Stephen Tchividjian: Giving back to the community, the National Christian Foundation, and Life Work Leadership

Join South Florida’s #1 Luxury real Estate agent Debbie Wysocki as she interviews Stephan Tchividjian – Co-Founder and President of the National Christian Foundation of South Florida, and the Co-Executive Director of Lifework Leadership of South Florida. He has more than 25 years of experience serving on a variety of boards of directors and leadership teams for both for-profit and…

Lynette Janac: The Luxury Lifestyle Guide, Giving Back, and the Future of Luxury

Join South Florida’s #1 luxury real estate agent Debbie Wysocki as she interviews Lynette Janac of The Luxury Lifestyle Guide. Founded in 2010, Luxury Network, Inc. has evolved from solely publishing South Florida Luxury Guide into a multidimensional publishing, marketing, networking, and business development firm for high-end businesses in various affluent markets throughout the United States. Their quarterly print and…

Thinking of Selling Your Home? The Waiting Is The Hardest Part.

Tom Petty famously penned the words, “the waiting is the hardest part” in his early 80’s hit song The Waiting, and his thought process can surprisingly also be applied to individuals considering selling their homes today. Traditional thinking would suggest it may be best to wait until the spring to sell when there is a flood of buyers in the…

Kick stink bugs out of the house, naturally

If you haven’t met your fair share of stink bugs this year, brace yourself. Although stink bug season is officially from March through September, the cooler it gets outdoors, the bigger the problem. Brown marmorated stink bugs infest both the interior of homes and the garden. In the garden, they feed on fruit and vegetable crops, causing spots and decay….

3 Things to know about buying a new-construction home

Will this be the year you buy a brand-new home? Don’t be discouraged by news reports claiming that “U.S. home building fell,” or “housing starts dropped.” The scary-sounding numbers are due to a drop in multi-family home building, not single-family. In fact, the single-family home construction market across the country is set to be just fine, with a surge in…

Here’s what you need to know about the current real estate market

Whether you’re entertaining notions of buying or selling a home, you’re no doubt keeping up with housing news. And, what you’re seeing may concern you. Doom and gloomers, naysayers and, curiously, even some experts are claiming that they are worried about the housing market. The fact is, the real estate market is the one bright spot in the economy right…

Experts Predict a Strong Housing Market for the Rest of 2019

2019 is half-way over. With a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, some are asking what the predictions are for the remainder of 2019. With the said concerns, here are few statements from the experts in the real estate industry. Ralph McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Economist for CoreLogic said “We see the cooldown flattening or…

Homebuyer tip: Don’t commit these negotiation blunders

As a homebuyer, unless you are buying direct from the owner, you’ll not negotiate with the seller of the home you have your eye on. That’s your real estate agent’s job. But he or she negotiates on your behalf. So, when we talk about buyer negotiations with sellers, we’re referring to indirect negotiations through your agent, as middle-person. Unless you’re…

Tips to get rid of kitchen clutter

The junk drawer. Love it or hate it, most of us have one and most of the time it’s in the kitchen. NPR’s Linton Weeks says they serve “as a Rorschachian reflection of your life.” That’s rather distressing, isn’t it? While the garage is the most cluttered room in the house, according to a Moen® Consumer and Market Insights Group…

Easy growing house plants

After a few tries at indoor gardening, many people give up, assuming the thumb just isn’t green enough. The problem usually boils down to having chosen a high-maintenance plant and giving it low-maintenance care. We agree that having a plant in the house shouldn’t be like having another child around that you have to fuss over and take care of….

5 Homebuyer traps and how to avoid them

Unless you’re Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, your home purchase may be the biggest financial investment you make during your lifetime. Scary thought, isn’t it? Not if you approach this investment as the three wealthiest Americans would. Buying a home is a business transaction and, to avoid costly mistakes, it needs to be addressed as one. This means…

10 ways to transform your home

Home improvement projects can not only be fun, but they add value to your home as well. Whether you’ve decided to add improvements to your home before it goes on the market or are planning improvements to your new home, here are some creative ways to add sparkle. 1. Window Treatments Because windows are such a focal point, it pays…

Budget your way to a new home

Buying a home isn’t as easy as walking up to a lender and requesting a mortgage. You’ll need cash for a down payment and the loan’s closing costs, unless you’re applying for a VA or USDA loan. If you’ll be going after a conventional loan, you’ll typically (but not always) need 20 percent of the loan amount as the down…

Hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes: Are you prepared?

Hurricane season in 2018 was brutal. We saw eight hurricanes, with Florence and Michael producing the most significant damage. Hurricane season this year begins on June 1. Last month, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency in preparation for the 2019 wildfire season. The declaration allows him to waive environmental restrictions “to speed up fire prevention projects …”…

How to sell a home as a landlord

Tenants come in two “flavors,” affable and nightmarish. We hope, for your sake, that when it comes time to sell your rental your tenants are the former. The whole process will go much smoother. If they are disagreeable, you may want to take option 1 when deciding when to list your rental property. Timing the sale of your rental property…

5 Outdoor Spring Cleaning Tips

Most of us homeowners consider spring cleaning as the project that clears the home’s interiors of winter’s nastiness. You know, the mud in the mud room, the stale odors, the fireplace scent clinging to draperies and rugs. The home’s exterior rarely gets our spring-cleaning love, but it should, according to the founder of Winkelmann Design & Construction in Akron, Ohio….

Trending: Danish modern furniture

What’s old typically becomes new, right? Whether it’s fashion, music, dance styles or décor, never count a trend down and out, because the chances are good that it will see a revival. Scandinavian décor hit it big again a couple of years ago, especially in the midwest United States. And now, we’ve niched that down to a return to the…

Remodeling projects that give the most bang for the buck

The “Remodeling 2019 Cost vs. Value Report*” has just recently been released. A deep dive into which remodeling projects provide a homeowner with the best return on the money invested, the latest report is full of surprises. In last year’s report, the three projects with the highest ROI were all improvements to the home’s exterior. These included: Garage door replacement…

Rental Property Tax Tips

Owning a rental property poses tax considerations that are more complex than the residential property you live in and requires a more refinedtax strategy. Below is the tax information you need to know as well assome top tax tips for owners of rental properties. Rental Property Tax Considerations When filling in your tax returns, your rental property is listed in…

Front yard landscaping for ranch-style homes

Designed by Cliff May in 1932, the ranch-style house was conceived specifically for California living. Mr. May combined elements of the Spanish hacienda and Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style design and expanded on them to include large windows to bring the California landscape visually closer to the home’s interior. Other identifying features of the ranch house include the long, low layout…

Hey boomer: Considering buying a home in a retirement community?

Now, before you turn your nose up at the topic, we aren’t talking about senior living communities – those group homes for baby boomers and their elders where they take a little bus to Walmart once a week and someone else does all the cooking. We’re talking about retirement communities – for boomers who are active and independent and want…

Bad credit home loans

It doesn’t take much to diminish a credit score. Something as small as a 30-day late payment can cause it to plummet. If that payment goes another 30 days late, your credit score (which, for FICO, ranges between 300 to 850) will fall even more. Soon, you may be considered a subprime borrower (those with credit scores below 670). In…

Spring lawn care schedule

Lush green lawns don’t happen without some serious help from the homeowner. Sure, grass may not die if not routinely cared for, but homeowners with a lawn-care schedule are the ones with the yards that are the envy of the neighborhood. Spring is the perfect time to set about creating a lawn-care schedule. Stick to it and if it ever…

Easy ways to add more color to your home

Home improvement projects are missing from the list of Americans’ top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2019. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t undertake one or two this year, especially if what you do makes living in the home more relaxing. And changing up the color, even if it’s in small ways, can do just that. Intimidated? Intimidation is usually…

Be proactive: head off problems in the home sale before they happen

Too many home sellers feel that their listing agent is responsible for everything that comes after signing the listing agreement. Nothing could be further from the truth. The homeowner is an active participant in many aspects of the sales process, from settling on the listing price to preparing the home for the market and being flexible when buyers’ agents request…

Are you ready to move up?

Funny thing about houses – we often outgrow them. Especially in the throes of family-building, pretty soon a house is like our kids’ shoes – it gets tighter and tighter until it’s time for a new one. The new year promises to bring a different real estate market than we’ve grown accustomed to. Hopefully, multiple offers on homes are a…

3 Home maintenance resolutions for 2019

As most homeowners understand, owning a home isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it kind of possession. It requires what sometimes seems like almost constant maintenance. While some of these tasks can be deferred, and often are, there are others that shouldn’t wait. Not performing these maintenance tasks can cost you dearly. We have a fresh, new year upon us, so why not resolve,…

Real Estate Lingo Deciphered: What’s a “Comp?”

From Ikea product hacks to painting kitchen cabinets and refinishing countertops, Americans are absolutely hooked on the DIY craze. There are some things, however, that only a pro should tackle and that includes determining a home’s current market value. In fact, a National Association of Realtors’ survey of for-sale-by-owners found that determining an accurate price for their home was the…

Tips for a Brilliant Bookshelf Makeover

Sure, books aren’t exactly selling like the Instapot (2018’s hottest selling product on Amazon’s Prime Day in the U.S.), but if you’re of the opinion that something isn’t worth reading unless you can hold it in your hand, read on. Even if you consume your literature on Kindle, shelves holding books are an asset to your décor – especially if…

4 types of neighborhoods

After the boring stuff is out of the way – the loan application process, choosing a lender and then hiring a real estate agent, it’s time to go shopping, the truly fun part of buying a home. Have you started your wish list yet? The first section should be all about location – where you want to live, right down…

The cure for wet basements

Pretend, for a moment, that it’s spring (yes, it will come). Although snow is still deep, temperatures are rising. What happens? The snow will melt, sometimes rapidly, creating lots and lots of flowing water. Add a spring rainstorm to the scenario and you may be facing a serious problem. Where will all this water go? Since the earth is still…

Are you brave enough to buy a home while engaged?

Whoever coined the phrase “Bridezilla” must’ve been referring to the bride (or groom) who was juggling wedding planning with homebuying. Believe it or not, many couples avoid the chicken and egg scenario (what comes first, the wedding or the house?) and decide to do both processes simultaneously. It sounds crazy, but if you have a system and some professional guidance, …

Is your wood-burning fireplace ready for winter?

 Winter brings images of getting cozy in front of a crackling fire. Whether your image also includes a steaming cup of cocoa or a glass of crisp Chardonnay, it’s definitely something to look forward to. A house fire most likely doesn’t factor into your dreams of hearthside dreams. But the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists fireplaces as one of…

What you absolutely must know about HOAs

A Sacramento area HOA created a requirement that insisted homeowners keep their garage doors open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If they refused, they would be fined $200. Apparently, the HOA hoped this invasion of homeowners’ privacy would prevent them from renting out their garages as living spaces. The requirement was later rescinded. An Orlando area…

Be Prepared for Winter Storms

There is a 65 to 70 percent chance that El Nino will be visiting this winter, so look for it to be a warmer than normal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing winter storms; we just may not see as much snow in certain areas of the country. Take steps…

Give Thanks for these 6 Websites and Apps this Thanksgiving

From recipes to timers, this year’s crop of Thanksgiving websites and apps are just about guaranteed to keep you from wishing you had five extra hands and three fewer kids while trying to get the Thanksgiving feast from the kitchen to the table. 1. The Bon Appétit Thanksgiving Headquarters Although Bon Appétit Magazine has been helping foodies navigate the kitchen…

Don’t Wait until spring! There’s plenty to clean right now

It’s almost winter (it starts on December 21 this year) and that’s the perfect time to tackle some chores that you may typically put off for spring cleaning. Do them now, however, and you’ll not only be better prepared for the feast-heavy winter holiday, but ahead of the spring-cleaning game as well. Why now? Think about it: spring cleaning is…

Home-Buying Tips for Veterans

Veterans Day this year is November 11 (observed on the 12th) but to us, November is Veterans Month. And what better time to remind those who have served our country and their surviving spouses that the best mortgage on the market just may be the one that was created for them? When comparing mortgages, especially when you’re short on cash,…

Selling Mom and Dad’s Home

One of life’s most challenging aspects is watching our parents age. Then comes the day when you, and they, realize they’ve lost their physical independence. Whether they are downsizing into a smaller, less maintenance-intensive home or are moving in with you or to a care home, giving up a long-loved home is wrenching. Thankfully, they have you and you have…

Is your home making you sick?

Would it surprise you to learn that 1.2 million American children have elevated levels of lead in their blood? Lead poisoning sounds like something from out of the past, like polio or leprosy. But, apparently, it’s still very much in the present, and very, very dangerous. If your home was built before 1978 the paint on your walls may contain…

How to prepare your pet for a natural disaster

It’s hurricane season and even the most prepared among us may have let something fall through the cracks. Typically, it’s the pet’s needs during a natural disaster that are left unconsidered. We’ve seen the videos of dogs left chained in a yard, the flood waters quickly surrounding it. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is urging pet owners…

Do Open Houses Work?

“In my experience, there is no correlation between houses we hold open a lot and houses we do not hold open at all and how fast or at what prices they ultimately sell for,” claims an unnamed real estate broker at zillow.com. Then, there is real estate “scientist” Tim Ellis’ analysis of a study performed by a large real estate…

September in the garden

It’s been a long, hot summer, and, we don’t know about you, but we can’t wait for fall. The cooler weather makes it more enjoyable to do the things we like to do, such as gardening. The only problem is that the days are starting to get shorter. But, hey, that’s a small price to pay to be rid of…

Busting the 3 biggest private mortgage insurance myths

One of the most frustrating issues we’ve dealt with over the past few years is the confusion over private mortgage insurance (PMI). Folks on the internet aren’t helping clear the confusion; instead, many are feeding it with misinformation. The truth is, the average down payment on a mortgage is around 11 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s…

Tips to help you paint like a pro

Paint is the miracle cure for a home that needs freshening. It not only adds color, but, if the color is chosen strategically, it can make rooms appear larger, smaller and even cleaner. The best part of painting as a home improvement project is that you can control costs by doing it yourself. The worst part is how much preparation…

5 Blogs for new homeowners

Although homeowners have been DIYing home improvement projects for more than a century, the growing popularity of HGTV has resulted in a surge of its popularity and an explosion of America’s home renovation and décor market. Last year, Americans spent $314 billion to upgrade their homes and that number is expected to grow by 7.5 percent in 2018, according to…

3 Reasons your Home isn’t Selling

A home languishing on the real estate market is one of life’s more frustrating ordeals. Especially if you’ve owned the home for some time, there’s that emotional attachment that tells you, “Hey, this is an incredible house. It should sell really fast!” If you’re under contract on another home or if you need to relocate there is also the need…

Prevent home repairs by breaking these 5 bad habits

“Deferred maintenance.” It’s a term that real estate professionals hear frequently. It describes a home that has been neglected and raises red flags concerning its condition. Putting off routine home maintenance can not only lead to big, ugly, expensive problems down the line, it causes a significant loss of your home’s value when it comes time to sell. Let’s take…

An important thing about your new home that your real estate agent is forbidden to tell you

“What’s the crime rate in this area?” It’s a common question and we understand completely why homebuyers want the answer. Unfortunately, real estate professionals are forbidden from answering it. So, when your question is met with silence, or you’re directed to the local police station or a website or two, please don’t think we’re brushing you off. The Fair Housing…

Back-to-School: Are you Ready?

Back to pencils, back to books . . . we are getting closer to the day our students head back to class. This means it’s time to start gearing up for the fall routine ― the back-to-school shopping for clothes and school supplies, getting used to a new sleeping schedule and trying to get a handle on those transportation issues….

3 benefits of buying a newly-constructed home

Look at three or four resale homes during your house hunt and you’ll start getting the feeling that, should you purchase one of them, you will be buying someone else’s poor design ideas, lousy home maintenance and lack of cleanliness. Yuck. It’s for this reason that many homebuyers choose a newly constructed home instead. Yes, they typically sell for more…

National housing values fall fastest since 2012

Perth is leading a national downturn, with residential property values across Australia falling by the heftiest rate since 2012. The CoreLogic Hedonic Home Value Index, released on 1 August, shows dwelling values across Australia slipped 0.6% in July to 1.6% lower over the past 12 months – the largest annual fall in five years. In Perth, house values dropped 0.8%…

It’s Tick Season

When we think of ticks and the diseases they spread, we typically think of Lyme disease. But, did you know that the nasty little critters also spread ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis? The former is more common in the southeastern and south central United States while the latter is caused by the same tick that spreads Lyme disease, in the country’s Northeast,…

Who Pays for Termite Inspections in FHA Loans?

Warning: We’re about to give you the creeps. It’s termite swarming season – that time of year when subterranean termite populations within colonies reach the carrying capacity and they swarm out in search of new digs. Although they may start out underground, a few strategically constructed and placed mud tubes will allow them entry into the home. They can also…

Is your waterfront home a cliché?

Whether you live in a condo with a water view or a multi-million-dollar beach house, there is an ever-present temptation to overdo nautical or other beach-related décor. Wicker, white and blue ― if this describes any element in any room in your waterfront condo, you’re living a cliché, according to Phoebe Howard, with Mrs. Howard and Max & Company. She…

Impress at your next barbecue. Learn grilling tips and tricks from the pros  

Did you wonder if grilling season would ever get here? Finally – a chance to get outdoors and polish that pit master image you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. Even the pros seek out tips and tricks, however, so we’ve brought you some of their most brilliant. Grill a better burger Shopping for the right meat is half the battle…

How to lower your monthly house payment

Your monthly mortgage payment, which includes the loan’s principal, interest, property taxes and homeowners insurance, no doubt takes a large chunk of your take-home pay. Most homeowners just live with the pain, despite some concrete steps they can take to lower the payment. It’s not easy, and it does require effort on your part. But, you can lower your monthly…

Here’s what to kick to the curb and what to keep before you sell your home

If you’ve chosen your listing agent wisely, he or she will determine the most likely buyer for your home and then laser-focus the marketing materials to that pool of buyers. Various studies of what different types of buyers are seeking in a home help the agent figure out which of your home’s features will attract them. Now, there’s one more…

How safe is your deck?

If your spring cleaning routine paid special attention to getting the deck ready for summer entertaining, we have a question for you: Did you check the deck’s safety while getting it all clean and gussied up? If not, you’re not alone. The estimated life span for a wood deck is between 10 and 15 years, according to the U.S. Consumer…

Should I sell my home as-is?

Ah, the need for speed in a real estate deal – we’re quite familiar with it. From clients who’ve taken a job out of town with an impatient employer to the need to sell a deceased family member’s home, “Should I sell my house as-is” is a common question. There are also the clients who tell us they aren’t the…

It’s spring! Let’s debunk 3 common gardening myths

You see them all over the internet but nowhere online do gardening fallacies proliferate more than on Pinterest. For instance, we recently read a pin that described several ways to improve our garden soil, “naturally.” Among them was throwing a banana peel on the soil, or burying it, to supply potassium to your plants. For the record, “As soil microorganisms…

Take the shower of your dreams

You must admit, there’s nothing like a nice, hot shower at the end of a very long day. Standing under steamy water, you can almost feel the stress melt away. It doesn’t take much to kill the shower vibe. Weak water flow, a backing-up drain or moldy tiles can all make that end-of-day routine less pleasurable. We’ve gathered some tips…

Four easy-on-the-pocketbook ways to update your home’s interior design

You don’t need to be a professional interior decorator to update your your home’s interior. With a little creativity, and items already present in your home, you can transform it into a showplace. Here are 4 inexpensive ways to update your home’s interior design. 1. Paint The quickest and most inexpensive change you can make to your home’s interior design…

Discrimination in Mortgage Lending

There was a time in our country’s history when discrimination in lending was blatant and rampant. In the 1930s, for instance, Americans of color were routinely denied mortgages. Several methods were used, the worst of which was redlining (denial of a loan based on the applicant’s address). Yes, we’ve come a long way in the nearly nine decades since then,…

Knowledge: The antidote for homebuyer panic

“Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make,” is one of the first “tips” you’ll receive when surfing the internet for information about the process. The statement is ubiquitous, it’s also an understatement and so self-evident that it’s become a cliché. Most important, though, is that it’s a statement that induces panic. Don’t let the words…

Don’t Wait—Create a Home Inventory for Insurance Now!

In 2017, a total of 16 disasters in the United States caused an estimated $306 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Residents of Montana bore the brunt of wildfires that raged across more than 1 million acres. Californians suffered from fires, as well as flooding and massive mud slides, while hurricanes Harvey, Irma and…

Real estate lingo defined: What is due diligence?

After a long, grueling search, including several overheated bidding wars, Jim and Claire found the California home of their dreams. They were ecstatic when their offer was accepted and the transaction sailed to an effortless close. As summer settled in, it was time to crank up the air-conditioner. Curiously, they couldn’t find the thermostat for it. Sure, there was a…

How to survive – and win – during the spring homebuying season

Working with first-time buyers and those on tight budgets during last spring’s overheated sellers’ market was heartbreaking. So many offers made and so many passed over for someone else’s. One of the most frequently-asked questions we received was “Aside from increasing the amount of money we’re offering, what else can we do to win in a multiple-offer situation?” As we…

8 steps to get your landscaping ready for spring

March 20, 2018—the day those of us who love nothing more than getting dirty in the backyard have longed for. It’s the first day of spring and, although we’re ready, our gardens may not be. In fact, before stepping one foot onto your home’s landscaping, “give the soil the ‘squirt’ test,” cautions landscape contractor Roger Cook, at thisoldhouse.com. “Step down…

Tips on buying new hardware for your cabinets

The best and quickest way to revitalize a room is with paint. It’s amazing what fresh paint can do. But, don’t stop there – especially if you’re thinking of selling your home. Simply changing the hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry will complement those freshly-painted walls and make the room look complete. Best of all, it’s inexpensive and there are…

3 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Moving Company

Whether it’s a long-distance move or you’re relocating within the same city, finding the right movers isn’t easy. Long-distance moves, however, add a whole new dimension to the search. Although the internet is great for finding where to have dinner on a Friday night, it’s not the place to find a moving company. In fact, moving pros say that the…

What is PMI and how do I avoid it or get rid of it?

Private mortgage insurance, also known as PMI, is cursed by homebuyers when, without it, many of them wouldn’t have been approved for the mortgage used to buy their home. Yes, it makes house payments higher and, yes, it sticks around far too long. Worse, although it’s called “insurance,” it does nothing to protect the homeowner. Its sole beneficiary is the…

What happens after I sign the listing agreement?

Have you ever noticed that information and advice for first-time homebuyers is plentiful across the internet? What happens when you look for that same information and advice for first-time home sellers? Crickets While buying a home for the first time is somewhat confusing until the process is explained, selling one for the first time is even more so. This is…

Preventing Wire Fraud

Wire fraud is a very common problem these days. NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson provided a summary of the problem recently on realtor.org. She said, “Hackers are gaining access to e-mail accounts through captured passwords, and they’ll search inboxes for messages related to real estate transactions. Once they find a victim who’s in the process of buying a home, they’ll…

Luxury homeowners – check out these 5 tips to lower your homeowners insurance premium

Insurance is a necessary evil – we buy it, hoping we’ll never need it. After all, it’s a hedge against catastrophe. The sheer cost of replacing a home with custom finishes, and the fact that high-end homes may contain priceless works of art, expensive vehicles and irreplaceable values, makes the process of insuring luxury homes far different from insuring other…

Negotiating with the buyer after the home inspection

Negotiating the successful close of a home sale begins with price and contract terms and doesn’t end until the deal closes. One of the most frequently negotiated items, after the aforementioned price and terms, has to do with the home inspection results. They’re also among the most contentious negotiations. Very few home inspections are “clean,” meaning there’s not a thing…

How to keep your windows from fogging up in the winter

All those gorgeous windows that allow summertime sunshine to stream through the home are useless to view the winter wonderland outside if the glass is covered in fog. When that frosty outdoor air hits the heated glass of a window, it’s inevitable that the result will be condensation. There is a way to foil this natural process, however. What causes…

Do I Have to Use the Builder’s Lender and Real Estate Agent?

The real estate industry does a spectacular job educating first-time homebuyers. There’s so much valuable information out there that no buyer should go through the process uninformed. Buying a home in a new community – a brand-new home that no-one has ever lived in – is not only first-time homebuying on steroids, but the industry has left the homebuyer behind…

Critical winter home staging tips

Winter home sales don’t have to be as challenging as you may think. Sure, the sun isn’t always shining and you may be contending with snow and ice in your landscaping, but we’ve got some hacks to help cozy up your home, making it über-inviting to winter house hunters. It may be winter, but curb appeal still matters What will…

4 quick and easy winter home maintenance tasks

Winter hibernation – that feeling that we should burrow our heads under the covers until spring — is typically fruitless. Since scientists warn us to “keep moving” to release endorphins which will help us keep “winter tiredness” at bay, we’ve come up with “exercises” that offer a bonus. They’re quick, they’ll get you moving and your home will look incredible…

Selling a luxury home? 4 qualities to look for in a real estate agent

Selling a luxury home is unlike any other real estate transaction. The marketing is different, the potential buyers are different and the entire sales process is as well. We hear from our luxury home clients that they found locating the right real estate agent to handle the sale the most challenging part of the process. So, we came up with…

Tips for preparing a safe holiday feast

Trying to find space in the oven for the bird and all the side dishes isn’t the most worrisome aspect of holiday cooking. Not when the CDC estimates 1.2 million cases of salmonella infection occur each year in the United States. And, salmonella isn’t the only bacteria in our meat and poultry The other common culprits causing food-borne illnesses are:…

Holiday road trip: Don’t let winter weather catch you by surprise

When Mom Nature throws wicked winter weather our way, the difference between being safe and stranded can often come down to how prepared you are. The following tips will ensure that you’re ready for whatever happens on the wild and woolly roads, and alleviate some of the anxiety of taking to the road in winter. Prepare your vehicle Ensure that…

Tips for touring model homes

If the homeowners have done their job, a home for sale has been cleaned up, gussied up and put on display to entice potential buyers to make an offer to purchase. Never is this more evident than in model homes in new housing developments. Carefully staged by interior decorators, every element — from the wall color to the appliances and…

What to ignore during your search for the perfect condo

Condos can be the ideal purchase for homebuyers who are on tight budgets. They’re typically lower priced than single-family homes, insurance is less expensive and ongoing home maintenance costs are kept to a minimum. There are some aspects of condo-buying that should never be ignored, however. These include: The periodic association fee and how much it will add to your…

3 amazing kitchen designs

In 2015, more than 10 million American households spent nearly $50 billion renovating their kitchens, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Organization. Since the kitchen is the most-used room in the home, and the most popular among homebuyers, it’s money well-invested If you plan on joining the renovators it’s time to learn about various kitchen design concepts so that…

Tips on financing the luxury home

The luxury home purchase process is different from buying a conventional or tract home. There’s more money passing hands, so naturally the risk escalates. The process is slower as well, so if you plan on purchasing a luxury home, and you won’t be paying cash, you’ll most likely need to obtain a jumbo loan. What is considered a luxury home?…

Black Friday! 8 ways to save money when buying appliances

Black Friday – it’s right around the corner. If you’re in the market for new appliances, this may be the day for you to find a good deal, according to consumer expert Andrea Woroch at Clark.com. Yes, September and October are typically the best time to buy major appliances, but Black Friday deals abound. Before shopping, get clear on what…

Tips to consider when buying a home with family members

The industry that brought you the iconic “location, location, location” has a new one for you: “multigenerational housing.” No, it’s not a new concept, but housing that caters to several generations under one roof is gaining in popularity. We started seeing the demand during the recession, when unemployment propelled younger workers back to Mom and Dad’s house. Then, there’s the…

Get Help With Your Down Payment

It’s frustrating to have a decent-paying job, a bright earnings future and acceptable credit and still not be able to buy a home because you lack the thousands of dollars in cash needed for a down payment and closing costs. The dreaded down payment stops more potential homeowners cold than any other aspect of the loan process. To read articles…

How To Hire A House Cleaner

Outsourcing. Big corporations do it, so why not households? Delegating the mundane, routine household chores to an outside source may just be the key to a happy household. Whether you’re looking for some temporary help around the holidays or part-time or full-time household help, hiring a house cleaner requires a bit of preparation and a whole bunch of interviewing. Finding…

Relocation: How To Buy A Home When You Don’t Know The Area

Conflicted: It’s the perfect description of how homeowners feel when faced with the reality of relocating from one city to another. It’s both exciting and mind-numbing, frightening yet courageous and it brings up feelings of both melancholy and elation. Moving from one home to another is a life-disrupter, but moving from one town to another is a major upheaval. Watching…

Frightmare On Your Street – Horror Movies, Real Estate-Style

Skip the corn mazes and haunted hayrides this Halloween and indulge in haunted-house pleasure in your own living room. In fact, if you work your way through our series of real estate-related Halloween flicks, you’ll think of them every time you view a home for sale, or put yours on the market. Now, some of these are serious thrillers while…

The Fall Garden: What To Do Now

So, how was your garden this year? If it didn’t perform as you’d hoped it would, we have good news for you: Fall is the perfect time to ensure that next year’s spring garden is a winner. From soil fixes to curing diseases and dealing with garden pests, tasks you perform now are well worth the time and energy spent….

2 Important Forms You’ll Need To Sign When You Sell Your Home

Like practitioners in any profession, real estate agents and brokers have a unique vocabulary, they usher their clients through a distinct process and provide industry-exclusive legal paperwork. Because agents and brokers use the latter, daily, they are so familiar with it that many tend to forget that their clients are not. None of us want to appear clueless, so…

3 Words You Must Learn And Understand Before You Buy A Home

When you’re shopping for homes you’ll be introduced to an entirely new vocabulary and I’ll be the first to agree with you that some of it seems downright boring. Take encroachments and easements, for instance. Though they sound ho-hum, they are both important concepts so today I thought I’d try to put them in plain English for you. What’s an…

DO YOU RECYCLE?

Most offices recycle paper now – a few restaurants will and public areas have separate garbage cans for plastic/soda cans. BUT . . . How about at home? Are you are one of those casual recyclers or haven’t caught the ‘green’ train, you might want to reconsider. It’s pretty easy to toss a plastic cup in the trash or wrappers…

Designing Numbers

Have you ever wondered . . .What number to use? What is the proper height is for your kitchen counter . . . or perhaps the ideal height of a back splash? Well, checking with my team and confirming with Carol Bass ThePracticalDecorator.com shared these numbers: 16 to 20 “ Most comfortable height for coffee table since most sofas have…

South Florida Rental Market, Now is the Time to Buy!

With the South Florida rental market showing some of the highest rents in America, it is no wonder that many renters are spending as much as 44 percent of their incomes on housing versus 29 percent historically, according to Zillow. The biggest concern for future home buyers is coming up with the down payment; in fact, more than 65 percent…

Scary Home Inspection Report? It Doesn’t Have To Be A Deal Breaker

It’s a toss-up whether the home inspection or the appraisal induces more nail-biting. Homebuyers, sellers and the agents involved await the results of both with a mixture of anticipation and fear. The latter, at least statistically, is unfounded. “Nationally, [only] 3.9 percent of sales failed in 2016,” according to Forbes staff writer Samantha Sharf. She doesn’t mention the reason for…

What Does A Title Company Do?

Whether it’s your first time buying or selling a home, one of the most confusing aspects of either process is learning the lingo. Fixtures, encumbrances, contingencies – real estate jargon starts flying fast and furiously. The various players in the process, their roles and responsibilities, seem to confuse consumers the most and the title company sits at numero uno. In…

Is Now the Best Time to Buy a Home?

Are you or someone you know part of the 84% of Americans who believe that purchasing a home is a good financial decision? This is the highest percentage since 2007 – before the housing crisis. It’s interesting to note that a renter’s net worth is $5,000 and a homeowner’s net worth is $225,000 – a whopping 45 times greater. According…

Stage Your Kitchen To Sell

You don’t have to be an impeccable housekeeper when selling a home – you just need to look like one. That’s the beauty of staging a home for sale – it gives buyers the perception of “impeccable,” and perceptions sell. In fact, staging has been shown to increase a home’s perceived value. “A consumer’s perceived value of a good or…

Autumn: The Deadliest Season For Pedestrians

Across the country, leaves turn crimson, the air gets crisper and thoughts turn to the end-of-the-year holidays. It can be downright distracting which is why, perhaps, that fall is when the country experiences the largest number of pedestrian fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA). While adults older than 64 account for the largest number of pedestrian…

What You Don’t Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages May Cost You

When shopping for a mortgage, have you noticed how much lower the rates are for a variable mortgage than a fixed? For example, as of this writing, the average 30-year fixed-mortgage rate is 3.69 percent, while the average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM, is 3.09 percent, according to BankRate.com. Despite this, many borrowers shy away from…

Inside America’s Most Expensive Home For Sale

Sure, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, and hubby Justin Theroux and Jay-Z and Beyonce own drop-dead gorgeous homes in Los Angeles’ swanky Bel Air community. But, theirs don’t hold a candle to the newly-crowned priciest home in the U.S. right now. History Back in the 1960s, there was barely an adolescent girl in the country that didn’t want to be Elly…

3 Easy Ways To Make Your Home Healthier And Happier

Nature is good for us, according to psychologists. In fact, there’s an entire branch of their profession devoted to studying how nature impacts our happiness and well-being, known as environmental psychology. When we incorporate natural elements in our home’s décor, we are practicing what is known as “biophilic design.” Adherents subscribe to the belief that “humans are hard-wired to need…

Disaster Assistance For Homeowners: What You Need To Know

Atlantic hurricane season: June 1 through November 30. Wildfire seasons vary, depending on region. Earthquakes have no season – they strike without warning. Depending on where you live, natural disaster preparedness may be a vital undertaking, but stocking food and water only takes care of one’s immediate needs. What happens if your roof is blown off, your walls collapse or…

DIY that unfinished basement

Even if you aren’t considering selling your home in the near future, a finished basement offers more living space – something most homeowners dream about. If you are considering selling, you’ll recoup 70 percent of the cost of the remodel, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2017 Cost vs. Value Report. Furthermore, keeping your basement-finish budget to no more than 10 percent…

Who will buy your home?

Writers have a target audience in mind as they peck away on the keyboard. Radio DJs are admonished to hold a mental image of their audience (one person of a certain age group, by the way) every time they open the mic. And, the key to success for professional marketers is to “know your audience.” The latter uses market research…

Hold the perfect garage sale

What on earth are you doing with all that stuff? You do know that you can make money by selling it, right? One man’s (or woman’s) trash is another’s treasure and a garage sale is the perfect way to feed that guy’s treasure craving. The most successful garage sales are planned and prepared meticulously. So, let’s look at some tips…

If you want to sell your home this fall, start doing these things now

When trying to forecast the future housing market, most experts look at pending home sales. If they’re consistently trending upward, we can comfortably look forward to a robust near-future. For most of this year, the pending home sale statistics have looked like a rollercoaster, with three consecutive months of declines until June, when they began increasing again. With ever-shrinking inventories…

Be safe this summer

Americans love summer. Whether it’s because it presents the perfect opportunity for the annual getaway or because of the additional amount of sunshine on these deliciously long, summer days,summer, not winter, is truly the season to be jolly. The National Safety Council (NSC), however, reminds us that July and August are the deadliest times of the year. From heat-related illnesses…

What’s lurking in your home’s plumbing system?

While the surgeon general hasn’t taken up labeling water heaters as possibly harmful to your health, they may be. In fact, any of the many components that make up a home’s plumbing system are rife with the possibility of breeding Legionella pneumophila, the rod-shaped bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, according to a report at usnews.com. The bacteria Legionella is found…

The down payment isn’t the whole enchilada – here’s how much cash you’ll need to buy a house

The real estate industry has done a bang-up job on letting consumers know they’ll need some cash when they purchase a home. Typically, it’s the down payment that’s mentioned. Seldom are closing costs brought up sothey end up a major surprise for homebuyers. Between the two of those huge chunks of money are other cash outlays you’ll need to consider….

Psst: Millennials, come on out – it’s time to buy a home

Quick! What’s the number one reason that so many millennials aren’t getting into the housing market? No-brainer, right? It’s all about that stubborn student loan debt they racked up. In fact, a recent study by the Federal Reserve claims that the 12 million millennials in their 30s with student loan debt, owe more than those in their 20s. The average…

Baby, it’s hot outside: 5 ways to keep your home cool and save big bucks this summer

The weather folks are saying that residents of the eastern U.S. can look forward to warmer-than-average early-summer temperatures, while those in the west will have “well-above average” temperatures come mid-to-late season. Don’t even get us started with summer weather in our nation’s southwest. Suffice it to say that there, the sun is white-hot and even the sky is sweaty. Summer…

6 reasons your competitors are beating you in the bidding wars

It’s Sunday evening and John and Mary Homeseller and Anita Deal, their real estate agent, are sitting at the dining room table, ready to confront a pile of purchase agreements. The Homesellers were smart to listen to Ms. Deal’s advice and decided to entertain all offers simultaneously, rather than have them trickle in, piecemeal. It’s a hot market, and the…

Summer countdown – one week away. Is your patio ready?

Yikes! Doesn’t it seem that frigid temperatures greeted us in the morning just yesterday? Believe it or not, summer is knocking on the door. If you love entertaining outdoors during these glorious warm months, it’s time to turn your attention to your patio furniture, especially if you didn’t take steps to protect it during winter. Good foryou if you did…

3 questions you absolutely, positively must run by your real estate agent

Caution: Taking action on a whim, without consulting your real estate agent, may be hazardous to your real estate transaction and, thus, your pocketbook. All questions, no matter how difficult to ask, or how small they may seem, should be run by your agent. Let’s take a look at three common scenarios and show you why you need your agent’s…

What’s it worth? 3 questions about value-boosting home characteristics

Of the many questions we field from homeowners thinking of selling their homes, the most frequent starts with “What’s it worth?” Of course they’re referring to their home’s value, but even after that is determined, the “What’s it worth” questions continue. Following are three of the most common questions about items that may, or may not, add to a home’s…

What every homebuyer needs to know about mortgage rates

Will they go up again? It’s the top-of-mind question for lenders, real estate professionals and real estate consumers. When interest rates take a hike, the complexion of the housing market completely changes. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you are no doubt following interest rates and the doings of the Fed. It’s confusing, isn’t it? Real estate industry jargon is bad…

Hey Boomer – Selling your home? Do these 3 things first

While the real estate industry is wringing their collective hands over how to attract millennials to the market, the boomer generation is actively buying and selling homes. The National Association of Realtors is, in large part, responsible for the disregard for the very real impact boomers are having on the industry. The latest Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report,…

The 2017 Baby Nursery

If you hope to begin your family in your newly-purchased home, you’ll no doubt cast an eye toward which room will serve as a nursery. We thought it might be fun to take a look at how other parents are designing and decorating theirs, so we turned to the experts for the 2017 nursery trends and some safety tips. From…

How to determine whether that house you have your eye on will increase in value

Impulse buying. Think it only applies to the grocery store? Sadly, folks who have a tendency to live for today often choose even financial investments impulsively. We see it frequently in the real estate industry—homebuyers that allow their emotions to rule the process instead of looking at a house for what it truly represents – an investment. Now, we have…

3 things to know about buying new construction

When homebuilders stop building, inventories of homes for sale dwindle and we end up in a tight sellers’ market. While there are many reasons for the recent slowdown in new home construction (high material costs, unavailability of labor, etc.), there is good news on the horizon: they are building again. In fact, new home sales increased more than 6 percent…

Lock down your furniture for kids’ safety

Even brand-newmoms know to put those plastic things in electrical outlets and to child-proof cupboards that contain hazardous materials. What is less well known, however, is that the furniture in your home creates an enormous hazard to toddlers who love nothing more than to throw open dresser drawers to facilitate their scrambling and climbing endeavors. In January, NBC News posted…

Help! Why are my houseplants dying?

It’s hard enough to keep our outdoor plants alive during hot summers and frigid winters, but when our indoor plants start popping off it can be even more alarming. When symptoms arise, the first step is to check for evidence of a pest infestation. Lacking that, it’s time to reconsider how you’ve been caring for the plant. Since plants vary…

What retirees need to consider about their homeowners insurance

Paying for your homeowner’s insurance is a routine that, over the years, becomes habit. The experts at AARP warn that allowing this routine to continue mindlessly can be a costly mistake. As we reach retirement, our insurance needs change. You may find yourself scaling back on many things, including the contents of your home. This makes pre-retirement the ideal time…

Avoid costly plumbing bills by being kind to your toilet

Whether you refer to it as the loo, throne, potty or John, your toilet isn’t quite as indestructible as you may think. Sure, “toilets have an unlimited lifespan,” according to the National Association of Homebuilders, but only if the components inside the tank are maintained properly and leaks are attended to promptly. Let the maintenance slide, however, and you can…

Get rid of kitchen clutter

I think it’s a safe bet that just about every home has a junk drawer. You know, that place you throw things because you can’t figure out where else to put them. Before long, the drawer is overflowing with rolls of tape, bag clips, pens, thumbtacks and other assorted odds and ends. NPR’s Linton Weeks calls them our “accidental time…

Lose out on the home of your dreams? Don’t hesitate to make a backup offer

In a sellers’ real estate market when there are few homes available and a large pool of ready and willing buyers, many of those buyers get left in the dust. It’s aggravating to fall in love with a home only to learn that there are several other offers on the seller’s table. Competition, in this instance, isn’t healthy. Just because…

Thinking of becoming a landlord?

Landlords are a bit like dentists; folks typically try to avoid them as much as possible. But, it’s the dentist and the investment property owner who have the last laugh, all the way to the bank. For the latter to actually make bank, however, requires careful planning and a tried-and-true system. We’ll try to help you out with both of…

Should I get a C.L.U.E.?

In the information age the chances are pretty good that your personal informationis in at least severaldatabases that you may not even be aware of. Auto and homeowner insurance companies, for instance, have a handy tool to help them make underwriting decisions – a database of previous insurance claims. The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, also known as C.L.U.E., is generated…

Hooray for the FHA!

In case you missed it, last summer Congress passed H.R. 3700, The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016. By the way, the bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate– not an easy feat, right? This law, among other aims, is supposed to help ease homelessness and improve “ . . . low-income tenants’ access to low-poverty…

Garden resolutions for 2017

Sure, we’re knee-deep in winter right now but before you know it, temperatures will warm, the garden will beckon and you’ll trade high heating bills for monstrous water bills. “Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for nearly one-third of all residential water use, totaling nearly 9 billion gallons per day,” claims the EPA; a frightening statistic, when one considers…

Post-holiday cleaning hacks

The holidays are officially over and millions of American’s are sitting, shell-shocked, in the massive mess left behind in their homes. From grease-spattered stoves and backsplashes to gift wrap and ribbon that needs to be stowed and a tree that needs to be un-trimmed, there’s work to be done to get your home back to normal. We’ve scoured the Internet…

Aging in place? 7 things to consider

Talking about older adults is a challenge. It’s not like talking about teenagers, or toddlers, who all pretty much like the same things. The group includes a broad range of ages, interests and living situations. Younger boomers sometimes bristle at being called seniors, especially if you call them that while they’re on a road trip on their Harleys or rock…

Your new home: you put a ring on it, now you need to maintain it

Don’t you find it odd that so many people take better care of their cars than they do their homes? While maintaining your automobile is important, your home is far more valuable and an investment equally worth protecting. Sadly, most problems in a home didn’t happen overnight but started out small and, neglected over time, reached the point where the…

Ready to Ditch the Carpet? Consider These Alternatives

It’s a brave homebuyer who decides to go through with the purchase of a home, despite an ugly, torn, tattered and/or dirty carpet. Floor covering can be pricey, especially if you pine for what many homebuyers do – hardwood floors. Some of today’s flooring alternatives, while just as attractive as hardwood, aren’t quite as expensive and, depending on your circumstances,…

How to buy a home after bankruptcy

Remember when declaring bankruptcy was kept a dirty little secret? The social stigma was bad enough, but the impacts of bankruptcy included employers who refused to hire anyone that went through the process and, of course, the ruinous end result of a credit score in the gutter. The bankrupt were seen as irresponsible spendthrifts and offered little sympathy. The…

House Hunting? Don’t Compromise on Storage Space

Compromise is good, especially when deciding what you want in a home as opposed to what other family members want. There are certain criteria, however, that you should think long and hard about giving up and adequate storage space should be at the top of the list. The average American home contains 300,000 items, according to Los Angeles Times’ Mary…

How Safe is The Air in That Home You Have Your Eye on?

Have you made your list of must-haves for your new house? Like any shopping trip, a list of what you need and want makes the project a lot easier. Aside from the gourmet kitchen or the extra bathroom, consider putting “safe indoor air” on that list. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), because the average American spends more…

What is an escrow or impound account?

To many first-time homebuyers, one of the most confusing parts of the process is sitting across from the closing agent, who is tossing them pieces of paper from a huge stack, quickly explaining what each one means and asking for signatures. From real estate transfer documents to loan documents to title documents there are, what seem to the newbie at…

2 reasons NOT to sell your home “as-is” and what to do if you must

We can think of several reasons why a homeowner would consider selling a home with problems, marketed in “as-is” condition. The most obvious, of course, is that there’s no money to perform the required work. This frequently happens in probate sales where the heirs inherit a home in need of work but lack the funds to put the home…

How to Get a Mortgage if You’re Self-Employed

From how we’re expected to file our taxes to a lack of paycheck stubs to sometimes wild swings in income, the self-employed are a different breed. Applying for a mortgage when you lack W-2s, doesn’t disqualify you; you’ll just need to work harder to meet the higher burden of documentation required of the self-employed. According to a study commissioned by…

Your Guide to The VA Loan

Consider this: a mortgage program offers certain Americans a home loan with a zero down payment and no private mortgage insurance requirement. In addition, closing costs are limited and if the home is newly constructed, the builder must supply the buyer with a one-year home warranty. Despite the obvious perks of the program, only 10.5 percent of the nation’s nearly…

Keeping Your Home Buying Wish List On Track

Although experts in the real estate industry continually suggest the importance of seeing a lender before doing anything else with regards to purchasing a home, many buyers don’t. Instead, they merrily attend open houses, mine Internet real estate databases and hound real estate agents to show them homes that they may not even qualify to purchase. We want to help…

Little Governments: The Homeowners Association

The phrase “Homeowners Association” may sound innocuous enough to some but it sends shivers down the spines of many. In books and movies this group of homeowners is typically portrayed as power hungry, meddling and suspicious. Think Big Brother meets Mussolini and you’ll have an idea of this group’s image. Is this reputation deserved? It’s hard not to believe the…

5 Easy ways to Increase Your Property Value Before Selling

It’s funny how a house doesn’t feel like an investment until it comes time to sell it. All of a sudden, after years of living there, the thought of its value hits you upside the head. Hopefully, you’ve practiced good home maintenance over the years and can now focus on cosmetic changes to increase value.And these won’t cost a fortune…

The Summer 2016 Refi Boom – Crunching The Numbers

According to a recent survey from bls.gov, the United States has created over 250,000 new non-farm jobs as of July, 2016. This, in effect, overshadowed the previous prediction of 180,000 that had been speculated by various economic tabloids. While to the average citizen this might sound like great economic news, that’s not necessarily the case for those eyeing fresh mortgages…

Why Overpricing Your House Will Always Be a Bad Idea

Setting your home’s selling price above its actual market value may seem like a great idea…right? You have room to deal with buyers who like to bargain aggressively. Plus, your agent can comfortably take his or her percentage without compromising what you’ll receive from the sale. Sounds like a win-win situation, right? Well, the process of property-selling goes deeper than…

Why You Should Wait Before Making Those Home Rennovations

There has been tremendous growth in the real estate sector in recent years. This has led to an increase in opportunities for home buyers with all kinds of budgets. More homes are becoming available in top-end locations. A large number of such homes are those that are in less-than-stellar condition and need some degree of work. As the real estate…

Renting Vs. Owning After You Retire

There has actually been an increase in older renters over the last 10 years. Those over the age of 55 actually contribute to about 42% of the rental market now. This percentage is projected to increase as Baby Boomers presumably follow the same path. It’s important to understand the pros and cons however of choosing between renting and homeownership….

You Might Want To Buy Your Retirement Home Before You Retire

If you’re considering retiring in the next 8-10 years then you might want to start considering your retirement home! If you buy it early there can be significant financial benefits. This is especially true if you’re planning on getting a mortgage. By doing so early you’ll be taking advantage of the current low-interest rates as well! 30 year fixed mortgages…

If You’re a Home Buyer Make Sure You Don’t Forget These 6 Things

Many home buyers are very diligent when it comes to studying up before they make their purchase. However, far too often 6 very important things go overlooked. These common oversights can result in you losing money, wasting time, and cause unnecessary regret. Now, let’s make sure you know about these common oversights, so you can make sure they don’t happen…

Look Beyond The Seller’s Odd Choices To Find A Bargain Property

Glaring and ugly choice of paint? Exercise equipment cluttering up the kitchen? Weird and unsightly family photos located all over the house? Don’t let it bother you or affect how you see a property. Ask your real estate agent and they will have plenty of stories about houses with a number of flaws. Filthy stained carpets, bathrooms that have cracksrunningdown…

Is A Starter Home Right For You?

When you’re looking for the right home you might find yourself with an endless sequence of choices. House or condo? Suburban or city centre? But there is one particular choice that bothers a lot of first-time buyers. Should I buy a starter property or a home to last for years to come? In previous decades, first-time buyers usually went for…

How Keep New Home Construction On Track

There are plenty of potential pitfalls with new construction; there are hundreds of nightmare stories of new homes that have gone terribly wrong. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure you do not suffer the same fate. Visit the construction site regularly There are lots of unnerving unknowns when it comes to new construction. Maybe your lumber…

High Tech Home Automation Upgrades

Bring your home into the 21st century with some high tech home automation upgrades. Many people have already upgraded their property with home automation, but may be completely unaware that they have. You may already use products such as the Nest thermostat or theAmazon Echo, these products are in fact technologies that are part of the home automation revolution that…

5 Secrets to Selling Your Home Above The Asking Price

Let’s face it! Every home owner wants the best deal when they finally decide to sell their home. It’s every homeowner’s dream to see a bidding war ensue. Unfortunately, most homeowners end up settling for average or even below-average offers according to most real estate experts. What most home sellers fail to recognize is; getting a great deal isn’t a…

Top tips to save for a down payment

Being a renter does have some advantages. No paying off the mortgage, no property taxes, and the landlord takes care of any maintenance and repair costs. However, renting your home does have one major drawback: You are spending money on rent without gaining any equity of the property. Many renters want to own their home, but struggle to find the…

How To Prevent Buyers Remorse

Ever heard of homebuyers remorse? It happens,but we don’t want it happening to you! So here’s some ways you can be sure to avoidfeeling like this big purchase was anything less than perfect. We’ve all felt buyers remorse to a certain degree with something we’ve purchased at the store. The difference here being you have the ability to return or…

Buying A Home As A Newly Married Couple

While the home buying struggles of unmarried couples are well known, the process is not straight forward for married couples either. After tying the knot, many newlyweds look forward to buying a home together. But before you start scanning property listings and searching for the perfect bathroom suite, make sure you sit down together and ask each other these house…

Home Exterior Considerations To Make Before You Buy

When you’re house hunting it’s very easy to focus in on certain attributes of a house that you find appealing. Unfortunately when you narrow your focus in on the things that are perfect about the house, you’ll often overlook some important things in the process. Make sure you thoroughly examine the exterior of your “dream home” before you go through…

The Future of Sharing Your Home?

Property developers, home builders, and mortgage lenders are working hard to adapt to the growing trend of shared properties that are accommodating several generations of families and shared rental units. Statistics show that more families in the United States are now sharing a home, with reasons ranging from the cultural and economic, to those centered ob providing care to family…

8 Tax Breaks for Homeowners

Owning a home doesn’t come cheap, but it’s always great to know that some of your expenses are tax deductible. If you wantto know how you can minimize the cost of owning a home by maximizing homeownership write-offs, you’ve come to the right place. Please note that the information presented here isbased on the 2015 tax year. 1 . Mortgage…

What is Curb Appeal and What Does it Mean Today

The Importance of Curb Appeal and First Impressions First impressions are important in every aspect of life. We dress to look our best when attending a job interview and some of us spend hours grooming ourselves in front of the mirror before a first date. According to research conducted by psychologists at Princeton University, individuals make up their minds about…

Mortgage And Home Buying Tips For Every Generation

Buying a home at any stage of life poses financial considerations and challenges to overcome. Buyers at the start of their careers tend to lack financial capital, while those more advanced in their careers have retirement savings and other financial demands to consider, and retired buyers have a smaller monthly income than those with regular pay checks. Each phase of…

5 Ways You Can Make Your Solo Home Hunt A Success

The home buying experience that is usually portrayed in advertisements generally seems to concentrate on families and couples. But nowadays, only 40% of first time home-buyers are married, down from 52% in the late 1980s. The process of purchasing a home for a sole-owner might be similar to that of anybody else, but there`re several slight differences in how a…

The Comprehensive 2016 Mortgage Refi Boom Guide

From when the Federal Reserve increased rates for the first time in nearly a decade, in Dec. 2015 to mid-Feb. 2016 mortgage rates decreased to the lowest level in 3 years. We carefully examined why the mortgage rates would decrease after a Federal increase, and since the downward mortgage-rate trend is continuing, here’s a refinance-reference guide. 2016 rate outlook…

Five Steps to Ease Home Buying Stress and Anxiety

Buying a home is an emotional experience – it can be exhilarating, thrilling and even stressful. When the time comes to sign the paperwork, don’t be surprisedif you feel butterflies in your stomach, or even nauseous. You are likely making the biggest financial decision of your lifetime; hence it is perfectly normal to feel anxious about buying a home. Nevertheless,…

Pros and Cons of Combining Finances With Your Significant Other

Managing money can be challenging enough on your own. You should take into consideration the following points before merging finances with your significant other. Whether you have recently moved in with your significant other or you are a newlywed, you there’sa lot to decide about the best way you should handle your household finances. Figuring out how you will divide…

Can The Mortgage Process Go Completely Digital?

Technology ismaking the process of getting a home loan more efficient than ever before, but can it remove the paper trail completely? Advances in technology have essentially re-invented TV, music, mobile phones and most other industries in the past 10 years. Currently advancesin technology are finally starting to modernize the mortgage process. As the tech savvy millennial generation prepares to…

Relocation Trends From 2015 and What to Expect in 2016

2015 is behind us now, but there are trends we saw developin the real estate industry, that certainly reflect key focuspoints for 2016. One of these key areas of conversation is relocation, where people moved within the united states. So who moved? Where did they move to? How much money did they pay to facilitate thismoves and what motivated their…

A Home Insurance Checklist for the New Year

As the celebration of a new year has finally come and passed, right after the holidays, manyhomeowners tend toaccidentally neglect various aspects of their home maintenance. Although some of us may have enjoyed rather warm and pleasant weather this December, January and February will probably be a little different. That means, your home might be vulnerable to cold weather damage…

The Best Saving Strategies for Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials

Regardless of what stage you’re at inyour life, it’s wise to consider settingmoney aside for your future. If you are planning on saving more funds in the coming New Year, then you need to develop a structured plan. At the various stages of your life you’ll be faced withdifferent financial responsibilities and those responsibilities will influence the decisions you need…

What To Consider Before Investing in Real Estate

Making a real estate investment is always a great choice, however, people are usually faced with so many questions that they might be potentially deterred from making such an investment. So let’s discussseveral factors that youshould consider before making such a major decision. The Market You’re Buying In Carefully analyzingthe neighborhood your potential property is located in is pivotal. What…

Five ways prospective home buyers can benefit from an open house visit

For home buyers, an open house visit is probably the best opportunity to review the property for sale before embarking on journey of purchasing your home. Don’t commit to a home without attending an open house, this is your chance to evaluate some very important factors prior to signing any paper work. As a home buyer, you should take…

Pros And Cons Of Buying A Foreclosed Home

Foreclosed homes have become somewhat of a popular option for home buyers given the increase in quality of foreclosed homes. Regardless of the path you’re choosing to take in your home buying experience, odds are you’ll come across a foreclose and you’ll question it as a viable option. So let’s break down the different elements of a foreclosed home you’ll…

Holiday gift ideas for roommates

The holidays are backagain! As usual it’s a time to spread some joy around and grab some gifts for yourfriends and family. If you’ve already gone shopping for your siblings and close friends job well done. This post is going to be specifically for those of you who have a roommate who you’re not sure what to get. See, your…

Common Real Estate Myths and Misconceptions Debunked

If you’re new to world of Real Estate you’ll undoubtably have been exposed tosome of the common rumors associated with the industry.Most likely you’ve encountered some common myths by word of mouth or evenone of the many T.V. Shows that you’ve probably seen. However, if you’re looking to buy or sell a house a little clarity might just help you…

Is It Possible To Buy A Home While Carrying A Student Loan?

First time home buyers face a great challenge breaking into the housing market. Rent keeps increasing and the availability of low-priced homes remains limited. Add several thousand dollars in student loan debt to the scarcity of low-value homes and budding buyers are likely to be convinced that they are not in a position to buy. Based on recent research, those…

5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered

Having home and automobile insurance is essentially inevitable parts oflife for most people. When it comes to your home, you want the best coverage for possible incidentssuch as fires and roof damage. With auto insurance covers accidents and possible weather damage or stolen vehicles. While these are usually covered by a good comprehensive policy, there are other things included in…

5 Top Tips for First-Time Home Sellers

Today’s real estate market is very competitive. As a first-time home seller chances are, you’ll find the whole process riddled with a lot of confusion. With economists predicting a major increase in home sales in the coming years, it’s important that you prepare yourself to avoid any and all potential pitfalls. If you are not caught upwith the market, now…

Why You Should Consider A Real Estate Agent

TheProblem Purchasing ahome is for most people, the single largest investment they will make in their lives. How will you approach the most important financial decision that you might ever have to make? A labyrinth of obscure rules, regulations, and unscrupulous sellers looking to make a quick buck await youentering today’s property market. Every year, the lure of a fast,…

From A Renter To An Owner: Are You Ready To Make The Transition?

If you’re currently renting an apartment or even a home, then you are aware of the steep costs associated with renting. According to recent studies, Americans spend 30% of their monthly incomeon rent, while those who live in their own homes spend only15% on mortgages. Now obviouslyall of us would prefer to own homes, but one of the biggest road…

Home Equity: You Actually Have More Than What You Think

In the last quarter of 2015, more than 759,000 properties had regained equity. What does this indicate? Basically, almost 91% of all mortgaged properties managed to land the positive equity position a lot of homeowners are aiming for. To support that, according to the president and CEO of CoreLogic, Anand Nallathambi, for much of the country, the negative equity epidemic…

5 Reasons Why A Condo Makes A Great First Home

Renting may be a more popular choice for millennials who simply can’t afford to spring for a home, but with rental costs gradually increasing is it still the better choice than opting for homeownership? Zillow research claims that rent has significantly grownatabout two times the speed of wages. At the same time, home buying benefits like home values that…

Home-Buying Fears and How to Face Them

Buying a home can be a scary thing, this type ofpurchase involves a long term commitment frommaintenance to financially. Home buyers often are wary that they will purchase the wrong house and be stuck with an investment not worth their money. However, of the issues most home buyers often face, there’s plenty thatcan be done to alleviate the all too…

Some Things To Consider

Statistics have predicted a better performance this year in the housing sector than all the previous years. This includes a visibly strong 2014 that saw interest in condos and single family house outlets hit a sky high. With this increase in performance there are pros and cons that come along with it. So Let’s Talk about how some of…

Three Steps For Locating And Purchasing Your Perfect New Home

Are you considering buying a new home? Maybe you’ve checked outa couple of houses or found a new home you’re already interested in. Don’t rush straight into buying a new home though, as there are a few crucial factors you need to take into consideration before you sign the dotted line and head to your closing. Purchasing a home requires…

Attracting Different Types of Real Estate Buyers

For decades, the real estate market has been dictated by school calendars and the seasons. A Majority of buyers search most actively in the spring and early summer, the reason is so they can get a property and close before September, when the school year starts. Subsequently, a majority of sellers postpone listing their properties in the winter and near…

Do You Require An Umbrella Policy?

It all comes down to you and your assets when deciding whether or not you need an umbrella insurance policy. Homeowners insurance and auto insurance are two types of insurance almost everybody needs in the modern world we live in today. However an umbrella policy is something that you decide on. Nobody will try to force you into buying an…

4 Tips to Consider When Staging Your House For Fall Showings

Staging a home for showings can be quite a taxing process but very rewarding if done right. It entails making several subtle changes and decorations that showcase your home’s best assets in a move aimed at impressing potential buyers. Having a knowledgeable and experienced real estate agent to guide you through this process can help you sell your house quicker…

Easy Steps To Prepare Your Family Dinner Table

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10 Facts About Wines You May Want To Know

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