Power of Gray in Staging

Gray is a subtle color that can bring sophistication to interiors while also the neutrality that home buyer crave.

It’s the hot new neutral, a sleek and sophisticated color option that adds refinement to almost any room. Walls that are painted gray are great backdrops for almost any style of décor, and gray is such a dignified color that it can elevate the appearance of even the most modest furnishings.

Gray can be a great color choice for embellishments throughout interiors, such as a gray wash on wood furniture or the fabric in seating.

2014 color forecast expects grey to be used more in homes, and the grey’s flashier cousin, silver, used as an important accent color.

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The Color of 2014

Move over Emerald, there’s a new hot color in town. Get ready to embrace purple in 2014.

 “Radiant Orchid” as the “2014 Color of the Year.” This attention-getting hue a “captivating, magical, enigmatic purple” that is expected to catch on in everything from home interiors, accent pieces, and accessories to clothing lines in 2014.

“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple, and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love, and health,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

The color complements olive and deeper hunter greens as well as makes a great combo when paired with turquoise, teal, and light yellows. It can also help liven up neutrals, such as gray, beige, and taupe.

Radiant Orchid will replace the 2013 color of the year, Emerald.

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Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Regain Popularity as Prices, Rates Rise

Adjustable-rate mortgages, which all but vanished during the housing bust, are again gaining popularity. Home prices and interest rates rose last year, and adjustable mortgages can help keep the monthly payment affordable — at least temporarily. Such mortgages offer a lower initial rate, but that rate can rise over time with market changes.

With interest rates expected to rise this year, the proportion of ARMs could increase further. Last week, lenders offered, on average, a 3.05 percent interest rate for a 5/1-year ARM — which means a borrower receives that rate for five years, before the loan starts to adjust annually with the market. That’s compared with 4.53 percent for a 30-year fixed loan, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

Mortgage brokers say borrowers who plan to move after a few years, or those with considerable, but irregular, income could be well-suited for an ARM. ARMs have been most popular in some higher-priced communities. That’s a contrast to last decade’s housing bubble, when lenders flooded working-class communities with extremely risky mortgages. One such product — known as the option ARM — allowed borrowers to pay even less than the interest owed, swelling the size of the loan as unpaid interest was added on to principal.

Many borrowers who took such loans bet home prices would continue to rise, allowing them to easily refinance or sell before the first adjustment. Many got burned when home prices plummeted, preventing any refinancing.

Largely gone are option ARMs and loans with very low “teaser” rates that quickly exploded into payments that borrowers couldn't afford. Lenders during the bubble years also qualified borrowers based on teaser rates, increasing the likelihood of default. New federal regulations taking effect this month should further curtail some of the riskier ARMs, including interest-only products and those with balloon payments. Of course, rates could adjust downward in favorable market conditions. But ARMs are still riskier than fixed-rate loans — especially when rates remain at historical lows but are expected to rise.

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