Great event for Christmas shopping in Abita Springs.
Abita Springs Christmas Market
Abita Brewing Company
72011 Holly St
Abita Springs, LA 70420
December 7, 2025
10am – 12pm
Free Event.
Click Here for More Information.
YSB is a great event in Covington.
Your Santa Breakfast
Lakeview Regional Medical Center
95 Judge Tanner Blvd.
Mandeville, LA 70448447
December 6, 2025
9am – 12pm
Price:$20/child, Free for Adults w/ $5 Breakfast Option
Celebrate the season in Old Mandeville at the 26th annual Winter on the Water Parade & Festival on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
Winter on the Water Parade & Festival
Mandeville Trailhead Amphitheater
675 Lafitte St.
Mandeville, LA 70448
December 6, 2025
2pm
Free event
Kids (and kids at heart), get ready! On Saturday, December 6, Olde Towne Slidell will host the 6th annual Krewe of Kringle Golf Cart Parade from 5–7 p.m., where you can wave to Santa, Mrs. Claus, and your friends and neighbors.
Krewe of Kringle Golf Cart Parade
Slidell, LA
December 6, 2025
5pm – 7pm
Free event!
Click Here for More Information!
Even with a foggy economic outlook and ongoing cost pressures, homebuilders headed into October feeling a bit better about the year ahead. Confidence ticked up enough that expectations for future single-family home sales finally climbed back above the key 50-point threshold for the first time since last January. That shift is an encouraging sign for 2026, but it doesn’t mean the industry is suddenly in great shape.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which tracks sentiment among builders of new single-family homes, rose to 37 in October. That’s a five-point gain from September and the strongest reading since April, but it still sits well below the neutral line of 50, meaning more builders still describe conditions as weak than strong. The recent slide in mortgage rates has done some heavy lifting here: the average 30-year fixed rate eased from a little over 6.5% at the start of September to about 6.3% in early October. Combined with expectations of further Federal Reserve easing, that has led many builders to pencil in a slightly better sales environment in the coming year, even as they continue to wrestle with stubbornly high land, labor, and materials costs.
Affordability, however, remains a major obstacle. While lower mortgage rates help, they are easing off elevated levels rather than returning to the ultra-low environment of the early 2020s. Demand is uneven, with some pockets of relative strength and plenty of caution elsewhere. Smaller builders, for example, are increasingly pivoting toward remodeling work, where homeowners upgrade existing properties rather than trading up in a tricky rate environment. At the other end of the spectrum, the luxury market is holding up relatively well, as higher-income buyers are better able to absorb higher borrowing costs. A large pool of would-be buyers is still waiting and watching, hoping for more substantial rate relief before stepping into the market.
Complicating the picture is a temporary data blackout. With the federal government shut down, official Census Bureau figures on September housing construction have been delayed. To fill the gap, NAHB has leaned on its own statistical models linking sentiment to building activity. Based on historical relationships, October’s bump in the confidence index points to roughly a 3% increase in September single-family building permits on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, with a plausible range of 2% to 4%. That suggests some underlying improvement, but it’s an estimate rather than hard data—and it’s coming off a relatively subdued baseline.
Price pressure is another sign that the market hasn’t truly healed. In October, 38% of builders reported that they had reduced prices, a share that has been bouncing between 37% and 39% since June. That consistency tells you this isn’t a one-off gimmick; it’s become a standard tool to keep sales moving. The typical price cut also deepened, averaging 6% in October after several months at around 5%. Builders haven’t cut that aggressively since October 2024, which underscores how much pushback they’re still getting from buyers. At the same time, 65% of builders said they were using some kind of sales incentive—such as rate buydowns, free upgrades, or closing cost help—unchanged from September. In other words, higher confidence is coexisting with the reality that many homes still need financial sweeteners to sell.
To understand what those confidence numbers really mean, it helps to look under the hood of the NAHB/Wells Fargo index. For more than 40 years, the survey has asked builders to rate current single-family sales, expected sales over the next six months, and traffic of prospective buyers as “good,” “fair,” or “poor,” and “high to very high,” “average,” or “low to very low.” Those responses are turned into separate scores and then combined into an overall index, where readings above 50 indicate more builders think conditions are positive than negative. With the headline number at 37, the industry as a whole is still in “challenged” territory, even if the trend direction has turned slightly upward.
All three components of the index did improve in October, though they tell very different stories. The measure of current sales conditions rose four points to 38, signaling modestly better sentiment about how builders are doing right now—but still clearly below healthy levels. The index for expected sales over the next six months jumped nine points to 54, moving solidly into net-positive territory. That gap between current and future readings reflects a belief that lower rates and a bit more economic clarity next year will gradually draw more buyers back into the market. Meanwhile, the gauge tracking prospective buyer traffic rose four points to 25, which is an improvement but still extremely low. For all the optimism about what might happen in the coming months, foot traffic through model homes remains thin.
Regionally, the three-month moving averages for the index suggest a patchwork market. In the Northeast, the sentiment score rose two points to 46, putting it within striking distance of the breakeven line. The Midwest held steady at 42, indicating conditions there have stabilized but are not yet strong. The South, which has been a major driver of new-home construction in recent years, inched up two points to 31, still lagging despite its importance to national housing supply. Out West, the index also gained two points, landing at 28, which reflects the ongoing strain of high prices, regulatory costs, and rate sensitivity in that region.
Taken together, these numbers paint a picture of an industry that is cautiously hopeful but far from booming. The October rise in builder confidence likely foreshadows some improvement in single-family starts in 2026, especially if mortgage rates continue to ease. But the fact that so many builders are still cutting prices, leaning heavily on incentives, and reporting weak buyer traffic shows how fragile that optimism is. Until affordability improves more meaningfully and buyers come off the sidelines in larger numbers, the housing market will stay in a slow, grinding recovery rather than snapping back to full strength.
Making your home harder to break into doesn’t have to mean tearing down walls or paying a professional security company thousands of dollars. A handful of smart, low-effort upgrades can reduce your risk of burglary, limit damage if something does happen and, in some cases, even bring down your home insurance premiums. The key is choosing the right projects, installing them correctly and then letting your insurer know what you’ve done.
Many insurance companies offer discounts for certain security measures, especially those that are monitored or significantly reduce the likelihood or severity of a loss. The catch is that those discounts aren’t guaranteed, and they can vary a lot between companies. Once you’ve made improvements, a quick call or online chat with your insurer can clarify whether your specific devices qualify for any savings. Think of any discount as a bonus on top of the main goal: protecting your home and the people in it.
A natural starting point for many homeowners is a smart home security system. Brands like Ring, SimpliSafe and Wyze have popularized DIY packages that combine a hub, keypad, door and window sensors, motion detectors and optional cameras. Instead of paying for a custom, professionally installed system, you can start small with a basic kit and add devices over time as your budget allows. These systems are designed for non-experts; most pieces are peel-and-stick or mount with simple screws, and the apps walk you through setup step by step. The flexibility is a genuine advantage: you can add indoor cameras in key rooms, extend coverage to a detached garage, or integrate smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Just remember that “smart” doesn’t automatically mean “monitored.” If you want emergency responders notified when an alarm triggers and you’re not available, you’ll usually need to pay a monthly monitoring fee. It’s worth weighing that ongoing cost against the extra protection and any insurance discount a monitored system might unlock.
Strong locks and reinforced doors remain one of the most underrated security upgrades. Many exterior doors are fitted with budget deadbolts that look solid but don’t do much against a determined kick. Upgrading to a Grade 1 deadbolt—tested to a higher standard for strength and durability—can make it significantly harder to force your way in. You can go further by reinforcing the door frame itself. A heavy-duty steel strike plate, anchored with long screws that sink at least an inch into the wall studs, helps keep the lock from ripping out of soft wood during a break-in attempt. These materials are relatively inexpensive compared to cameras and alarms, but they only pay off if installed correctly. If you’re not handy, watching a few reputable instructional videos or asking a knowledgeable friend to double-check your work is a good idea; a misaligned deadbolt or weak frame doesn’t offer the protection you’re counting on.
Lighting is another powerful but simple deterrent. Burglars prefer shadows and blind spots, and outdoor motion-sensor lights can make your property feel far less inviting. When someone approaches a doorway, walkway or driveway, the sudden wash of light draws attention and gives you or your neighbors a clear view of what’s happening. If you’re comfortable working with household wiring, you can replace existing flood lights with motion-activated models that tie into your electrical system. If you’d rather avoid dealing with electricity, solar-powered motion lights are an easier alternative: they mount with screws, charge during the day and can be moved around as you figure out where they’re most effective. The downside is that solar units depend on sunlight and battery life, so placement and quality matter. Whatever option you choose, aim to eliminate dark corners rather than turning your yard into a stadium; you want security, not constant glare.
Windows are often weaker points in a home’s defenses, especially large, ground-level panes. Security window film offers a subtle way to reinforce them. This clear or tinted film adheres directly to the glass, helping it hold together when struck instead of shattering into shards. It will not make your windows unbreakable, but it can slow down an intruder and make forced entry noisier and more obvious—often enough to send someone looking for an easier target. Some films also reduce visibility into your home, making it harder for someone to quickly scan for valuables or confirm whether anyone is inside. Installation takes patience; the glass has to be cleaned thoroughly and the film applied without bubbles or creases. Done properly, though, it can last for years and also offer side benefits like UV protection and modest storm resistance.
Finally, video doorbells have quickly gone from novelty to near-standard on many front porches, and for good reason. These devices combine a doorbell, camera, microphone and speaker so you can see and talk to whoever is at your door from your phone—even when you’re miles away. Hardwired models replace your existing doorbell, but many popular options run on rechargeable batteries, making DIY installation straightforward. For renters, there are non-drilling mounts that clamp onto the door or doorframe and come off cleanly when you move, which helps avoid security-deposit issues. Beyond deterring package theft and casual snooping, video doorbells create a record of activity at your front door. If you ever need to file a claim for stolen deliveries or vandalism, those clips can be valuable documentation. Just be aware that cloud storage and advanced features usually come with subscription fees, and you should review your device’s privacy settings so you’re comfortable with how and where footage is stored.
All of these upgrades—smart systems, stronger locks, better lighting, reinforced windows and video doorbells—work best as part of an overall mindset rather than as magic solutions. A camera won’t help if you leave doors unlocked, and the best deadbolt in the world is less useful if a sliding window has a flimsy latch. Think in layers: make entry physically harder, increase the odds that suspicious activity will be noticed and recorded, and ensure that alarms trigger a quick response. Then, once you’ve completed your projects, document what you installed, keep your receipts and contact your home insurance company. Ask specifically which devices or systems they recognize for discounts and what proof they require.
You may find that some upgrades shave a bit off your premium, while others provide no direct financial benefit but still dramatically improve your security. In that case, the peace of mind and added protection are the real return on investment. By focusing on practical, well-chosen DIY improvements instead of gadgets for their own sake, you can make your home tougher to target without turning it into a fortress—or breaking your budget in the process.
