Since COVID, waiving the home inspection has become something of a trend. Home Inspector Joe Mazza says it's one of the biggest financial mistakes a buyer can make — and he's seen the consequences firsthand. In this episode, Angie sits down with Joe to talk about what a great home inspector actually looks for, what most homeowners don't know to ask, and the things every new homeowner should do the moment they get the keys.

Here's what we discuss with Joe:

• Why waiving the home inspection is still happening — and why it's still a mistake

• How to find a good home inspector and the questions you should ask before you hire one

• What Joe sees before he even walks through the front door

• Why the garage is one of the most dangerous rooms in your house

• The one thing every homeowner needs to know the moment they move in

• What's in the inspection report that most people don't know to look for

• The deal breakers — what makes Joe pull a buyer aside and say walk away

• What to tackle first when you move in, and what can wait • The strangest thing Joe has ever found on an inspection

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Connect: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

Ready to find the right contractor before your next project? Visit https://www.angi.com/ to connect with top-rated pros in your area.

The housing market is weird right now. That's not a hot take — it's what CNBC's real estate correspondent Diana Olick will tell you flat out. In this episode, Angie sits down with Diana to make sense of what's actually happening, why it's happening, and what homeowners and buyers should be paying attention to beyond the daily noise about mortgage rates.

Here's what we discussed with Diana:

• Why the market is as strange as it is right now — and how we got here

• The supply shortage nobody is fixing fast enough, and what that means for prices

• Why first-time buyers are getting squeezed the hardest

• The mortgage lock-in effect: why people aren't moving and what that's doing to inventory

• Rates aren't going back to 3%. So what should buyers actually be waiting for?

• The markets where you can still buy a lot of house for the money • Why the starter home may not exist anymore — and how that should change your time horizon

• What homeowners who come out ahead have in common • How to see past a bad kitchen and buy the bones

• Ready to find the right contractor before your next project?

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Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area.

Connect: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

Most people approach homeownership like a consumer. Caleb Silver, editor-in-chief of Investopedia, says you need to approach it like a CFO. In this episode, Angie and Caleb break down what it actually means to treat your home as a financial asset — not just emotionally, but on a real dollars-and-cents level — and what separates homeowners who build wealth from the ones who end up house poor.

Here's what we discuss with Caleb:

• Why your home is the foundation of your family's wealth — and how most people mismanage it

• The CFO mindset: what it means to run your household like a business

• How to figure out what it actually costs to be you in your home, all in

• The 30% rule — and what happens when you blow past it

• Where to put your money first, and what gets people spending in the wrong order

• What home equity actually is and how to use it as a financial tool • The real return on residential real estate — and how it compares to other investments

• Why the American Dream now has a price tag, and what Investopedia found when they added it up

• What most homeowners understand too late

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Ready to find the right contractor for your next project? Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area. Learn more here: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

What if the most affordable path to homeownership has been sitting empty on a small-town street for the last 40 years? Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein built a community of nearly 3 million people around exactly that idea — beautiful, historic homes with real bones at prices that actually make sense. In this episode, they break down what it actually costs to buy and restore a cheap old house, how to know if you're the right person for it, and why they think we've been dreaming about homeownership all wrong.

Here's what we discuss with Elizabeth and Ethan:

• How to know if you're an old house person — and why that question matters before anything else

• What to look for structurally before you fall in love with the character

• The full budget breakdown on a $27,000 house — soup to nuts, every line item • When to DIY and when to hire a pro (and what not to touch under any circumstances)

• How to buy a cheap old house remotely — the practical process from first scroll to closing

• What it takes to qualify for a mortgage on a fixer-upper • Why they think the new American Dream looks a lot like a forgotten house on a quiet street

• Ready to find the right contractor for your next project? Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area.

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Ready to find the right contractor before your next project? Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area. Angi (formerly Angie’s List) is a leading home services marketplace that has helped homeowners with 300M+ home projects from plumbing and remodeling to roofing and landscaping. Learn more at https://www.angi.com/landing/podcast-angie-hicks

Most people think buying a home is about finding the right mortgage. Tiffany Aliche — The Budgetnista, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most trusted voices in personal finance — says that's exactly where they go wrong. A mortgage is one line item. The real question is whether you can afford the whole thing, and whether you're buying for your life right now or the life you're building.

In this episode, Angie and Tiffany break down the real math of homeownership: what it actually costs to carry a home, how to know if you're ready to buy, and the mindset shift that turns a house from a financial trap into a wealth builder.

Here's what we discuss with Tiffany:

• Why shame shields solutions, and what Tiffany had to let go of before she could rebuild

• The "is your mortgage rentable?" rule and why it changes how you think about buying

• What the full carrying cost of a home actually looks like beyond the mortgage

• The Noodle Budget: what it is, when to use it, and how it protects homeowners when things go sideways

• How much cushion you actually need before you buy, and why saving a down payment isn't enough

• The biggest mistake homeowners make that has nothing to do with the house itself

Ready to find the right contractor before your next project? Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area. Angi (formerly Angie’s List) is a leading home services marketplace that has helped homeowners with 300M+ home projects from plumbing and remodeling to roofing and landscaping.

Learn more at Angi.com

Tarek El Moussa has bought, fixed, and sold over 1,000 homes. That means he's walked into quite a few houses in his day. And he sees things the average homeowner completely misses. In this episode, Angie sits down with Tarek to talk about what actually moves the needle when you're preparing to sell, what kills deals at inspection, and how to think about ROI when you're deciding what to fix, update, or leave alone.

Here's what we discuss in this episode:

• What buyers see the moment they walk through your door — and what they're actually looking for
• Why seven out of ten homes fall out of escrow today, and the simple move that prevents most of it
• The projects with the best ROI before you list and the ones that aren't worth it
• How to get a high-end look without blowing the budget
• The gold toilet rule: what's personal, what's smart, and when those two things collide
• Tarek's four-step framework for any home improvement decision: evaluate, emulate, renovate, duplicate

Ready to find the right contractor before your next project? Visit angi.com to connect with top-rated pros in your area. Angi (formerly Angie’s List) is a leading home services marketplace that has helped homeowners with 300M+ home projects from plumbing and remodeling to roofing and landscaping.

Learn More: angi.com/landing/podcast-angie-hicks

Do you own your home, or does it own you?

For over 30 years, Angie Hicks has been hearing homeowners' hopes and headaches. What she learned: there's a lot nobody tells you about owning a home.

Introducing Own It with Angie Hicks!

In her new podcast, Angie sits down with leading experts, industry insiders, and real homeowners to tackle the questions that keep you up at night — whether to renovate or move, how to prioritize when you can't do it all, and what's actually worth the investment.

No how-tos. No Pinterest perfection. Just real talk, hard-won lessons, and the kind of advice you'd want from someone who genuinely gets it.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow now so you don't miss the first one.