Construction and design professionals are heading into 2026 with a cautiously optimistic perspective, according to the Q1 2026 U.S. Houzz Pro Industry Barometer. Many firms anticipate stable demand and growth opportunities for the year, but ongoing cost...

The low, beamed ceiling in this room in a centuries-old English house presented a challenge for kitchen specialist Chisholm Design. The firm had been tasked with creating a kitchen here where there once was none. In doing so, they needed to incorporate plentiful storage without the space feeling...

U.S. home builders pressed lawmakers on Tuesday to roll back what they describe as a growing web of federal regulations that they say is exacerbating the nation's housing affordability crisis by constraining supply and inflating construction costs. Appearing before a congressional panel focused on housing affordability, National Association of Home Builders Chairman Buddy Hughes argued that regulatory...

The federal tax bill passed in mid-2025 includes a provision marketed as “no tax on Social Security,” but it does not eliminate taxes on benefits. Instead, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands deductions for older Americans, potentially reducing federal taxes for many retirees, a finance leader recently explained. A blog post by Luke Delorme — director of financial planning at Tableaux...

AmeriTrust Mortgage Corp. has appointed Shea Pallante as chief revenue officer as the lender pursues a growth strategy that includes expanding into nondelegated correspondent channels and more than doubling its monthly origination volume. A mortgage industry veteran, Pallante joins AmeriTrust from non-QM wholesale lender Brokers First Funding. He previously served as president of now-defunct non-QM...

President Donald Trump has floated proposals to make it easier for Americans to pull from their 401(k) retirement accounts to buy a home — framing the idea as a way to boost homeownership and financial stability. But financial experts say the strategy could undermine long-term financial security, particularly as housing costs rise and retirement savings gaps widen, according to a recent report from...

It is no secret that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has faced its fair share of legal challenges over the past few years. From the commission lawsuits, to an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lawsuits over the three-way membership agreement and the now defunct, optional no-commingling rule, NAR’s legal team has been busy. As the association looks to regroup after these...

President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes has broad – even bipartisan – political appeal. Still, most housing experts doubt that it will exert a significant impact on affordability. The order could also pose risks for builders that have made a practice of selling in bulk to institutional investors in for-sale communities,...

Some homes have naturally high ceilings. Others just feel like they do — and that difference is almost always design. Ceiling height is one of the biggest drivers of how expensive and open a space feels, but it doesn’t always come down to construction. It comes down to what the eye is being encouraged to notice. Interior designers understand this instinctively. They know how to stretch vertical...

A lot of today’s most popular home design trends are built for one thing: looking good in photos. They’re airy. Minimal. Sculptural. Sometimes even intentionally off-balance — leaning mirrors, floating shelves, cantilevered furniture, tall décor perched on narrow bases. And if no one in the house is under four feet tall and fueled purely by curiosity? No problem. But add a toddler into that...