5 Common Yard Items That Could Be Secretly Driving Your Neighbors Nuts

Have you noticed your neighbors aren’t exactly friendly lately? Maybe they nearly block your driveway or don’t wave back when you smile at them. There's a chance you’ve been less-than-neighborly without even realizing it. If your yard is visible from the street or other homes, there could be a few eyesores you’re unaware of.

Want to restore the peace? It might be time to tidy up your outdoor space. Here are five things in your yard that might be annoying your neighbors.

Overflowing Trash and Recycling Bins

According to Wendy Zanders, professional organizer and declutter coach, overflowing trash and recycling bins definitely won’t score you an invitation to your neighbor’s pickleball league. While this might feel minor, constantly overflowing bins can become a major issue, especially during the warmer months when they can smell or attract pests.

“When I'm working with clients, it’s common that during our very first decluttering session, the trash and recycling bins are already full," she says. "Sometimes they’ve just missed trash day or it’s still a few days away, and we’re adding even more during the session ... If collection day is still several days away, I help my clients break down boxes as flat as possible and store them discreetly in the garage or tuck them behind a recycling bin. For trash, we can press what we can so the lids can close fully, then place the bins out of sight behind a gate.”

To remedy this problem in the future, Zanders advises tucking your trash and recycling bins behind a privacy screen, in the side yard, or inside a small shed.

Unused or Broken Furniture

While many of us have outdoor seating like dining tables or lounge chairs for our families, we often bring out extra folding chairs or a table when guests come over. But if you don’t put them away after the gathering, they can quickly become an eyesore for those around you.

Or, we simply end up leaving broken or old furniture outside that we plan on disposing of, but don’t end up doing it in a timely manner. “When I'm working with clients, so many times we are dragging out broken or unused furniture," she says. "All will be kept in the garage to either be given away in the local Facebook group, taken to a donation or to go out with bulk trash. The goal is to get it out of the home as soon as possible and be kept away from the public so as to not have visual clutter in front of the house,” explains the pro organizer.

Bright Lights

Whether it's festive string lights or wall-mounted sconces, overly bright outdoor lighting doesn't just illuminate your yard—it spills into your neighbors’ spaces too. While it might not seem like a true nuisance, lights as bright as car high beams can disrupt their privacy, interfere with their quiet enjoyment, and even wake them from sleep. So, be mindful to turn off your lights when you head inside or opt for lower-wattage bulbs.

Poorly Maintained Landscaping

We all get busy, but forgetting to prune your hedges or trim your trees can truly annoy your neighbors. From landscaping that encroaches to piles of leaves from trees that aren’t located on their property, your landscaping should be your responsibility—not the person who lives next door.

Dog Poop

Who let the dogs out? You did. And you probably didn’t notice that your dog pooped in your yard. While this might not feel like a problem—after all, it’s your yard, your neighbors may not be such big dog lovers. Not only is this unsightly and potentially smelly, but dog poop can also attract rats, which is not something you or your neighbors want in their yard. So, try to clean up after your pup in a timely manner.

Read more at Real Simple

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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Thinking of Selling the Family Home? Here’s How To Make the Most of It—for You and Your Kids

These days, it takes powerful motivations to convince older homeowners to sell their property—and more than half say they’ll never do it.

For those who do sell, the reasons include accessing their home’s equity for healthcare costs, wanting to escape the burdens of upkeep and maintenance, or seeking a quieter life in a warmer climate.

But there is another reason increasingly in play: grown kids who need help.

As the baby boomer generation finally settles into retirement, many of them have children who already have or are planning to have families of their own. And there may not be a more valuable asset to leverage in support of the next generation—and the ones to come—than their homes.

Why some people sell, and some people don’t

Baby boomers collectively hold between $18 trillion and $19 trillion worth of real estate across the country—about double what millennials claim, according to analysis from Realtor.com.®

If you’re part of that generation, and you’re hoping to pass your wealth along with “warm hands” rather than cold, what’s the best way to do it without taking a major tax hit?

“When you're thinking about selling your home, it’s usually because you want to preserve the value of the asset and pass something on to your children. But the way and timing of the sale can carry very different tax consequences,” says Laura Cowan, an estate planning attorney and founder of 2-Hour Lifestyle Lawyer. That’s because how and when you transfer the home—whether during your lifetime or after your death—directly affects how much your heirs may owe the government.

If you give your kids the home while you’re alive, they inherit your original purchase price, which can lead to big capital gains taxes later. If they inherit it after your death, the value gets “stepped up” to market price, often reducing or eliminating those taxes.

“Each situation is different. For instance, if the kids don’t plan to sell the house anytime soon, it might not matter as much right away,” says Cowan. “But generally speaking, the step-up in basis can provide a much better tax outcome.”

Take, for example, a homeowner who bought a median-priced home in 1985 for $82,800. That median-priced home today is likely worth $423,100. While this might sound like a big payday if they sell, depending on their circumstances, as much as $90,000 of the profit could be subject to capital gains tax. However, if the home is inherited after death, that tax may not apply, thanks to the step-up in basis.

This means that, in many cases, it is more tax-advantageous to give with “cold hands,” as creepy as that sounds.

Read more at Realtor.com

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Mortgage Applications Today: Home Loans Surge as Borrowers Take Advantage of Lower Rates

The demand to finance a home surged as mortgage applications increased 3.1% for the week ending Aug. 1, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The increase comes after applications decreased 3.8% the week prior.

In addition, mortgage interest rates remained fairly steady at 6.72% for a 30-year fixed mortgage, for the week ending July 31, according to Freddie Mac.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 3.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 3% compared with the previous week.

The refinance index increased 5% from the previous week and was 18% higher than the same week one year ago.

The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased 2% from one week earlier. The unadjusted purchase index increased 1% compared with the previous week and was 18% higher than the same week one year ago.

Homeowners who decided to refinance increased to 41.5% of total applications from 40.7% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 8.5% of total applications.

There was a slight decrease in Federal Housing Administration loan applications to 18.5% from 18.8% the week prior.

Veterans Affairs loan applications increased to 13.3% from 12.2% the week prior. USDA loan applications also decreased, though slightly, to 0.5% from 0.6% the week prior.

"Mortgage rates moved lower last week, following declining Treasury yields as economic data releases signaled a weakening U.S. economy. As a result, the 30-year fixed rate decreased for the third straight week to 6.77 percent," says Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist.

"Refinance applications increased to their strongest pace in four weeks after being on a downward trend the prior three weeks. The refinance share increased to almost 42 percent, its highest level since April."

Contract rates

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) decreased to 6.77% from 6.83%, with points decreasing to 0.59 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $806,500) decreased to 6.65% from 6.74%, with points increasing to 0.59 from 0.51 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

For 30-year fixed mortgages backed by the FHA, the average contract interest rate decreased to 6.47% from 6.56% , with points decreasing to 0.81 from 0.83 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 6.03% from 6.12%, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.64 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

For 5/1 ARMs, the average contract interest rate decreased to 6.06% from 6.22%, with points decreasing to 0.49 from 0.51 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

"Borrowers sought to take advantage of these lower rates, as both purchase and refinance applications increased over the week," says Kan. "Purchase activity continued to lead 2024’s pace, as increasing for-sale inventory of homes has been supporting homebuying, but on the other hand recent weakness in the economic environment has deterred some prospective homebuyers."

Mortgage rates calculated

Mortgage rates are calculated by various factors in the economy, and the length of your loan will also figure into the mortgage rate you qualify for.

The 30-year mortgage rate is tied to the yield of the 10-year Treasury note, according to Fannie Mae. As the yield on the 10-year Treasury note moves, mortgage rates follow.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note is determined by expectations for shorter-term interest rates in the economy over the duration of a bond, plus a term premium.

Read more at Realtor.com

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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First-Time Buyers Flock to Older Homes as Starter Homes Age Out

There was once a time when a homebuyer searching for their new house focused on new construction, often on the outskirts of town, in new developments—but those days are over.

The skyrocketing price of homeownership means that old and small is the new starter home, according to a new report from Cotality.

The 'new' starter home is old

"The starter home has effectively aged out," says the report's author, Cotality economist Thom Malone. "First-time buyers are priced out by high mortgage rates or lack of supply."

Nor are new builds generally geared toward the first-time buyer, unless that buyer happens to have a lot of money.

"Land costs, building material prices, and a persistent lack of housing supply has transformed new builds into high-end housing—even in more affordable regions of the U.S.," he says.

Additionally, new developments often require a cash deposit of up to 20% of the full price. Given today's prices, that could be a bundle—more than a younger person can afford.

While sales of older homes have always outstripped newer ones, given that there are so many more of them, sales of existing homes are down 2% year over year, while new-home sales are down 3.43%, says the Cotality report.

Roughly 70% of existing homes have less than the average 2,000 square feet of space that is common in new construction, indicating that many buyers are forgoing extra space in favor of a lower price tag, according to the report. (For this analysis, a starter home is defined as having a maximum of 1,500 square feet.)

Even smaller new homes can still be pricey—Cotality data shows the median price of a newly built home in April 2025 that's less than 1,500 square feet was $320,000.

While this is less than the June median national price tag of $440,950, according to Realtor.com®, it is pricier than what was available before the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2019, the median price tag was $310,000.

Real estate agents agree that more clients are asking for older homes. While affordability is key, there are other reasons as well.

"I have seen buyers opt for older homes in more established areas versus new construction because they don’t want to live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood where all of the homes look the same, there are no trees or mature landscaping and certainly deal with all of the hassle that comes with living amongst new construction being built all around them," Cara Ameer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker who is licensed in Florida and California, tells Realtor.com.

Lot sizes tend to be larger with older homes, as well, she notes. "Builders squeeze everything on 40- to 60-foot-wide lots, and you pay a premium to have some sort of view versus backing up to other homes."

"I'm seeing a noticeable shift toward older homes as today’s version of the starter home," agent Libby McKinney-Tristchler, of Team AFA/William Raveis in Southport, CT, tells Realtor.com. "For many dual-income households, the idea of a smaller, more manageable space is a lifestyle choice, too. They’re not interested in spending weekends maintaining big houses or oversized properties."

Of course, in a pricey area like Southport, with a median house price tag of $869,000, clients are looking for something more affordable.

"Buyers are telling me they’re looking for something at a price point that feels within reach, and older homes offer that opportunity," she says.

Andrea Kremer of Rooftop Realty Group represented a small (1,080-square-foot), one-owner, 70-year-old house on Edden Lane in Syracuse, NY. It was on the market only a week before finding a buyer.

"It's a simple supply-and-demand issue here," she says. "We have a lot of buyers, and we don't have a lot of inventory. As long as the house is priced correctly in a decent area and is something someone can make their own or is move-in ready to some extent, they are flying off the shelves if they are under $300,000."

The little red four-bedroom fixer-upper had a bidding war going and was sold at almost $50,000 over the list price of $129,900.

"It was probably the only home in this area for that price," Kremer says.

Re/Max agent Bruce Ailion says the trend toward older and smaller is one he is seeing in Atlanta as well.

"A decade ago, these homes would have been challenging to sell," he tells Realtor.com. But these days, 1950s-built homes that are a mere 750 to 1,100 square feet are being snapped up, either by buyers in their 20s and 30s—or their boomer/Gen X parents.

"Going smaller and older is one of the few ways to get an affordable detached home," he says.

And then there's property taxes.

"Most counties base the tax base of a home on the purchase price. A fixer-upper is going to have a lower tax base," says Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO of Echo Fine Properties in Jupiter, FL.

Quality over quantity (of square feet)

Jonathan Klemm, CEO of general contracting company Quality Builders, says he saw an opportunity when he closed on a small three-bedroom home built in 1963 for $311,000 ($173 per square foot) in Lyons, a Chicago suburb. The median price in the neighborhood is $193 per square foot.

With his background, Klemm believed he could put the work in, save money, and put his style stamp on the home. With two young daughters, he thought 1,800 square feet was as small as he could go—and it was all he and his family needed.

"Many people are more willing to put in the work and do minor cosmetic work and/or live with some of the older styles and upgrade over time," he tells Realtor.com. "I kind of wanted something I knew we could renovate. From the beginning, I was heavily leaning toward an older home in need of cosmetic touch-ups."

Many homebuyers opting for smaller, older homes believe that, unlike newer homes, they are built to last.

"I'll be the first to say it since no one in my industry wants to say it: New homes are crap," Los Angeles real estate investor Jameson Tyler Drew tells Realtor.com. He also sells in his home state of Indiana.

He says that while new construction is a "solid chunk" of his sales, those homes tend to be plagued with issues.

"These homes—and I'm not throwing any particular home builder under the bus because it's an industry-wide problem—almost immediately have problems upon completion," he says.

"Missing joists, cracked window welds, HVAC installed wrong, the list goes on. To make matters worse, the bigger home builders will fight you tooth and nail before they fix anything major they are responsible for."

"I've seen new houses that somehow manage to have uneven foundations. I've seen every kind of screwup that comes with home builders not coordinating correctly and using the cheapest products they can find."

He favors historic homes built with durable materials that are hard to find in new construction.

"Floors and joists are often made of American chestnut, a tree that's nearly extinct these days," he says. "They made for extremely durable, beautiful floors. Even if you don't opt for the Victorian mansion, the cookie-cutter houses built in the 1930s-1960s still offer thicker walls and better materials than you'd find today. All for a fraction of the cost."

His advice? Go old.

"I will always advocate for my client to buy an older home over new construction every day of the week," he says.

Read more at Realtor.com

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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Pattern Drenching Is the Latest Maximalist Approach to Home Decor—Here’s How to Embrace It Without Feeling Overwhelmed

In today’s minimalist design-filled world—where neutral walls, white marble, cloud-cream couches, and abstract art in muted tones dominate—there’s a growing push for bolder interiors. Enter pattern drenching, the latest decor trend that brings color, contrast, and personality back into our living spaces.

Designers have begun moving away from the quiet luxury aesthetic that has dominated interiors in recent years, and instead, they’re embracing a touch of maximalism—specifically through pattern drenching. We spoke with an interior designer about how to bring the trend into your own home, along with key tips to keep in mind when mixing prints and patterns.

What Is Pattern Drenching?

Pattern drenching is the layering of different patterns and prints throughout a space—even ones that may not seem cohesive at first glance. This can be done through wallpaper, rugs, art, textiles, and furniture. Steven Rodel, creative director of Guy Goodfellow, says the technique takes a bit of confidence at first, but when done right, it creates a rich, eclectic look that’s completely your own. “It’s about creating a perfect orchestra,” Rodel says. “You want to mix things up so they aren’t competing, but still achieve a sense of balance.”

How to Pattern Drench at Home

Start by choosing a pattern you naturally gravitate toward, then build from there. Rodel recommends beginning with moveable, low-commitment items like throw blankets, cushions, or area rugs.

When selecting a room to experiment in, Rodel suggests starting small. Try a guest room, stairwell, or attic space before tackling larger, more central areas like the living room.

Designer-Approved Tips for Pattern Drenching

Use patterns that speak the same language. If you’re mixing florals, repeat one print somewhere else in the room to create cohesion. Or, try combining patterns in a shared color palette to establish a clear tone.

Pay attention to contrast. Rodel advises against pairing bold prints with bright white backgrounds, which can feel harsh. Instead, opt for deeper or softer background tones to create a more inviting and relaxed space.

Tell a story through the designs. “Pattern drenching is ultimately about taking joy in the mix,” Rodel says. “The goal is a space that’s layered, interesting, and full of comfortable complexity.”

Read more at Real Simple

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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