New Home For around $2000

Luxury home doesn't always necessarily mean thousands of square footage, towering great 

rooms and gilded toilets. Take these homes for example: to begin building one of these epic 

houses, all you need is $2,000. That $2,000 will buy you a shipping container. What you

 do with that shipping container… well, that’s completely up to you.

Some creative people have found a way to transform this rudimentary “room”

 with metal siding into luxury housing that blows us away. These homes are epic.

1.) A shipping container doesn't have to be a closed space.

2.) Blue container? Run with it!

3.) Open up the metal boxes and let your imagination run wild.

4.) *jaw drops*

5.) The shapes are basically the same, but wow.

6.) Utilitarian… and awesome.

7.) The best part about this one is that you know they made it 

out of shipping containers.

8.) This open concept was taken a step further with a sliding garage door.

9.) You don’t rob this house. Ever.

10.) Modern, yet … not.

11.) This is the kind of home that keeps a person happy.

12.) Already-made pool? Yes please.

13.) Recycled materials AND it’s good for the planet.

14.) This collection of containers is just epic.

15.) These are so inspiring.

Source: Reddit

The best part of the gallery that this Reddit user shared? The shipping containers are 

recycled materials, so you’re actually helping the environment if you invest in making

 a luxury shipping container home. You can’t beat a base price of $2,000.

Open Floorplans Getting Closed Off? Demand Grows for Separate Kitchens

Open floor-plans have been in high demand in recent years, with buyers showing preferences for open kitchens and dining areas tucked into great rooms. But could that be changing? A New York Times article highlights a “separate kitchen comeback,” as some home owners say they want a more defined space for a kitchen and dining area. More new buildings are opting to feature separate kitchens and formal dining rooms due to a rising demand for separate corridors, according to the article.

Why are some home owners suddenly wanting to close off the interior of their homes again? Some point to a “dirty dishes” driver. Home owners are finding that when entertaining they prefer to have a separate kitchen space so their guests don’t have to see the food being prepared or look at the dirty dishes afterwards.

The separate kitchen and dining space also helps to remove one popular sticking point for home buyers: How to fit their existing dining room table into an open floor-plan? “The issue of where to put the dining table kills more deals than anything else in real estate. If a family is moving, the dining table is the one thing they say they can’t part with,” Barbara van Beuren, a managing partner with Anbau Enterprises, told The New York Times. Anbau Enterprises is developing new duplexes in New York City featuring dedicated dining rooms.

For some home owners, they’re preference for separate kitchens is more nostalgic. They desire it because it reminds them of their childhood home.

“So much new construction features open floor plans that there’s a pent-up desire for apartments with separate dining rooms and kitchen,” broker George Case with Citi Habitats told The New York Times. “They offer charm, they’re better for entertaining, and you don’t have to see your partner first thing in the morning. For a certain demographic, they’re a definite selling point.”

Some listing ads are even highlighting homes with a separate dining room, viewing it as a selling point. Some architects also are responding to the increase in demand with what they’re dubbing “hybrid kitchens,” using pocket doors that can be opened or closed to give home owners the option of an open or closed kitchen.

by Melissa Tracey 

Tips on staging to help sell your home

Candace Garvey's Tips on Staging a Home to Sell: http://youtu.be/dBYszJSuEcc