Kristi Waterworth

Contributor

As a former realtor, general contractor and greenhouse operator, Kristi has touched nearly all aspects of homeownership, from the foundation up. Today, Kristi is a full-time investing and real estate journalist working with notable publications such as Forbes, US News and World Report and The Motley Fool.

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Although Kristi trained as a journalist in the mid-’90s, turbulence in local news led her down a path that ultimately ended with a decade spent as a realtor in Springfield, Missouri, helping buyers find high-quality homes that fit their budget. During that time she also worked as a general contractor and remodeler, building affordable housing within her community.

After the real estate crash in 2008, Kristi returned to her farm and local news roots, working as a stringer for the Marshfield Mail in Marshfield, Missouri, while running a dairy farm and commercial greenhouse full-time. She also started contributing garden- and home ownership-related content to a range of publications.

Today, when Kristi isn’t working as a full-time investing and real estate journalist, she enjoys tending a registered pollinator habitat at her home in Missouri.

Expertise

  • Solar expert
  • Home improvement expert
  • Home warranty expert
  • Pest control expert

Key Highlights

  • Two years with Forbes
  • Over 10 years of home improvement and home ownership content, including pubs like SF Gate, US News and World Report, Forbes (obvs), The Ascent, Millionacres by The Motley Fool, as well as providing content for websites of industry experts and trade publications
  • 9 ½ years as a licensed Realtor in Springfield, Missouri, primarily as a buyer’s agent, but sometimes helping with seller’s listings
  • Built, developed, and remodeled homes in the Springfield area for five years prior to the real estate crash
  • Expert in home construction, DIY, home seller/home buyer subjects, gardening, lawn care, landscaping, pest control, sustainable housing topics (solar, efficiency, green home), 3D-printed homes, homeownership

Experience

Kristi trained as a journalist in the mid-90s and eventually transitioned to a career in real estate in Springfield, MO for a decade, while also working as a general contractor. After the Great Recession, she returned to journalism, working for the Marshfield Mail. Now, she’s a full-time investing and real estate journalist for Forbes, US News and The Motley Fool.

Education

  • Missouri Master Gardener program in 2021.

Philosophy

When Kristi isn’t working as a full-time investing and real estate journalist, she enjoys tending a registered pollinator habitat at her home in Missouri.

  • When Is The Best Time To Aerate Your Lawn?

    Lawn care is an important part of homeownership but can be easily overlooked in favor of more trendy landscape designs. After all, if the grass is still growing, it’s ok, right? Not always. Sometimes lawns need a lot of extra...

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    Home ownership is a huge investment, and one that requires regular maintenance and care. Staying on top of a monthly yard and landscaping maintenance checklist is essential to ensuring that the time you spend living in your home is as...

  • 7 Common Spring Pests And How To Control Them

    Spring is a time of rebirth, when the whole world seems to come back to life. Trees open their leaves up and insects emerge from winter hiding. But that’s also when the trouble starts—some spring bugs are more problematic than...

  • 10 Creepy Looking House Plants To Incorporate Into Your Halloween Decor

    Halloween is all about the spook factor. Usually it’s ghosts, bats and spiders that show up on the lawn or in your home decor, but the scare doesn’t have to stop there. What if you added some spooky looking house...

  • Your Ultimate Seasonal Lawn Maintenance Schedule

    Being awash in a sea of grass can be a wonderful thing, especially when that grass is gloriously full and lush. But good lawns don’t just get that way on their own, it takes consistent effort and a solid lawn...

  • When Is The Best Time To Water Your Lawn?

    Water is among the more basic substances on this planet, but there’s a lot that goes into deciding just when, and how, to water a lawn. Do you even know how to tell if your grass is thirsty? Watering the...

  • An Expert Guide To Growing Pumpkins, Gourds And Other Fall Crops

    When it comes to seasonal decor, there’s little as festive as a fall pumpkin patch, and that goes double for one that’s homegrown. Whether you’re trying to grow the biggest pumpkin in your county, or are looking for a better...

  • Sunergy Systems Solar Review 2025

    Sunergy Systems is an employee-owned solar installer located in Seattle, Washington. In business since 2005, Synergy Systems currently has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, as well as BBB accreditation. Customers love the personal care that the company...

  • What To Do If A Window Breaks During A Hurricane

    Riding out a serious storm can be nerve-wracking. There’s a lot of noise and chaos and you’re never really sure what you’ll find at the end of it. Most of the time, very little has changed about the outside world,...

  • What To Do If A Tree Falls On Your House

    If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does anybody have to clean up the mess? It’s a question for the ages, but a more important and pressing one for many homeowners, is what happens if...

  • What To Do If A Storm Blows Shingles Off Of Your Roof (And How Urgently You Need To Replace Them)

    Storms can be a huge give and take for homeowners. On one hand, a storm will give you plenty of rain so your lawn and landscape will survive happily without expensive irrigation. But on the other hand, strong winds generated...

  • 5 Home Updates That Add To Home Security

    Home security is vital to your general well-being. After all, if you don’t feel safe at home, where can you feel safe?  But a security system can only do so much, especially when it comes to things that don’t violate...

  • 18 Home Security Do’s And Don’ts (And Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make)

    Your home is your castle, but if there are gaping holes in your home security, that castle is going to be a pretty insecure place. Fortunately, there are many ways to do home security better, choosing a top home security...

  • How To Get Rid Of Ticks In Your Yard

    Finding ticks out in the woods is kind of par for the course, but when you find them in your yard, it’s a far worse situation, indeed. Ticks in yards can be caused by many factors, but no matter how...

  • How To Switch Internet Providers: A Complete Guide

    So, you’ve fallen out of love with your broadband provider. It happens. Sometimes it’s nothing they’ve done, you just both grew in different directions. Sometimes it’s much worse—poor customer service, rising costs or just not enough value to keep you...

  • Modern Pest Services Review

    Pest control can be challenging, especially when you don’t have someone in your corner that you can trust. Although the big national companies can provide most services almost anywhere, sometimes a local expert with regional pest expertise is preferable. An...

  • Viking Pest Control Review 2025

    Viking Pest Control has been active in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland since 1980, and has a reputation for providing excellent service. Despite some recent concerns from customers about billing problems and technicians being late to appointments or missing...

  • What Is A Solar Array, And Why Do You Need It?

    If you’ve been considering installing a solar panel system at your home, you’ve probably been hit with a lot of information all at once. It can be overwhelming, especially with so much specialized terminology and subtle differences between parts that...

  • 11 Common Garden Pests To Look Out For This Year

    Garden season is upon us, along with all the joy and heartbreak that entails. Although no one can control the weather, you can improve your experience by having an impact on the number and types of garden pests that dwell...

  • How To Pack Houseplants For A Move

    Working time: 10 minutes (for a small plant) Total time: 10 minutes (for a small plant) Skill level: Beginner Project cost: Free The worst part about moving house is always the packing. If you own a lot of houseplants, this...

  • 6 Tips For Keeping Maggots and Flies Out Of Your Vegetable Garden

    Gardening is a spiritual experience where many people find peace and comfort in the turning of the soil and growing of plants. Or, it is until you find something truly horrid hiding under the dirt, like maggots. When a gardener...

  • 5 Reasons To Start An Indoor Garden

    Keeping indoor plants has become a popular hobby since the pandemic began, making our homes and lives a little greener and adding some texture and interest to otherwise bland rooms. But, as it turns out, keeping indoor plants–or even an...

  • How To Control Wireworms In Your Garden

    Vegetable gardening can be such a joy for those willing to go through the trouble to pursue it. Even in the years when crops are badly producing, that $5 tomato you grew yourself is worth far more than dollars and...

  • Your Guide To The Best Paint For Cabinets

    There are a lot of ways to give a kitchen a new look, like changing out the lighting in the room, or replacing the backsplash. For many homeowners, new cabinets are front of mind when envisioning their new kitchen. Unfortunately,...

  • How To Get Rid Of Crickets In The House

    The sound of crickets carried on the warm breeze of a summer evening is romantic, even relaxing. But when you take that same symphony and drop it in your basement, suddenly it becomes a cacophony of epic proportions. The beloved...

  • 10 Tips For Planting And Landscaping Under Trees

    If you’re looking to really make your landscaping pop, one place where you can add a lot of interest and color is under your favorite trees. Just like you’d naturally find plants growing under trees in the wilderness, you can...

  • 7 Unique Ways To Incorporate Solar In Your Home

    Sustainability is a growing trend for homeowners looking for greener ways to live and function in the world. Part of that trend is moving more powered items to renewable energy, like solar, so that homes require less use of fossil...

  • 15 Toxic Flowers To Avoid In Your Gardening

    Finding new plants to put into your landscape can be a lot of fun, and there are tons of exotic varieties to be had year after year. But have you ever stopped to consider if any of the plants you’re...

  • 10 Ornamental Grasses To Add Beauty And Texture To Your Landscaping

    When spring is in there, it can mean only one thing: planting season. For some, it’ll be a garden full of vegetables, but for others, it’s all about the landscaping. Looking to add texture and interest to your yard this...

  • What Are Solar Trees, And Could They Replace Panels?

    The sun is an incredible source of energy that’s accessible from nearly anywhere on the planet. It’s also easy to harvest and costs nothing straight from the tap. For all these reasons and so many more, solar panels have been...

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