Forget Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the last-minute scramble for the right gifts for each member of your family; the perfect gift for the entire family could be right down the street. What’s that gift, you ask? Well, it could just be your new home.

Over time, we’ve all accumulated more and more holiday bric-a-brac that is hard to throw away due to the sentimental value it holds. However, all the accumulated wreaths, strings of lights, candy bowls, festive candles, mini winter villages, light-up statuettes, holiday trees and more can make the house seem a bit smaller and more cramped each year. Holiday decorating, while helping to enhance the warm feelings and nostalgia of the season, can make it apparent that your family may have outgrown

For most first-time home buyers, signs of a home’s value aren’t immediately apparent upon initial glance. However, if you know what to look for, you can start determining its value before you even pull up to the curb.

The neighborhood.

Doing your research on the neighborhood will tell you a lot about a home’s value before you even step inside. A home purchased in a sought-after neighborhood will hold its value longer than one in a neighborhood deemed less desirable.

These are some signs that will indicate the neighborhood will inject value onto the home:

• An active neighborhood – look for signs of children playing, people exercising, people walking dogs, parks, community centers, and churches. Active communities tend to be safe

Baltimore cuisine isn’t all just crab cakes and pit beef. While this port city will never lose its blue-collar identity, its collective palate is becoming more diverse and refined each and every the year. 

Here are 10 restaurants that you won’t want to miss when you come to Charm City:

Charleston Restaurant

One of Baltimore’s most sought after fine dining destinations, the Charleston features a prix-fixe menu that is different, yet just as bold and mouth-watering every time you come. The menu is reimagined each day by James Beard Award-nominated chef Cindy Wolf. 1000 Lancaster St., 410-332-7373

The Prime Rib

Baltimore’s other fine-dining must, The Prime Rib has been one of the area’s swankiest steakhouses for more than 50 years.

Whether you’ve owned multiple homes or you’re ready to take the plunge with your starter home, the first thing you’ll need to determine is if you want to buy or build your house. While some people stumble upon their dream homes when house shopping, more often than not people find homes that are acceptable and then come up with a list of features they want to change. Sometimes, trying to remodel or renovate an existing home and outfit it with the features you want for your life can be a timely process. It’s more likely that new construction will truly be what gets you all the customization and amenities you’ve always wanted in your home.

When people work with a builder on new construction homes, they can specify every detail. Here are ten

The holiday season is a time for family traditions, which also means family visits. Make an impression on visiting family, friends that stop in, and your neighbors with these festive holiday season upgrades.

Your front door.

The holidays are an outstanding time to upgrade your front door. It’s the first thing family and friends will see when they visit. A new door will freshen the look and feel of your exterior and get your holiday entertaining off on the right foot. It will be the visual start to holiday-themed get-togethers. For thanksgiving, add an autumn wreath with red, yellow and orange leaves. For the December holidays replace it with a wreath of fragrant fir branches and holly leaves.

Your fireplace.

Fireplaces are often the

The old saying “you get what you pay for” is generally true. The quality of materials and craftsmanship tend to decrease and increase with cost. With home prices and interest rates still historically low, new homeowners are finding themselves with extra to money to spend on improving their homes. But which improvements are worth going the high-end route and which are better done at a savings?  

Let’s take a look at five purchases that are worth splurging for:

Kitchen counter tops.

 Your kitchen counters take a lot of abuse. Acidic foods eat at them, knives chop away at them, and it seems even everyday cleaners are trying to leave a dark stain on them. Going cheap will mean you’ll have to replace them much sooner. When it comes to your