From working to socializing, people are doing more at home than ever before because of shifts from the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, how people interact with their spaces has changed more in the last year than — well — a very long time. Because of the evolving nature of home life, what people are prioritizing in their home search is also changing. Instead of favoring open floor plans and easy access to public transit, new — and sometimes unexpected — features are taking [...]

2020 upended the world as we know it, and nowhere was this more evident than in the workplace. According to research from the National Bureau of Economic Research, around 50 percent of U.S. workers were working from home at the start of the pandemic. Nine months later, Upwork’s December 2020 “Future of Workforce Pulse Report” found that 41.8 percent of the American workforce continues to be fully remote. 

With permanent remote work likely here for the long haul, there’s never [...]

If you’re buying or selling a condominium, a property in a subdivision or a town house in Texas, you have specific rights and responsibilities to consider in relation to your Homeowners Association (HOA). These organizations wield considerable power to apply regulations and even foreclose on a home. Here’s what you need to know about the Texas HOA and Texas HOA [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of March 5, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

Texas and ice: They don’t mix well.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we were hit with one of the hardest winter storms our state has ever faced. In Dallas and Fort Worth, when the two fronts came through, [...]

Renovations can play a big part in the value of your home. In fact, almost 80 percent of sellers in the U.S. do at least one renovation before their house goes on the market. But, sellers, beware: Renovations do not always add value to a home’s appraisal. Here’s how to distinguish the smart investments from the costly vanity projects. 

Start Any Project with Expert Advice

U.S. homeowners spend around $400B a year on renovations and repairs, but while house prices continue to rise, returns on renovations are shrinking. That’s largely because the cost of labor and materials is steadily increasing. According to the benchmark report from [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of February 26, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

It’s awards season in the real estate world — the time when the numbers have been crunched, the trophies have been polished and the energy is crackling around the brokerage. Who sold the most? Who broke records? Who had their best year [...]