FRIDAY - JUNETEENTH

Traditional Kitchen by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Beach Glass Interior Designs

June Home Checklist, Bay Area Home Equity Lending Surges, Tech Companies Expanding in Silicon Valley, Top 5 Home Buyer Mistakes & How to Avoid Them, Why Renters Are Ending Up in the Suburbs, Home Price Gains of 20% Vanish As Hottest Markets Cool, Create the Illusion of An Entry Hall.

Enjoy!

Bay Area home equity lending surges, funding home improvement projects - A growing number of Bay Area homeowners are starting long-delayed improvement projects, boosting business for the remodeling industry -- one of the hardest hit by the housing crash -- and signaling renewed confidence in the economic recovery. The increase is spurred by an uptick in home equity loans, with the money being used for basic projects rather than elaborate overhauls, according to banks and remodeling contractors.

A Valley Grows Wider by the Bay - As technology companies seek bigger and better offices, property owners have been closely tracking which ones are moving to cities versus the suburbs. In the San Francisco Bay area's tech corridor, a pattern is crystallizing: Even as they expand their urban presence in pursuit of younger employees, tech giants are doubling down on their Silicon Valley campuses with an eye to both space and the lifestyle of maturing workforces.

Top 5 Mistakes Home Buyers Make — And How to Avoid Them - From the beginning of your home search through closing escrow, there’s an awful lot to think about and do. It’s not unusual to make a mistake along the way. But with the financial stakes so high, a false move can end up costing you a lot of money.

Many seek new homes near cities but are priced out - Americans increasingly say they prefer to live near the centers of cities and towns, where commutes are typically shorter and culture, restaurants and entertainment close by. It marks a shift away from the yearning for open suburban space that drove U.S. home construction for decades. But it carries a costly trade-off: Land in many cities has surged in price. And fewer Americans can now afford newly built homes in the walkable neighborhoods they desire.

Why Renters Are Ending Up in the Suburbs - In fast-growing suburbs and exurbs, rentals are the major force driving growth—just not multifamily rentals. Due to an abundance of stock left over from the single-family housing boom (and the subsequent Great Recession), this housing stock is being opened to a new generation of suburban renters by investors who bought up inventory only to rent it out.

Home Price Gains of 20% Vanish as Hottest Markets Cool - “Big price increases mean there are fewer bargains to be found, and the closer prices get to where they should be, the less prices will rise,” Jed Kolko, chief economist at the property-data provider, said in a telephone interview. “I’d be surprised if we see markets getting back to 20 percent-plus gains. More inventory should be coming onto the market, investor activity is declining and affordability is worsening.”

No Entry Hall? Create the Illusion of One - You can create the feeling of an entry hall even when your door opens straight into the living room. Here are 13 tricks to try. My favorites: