Since the pandemic began, more homeowners have been adding plants inside their homes—a closer tie to the outdoors after being cooped up indoors more. Studies have suggested that the extra houseplants are making people better at their jobs and happier too.

A recent study conducted by Cinch Home Services, a home warranty firm, found that people with five or more houseplants are more likely to indicate feeling satisfied with their jobs, productivity, happiness, and creativity.

“Bolstered by the pandemic—and being stuck inside more than they were used to—many people reported buying even more houseplants in the last 18 months, possibly to the point of having to hide their purchases from their significant others,” researchers note in the Cinch Home Services study. “Still, people we polled reported being happier and more creative and content with their jobs when they had five or more houseplants, so it’s possible the more green you have in your home the better.”

The average person owns about five houseplants, according to the survey of about 1,000 respondents. Highly extroverted people tend to own more—6.8 houseplants, on average.

The most popular reasons to add plants: to have greenery (56%), for aesthetics and decor (51%), as a hobby (43%), to boost their mood (43%), to reduce stress and increase relaxation (35%), and to improve air quality (35%).

In fact, certain houseplants tend to be linked to certain personality traits, the survey found. For example, people who scored higher in neuroticism were the most likely to be associated with the fiddle leaf fig plant(link is external). The plant has the reputation of being one of the most difficult plants to keep alive indoors.

On the other hand, people who tended to score higher in agreeableness and conscientiousness were more likely to have English ivy. Those who tend to score higher on openness within their personalities tend to gravitate toward succulents, cacti, and spider plants, the survey found.

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Classic white remains the most popular color choice in kitchens, but homeowners continue to experiment with wider palettes for that room and other areas of the home.

“With white kitchens, there’s never a risk of looking dated in a few years, while the sleek minimalistic feel is effortlessly complemented by dark counters or contrasting kitchen accessories,” says Living Cozy, a home design resource, which analyzed global search data about design over the last 12 months.

White also ranked in the three most popular for several rooms in the house that might “benefit from the illusion of more space,” such as pantries, home offices, and laundry rooms, according to the study.

Green is becoming a more common choice in kitchens, ranking second. It has emerged as one of the trendiest colors of 2022 and also ranks within the top three for all interior areas to redecorate in. Shades of sage, olive, and jade are trending, the study shows.

Blue is the third most popular kitchen color of 2022, including shades of teal, turquoise, and light blue.

An unexpected color is making more headway in bedroom design: black, according to the Living Cozy study that tracked Google searches. 2022 is seeing a rise in popularity in black-painted bedrooms, including shades of charcoal and dark gray.

In the bathroom, black colors reigned again. In more than 2.2 million worldwide Google searches for bathroom colors in 2021, black was the clear winner, according to Living Cozy.

“Black bathroom ideas are stylish, modern, and chic, and are taking over the traditional chrome and gold colors that have dominated bathroom design for years,” the researchers note. “Bathrooms in 2022 incorporate dark black design elements through fixtures, feature walls, and flooring.”

In the living room, green is trending, according to the study. “Using green in your living room design can be the perfect way to bring an essence of nature indoors without the need for plants,” the designers note. “Layering different shades of green works best, from incorporating dark hues to featuring light pistachio shades.”

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Cash-strapped clients need guidance on choosing a loan that meets their needs. Know the different types they’ll likely be interested in.

Real estate pros need to stop focusing on higher interest rates and return to the basics of business—and brokers need to help steer that ship, Peter West, broker-partner of Bishop West Real Estate in Venice, Fla., said Monday at the Idea Exchange Council for Brokers Forum during the 2023 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings(link is external) in Washington, D.C. “We’re living in the past, and sure, if you’ve only sold real estate for two to four years, then yes, this feels like a catastrophe,” he said. “But that’s not the case.”

He noted that ultra-low interest rates during the Great Recession and the years that followed won’t be coming back—nor should they. The fact that low- and no-interest mortgages existed for so long distorted perceptions both on the consumer side and on the professional side, and that’s made it difficult for newer agents, West added.

The reality, however, is that most consumers are going with the flow, and brokers should take note, pass the word along and make sure their agents are educated on how to guide their clients in the right direction. That means getting familiar and more comfortable with mortgage products and incentives.

“Recently, on a house in Massachusetts, I had 20 offers. Nineteen of those offers were financed,” West said. Financing, he reiterated, is not going anywhere, and though cash offers might have reigned from 2020 through 2022, financing makes homeownership a reality for most buyers.

Inventory poses the biggest threat to the real estate business, West said. In Sarasota County, Fla., where West is based, the market only has two months of inventory. In Massachusetts, where he used to operate full-time, only 1.5 months of inventory is currently available.

Loan Products

Getting people into homes in a timely manner means understanding the various mortgage options and incentives available. Now is the time to refamiliarize agents with products like FHA, USDA and VA loans. It’s important to know that FHA loans aren’t just for first-time home buyers, USDA loans often have a zero-percent interest rate and VA loans work for anyone who has served in the military—whether they’re active duty, retired or discharged—so long as they weren’t AWOL or discharged dishonorably.

These loan products open up the market to a wider audience, letting more home buyers into the fold. They’ve also been the norm for decades, West said. So, brokers should make sure they and their agents understand and are willing to work with these products.

Adjustable-Rate Mortgages

These loans were thought to be a thing of the past when mortgage rates were at their lowest. Few borrowers were willing to risk their mortgage rate going up when rates had hit bottom to begin with. But that has since changed: In a market where rates are on the rise, adjustable-rate mortgages offer a solution for those who are experiencing barriers to entry in the housing market.

Mortgage Interest Deductions

This once-popular tax incentive is about to make a comeback—and so might your calculator, West says. There was a point in time when agents and brokers were regularly helping clients figure out what their mortgage interest deductions would amount to come tax time. No need to actually break out a calculator nowadays, though, since Bankrate.com will help you calculate these figures(link is external) with your client.

Interest Rate Buydowns

Temporarily lowering the interest rate through a buydown is another way to save clients money. So, brokers should be learning about this option and educating their agents. It’s important to remember that “America buys on payments,” West said, adding that real estate pros should be talking to their clients in terms of the monthly payments they’ll be making. Despite higher interest rates and home prices, if your clients can afford the monthly payment, they’re likely not too concerned about the interest rate, he said. For that reason, the real estate industry should stop demonizing interest rates and talk more about the various ways clients can manage a mortgage payment.

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Simple kitchen and bath improvements can leave home shoppers swooning over a listing, according to a new study by Knock, a site about homeownership.

Homes are selling fast, but certain home updates can help them sell even faster. An updated home can sell an average of 30% faster than a home without improvements, the analysis shows.

Knock compared the average days on the market for homes that are updated before being listed with those that sellers leave as is. It pinpointed which home updates tend to result in the fastest sales.

“Getting a home ready for sale can be a stressful experience, and the supply chain constraints and contractor backlogs brought on by the pandemic have made it even more difficult to get work done,” says Sean Black, co-founder of Knock. “Three years ago, homeowners had to put a lot more work into their home before listing it. However, even in the current market with homes selling in record time, the data continues to support the benefits of getting your home show-ready.”

Knock was selected for the 2021 REACH class, a technology accelerator program through Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of REALTORS®.

Homes with modern renovations sold in an average of eight days, compared with an average of 12 days without improvements. Homes with two or more improvements sold in an average of six days, according to Knock.

The most common home improvement: interior and exterior paint. Seventy percent of sellers painted their walls, spending an average of $3,500.

But freshly painted kitchen cabinets, which cost an average of about $1,319, really help buyers fall in love with a house, the study shows.

Here are the updates that consumers say they most loved about a house.

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to inspire changes within the home. Here’s a toast to one of the latest: the return (and update) of the at-home bar.

Key Takeaways:

• Homeowners should find the best spot for mixing and pouring, with room for all the bar accessories.
• Decide if it’s mostly for liquor storage or if they want to provide full service with a sink and refrigerator.
• They can add some glam to the decor with a luxe stone countertop, mirrored backsplash, and good LED lighting.

In addition to spurring designated work-from-home spaces, larger kitchen islands, and more relaxing outdoor living areas, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought back the at-home bar trend in a renaissance of home entertaining.

What started with Zoom cocktail gatherings and mixology events has stirred more homeowners to create an at-home bar.

In its 2021 Houzz Emerging Home Design Trends Report(link is external), Houzz, an online design source, found that searches for home bars and wine cellars both were up nearly four times from the prior year.

“People have been relying on their homes to provide new avenues of activity and entertainment since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Julie Noble, senior communications manager.

The concept isn’t new, however. At-home bars were a centerpiece for entertaining guests in the 1950s and 1960s. A certain cohort may recall the scene in the 1967 movie “The Graduate,” when Mrs. Robinson sat down at her home bar and asked college grad Benjamin what he wanted to drink.

Today, homeowners have adjusted their room designs and decors themselves to bring together the furnishing needed for a bar. Some are as simple as bottles of liquor and wine, along with an ice bucket, glasses, napkins, stirrers, and coasters on a counter or big tray. Others are professionally designed with added features such as shelves, cabinetry, a sink, and a refrigerator or wine cooler.

The interest in home bars also led to the return of stylish bar carts, which can roll into different rooms and outdoors.

Dallas-based architect Eddie Maestri of Studio Maestri(link is external) is among the professionals who have found the at-home bar to be an increasingly popular client request.

“Every single project we have currently involves a bar of some sort,” he says. “We are doing a lot of floating shelving on brass, incorporating mirrors into the back wall, for sure. Whether it has a sink just depends on the space and if the client wants one.”

Maestri, himself, has an at-home bar with a sink and ice maker. He also just completed a project for a client converting a dining room into a bar.

The styling of home bars has also evolved, says real estate salesperson Jennifer Ames Lazarre of Engel & Volkers(link is external) in Chicago.

“They used to be a formula: base cabinets, upper cabinets with glass doors, granite top, sink, and refrigerator,” she says. “Now, they are often more artfully designed with floating shelves, LED lighting in a channel on the underside of the shelf, and beautiful hardware.”

Professionals like Chicago kitchen designer Mick De Giulio of de Giulio Kitchen Design(link is external) agree that the at-home bar is being requested more often. He prefers to call it a beverage center. In addition to the pandemic trend of entertaining at home, De Giulio believes homeowners are also seeking an organized arrangement of living areas in an open plan.

“Beverage centers can include not only traditional barware, ice makers, sinks, and liquor storage but also refrigerated drawers for beverages and wine storage,” he says. “Companies like Sub-Zero have manufactured(link is external) modular wine and refrigeration units in many more sizes and configurations, and now have the ability to mask the fronts with cabinet and furniture-like facades, allowing for bars that don’t look like bars but blend seamlessly into the surroundings.”

And Los Angeles–based designer Lori Gilder of Interior Makeovers Inc.(link is external), who has seen an increased interest in home bars over the last few years, thinks the trend simply is another way homeowners reassessed their living spaces.

“We repurposed and redesigned unused living rooms by transforming them into new areas to entertain family and friends, indoors and outside,” she says. For some clients, Gilder has nestled dry bars into existing nooks, and for others, she set up more elaborate wet bars that included a sink, refrigeration, and display shelving for barware.

People’s “entertaining aesthetic tells a personal story,” Gilder says. To make the areas attractive, she carefully chooses finishes, woods, metals, stones, glass, wall coverings, integrated lighting, and hardware.

Where to put a bar varies according to how homeowners use their homes. Designer Jodi Swartz of KitchenVisions(link is external) in Natick, Mass., has one large installation going into a basement. Typically, she places bars in a kitchen as a beverage center, or outside that room in a butler’s pantry, in an alcove, along the buffet wall of a dining room, or even behind a door in a closet. She tends to include a sink and refrigerator and often a dishwasher. For decoration, she might line a backsplash with tiles, a full splash of quartz, or a mirror, possibly an antique. She rarely uses wallpaper since it can easily get splattered.

Designer Krista Watterworth Alterman of Krista + Home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla(link is external)., considers a custom bar to be a terrific way to use a fun nook or an unused area in a living room. “I like to add a bar to break up a very large space—it adds zones that are perfect for entertaining and connecting,” she says. Other additions include a lot of storage, open shelving, and an ice machine or wine fridge.

The popularity of the at-home bar has also helped designers boost business. Case in point: Renee and Marc Simon, owners of foo-BARS Designs in Ocala, Fla(link is external)., experienced a 100% year-over-year sales increase for their furniture business, which started out making reception desks, then shifted to handcrafted bars. The bars vary in shape and size up to 14 feet. Most use pressure-treated lumber when designed for the outside and pine for bars inside a home; some are stained and others are painted. Others incorporate corrugated metal. And while many clients live in Florida, the couple has worked with homeowners in New York and California.

For now, nobody seems to know whether the home bar will remain an important part of more homeowners’ wish lists or fizzle when the pandemic ends.

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