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Q: I have heard the term Universal Design related to a new concept in residential construction, I but don’t understand the term. Can you elaborate?

6 tips you can impress a homebuyer

With today’s chang-ing housing market, the opportunities to buy a home are tremendous. Interest rates are low, prices are competitive, and the government recently extended the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit while adding a new $6,500 repeat buyer tax credit.

Second time around for first-time buyer credit

The second time around, first-time home buyers aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from house-purchase tax credits.

A wealth of ideas to help get fit at home

So the economy has you rethinking that gym membership, and now you’d like to start working out at home – but you don’t know where to put all that cumbersome exercise equipment. Or perhaps, you already have the equipment, but your Nordic Track has become just another interesting focal point in the family room and your exercise bike serves as a clothes tree in your bedroom. With careful space planning and the addition of few items of comfort and inspiration, you can create a functional exercise area that will support you in your physical fitness, as well as be an integral part of your home’s decor.

5 important questions to ask about green products

One of the easiest and best ways for homeowners to go green is to tap into the growing array of furnishings, systems and home-related products that incorporate recycled materials rather than see them end up in a landfill. Options range from tiles made from recycled glass to highly efficient insulation made from cellulose (newspaper). And because of improved technologies and wider appeal, many of today’s sustainable, recycled choices are no more expensive than comparable non-green competitors, which has been a concern of cash-strapped homeowners and their design professionals.