WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose at the fastest 12-month pace in more than three years in 2017, as potential home buyers fought over a limited number of available properties. Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index jumped 6.3 ...

I got a look of disbelief when I told a friend I had planted a tree that had been shipped from a nursery 2,000 miles away. As I went on to explain that the tree had been sent "bare-root," I could see him shudder. But then I showed off my robust young plant in its second year of ...

LANSING — Michigan’s homebuilding industry started 2018 on a solid upswing, according to a press release from the Home Builders Association of Michigan. Housing permits for single family home construction increased 42.1 percent in Michigan during January. According to the U.S. Census ...

High rate 4.500 1 4.000 1 Low rate 4.125 1 3.500 1 Average rate 4.375 1 3.906 1 This graphic represents a Tuesday survey of regional lending institutions. Figures are based on rates at Range Bank, First Bank of Upper Michigan, the Marquette Community Federal Credit Union and mBank.

MARQUETTE — Identifying their preferences for the type of home and neighborhood to live in are typically among the first things potential homebuyers do. Debating between the convenience of a short commute versus the spaciousness of suburban living can be challenging when deciding upon the ...

“Perfect imperfection” is a trend in furnishings and decor. “It’s a return to the artisanal and the crafted, with narrative and meaning to objects,” says Caroline Till, cofounder of the London design studio FranklinTill. “Fingerprints of process and technique are part of the ...

PHOENIX — When I moved to Phoenix last summer, I was bewildered by all the bright green grass I saw smack in the middle of the Sonoran Desert — in residential yards, on golf courses, at community parks. While the temperatures were hitting nearly 120 degrees, these perfect lawns sucked up ...

Storage pieces are not what they used to be. Changes in home design and technology mean that boxy, old-fashioned armoires, dressers and china hutches are being repurposed or are making room for cabinets, shelving and sideboards in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles. Today's decor ...

There was a time when designers and decorators considered floor coverings to be background elements in a room. Rugs and tile were meant to be practical, not attention-getting. That's changed. Now, the floor is often one of the strongest elements in a space. Today's wide range of artistic ...