One of the many benefits of homeownership is your ability to build equity. While you may already know that equity is an excellent thing to have, you may not know how to use it or what it even is. Use this guide to learn more about home equity and the ways you can use it.

Before deciding how to use your home’s equity, be sure to speak with your financial advisor or a mortgage professional to understand all your options better.

What is home equity?

It’s been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. You probably spend a good portion of your day meal prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after each meal. However, that time can increase dramatically if you’re struggling to find what you need. Kitchen organization can make cooking meals much more enjoyable. As the busy fall season arrives, you’ll be glad you used the tips below to get this beloved space of your home in order.

Have a place for everything

Maintaining a clutter-free home is a simple way of keeping your living spaces as stress-free as possible. After all, if you do the hard work of downsizing and organizing the stuff that you have, you’ll need to actively keep up that cleanliness otherwise all that work would be for not. By creating a few new habits, your home can continue to be an oasis from the often stressful world outside.

Create a system that works for you

There are many forms you’ll need to fill out when selling your home, and one of the most important is the disclosure statement. Most home buyers will have a home inspection done. However, the disclosure statement provides information beyond an inspector’s findings.

No matter how long you’ve lived in your home, you have insight of your property’s condition that no one else has. You must share that information with the potential buyer, according to state and federal regulations.

Is your yard looking wild? Overgrown? Unorganized? Below are five simple, low cost tips for keeping the space looking tidy.

Keep it trimmed. Trimming your grass regularly is an easy way to keep your yard looking loved. If you know you don’t have time for it, hire a professional or a neighborhood teen to stop by once a month and do it for you.

Seasonal decorating doesn’t have to mean pulling out boxes of decorations every time. You want to keep your home decorating simple and clean in the summer. But that doesn’t mean you can't have a bit of extra fun in the summertime. Here are four decorating tips to help you feel more summery in your home this season.

Switch Your Bedding

When standup comedian Nathan Brannon moved into his newly purchased home in rural Washington state, it seemed the joke was on him: The previous owner had left the pegboard on the garage wall, but had taken all the pegs.

“When I first saw the pegs were missing, I was super confused; I mean, what are you going to do with just pegs?” Brannon recalls. “Now I have a pile of yard tools on the floor in front of the pegboard.”

“What do I have to leave when I sell my house?”