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House To Home

Average long-term mortgage rates dip for 9th straight week

By MATT OTT Associated Press Business Writer The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate retreated for the ninth straight week to reach its lowest level since May. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dipped to 6.61% from 6.67% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ...

Camellias don’t deserve their reputation as garden divas

Camellias, known as “the queens of the winter flowers,” have for some reason been saddled with an unfair reputation as being difficult. Yes, they are susceptible to fungal diseases and scale insect infestations, but so are many other plants. And it’s true they don’t like salt spray or ...

Unveiling homeownership challenges

By AMAKA CHUKWUMA Wealth of Geeks Recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) findings show that in 2021, the denial rate for home purchase applications declined, standing at 8.3%. This decline marked a significant drop from the preceding years’ figures of 9.3% in 2020 and ...

A slow transition to winter keeps houseplants healthy

My mandarin orange tree and spider plants enjoyed a longer vacation than I did, having spent the entire summer outdoors on the back deck. But the party ended late last month when frost threatened. So I gave them a thorough hose drenching -- leaves and all -- to remove any would-be hitchhikers ...