A citrus tree expert reveals how to grow a lemon tree in a pot, including getting the plant to produce fruit. Ted Betz Growing lemons in a container is easier than you may believe. “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being hard to grow, I would say lemons are a six,” says Matthew Fleming, lead horticulturist for tropical plants at the Smithsonian Gardens. Fleming cares for the potted citrus and...

Learn how to use this all-natural product around your home to polish furniture, clean pots, make crafts, and more. Andy Lyons While honey might taste better, the other product bees produce—beeswax—is just as useful. Beeswax is an extremely versatile substance because it is hydrating, durable, and insoluble in water. Because of these characteristics, beeswax is used in many commercial products...

These tips will help you create a festive outdoor space for Halloween while keeping animals safe. Jason Donnelly Decorating yards with pumpkins, lights, and seasonal displays is a beloved fall tradition. But whether you're creating a cozy autumn atmosphere or a spooky Halloween scene, some decorations can be harmful to wildlife. Here are five tips for decorating your yard this fall to make it both...

Total reconstruction cost value for these homes could exceed $174 billion According to new data from CoreLogic, an estimated 500,000 residential properties in the greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota metro areas are at risk of storm surge flooding due to Hurricane Milton. The total reconstruction cost value (RCV) for these homes is estimated at $123 billion. This projection assumes that Hurricane Milton will...

A panel of experts with the Yale School of Medicine this week offered tips for aging in place, giving service to both physical health while addressing the social and emotional well-being of older people who seek to stay in their homes as they get older. Research from multiple sources has shown that older people have an overwhelming preference to age in place in their current homes. In 2021, research...

Ginnie Mae has taken a far more active role in the reverse mortgage industry over the past two years, stemming from the failure of a major industry lender that threatened liquidity for other major players in the space. The government-owned company has long overseen the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)-backed Securities (HMBS) program, through which reverse mortgages are securitized and sold to...

After a lengthy decline precipitated by lower inflation, a cooling labor market and hints of a Federal Reserve policy change, mortgage rates appear to have bottomed out for now. According to HousingWire‘s Mortgage Rates Center, the average 30-year conforming fixed rate dropped to 6.23% on Sept. 27. That was the lowest figure of the year, but it has increased to 6.31% as of Tuesday. And 15-year...

Real estate technology platform Propy is now enabling its users to handle property inspections without leaving its app. The San Francisco-based Propy has formed a partnership with property inspection platform Inspectify, according to a joint announcement on Tuesday. Through this strategic partnership, Inspectify will be directly integrated with Propy’s platform— and users can access the features...

A housing watchdog group has filed more than 100 complaints that target more than 200 defendants for allegedly discriminating against potential housing applicants who sought to use Section 8 housing vouchers to secure a dwelling. In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that bars “housing discrimination, including discrimination through public or private land use...

In Encino Hills, a place where hillside mansions reign supreme, flat lots are outliers. But this newly built, ultra-luxurious estate in Encino Hills sits on a sprawling 1.1-acre lot of completely flat, usable land — maximizing every square inch of the property for its future owners’ gain. As such, the newly built home can offer a whole suite of amenities that aren’t easy to come by, including...