Derek Veldhouse

As the leaves change color, and the air gets cooler, fall signals more than just pumpkin spice lattes and cozy sweaters. For homeowners, autumn offers a prime window of opportunity. It could be the final chance to get your home ready for the harsh winter days ahead. By protecting your home now, you’ll have to worry less about emergency repairs during the coldest days. You’ll also make sure your family stays comfortable when the temperatures drop. Why Fall Maintenance Matters

For a household that hosts, that is roughly twenty Sundays of people in the living room, plus a playoff run and a February party. Most buyers tour with a list built around bedrooms, bathrooms and commute. Hosting rarely makes that list, which is how a house that checks out on paper ends up with eight friends in October and four of them standing behind the couch watching the screen sideways. A game day house is a home whose main gathering room seats everyone facing a single sc

Selling your house this fall is absolutely doable. But there’s something you need to know about this time of year. Buyer activity typically starts to slow while the number of homes for sale climb – and you need the right strategy to get attention in this type of market. The good news? There’s a lot you can control. From how you price and present your house to how you negotiate and respond to feedback. Here are four things you’ll want to get right this fall. #1: Price To Get

The Des Moines metro housing market saw more homes come onto the market in August, giving buyers additional options. While closed and pending sales cooled during the hottest month of the year, home prices remained strong, providing evidence that the housing market remains robust. “August brought a welcome increase in inventory for buyers across the Des Moines metro,” said Scott Steelman, Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® president. “While sales activity was somewhat s

You’ve worked hard to get your home ready to sell, accommodated open houses and showings, and kept your house in pristine condition for weeks. Now you have an accepted offer in hand. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but what do you need to finally get there? In this guide, you’ll learn what happens between an accepted offer and closing the deal. You’ll get answers to questions like “Can a seller back out of an accepted offer?” “What happens if a condition isn’t

If your current home isn’t meeting your financial and lifestyle needs, you might be deciding to refinance or move to a new home. Refinancing can free up funds for other uses, including renovations, but moving gets you into a home that works for you right away. Both options have numerous pros and cons, making the decision much more difficult. In this guide, we help you make the “refinance or move” comparison so you can settle on what’s right for you and your family. Refinancin

Getting a home ready for the school year works best around four functional zones: a dedicated work zone for kids, smart storage that keeps daily clutter out of sight, a quiet office for working parents and a mudroom that catches gear at the door. Each one solves a specific problem that shows up once schedules fill back up. The same spaces matter whether a family is settling into a current home, shopping for a new one before the year starts or preparing a home to sell, since f

That spare room on the main floor. The finished basement with a kitchenette and its own entrance. The bonus room you’ve been using for storage. To you, it’s extra space. But to a growing pool of buyers, it’s the reason they’d pick your house. Here’s why. Multi-generational homebuying is on the rise. Millions of Families Are Living Multi-Generationally The number of multi-generational households is climbing. That’s when 3 or more generations live under one roof. And data shows

No starter home checks every box, and that’s perfectly normal. For most buyers, a first home is an opportunity to build equity, establish financial stability, and create a foundation for future moves. Buyers who feel good about their purchase usually focus on the features that matter most while remaining flexible on items that can be improved over time. If you’re wondering what to expect from a first home, here’s where REMAX professionals suggest focusing your attention. What

Four trends define home design in summer 2026: seamless indoor-outdoor living, soft minimalism, Mediterranean revival and dedicated wellness spaces. They share more than a season. All four favor natural materials and warm neutrals, and all four rethink rooms around daily life instead of formality. The wall between the kitchen and the patio is disappearing. Minimalism is getting warmer. Stone and terracotta are back. And the formal dining room is losing ground to the sauna. He

Local knowledge matters more than ever because the real estate market does not move the same way in every city, neighborhood, or price range. National headlines can show broad trends, but they rarely explain what buyers and sellers should do in one specific local housing market. Local housing market data show which homes are selling, how long they are taking to sell, how prices compare with recent sales, and how buyers are responding. That context can help buyers make stronge

The Des Moines metro housing market continued its strong summer performance in June, with gains in a number of metrics, reflecting sustained buyer demand and a healthy supply of homes across the region. "June's housing statistics highlight a market that continues to perform well as we move through the summer," said Scott Steelman, president of the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®. "More homes are available for buyers and sales activity remains strong. These are all s

Homeownership has started to feel out of reach for many buyers, especially younger households trying to enter the market for the first time. For Gen Z and millennial buyers, the path to buying now takes more planning, more patience, and a clearer strategy. Still, feeling priced out today does not mean the door is closed for good. The question ‘why can’t I buy a house’ usually points to a few connected roadblocks, from financing to market timing. Once those barriers to homeown

Buying your first home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make, and many smaller decisions feed into it. One of the things first-time home buyers ask is “How much house can I afford?” The answer depends on some key variables: Salary Credit score Down payment The interest rate you qualify for The market you’re buying in With data from REMAX and input from our real estate experts, this guide goes through how each of these variables helps to answer the questio

You do not need a contractor, a permit or a six-month timeline to love your home again. Micro home makeovers, the practice of making small, intentional updates one room at a time, deliver a visible payoff in a single weekend. The idea has real momentum: Pinterest’s 2026 Spring Trends Report identified micro renovations as one of the year’s defining home trends, with users searching for ways to personalize their spaces without the cost of a full project. Whether you just got t

When weighing a condo vs townhouse vs single family home, the right choice comes down to lifestyle, budget, and how much ownership responsibility a buyer is ready to take on. Choosing the right property type is just as important as choosing the right neighborhood or price point. Condos, townhouses, and single family homes each come with their own rhythm of ownership. From what gets maintained to how much freedom buyers have over their space, each one is different. There is n

The Des Moines metro housing market continued to gain momentum in May, with rising inventory and steady sales signaling a healthy transition into the busy summer homebuying season, according to statistics from the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®. "May's housing data reflects a market that continues to provide opportunities for both buyers and sellers," said Scott Steelman, president of the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®. "Inventory is expanding, giving buye

Buying your first home used to come with a standard script. Start small, build equity, sell, and move up. That was the classic property ladder. But today’s market has made that path less predictable. Higher home prices, elevated mortgage rates, tight inventory, and changing lifestyle needs have many buyers asking a bigger question. Should I buy a starter home first, or stretch for the forever home from the beginning? The answer depends on your budget, timeline, and long-term

Many renters wonder whether renting is a waste of money or makes more financial sense than buying a home. Renting offers flexibility and lower upfront costs, but those advantages often come with long-term tradeoffs. For renters who have stayed in the same market for years, rising rent and lost equity can add up to a significant opportunity cost. The question is not whether renting always costs more, but whether it costs more for your situation. Key Takeaways Renting often cos

Curb appeal trends are plenty, but what will have staying power, what works with your budget, and even your regional style preferences are worth considering when choosing which updates to make. To help make your home's exterior give the best first impressions, we’ve checked in with an all-star crew of home design experts to outline the curb appeal trends worth investing in for 2026 and beyond. 1. Shades of Green Sara McDaniel, designer, renovator, and creator of Simply Southe