As families become more health-conscious and think more about the food they consume, family farms are on the comeback, regardless of the size. Whether driven to grow produce on their own to make sure their vegetables are pesticide-free, out of a passion for gardening or as a cottage industry for extra cash, city-dwellers are using innovative means to produce crops of their own.

Your ability to grow fruits, vegetables and a variety of herbs at home depends primarily on three things:Your climate zone, Available property, and Your desire.

Even an apartment-dweller in Alaska can raise edibles, given the right tools and motivation. Here are the primary things to consider when planning your garden:

What crops will you grow?

For outdoor gardening, the first step is to check local zoning ordinances and/or homeowner's association rules. Then determine your plant hardiness zone. Take that number and consult a planting schedule to find recommended plants and the best times for planting. Selecting plants can be almost as much fun as growing them.

Indoor gardening is especially affected by available light. If you have large, south-facing windows, you're set. If not, you will need to set up grow lights or get really creative. Hearty indoor crops that may work for you include: avocados, carrots, microgreens, lemons and scallions.

How can you garden... without a garden?

When you think of a garden, you probably envision lush rows of crops and tilled soils, producing plant after plant of vegetable-producing crops. Luckily, this dream may not be as far-fetched as you think. Find out if there is a community garden in your area, and take advantage of a fertile space to call your very own. Community gardens can be a way to share in the work, strengthen community bonds and enable others to participate. With the right equipment and some sweat equity, any community can turn a vacant lot into a food-producing zone.

It is entirely possible to garden at home, though, even when space is scarce. Urban gardeners have developed innovative ways to garden in small spaces.

• Build a grow tower: A 15-gallon plastic drum, a length of five-inch PVC pipe, a drill, and dirt—that's all you need to garden vertically. This Grow It! video demonstrates how.
• Garden in Containers: Use containers of all sorts on your porch and patio to maximize your growing space including buckets, planter boxes, hanging baskets, pots, and wooden barrels.
• Create a Rooftop Garden: Utilize the space that most of us never even think about, your rooftop! If you have a flat space on your roof and a safe way to access it, consider designating that area as your growing space.

Don’t be discouraged by small spaces when you have the urge to grow your own produce. There are plenty of innovative ways to support a small garden, it’s just a matter of getting creative and finding the best route for you. Once you've sliced and tasted your very first home-grown tomato or finished your first batch of pesto from your home-grown basil, you'll know that all the hard work was well worth it!

"The housing market continues to show gradual improvements compared to a year ago amid recent rate volatility. Purchase and refinance applications are up year-over-year, and rates remain lower than last year when they averaged 6.65%."

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.38 percent for the week ending January 29, 2026, up from last month when it averaged 5.98 percent. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.65 percent.

• 15-year FRM this week averaged 5.75 percent, up from last month when it averaged 5.44 percent. A year ago, at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.89 percent.

Record rains brought a deluge of painted lady butterflies to California last winter. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the uncharacteristically wet weather didn’t have the same impact on the state’s dwindling monarch population.

According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, “California’s monarch butterfly numbers are at an all-time low, having declined more than 85 percent from 2017,” said Newsweek. “This sudden drop comes after years of steady decline: A massive 97 percent of monarch butterflies have already disappeared since the 1980s. Back then, 10 million monarchs wintered in California. This year, the Xerces Society counted just 28,429.”

Experts say we could be looking at extinction of the species within the next two decades, largely because of diminishing landscapes and pesticides—if nothing is done. And that’s where humans come in. If you’re already looking to do some planting in your garden this spring, consider milkweed.

“Monarch butterflies making their way back to North America from their winter habitat in Mexico follow a well-marked trail,” said Gardener’s Supply Company. “These striking orange-and-black butterflies are looking for one thing: milkweed (asclepias). And when you plant milkweed in your garden, it's like rolling out a welcome mat for monarchs.”

There are plenty of plants that provide nectar for monarchs (and hummingbirds), such as:

• Zinnias
• Agastache ‘Ava’
• Mexican Sunflowers
• Brazilian Verbena
• Dwarf Butterfly Bushes
• Bottlebrush

But the key difference that makes milkweed so crucial to monarchs is that its leaves “are the only food monarch caterpillars eat,” said Gardener’s Supply Company. “Monarchs butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants so the tiny caterpillars will have access to food the moment they hatch. The milkweed plant provides all the nourishment the monarch needs to transform the Monarch caterpillar into the adult butterfly.”

You can find milkweed that thrive in nearly any climate and sun conditions. But it's critical to choose the right type depending on your setting, and your goals.

“When planting milkweed in your garden, it’s important to choose a species of milkweed that’s native to your region whenever possible,” said Savvy Gardening. “Thankfully, there are several milkweed species that have a broad native range and are suitable for planting across much of North America.”

Savvy Gardening has a good overview of preferred species of milkweed for different settings, including:

• Swamp Milkweed—It grows in saturated soils, but also “grows just fine in well-drained garden soil. It’s clump forming, so unlike some other milkweed species, it doesn’t take over the garden with spreading roots.”
• Common Milkweed—What used to be everywhere is less common today as a result of pesticides. “The large, round globes of common milkweed flowers are a favorite of many pollinators. But, this plant comes with a warning: It is an extremely aggressive spreader, forming large colonies that spread not just by seed, but also by underground roots called rhizomes. You’ll want to give common milkweed plenty of room.”
• Purple Milkweed—This can be harder to find, and also attracts bees.
• Butterfly Weed—Unique for its orange flowers, “Butterfly weed doesn’t like to be transplanted, so starting from seed may prove more fruitful, though it can take years for a plant to go from seed to flower.”
• Showy Milkweed—So named because “the flower clusters of showy milkweed look like groups of pointed stars” and has “spiky, pinky-purple blooms.”
• Whorled Milkweed—This species of milkweed “has a soft, feathery appearance, and since it tops out at about 3 feet in height, it makes a great addition to a perennial border. The flowers of this species are a soft white with just a hint of pink at their centers.”

 Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey^® (PMMS^®), showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.38%.

"Mortgage rates this week averaged 6.38%," said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's Chief Economist. “The housing market continues to show gradual improvements compared to a year ago amid recent rate volatility. Purchase and refinance applications are up year-over-year, and rates remain lower than last year when they averaged 6.65%.”

News Facts

• The 30-year FRM averaged 6.38% as of March 26, 2026, up from last week when it averaged 6.22%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.65%.
• The 15-year FRM averaged 5.75%, up from last week when it averaged 5.54%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.89%.
  
  

The PMMS^® is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit. For more information, view our Frequently Asked Questions.

Freddie Mac’s mission is to make home possible for families across the nation. We promote liquidity, stability and affordability in the housing market throughout all economic cycles. Since 1970, we have helped tens of millions of families buy, rent or keep their home. Learn More: Website 

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, it can be a costly project. One of the biggest expenses you’re probably going to run into is the cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets are an integral part of a renovation, and they usually make up around 40% of your total budget. Two big factors that play a role in the cost of cabinets are the quality and their construction.

Cabinets are a long-term investment, but even with their importance, how can you save money on the cost of new ones?

Do Your Research

The first step to saving on the cost of your kitchen cabinets is to do your research. You need to figure out the features and construction elements you can’t live without versus the ones you can skip.

You’ll start by learning more about the materials used to construct cabinets.

For example, particleboard is one of the cheapest options, but it breaks easily and doesn’t do well with humidity and moisture.

Medium-density fiberboard tends to be the option a lot of people prefer because it’s somewhere in the middle in terms of cost and actually, when compared to solid wood, has a better performance. It’s very water-resistant and can deal easily with changes in humidity and temperature.

Solid wood cabinets are beautiful, but they’re expensive and not always a realistic option. For example, if the temperature and moisture aren’t carefully controlled in a kitchen, it can destroy solid wood cabinets.

Get Custom Doors and Pre-Made Boxes

If you want the look of high-end cabinets without the price tag, there’s a creative option to explore. Get custom doors, but use premade boxes from IKEA or a retailer like Home Depot.

You get the outward look of custom cabinets at a fraction of the cost.

Of course, you don’t even have to do custom doors unless you want them or need them because of a spacing issue.

You can get pre-made cabinet doors as well and make them feel more high-end or custom with the hardware you choose.

Most factory-made cabinets and less expensive pre-made options have integrated rails, and they’re made with either particleboard that has a veneer or a medium-density fiberboard panel.

When you’re deciding on cabinets, avoid having too many built-in extras like spice racks and pullouts. The more of these you add, the more expensive your cabinets will be if you’re going with custom options or even when you’re buying cabinets in-stock.

Get Unfinished Cabinets

If you get unfished cabinets, you’re going to save money, but you’ll still have to paint or stain them. Stain is something you might be able to do on your own, but with the painting, you could need a professional. You’ll have to do the math on how much that will cost to figure out if it’s worth it.

Use Open Shelving

Finally, if you know you want new cabinets but you’re still on a budget, utilize the open shelving trend. The trend looks great, and it’s significantly less expensive than having upper cabinets. If you do only open shelving instead of uppers in your kitchen, you could ultimately save thousands of dollars or more.

Along with being cheaper, open shelving can keep your kitchen feeling brighter and airier. This can work especially well in a smaller or more closed-in kitchen, where having too many upper cabinets could create a crowded feeling.

I can remember this story from years and years ago, very near when I first got into the mortgage biz back in San Diego. I had probably been in this new career just barely a year or so but I can still see the young woman’s face and the tiny child she held in her arms sitting across my desk.

I don’t know how she found us but she did. We were running ads in the newspaper back then so maybe that was it or maybe a real estate agent referred her to us. Anyway, she walks in and the receptionist told me there was someone here that would like to talk about getting a home loan. The young woman walks in and yes she was carrying a baby. I asked her to take a seat and asked how I could help.

She basically replied something to the effect that she would like to buy her first home. She then forewarned me that she also had bad credit. I told her that if I couldn’t get her a home loan now I could chart a pathway for her to ultimately get a mortgage approval. So we filled out a loan application together and after that I ran her credit report. 

Back then, there were no credit scores and you couldn’t get a credit report instantly. You had to make a request through an agency and wait. Sometimes it took a day or so. Sometimes shorter sometimes longer.

I put in the request for her credit report and she again reminded me that she had bad credit. I continued and ran some numbers for her and gave her an initial loan amount she could qualify for. We started talking, just basic chit-chat. She was a single mom and it was her and her mom that were raising the baby. After a few minutes, her credit report arrived somewhat unexpectedly. I took the report, reviewed it and wondered if I was looking at the wrong report. There were no late payments. No bad credit. Just two credit cards and her car loan.

I told her about her credit. She didn’t believe me because she knew for a fact that when her credit card bills came in, she didn’t pay them exactly on the due date, she had to wait until the middle of the month until she got paid. Yes, she was late past the due date but nowhere near a late payment that would hurt her credit. I explained this all to her and she literally began to tear up a little, thanking me profusely.

Anyway, she took her approval letter with her and I suppose she did in fact buy a home and live happily ever after. I still remember this happening as if it were yesterday. I still feel good about it. 

The point is, don’t judge yourself. Let a loan officer review your situation and if you can’t get an approval now, get a roadmap that will point you in the right direction.

Question: What is the most efficient way to count ballots at an Annual Meeting? Our group has a large membership and vote counting bogs down the meeting.

Answer: With many ballots to count, preparation is essential. The ballots should be preprinted with names of all candidates and a checkbox next to each. A couple of blanks should be left for nominations from the floor at the meeting. After the ballots have been completed, they should be collected by the election tellers (none of whom should be running for election) and divided into equal parts.

Using several teams of two, one reading the results and the other tallying, ballots can be counted simultaneously by the teams and the final tallies from each team can then be added together for the final results. A Head Teller should check the math, circle the name(s) of the winner(s) and hand the results to the president to announce. Using this technique should allow the process to be completed in 5-10 minutes during which other business can be handled. The counted ballots should then be batched and stapled to the tally sheets and retained in the annual meeting file should questions about the election arise.

Question: Can the board cite a "long-standing policy" to prohibit construction of an enclosed patio beyond a side privacy wall in my own back yard, although there is no written rule or regulation in the documents which would prohibit that?

Answer: In general, it is the HOA's right to dictate the exterior appearance of the homes. So, as a rule, an owner should always get approval of exterior modifications before proceeding. Even though the city may issue a permit, the HOA may have restrictions that override local zoning and building codes.

If the board has enacted broader architectural design restrictions than are found in the governing documents, these need to be documented in writing. It is not reasonable to expect owners to know these things by ESP. Also, such restrictions need to be reasonable. If your proposed enclosure is not visible from the street, what difference should it make to the board or the neighbors? Based on your description, this restriction does not seem reasonable and unless the board can produce an Architectural Design Policy that specifically prohibits it and the reasons for it, you should not be restrained from moving forward.

Question: Is it a problem if we are remodeling our clubhouse and a board member charges the materials to her personal credit card?

Answer: As a rule, HOA expenses should be billed or charged directly to the HOA so the record is clear about what was bought and why. It will also keep the record straight for warranties that are included with the purchases.

When you’re getting ready to shop for a house, you need to be clear on your current financial situation and where you need to be, ideally before you start trying to work with lenders.

The amount of existing debt in your name will play a big role in whether you’re approved for a mortgage and how much house you can buy.

Paying off as much debt as you can before you start shopping for a home loan is critical, but it’s not an easy undertaking.

When you get ready to pay off debt, you might want to follow a method like the debt avalanche or the debt snowball. These are two popular methods to tackle debt, and they have a lot of similarities but a few differences, which we compare below.

The general idea of both the avalanche and snowball method is that you’re paying minimum payments on all your debt except the one your primarily focusing on at the time.

The Debt Avalanche

The debt avalanche method begins by figuring out the minimums you have to pay on all your debt, with the exclusion of your current mortgage if you have one. You’ll order your debts from the highest interest rates down to the lowest. Then, you’ll create a budget.

Your budget will show you how much more you can put toward debt every month to speed up your payoff.

Whatever the highest-interest rate debt is, it becomes your priority. If you have an extra $200 you can put toward debt, which you see after creating a budget, that money goes toward your highest interest debt each month until it’s paid off.

You keep moving down the list based on the highest interest rates, rolling your minimums into your extra payment amount until everything is repaid.

You have to be mindful of things like a promotional interest rate ending.

The avalanche method is a cheap, logical, and easy-to-follow path to getting rid of debt, but it can take a while.

The Snowball Method

With the snowball method, the underlying concept is the same, except you start paying off your debts with the one that has the smallest balance. You work your way up to the biggest balance, and you don’t consider interest rates in the order of repayment.

The snowball method works well for someone with a lot of little dispersed debt. You might be managing many minimum payments, and you can feel like you’re always paying bills, which gets discouraging.

When you start paying the smallest first, you can feel like you’re making some success as you chip away at them.

People find that, mentally, the snowball method works for them because it builds their confidence as they tackle increasingly large challenges throughout the process.

The Biggest Takeaway

Some people feel strongly about both methods and favor one over the other.

The avalanche method tends to be the most logical approach, while the snowball method is more emotional because it’s about little wins.

Regardless, the biggest takeaway is the same—you should choose one debt and put as much towards it as you can until it’s paid off. Pick whichever you want, but you’re creating a more manageable situation for yourself by choosing one.

Getting a mortgage can be more challenging when you're self-employed, but it’s not impossible. For W-2 employees, getting a mortgage can mean showing your tax records from your employer to verify your income.

For approving someone who is self-employed, lenders may be concerned that your income isn’t steady enough to make your monthly payments. Some lenders also prefer not to work with self-employed people because there’s more paperwork.

Why Is It More Difficult?

There are disadvantages to applying for a mortgage as a self-employed person. You’re often not seen as an ideal borrower from a lender's perspective.

You’re seen as more creditworthy when you’re an employee because you have a steady, verifiable income. If you pair this with an excellent credit score, even better.

Along with the notion that self-employed people’s income might be less reliable is that you may have a number of business expenses. Deducting these business expenses can help you reduce your taxable income, which is a good thing because you can pay less to the IRS.

At the same time, if you’re applying for a mortgage, you will show a lower annual income.

Another reason you could face challenges is if the lender wants to see a lower loan-to-value ratio from you. You’ll need to have a larger down payment as a self-employed borrower in certain circumstances.

How to Make Yourself More Appealing

If you’re planning to buy a home, there are things you can do to make yourself a more attractive candidate as far as a lender is concerned.

Debt-to-Income Ratio

If you’re self-employed, the odds of getting approved for a mortgage and getting comparatively favorable terms can go up when you optimize your debt-to-income ratio or DTI.

This means you reduce your debt, increase your income, or both.

To optimize this ratio, you want to keep your home shopping on the lower end of what you can theoretically afford.

Be Ready to Show Documentation

You should get your documents ready in advance of shopping for a home, and you should be ready to fully document your income. You’ll probably need bank statements, tax returns, balance sheets, and profit and loss statements.

A lender might also ask for your debts and monthly payments for your businesses and a list of your assets, including your investment and savings accounts.

You may need proof of your business or your status as someone self-employed, including letters from clients or statements from your accountant.

Pay Off Your Consumer Debt

Your consumer debt includes things like your credit card debt. The lower your debt and the fewer the monthly payments you have, the better. If you can take some time to pay off your credit cards or an outstanding car loan, you might be in a better position because you’ll have increased cash flow.

Have Cash Reserves

Along with your down payment, you want an emergency fund that shows that you’ll be able to manage your mortgage payment even if your business takes a hit.

A lender will want to see that you have the cash on hand to cover your property taxes, homeowner's insurance and maintenance and repairs, and your housing payment itself.

Additional Options

If you can’t qualify for a traditional mortgage, let’s say, because of your business expenses, there are other options for mortgages, but they can be more expensive or trickier in certain ways.

A bank statement loan is also known as an alternative document loan. You can apply for a loan with 12-24 months of bank statements rather than your tax returns. The interest rate and down payment will probably be higher since lenders see the risks as greater with this type of financing.

Another option would be a joint mortgage with a co-borrower who works as a W-2 employee. A relative might be able to co-sign for a loan, but they are taking on the responsibility if you default, so not many people would be willing to do this.

Overall, you can get a mortgage if you’re self-employed, but be prepared and know what you’re up against.

When you’re trying to sell a home, whether you’re an owner, or you’re a Realtor, the imagery you convey is one of the most important aspects of marketing. People are inherently visual, and if your photos online aren’t high-quality and visually appealing, you’re not likely to garner interest in your property.

Even if you’re a photographer who wants to branch into real estate photos, there can be a learning curve, and it’s different from some other genres.

The following are specific, must-known photography tips to get beautiful pictures of a home.

Use a Wide-Angle Lens

Choose a high-quality and versatile wide-angle lens for real estate photography. It will provide you with focus and sharpness.

A wide-angle lens is meant to take pictures of large areas or objects, so when you use one in real estate photography, it helps you get the entire structure in your shot.

It can also help make a space look larger or even more luxurious.

You can use a wide-angle lens for both interior and exterior real estate photography.

A wide-angle lens can also help you best capture tighter spaces.

Take Pictures with a Tripod

You can buy an inexpensive tripod, and it can make a world of difference in the quality of your real estate photos.

A tripod helps with shooting long exposures because it provides stability and reduces any blurriness.

Tripods are also good for perspective so you can set it at the same height throughout a home, then you’ll have images that are the same height. Consistency is important in real estate photography.

Know the Pivotal Shots

Of course, every real estate photo shoot is going to be unique, but there are some standard shots you should plan on taking.

You should have two wide-angle shots of each bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen.

Make sure you have at least one photo of the bathroom, and anywhere from one to three photos of the backyard at a minimum.

You’ll need one or two front-of-the-home shots, and one shot of all the other features like the pantry and the closets, if they’re compelling and organized.

If you’re a real estate agent doing your own photography, you’re likely going to have a better idea of what’s most important and what to prioritize in your photos.

Declutter

Before taking a real estate photo, decluttering is important. Small pieces of clutter that you might not even otherwise notice are going to appear prominent in photos.

All surfaces need to be clean, and if there are any decorative accessories, keep them to a minimum.

Aside from generally clearing clutter from a shot, remember to wipe off the counters, so they look polished, and add something like a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter.

In bathrooms, put the seats down and clear off surfaces.

Consider the Weather

For real estate photos, natural light is a must-have, especially when you’re shooting the home’s exterior.

Aim for a clear, sunny day or a partly cloudy day.

When you take photos against daytime light, your colors are going to be bright and saturated.

If the weather is too cloudy, it’s best to reschedule and take your photos at a different time.

You also want the sun to be behind the house.

Since natural light is so important for real estate photography, the blinds and curtains should be open.

Consider Lightroom Presets

Finally, if you’re new to real estate photography, or even if you’re not, you can save yourself a lot of time in editing with Lightroom presets.

With Lightroom presets, you’re using editing presets. You use Adobe Lightroom while editing your photos and then you use controls which are called sliders to change certain settings such as brightness and contrast.

Once you get a combination you like, you can save it, and that then becomes your preset.

You can apply that preset to all of your photos, and then all of your settings are automatically adjusted.

Along with making your own presets, you can also purchase them. When you purchase them, it gives your photos a certain look and sense of consistency.

Having Lightroom presets will speed-up your editing overall, and give you a more polished final product. Buying presets is especially useful if you don’t have a lot of photography experience because they can help you with the editing learning curve.

Finally, if you have a large property or a particularly beautiful yard you’re working with, think about using drone technology to add something unique to the listing photos.