Now it’s time for players to make plays, and for all of the hours put in during the offseason to lead to some tangible results. In other words, it’s game time. Success at any level of football ultimately goes back to the playbook: both the team’s knowledge of the plays and whether those plays fit the team’s personnel. The right playbook really can be the difference between just another mediocre season and taking home some hardware, so you can bet that fans everywhere are hoping their teams did their homework heading into this season. In our everyday lives, we usually do not have the benefit of a playbook to help us make our decisions. We don’t have a personalized guide we can follow to file our taxes, no coaches telling us which car to buy, and no scouting report that outlines how we should raise our kids. But when it comes to buying and maintaining a home (shockingly), we sort of do. When purchasing a house, buyers order a home inspection from a
Becoming a new homeowner can feel intimidating to some. Between maintaining your yard, keeping major systems in good repair, and identifying costly projects like installing new flooring or countertops, there’s certainly a learning curve that comes along with the homeownership experience. With that said, veteran homeowners will undoubtedly say the experience is worth it! Over time, new homeowners naturally have to pick up many skills to keep their property in tip-top shape. Starting with simple fixes, their knowledge of home systems tends to expand until they’re ready and confident enough to DIY a new deck, handle a moderate plumbing repair, or dive into any ambitious “handyman” job. Understandably, these types of projects can still feel far-off for most newer homeowners, but there are options for those looking to get their feet wet with a more approachable DIY job. Refinishing wooden furniture is a fabulous way to give a piece new life, and although this task requires time commitment and determination, the basic knowledge required is not very demanding. So, if you’d like to take your first steps in becoming a DIY Pro around the house, here’s a basic outline on how to refinish your furniture. Step 1: Clean Once you’ve
Between wearing green, spotting four leaf clovers, and being surrounded by little men with red beards, St. Patrick’s Day is full of lighthearted and strange traditions for families and friends to enjoy. Everybody can always use a little extra luck in their lives, and throughout the years, families have come up with plenty of unique traditions to usher in some good fortune as they move into their new homes. In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at some of these superstitions to make your next move jinx-free! Lay a Positive Foundation Depending on how early in the process people begin to interact with their new home, many believe in writing positive messages on the frames of their houses and behind the drywall, and even scattering coins in the foundation in hopes that good, fortunate days are ahead. These traditions may be traced all the way back to “foundation deposits,” where groups in ancient Egypt and Sudan buried sacrificed animals, valuable tools, and pottery underneath cornerstones of important buildings in blessing rituals (according to historians at the Egyptian Museum in Manchester). Today, items that new homeowners place within their foundation and in their framing are a bit more