First-time homeowners who aren't prepared for the financial realities can find themselves overwhelmed once they actually have those keys in hand -- and as the housing crash and Great Recession showed us in the late 2000's, the collective consequences of unprepared homebuyers can be devastating,...

Style is as individual as human beings are, but we can generally agree that there are some style trends that should be left in the past -- some in the very recent past, others long ago -- because they make your rooms look, well, terrible. And dated. Before you jump on the latest home decorating...

If you've always rented before, then you might not have put too much thought into which neighborhood you were planting your (temporary) roots. After all, most leases are up after a year, so you can change your mind in a matter of months. Buying a house, however, is a different story: if you don't...

Buying a house -- whether it's your first or fifth -- can be a bumpy process. Between the financing, the availability (or scarcity) of homes on the market in your price range that meet your needs, the offer process, the appraisal and the inspection, there's a lot that can go wrong between deciding...

Buying your first home is a huge part of the American Dream -- and is also a daunting and potentially overwhelming process that's ripe for second-guessing everything you know. How do you know you're ready? How can you prepare yourself financially? What do you even want to buy, and where -- and what...

Despite all the technology available for finding your dream home, preparing in full still takes time and research.

If your credit is shaky, the safest bet for buying a home is to save and wait for your finances to firm up.

When is it time to stop renting a home and seriously consider buying your own place? That's a personal question and a very personal decision -- it really depends on your lifestyle, your finances, your employment plans, and many other factors that could make buying a house a really good idea, or an...

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? Do you know what to do?

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?