Blog
End of the Year Money-Wise Moves to Get Ahead
It’s the end of the year. You’re already thinking ahead to the spring. You have tons of plans for home improvements. So why bring this up now? December is the perfect time to make some money moves to improve your…
Selling? Should You Exchange That Carpet for Hardwood
Flooring is one of the more controversial subjects when it comes to home improvements. There are two firm camps and rarely do they meet in the middle. When you’re planning to sell your home, you may think you need to…
What to Ask Santa For — A Downpayment!
You’ve been saving for a downpayment and you’re almost there. Almost! You just need a little more money in that account and you can make an offer on your starter home. Now, your parents and grandparents want to give you…
Protecting Your Home During Holiday Travel
Plane tickets? Check Suitcase packed? Check Wrapped gifts packed? Check House protected? Oooops! If you’re planning on traveling for the holidays, don’t leave your home’s protection to chance. Coming home from a holiday trip to find your home has been…
The Lure of the Snowbird Lifestyle — Is it Right for You?
If you’re entering your retirement years, you may be considering buying a second home in a warmer (or cooler) clime. Perhaps your goal is to escape the winter weather. Or, maybe you want a home nearer to the grandkids. Whatever…
How do Fed Rate Hikes Affect Mortgages?
Eeeeek! Rates are going up … or are they? Last week, for the first time after years of historically low rates, the Federal Reserve decided to raise short-term interest rates. For homebuyers, any rate hike often is seen a negative,…
Taxes and Your New Home
If you bought a new home in 2015, here are some things to think about as you get ready for tax season: Mortgage Interest One of the biggest perks of owning your own home is the benefit of deducting your…
Dreaming of that New Kitchen or Bath? What Renovations Really Pay
Owners of older homes dream of updating or modernizing kitchens and baths. In fact, before they place their homes on the market, some folks go to all the effort to update the kitchen they’ve been meaning to redo for years…
Selling in Winter
Traditional real estate marketing says homes sell better in the Spring and that if you haven’t sold by the time school starts, you might as well wait until the weather warms again. But these days, real estate is anything but…
Take Advantage of January Appliance Deals
Now that you’ve done all the hard work of qualifying for the loan, securing the mortgage and putting the deal in motion…you can start to shop for the new items you’ll need for your new home. First up are kitchen…
Fitting Your Furniture in Your New Home
It seemed so perfect on the showroom floor… Then you get it home and no matter how you try it, you just can’t make that furniture fit in the space of your new home! What to do? Plan ahead (duh!)…
Buying with Reselling in Mind
If you know that the home you are buying my have to be sold within a few years, you have a few extra items you need to pay attention to prior to purchasing. This is particularly true if you’ll need…
Mortgage Rates and Housing Prices Expected to Rise in 2014
Even though 30-year fixed rates dropped in the first half of January, many analysts expect fixed mortgage rates to go up somewhat in 2014, but to top out at around 5%. What this means for buyers is that while higher…
Wanting to Sell Your Home but Not Quite Ready to Move?
You know that you need to move, and the market is right to sell, but you’re not quite ready to pack up everything. After all, you still have to live in your home until it sells. So how do you…
Do I Need to Paint the Whole House White?
You are getting ready to paint a home you know you will sell within a couple of years. Chances are, a helpful family member or friend reminds you that to sell, everything should be painted white. After all, a buyer…
Design Trends in New Homes
When the housing market rebounded, so did home builders eager to show off their design skills. Buyers expect that newly constructed homes will be safer and more energy efficient, but they’re also looking for homes that meet the needs of…
Favorite Features from 3 Dream Homes
Thanks to those visually stunning video tours, the HGTV Dream Homes have become top-of-mind for buyers looking for the latest and greatest in home design. Each year’s home showcases innovation in concept, layout, building materials and design. Here are three…
Will a Bath Remodel Increase My Home’s Value?
Spring is just around the corner and the lure of a new home has you thinking about putting yours on the market. Your neighbor added a new bathroom last year and you’re wondering if you should upgrade yours before you…