So you're finally a homeowner -- congratulations! This is an important step in anyone's life, and it's absolutely normal to feel somewhat (or wildly) unprepared for the realities of owning a place of your own. What if there's an emergency, or what if something breaks?...

Moving into a new neighborhood isn't always a walk in the park, especially if you don't know anybody there. But how do you get to know your neighbors in a new environment, one that's unfamiliar to you?

When home prices continue to rise (and rise!) all over the country, some would-be homeowners are thinking about alternative paths to homeownership -- like teaming up with friends to buy a house together. This isn't a new solution, but it can feel very unusual for...

Millennials who want to invest in real estate have it harder than many other generations. Real estate prices are at record or near-record highs in just about every major market in the country, and even though employment is good, wages still haven't kept up with the...

Flipping houses can be a path to wealth if you play your cards right, but it can also result in money pits and small returns if you don't know what you're doing. To make sure that you're maximizing your investment and using your time wisely, it helps to spend some time...

One of the very best things about owning your own home is that you can change it to fit yourself and your lifestyle. Home renovations are more popular than ever before, and there are countless shows, blogs, magazines and other resources where you can indulge your...

If you've never owned a house before, then it's entirely possible that you've never deep-cleaned a house. (Hey, no shame in that game.) But when the house is yours, the desire to see it as clean and sparkling as it can possibly be is strong -- and you might have no...

Fixing up a house -- either to live in or to flip -- has become an increasingly popular dream, and it makes sense: Who doesn't love watching all those shows on HGTV while you ponder how much money you could make on your own flip (or how nice it would be to live in a...

If you're not familiar with home inspections, then you might have a lot of questions about what gets inspected, how thorough the inspectors are, why you even need one, and what you can expect if you're walking with an inspector through the house you're hoping to...

Most homeowners aren't shy about telling you how awesome it is and all about the perks of living in a house that they own ... but they're a lot less forthcoming about the ugly aspects of buying a house and the sacrifices you make.And yes, there is ugly, and there are...