It took a fire in a nearby apartment building to convince Cecilia Garza that she needed renters insurance. “I realized that I could lose everything,” she says. That was ab...

When Elizabeth Bolton searched for her first apartment, she had a strategy — and a spreadsheet. She compiled a list of must-haves for her perfect apartment, as well as a lis...

Marcelo Paiva doesn’t want to just write public policy. He wants to understand the research and analysis that helps policymakers decide to address a particular problem or fu...

After the birth of her second child, Sara Kirner’s family had outgrown their two-bedroom Bethesda condo. She and her husband, Kevin, bought a house in Silver Spring but deci...

In 1997, Shawn Colvin hit it big with her song “Sunny Came Home,” which told the tale of a tortured housewife driven to arson. While it might have seemed like an overnight...

Kristin Pallister can trace her interest in science to a childhood accident. “I was hit by a car and needed to have a bunch of surgeries,” she says. “That got me interes...

Sharmili Edwards knows when to fold ’em. Which is important when inhabiting a small, rented space with a husband, 8-month-old daughter and lots of baby gear. “We have as m...

As the daughter of fashion icon C.Z. Guest and polo champion Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, onetime 1980s socialite Cornelia Guest knows a thing or two about elegance and ...

Some men find out that a son is on the way and order cigars. When Time magazine staff writer Joel Stein learned that he and his wife were having a boy, he had a panic attack, ...

Kate Pazoles regretted never studying abroad while she was an undergraduate at Cornell University. So when it came time for graduate school, a program with an option to spend ...

One man’s trash often turns into treasure for Texas gals Amie and Jolie Sikes, who scour flea markets, secondhand stores and all kinds of other sources for finds they can tr...

Jennifer Carr decided to sell her Shirlington, Va.-area condo on something of a whim, after falling for a property she saw during an open house. Though her decision was quick,...

With three D.C. apartment rentals in about three years under his belt, Ryan Holeywell has learned that a good landlord is just as important as closet space or an updated kitch...

John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino aren’t afraid to tear down walls or rip up floors to turn outdated, problem kitchens into meal-worthy spaces. The pair, who run a New Jerse...

Moving is expensive. Just ask civil engineer Amy Park, who recently funded her own move from Dallas to D.C. for a new job. When the Ellicott House apartment complex in Van Nes...