Construction is not a nice sound early in the morning -- or at any time. (Photo: iStockphoto)

There’s nothing like waking up to a noise so loud that your house actually shakes. That happened to me this morning, and it has happened, on and off, for the past three months.

My neighbors across the street, you see, are renovating their house. Scratch that: They aren’t just renovating, they’re tearing it down to the studs and starting over …Full Story

Gen Y buyers don't want a long commute to work. (Photo: iStockphoto)

From where Raffi Arslanian sits, Generation Y is the perfect home buyer. The architect and developer has 20 years experience designing and building commercial and residential properties, but turned his focus to Generation Y in the past five years. He tailors his units in northern New Jersey to these buyers—who Cyberhomes finds are increasingly picky and still want all the finer things in life. And despite the downturn in the economy, he says his units are still selling out.  …Full Story

Sunets and beaches invoke some of my most favorite memories. (Photo: iStockphoto.com)

It wasn’t what she thought she’d come up with, but a kitchen with a skylight and a couch under it to stare up at the passing clouds and daydream was exactly what Toby Israel ended up with in her New Jersey home …Full Story

A little garden sun to bring into my dark bedroom. (Photo: by Heather Boerner)

Throughout this week, the Cyberhomes bloggers will turn our attention to some recent home improvement projects we've accomplished. Read on and let us know what you think!

My fall improvement: Liven up my space with art …Full Story

Design disasters can wreck a room. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Recently, I wrote about the design lessons to take from the putative design stars. This week? It’s all about the red flags, warnings and downright mess-ups.

Without further ado: The Design Stars’ mistakes and how you can avoid them. …Full Story

Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer recently slashed the asking price on his home.

The home of rock band Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer is now on the market for a cool $3.699 million. Located in Laguna Beach, Calif., with views of the Pacific Ocean, the residence was recently reduced from $3.749 million and was originally listed at $3.995 million, according to RedFin.com. Donna Pfanner of Coldwell Banker Previews International has the listing …Full Story

The outlook is cloudy for many home buyers racing to meet the $8,000 tax-credit deadline. (Photo: iStockphoto)

About 1.4 million home buyers have used the $8,000 first-time home buyer credit, according to the Internal Revenue Service. And from the looks from comments to this blog, there are many, many more potential home buyers out there looking to benefit from the credit. But the catch is that the credit is only available to taxpayers who've purchased a home before Dec. 1 of this year, leaving those who haven't qualified yet for the tax credit a very limited time to do so. And while there have been some signs of hope that the credit could be extended into 2010, the jury is still out on whether it actually will be …Full Story

The infamous pink geese. (Photo: www.hgtv.com/designstar)

Design Star may be over, but some of the design choices live on as shining examples of beautiful, translatable design. Here are our favorites. Feel free to chime in with your own in the comments …Full Story

Hefner's ex-wife is suing him over the proceeds of their home.

Earlier, I blogged about how Playboy founder Hugh Hefner recently sold the home that he shared with estranged-wife Kimberly Conrad Hefner, 47, for $18 million, about $10 million below its asking price.

Built in 1929, the lavish 7,300-square-foot English Tudor neighbors Hefner's current residence, the Playboy Mansion …Full Story

Some bankers are getting "bubbly" about foreclosures. (Photo: iStockphoto.com)

File this story under "bankers we hate."

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you can identify at least one house in your neighborhood that has gone into foreclosure. You know the signs: The weeds, the disrepair, the bright stickers on windows shrieking that the home is now bank-owned …Full Story