The Journal

What we’ve learned doing the work

Renovating, designing, buying, selling, written by the people who do it, not by a marketing department. 81 straight answers and counting.

Green kitchen cabinets with glass-front uppers and brass pulls, two white oak floating shelves over white stacked tile, and a stainless French-door refrigerator set into the cabinetry

Latest Renovating

Home Upgrades That Add Value in Fort Worth (and Ones That Don’t)

Kitchens, primary baths, closets, pools and garage apartments: which tend to pay off when you sell, which depend on how you’ll use them, and the one question to ask before you renovate.

November 2, 2026 5 min read Read it →

Living room with a rust velvet Chesterfield sofa, an olive velvet armchair, a dark green tile fireplace with dried hydrangeas on the mantel, and a crystal chandelier under a vaulted ceiling

Design & Style

Our Designers’ Fall Favorites: Colors, Textures and Little Things We’re Loving

Our designers, Kayla and Lee, rounded up what they’re loving this fall: earth tones, textures you want to touch, warm lamplight, a few vintage finds and a little spooky fun. Here’s how to bring each one home without redoing a thing.

October 29, 2026 4 min read

Bright, uncluttered living room with white walls, two navy velvet chairs facing a gray tile fireplace, and a colorful painting on the mantel

Buying & Selling

What Buyers Notice in the First 30 Seconds of a Showing

Seven things a buyer takes in as the showing starts, from the yard to the light bulbs, and the low-cost fix for each one before you list.

October 19, 2026 5 min read

Two women laughing together on a front porch decorated for fall, holding orange pumpkins, with white pumpkins and a pot of white mums at their feet

Buying & Selling

How to Sell Your Fort Worth Home This Fall

Selling a Fort Worth home this fall: why your first list price carries so much weight, the four big systems to fix and document before you list, and the photos, staging, and curb appeal that do the rest.

October 9, 2026 5 min read

Benbrook custom home kitchen with deep green lower cabinets, white oak island with Calacatta quartz waterfall, and black range hood

Custom Homes

Green Cabinets, a Sauna, and a House We’re Proud Of: Our Benbrook New Build

We just wrapped one of the coolest houses we’ve ever built: a 3,000-square-foot single-story new build in Benbrook with a deep green kitchen, a color-drenched interior, a butler’s pantry, and a real sauna in the primary bath. Here’s the full walk-through, with every paint color and finish included.

September 30, 2026 3 min read

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Real Estate Glossary

Plain definitions of the terms you’ll hear when you buy a home in Texas, from pre-qualification to closing, with the contract rules taken from the state’s standard resale form.

Read the glossary