Did you know that your garage door is typically the biggest moving object in your home? Inspecting your garage door to identify any potential issues can go a long way toward ensuring a safe environment for your family. Garage doors are subject to normal wear and tear, and regular maintenance is important to ensure it is operating properly and safely. You could have a hazard on your hands, but the good news is you can make a difference by learning more about how your door works, and what to look for.

You have smoke alarms in your home, you check them regularly and you practice your emergency escape plan with your family – but are you overlooking an essential component of home fire safety as you check your spring to-do list? Having fire extinguishers can give you peace of mind and help ensure your home and family are prepared in the event of a fire.

Roy Fields, Founder of EJ’s Garden, wanted to make sure that residents in his North Flint neighborhood never went hungry. In 2006, a grant-funded high tunnel hoop house (greenhouse) was built on a vacant corner lot on Brownell Blvd. An abandoned house on the property was razed in 2009 to create space for an outdoor garden, and a grant was obtained from the Ruth Mott Foundation to drill a well. “Since 2014, we have distributed fresh food throughout the community,” Fields shares. “There is a great need here.”

So, you are remodeling your basement – smart move! According to Redfin’s real estate experts, a basement renovation is one of the top ten ways to maximize your usable square footage and in turn, increase your home’s value.

2023 has revealed a few outdoor design trends, but two of them – mixed materials and bringing the indoors out – have maintained their previous popularity into the new year. New trends landscape designers are anticipating include more interest in sustainability, expanding the use of outdoor spaces and maximizing cutting-edge technology.

The PANTONE® Color Institute™ describes their choice for 2023 Color of the Year as “Vibrating with vim and vigor, rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength.”

Ask a few gardeners what they like most about gardening and you’ll probably get a variety of answers. Some like working in the soil, the feel and smell of it. Some garden to enjoy the mood-boosting fresh air and sunshine. It’s a fun and relaxing way to get in touch with nature, and also has plenty of health benefits. Good for both the body and mind, gardening can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s very rewarding to keep plants healthy and alive. Plus, you get to marvel at the beautiful flowers and eat the delicious fruits, veggies and herbs that you grow. No wonder 55% of American households engage in gardening activities!

Think your space is ready for a new look but don’t know where to start? A Delta Faucet product designer shares her timeless kitchen and bathroom trends she’s seeing in real customers’ homes for a fresh look in 2023 that will last for years to come.

The needle drops and the voice rings out. “Dearly Beloved,” it says and you close your eyes as it hits you in perfect clarity, rolling like honey from the speakers. “We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. Electric word, life – it means forever and that’s a mighty long time but I’m here to tell you there’s something else …” You continue to listen as you sink back into your most comfortable chair sitting alone in the proverbial acoustic sweet spot and when the beat hits, you let it all go – the stress, the anger, the frustration, and you lose yourself in the music. For a little while, there is nothing else.

I don’t think there is anyone who would disagree that the real estate market over the last few years has been anything but interesting. We watched home prices creep up, bidding wars push offers way above listed prices, houses selling after only hours on the market, and heavy appraisal guarantees covered by buyers because even the appraisers couldn’t provide values high enough to meet their offer prices.