Being a new homeowner comes with a lot of new lessons to learn about maintaining a property. While many internal decorating and maintenance decisions are left up to your discretion, your yard likely has to meet certain standards set by the city in which you live.

Here are four such standards that may be imposed upon your property.

Everyone knows that, for homeowners, it’s important to avoid a problematic basement. A professional inspection can tell you what needs to be fixed, but, oftentimes, you can set your heart on a place before finding out how much work needs to be done. For more information about home inspections, check out our blog on eight critical areas to look out for. 

We've put together some key considerations to have in mind when touring a house.

Federal Housing Association (FHA) loans are popular among first-time homebuyers, but they can also offer tremendous value to repeat homebuyers, given the right circumstances. If you're looking to buy again, it can be difficult to decide whether or not an FHA insured loan is the right solution for your situation.

Here are five things repeat homebuyers should know about FHA loans.

Parents of adult children often wish to help their children achieve the dream of homeownership, but knowing where to start is important. Regardless of what your family's financial situation is, there are a number of ways to help your child's dream come true.

Check out our five tips for parents assisting their children through first-time homebuying.

Ready to undertake a renovation project in your home but not sure how to gather up the cash to make it happen? Budgeting for home improvements can take many shapes and forms—from borrowing from a bank to saving to prioritizing your wants and needs.

Here are a few ways to get started the right way.

You put a lot of time and energy into creating a high-quality property to put on the housing market, but when it comes to going the extra mile, what features should you include? Exterior elements of a property can have a surprisingly large impact on marketability.

Here are five exterior features to consider.

Practice makes perfect, right? Homebuying for a second time can come with some slight changes in the process, as well as lessons learned from the first time around. What exactly changes for a second-time homebuyer, though?

Here are some of the ways your experience may differ.

When it comes to buying a home, one of the first steps toward securing your financing is to apply for a preapproval. Your home loan can take many forms, but a preapproval gives you a stronger sense of what to expect in a mortgage.

Here's what you need to know about preapprovals—and how they affect your homebuying process.

As a first-time homebuyer, you may have one challenge to deal with that you may not have anticipated—your purchased space is typically larger than your rented one was. More space means more rooms—and more rooms means more furnishings. How can you tackle some of your initial home-furnishing needs without spending your entire monthly budget?

Continue on for six tips for furnishing your new home in affordable ways.

Owning a home—is it really all that it's cracked up to be? The truth is, there are many reasons you may feel ready to buy, whether you need more room or are simply ready to settle down more permanently.

Whatever the case, here are seven reasons for becoming a homeowner.