What Is a House?
House is the form of dwelling used by people and can include residential, commercial or agricultural buildings. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a large, elaborate structure of wood, stone or brick, equipped with plumbing and electrical systems, furnished with bedrooms, kitchens and living areas. People also build houses for domestic or wild animals, which often resemble smaller versions of human domiciles. These include birdhouses, hen houses and dog houses.
The term house is more general than home, which evokes a stronger sense of emotional attachment or domestic sensation. The word house is also more neutral than apartment, which can have a negative connotation. The term house is typically used when discussing architecture or real estate transactions, but it can also be a term for a single-unit dwelling or an entire urban or suburban neighborhood.
A house is generally surrounded by a garden or other open land and includes a front, back and side yard. A house can also have a garage or carport. Its interior is generally divided into living, dining and kitchen areas, with bathrooms incorporated into the design. People may live in a house alone, with other family members or with friends and associates. The number of rooms, the size of the yard and the amount of space in the house can vary depending on the budget and preference of the inhabitants.
As the popularity of house music increased, DJs such as DJ Lynnwood, Bad Boy Bill and Richard “Humpty” Vission developed the subgenre of Chicago hard house. Bands such as Deee-Lite, with Bootsy Collins, and the New York City-based Nu Groove Records helped popularize house in the United States and abroad.
By the mid-2010s, tropical house became a major influence on contemporary pop and dance music. Artists such as Kygo, Jonas Blue and f(x) incorporated elements of tropical house into their work. In the same era, big room house was developed by artists such as Alesso and Justice, with heavy use of disco bass and synthesizers to create an energetic, dance floor sound.
A person who buys a house usually needs to prepare a detailed financial plan. This should include a breakdown of day-to-day spending, loan payments and long-term costs like vacations and leisure activities. The financial planning process can help people determine if they have enough money saved to afford a particular house, and whether the mortgage and closing costs will fit into their budgets.
The process of buying a house can be stressful and time-consuming. To reduce stress, people can prepare for financial challenges by saving up a cash reserve. This reserve can cover unexpected expenses, such as appraisal gaps or pricey repairs. This fund can be a useful alternative to using an emergency fund or pulling funds from a savings account, which can have high interest rates. A cash reserve can also serve as a hedge against future rate increases, as many people have experienced in recent years.