Buying a home is a significant financial decision, and securing a mortgage loan is an essential part of the process. However, with so many loan options available, it can be challenging to know which one is best for you. In 2023, there are a few mortgage loan options that you might consider. Conventional LoanA conventional … Continue reading Mortgage Loan Options You Might Consider in 2023

It can be challenging to know when it is time to downsize your home. Downsizing can be an emotional decision. You’ve spent years building a family in that home, and then sending young adults to build their own lives. It’s … Continue reading →

You’ve spent months deciding what type of home will be best for your family. You’ve researched the best schools and areas, narrowing it down to where will be a good fit. You, your real estate agent, and your family members … Continue reading →

Being able to afford a home has grown more complex as home prices have soared and interest rates increased, according to a recent report from ATTOM Data. You, like many, may be asking yourself why have the interest rates jumped and … Continue reading →

Owning a home is a great achievement for anyone. Your home should be something to be proud of. That’s why when it comes to selling, you may be interested in going for the For Sale By Owner route. While selling your home … Continue reading →

Over the past few years, jobs in the “gig economy” have become increasingly popular. Uber/Lyft drivers, pet sitters and dog walkers, freelancers, influencers, DoorDash/Grubhub drivers. The list goes on. Having the freedom to create your own schedule is exciting and … Continue reading →

You have gone through the process of pre-approval, and you have searched to find the perfect home. You love this home, so you decide to put in an offer above the asking price. Your realtor sends your offer to the … Continue reading →

There is no denying it—the best time to buy and sell is when the market is booming in the spring and summer. However, selling during the winter season is becoming more common and is not impossible to do. Follow the tips below to ensure your home is inviting and enticing to buyers during the colder months of the year.1. Now that winter is here and trees are bare, it is even more important to make curb appeal a priority because your home is more exposed. Be sure to touch up the paint and clean the gutters to improve the appearance of your house. It is also a good idea to keep prospective buyers’ safety in mind by clearing snow, ice and leaves from your walkways and and stairs.2. Try to make buyers feel warm and cozy when they are viewing your home. If you have a fireplace, consider lighting a fire, or perhaps light a few candles throughout your home (nothing too strong of course), to create an inviting atmosphere. As a nice finishing touch, bake some tasty treats and have hot cocoa or cider to offer to buyers as they tour your home.3. Having high-quality photographs of your home is even more important during the winter months than any other time of the year because homebuyers will more likely be doing their house hunting from the comfort of their homes. It is also good practice to include a summer or spring photo of your home, if possible, when listing your house on the market so buyers can see how the yard and foliage looks year-round. 4. It is also encouraged to have a virtual tour of your home available as well; you may experience less foot traffic during the holiday season due to weather and traveling plans. Having a video tour could potentially attract buyers who are not available to physically tour your home or may not want to risk driving in a snowstorm.

Moving is something that all of us find ourselves doing at one point or another. And pretty much everyone dreads it. Moving is not seen as fun, its seen as a chore, one that you sometimes have to bribe or cajole friends and family into helping you with. While there may not be a way to make this task an enjoyable one, with a little planning you can make it an efficient and hopefully timely one. Below are some hacks that might make the moving process a little easier. PreparingWith everything preparation is usually the name of game. So, when you’re moving, don’t forget the pregame portion! Before even moving, here are few things to keep in mind. Call Utility companiesAs soon as you know you’re moving, you want to get your utilities in order. Cancel any utilities that you have scheduled at your old location then set them up at your new home. This is something that may only take a few phone calls but can save you a lot of grief when you’re getting settled into your new residence. Measure everythingMaybe you already have the layout of how you want your furniture figured out. However if you’re like most of us, you may get all your bulky furniture into your house and realize it’s a bit too big for the corner you were picturing in. To avoid this, go ahead and measure all your furniture or large appliances so there’s no surprises and you can plan the layout of your home ahead of time. Collect boxesThe earlier the better. Pretty much as soon as you realize you’re going to move, you should start to accumulate boxes for all your items. Some places like U-Haul offer free boxes if you ask for them as well. Make a packing essential stationBefore you start packing, take stock of everything you might need such as tape, scissors, plastic wrap, sharpies and more. Put everything you’ll need throughout the packing process in one box. Not only will this ensure that everything is in one place but its also portable! You can take this packing station into every room you need to pack up so you don’t keep going back and forth whenever you find you need something for packing is in another room. Make some handlesWouldn’t be great if we could make the handling of boxes easier too? Well, you’re in luck. Using a box cutter, cut triangular holes on two opposite sides of the box. This will make a handy little handle for you to gain some leverage and grip when you’re lifting and carrying boxes.  PackingAll right using everything above, you’ve prepared as much as you can but now its time to really get down to business. Protect fragile itemsThis is no surprise, but breakable items are well…breakable. However before you drop some coin on packing peanuts and bubble wrap, there maybe a few things already around the house that you could use such as magazines, newspapers, plastic bags, or old towels. Keep those clothes where they areOkay so you’ve got a full closet of clothes and a few dressers to boot, obviously you’re going to have remove all those clothes and neatly fold them in their own boxes, right? Actually you can save yourself some time by using those hangers and dresser drawers to you advantage. For items hanging in the closet, go ahead and leave them on their hangers, simply wrap a garbage bag or wardrobe bag if you have it. For the wardrobe items, leave everything in their drawers and wrap plastic wrap around each one to keep the items safely in place. This will also make your dresser lighter and easier to move. Keep hardware in plastic bagsMoving furniture is never easy. Even if you have light easy to assemble furniture, once you take it apart you run the risk of losing all the little screws that held that IKEA chair together. However if you keep every bit of hardware that comes of your furniture in a little bag you don’t have to worry about that. Even better, tape that little baggie to a larger piece of the furniture it belongs to and you’ll know exactly what it goes with when it is time to rebuild. Label the boxesThere is a number of ways to label and organize boxes but marking the box before hands can save a lot of confusion and needless moving back and forth between rooms. One method that makes a lot of sense is creating an inventory list that lets you know everything inside. Another way would be to color code boxes by room, and reference it with a key/map that lets you know ahead of time which room each box should go to when you’re ready to unpack. Label your cordsWhen moving, you’re probably going to be unplugging a bunch of cords and hookups. One way to avoid additional confusion and needless tangles is by looping the cords through some old toilet paper or paper towel rolls. You can go a step further and then label these rolls as well. While we’re on the subject of cords, take a quick picture of the back of your tv or computer so you have a reference when you hook up your devices in your new place. Put a piece of plastic wrap over open toiletriesWhen packing up your bathroom, you likely have several already open toiletries. To avoid a messy situation, put a small piece of plastic wrap over any open bottle or tube and then screw the cap or top back on over it. Make heavy items portable­If you have suitcases or large rolling bags, utilize them. Pack up heavy items such as books into a rolling suitcase to avoid the strain of lifting or moving heavy boxes. Take a picture or two to remember the old houseThis really doesn’t affect the efficiency of unpacking but moving can sometimes be an emotional experience. Hopefully you’re moving on to a bigger and better residence. However some time down the line you may want to look back and remember the place you left behind. Take a few pictures to remember the home by so you can treasure it in the future. UnpackingAlright you’ve gotten to final leg of the journey, all the boxes are packed up and have been transported to the new residence, now all that is left is to unpack. Unpack boxes by roomIf you planned ahead and grouped all your boxes by room, now you can grab all the boxes and take them to the right room and unpack within each room. Use rubber bands to prevent getting locked outWhen you’re unpacking you may be going in and out of the residence and may not remember to take your brand new key or maybe your new doors are a bit sensitive and like to lock on their own. To avoid getting locked out on your first day, loop a large rubber band from one side of the door to the knob on the opposite side. Take a breatherMoving can be stressful, remember to brace yourself take breaks if you feel yourself getting fatigued or tired.

Moving is no easy task, and when you add in a global pandemic, it becomes even more of a challenge. If you are planning on moving during the pandemic, follow the tips below to help ensure you have a safe … Continue reading →

These days, home improvement ideas are everywhere, from magazines, Pinterest boards, TV shows, and even whole networks dedicated to upgrading and designing a person’s dream home to absolute perfection. When preparing to sell your home it can seem overwhelming to […]

Are you thinking of buying but aren’t sure if it is the right move for you? Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime and is no small expense. But, there are […]