Category: Financial
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Waxy Leaves Protect Trees But Can Beat Up Your Basement
Tree leaves shed rain so that the tree won’t lose vital water through them. Great for trees but if our gutters and downspouts are covered with them they effectively repel and block water from the intended path of a gutter system. Imagine hundreds of plastic bags in your kitchen sink. It’s logical to assume the…
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Buyers: Don’t Be Surprised by Closing Costs!
Many homebuyers think that saving for their down payment is enough to buy the house of their dreams, but what about the closing costs that are required to obtain a mortgage? By law, a homebuyer will receive a loan estimate from their lender 3 days after submitting their loan application and they should receive a closing disclosure 3 days…
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What If I Wait Until Next Year to Buy a Home?
Good News: Increases in home prices and historically low interest rates means you can be a home buyer now! I recently shared that national home prices have increased by 6.7% year-over-year. Over that same time period, interest rates have remained historically low. This has allowed many buyers to enter the market. This is good news! As…
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Is Family Mortgage Debt Out of Control?
Good News: Family Mortgage Debt is Not Out of Control! Some homeowners have recently done a “cash out” refinance. They have taken a portion of their increased equity from their house. Others have sold their homes. They have purchased more expensive homes with larger mortgages. At the same time, first-time buyers have become homeowners. They…
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Rising Rates: Consolidate Your Home Mortgage and Equity Loans
If you have a home equity line of credit, now may be the time to consolidate it into your first mortgage. So, how will you know if it is a good time to consolidate it into your first mortgage? Home equity loans tend to be variable rate loans, and with rates rising, so will your…
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“Savings” plan: Cash value life insurance vs home ownership
Incentives to save and have a nest egg at the end of 20 years can take many forms. Cash value life insurance, touted as an insurance/savings plan is more often sold than other forms of life insurance. It can be borrowed against but the net returns are not as substantial as if term insurance were bought…
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Own To Build Wealth (Over Time)
Home ownership can build wealth over time….if you buy a home that you can actually afford. You build wealth(equity) every month you own your home. Your equity in your home is the amount of money you can sell it for minus what you still owe on it(mortgage). The mortgage comes with tax benefits: The…
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SPOOKY STORIES FROM A RESTLESS REALTOR Part 5b: TRIUMPH OVER TEMPERATURE (Air Conditioning)
While you would think winter isn’t exactly the season to worry about your A/C working properly, it’s actually one of the better times to get it looked at. Good HVAC guys are in short supply so when the first heat waves of summer roll around, they get booked FAST. The best way to ensure you…