Donna Bosze's Blog

  Keep your clothes washer and dryer running efficiently and reliably with this simple maintenance routine that anyone can follow. Anything that affects a dryer’s airflow can cause the appliance to fail and possibly create a dangerous fire hazard, warns Doug Rogers, president of the Mr. Applianc...

          One day deep in the forests of Brazil, there was a toucan named Ken that was the talk of the entire forest. You see, Ken wasn’t like most toucans; he had a very unusual disorder that made him stick out from the rest. Ken was covered in hair rather than feathers like all the others. All ...

  Keeping track of the cost of capital improvements to your home can really pay off on your tax return when it comes time to sell. A home project counts as a capital improvement if it increases your home's value. Image: © Masterfile It’s no secret that finishing your ba...

  Although they’re set to be phased out in 2011, you’ll find 100-watt incandescent bulbs on store shelves for several more months, retailers say The nation’s lightbulbs begin facing new efficiency and labeling standards starting Jan. 1, but don’t expect old-fashioned incandescents to suddenly di...

Get yourself out of a home repair jam with this common household item famously used by our favorite handy hero: MacGyver.We’ve all had them: the clogged drain, the ripped vacuum hose, the unsightly hole in the wall. Home repair emergencies like these are the last thing you need when you’re runni...

                      Signs indicate the housing market is looking up. Optimism is building that the housing industry is nearing a bottom — finally. Home sales and home building are forecast to rise this year after sliding steeply the past five years in housing’s worst downturn since the Great D...

By Adam Belz, USA TODAY   Home owners insurance premiums are starting to rise after tornadoes, hail, winds, and lightning slammed U.S. insurance companies’ balance sheets throughout 2011. Storms along the East Coast, tornadoes in the Southeast and in Joplin, Mo., and earthquakes in Japan and New...

  A majority of American voters say they value home ownership and oppose any steps by the government that make it more difficult to own a home, according to a nationwide poll of 1,500 likely voters, commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders. In fact, the poll revealed a word of ca...

Home affordability is at 1971 levels, due to falling home prices and record low mortgage rates, pushing home ownership in reach to more families, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Home owners are bringing in nearly double the median income they need to cove...

  Mulling a kitchen remodel but want to keep costs low? You’re au courant with today’s trends that emphasize options and high-tech wizardry at affordable prices.     Trend #1: Remodeling scales back A new focus on moderation and value has entered the remodeling mind-set. Trends that are likely t...