How to Make an Offer on a House

It is finally that time… the time when you are ready to make the largest investment of your life.

Maybe you have spent weeks, months, even years looking for your first home to purchase.  Or maybe you have been thinking about upgrading for a long time and you just finally found that perfect house in which you can picture your family living for years to come.  Either way, it is an exciting time!

But also stressful.  Deciding how much to offer on a home with the realization that you will be committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to an investment is an intimidating process.

On one hand, you do not want to make too low an offer so that you get rejected by the seller or out-bid by another buyer.  On the other

Three Upgrades to Consider for $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000

Let’s face it, houses are never ending projects.  Whether you just moved into a new place that you want to personalize to function best for you or you are looking to make your house more appealing so it will sell quicker, you can always find reasons to make improvements to your home.

Perhaps you need more storage space, more living space, or your home just needs a makeover.

Here are three ideas you can use to give your house that face lift it needs for $1,000; $3,000 and $5,000 dollars.

1 Grand Idea

Closets are one of the most underrated features of homes.  Most of us have way too much stuff these days, whether it is toys for the kids, supplies for your weekend warrior adventures or

What to Know Before You Finance a House

There is just so much to know about financing a house, it can be overwhelming.  There are lots of costs beyond the price tag on the house, credit standards, pre-approvals, and an alphabet soup of financing programs.

Don’t get yourself into a bad situation because you don’t know what all is involved in financing a house.

Understand the costs

Many people are surprised—and not in a good way—to learn about all of the costs that come with financing and owning a home.

After you get past the closing costs of purchasing the home and moving costs, you will have to carry homeowner’s insurance if you have a mortgage on the home.  Lenders require this insurance as a way of protecting themselves from losing the

Avoid Moving Migraines: How to Manage Moving Logistics

There is something special about moving into a new house.  Maybe it is the feeling of a fresh beginning with a change of scenery.  Maybe it is the fun of “nesting,” customizing every part of the home with your furniture and decorations to make it home.  Maybe it is the confidence you gain committing to a large investment about which you feel great.

It can also be a nightmare.  Transitioning into a new living space is almost always fun, but the move itself can be nothing short of misery.  Lost or misplaced valuables, broken or damaged items, poor planning and preparation, and the strain of moving itself can make for a forgettable beginning in your new home.

Details, details…

If you are

What Owners Pay for that Renters Don’t

 When you pay rent each month, that money is gone out of your pocket forever.

Why not pay your own mortgage instead of someone else’s?  Isn’t that one of the big advantages of owning a home versus renting one?  Sure, you have to make a large mortgage payment each month, but that money is being invested into something that you actually own and can someday sell.

There are, however, lots of costs that home owners have to deal with that renters do not.  That said, buying a home is still often the best option for those who can afford to, especially if they are planning on staying in one place for an extended period of time.

If you are a prospective buyer, do not get caught off guard with these post-sale home

Have Your Yard Ready for Spring

The sun is setting a bit earlier.  The leaves are starting to show signs of orange, yellow and brown.  It gets cool at night and doesn’t reach triple digit temperatures during the day.

Yes, fall is almost here.  And your lawn knows it.

Were you thinking about selling your house this summer and just never got around to it?  Or did you just move into a new house with a neglected lawn?  Not to worry!  Here are four steps to have your lawn looking its best by next spring to give it the curb appeal you need to sell or give you a place to enjoy outside when the good weather returns.

Aeration

Over time, the soil under your grass gets compacted and lumpy.  Lots of traffic, whether from kids playing, pets wandering,

Finding Your Dream Home: What You Need to Ask

 Maybe you have just gotten married and are buying a home with your new spouse.  Maybe your job has transferred you to a new city, and you want to buy a home to put down roots there.  Or maybe you are just tired of renting and are ready to buy your dream home.

Since homes are most people’s largest investment, it can be a stressful process, and there are tons of details to consider before deciding which home to buy.

We can all picture ourselves in “something bigger,” or “something old and cozy,” but these generalities will not get you far in the search process.  It’s important to ask and answer very specific questions before you start searching for and visiting specific houses.

The first three

Looking to Invest?  Consider Property Over Stocks

Depending on your goals and your appetite for risk, investing in real estate might just be a better investment than stocks and bonds.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ have all been climbing somewhat steadily throughout 2015 and well before that.  Until now.  The Stock Market has taken a couple of massive nose dives recently, likely as a correction for its general overvaluation.

What is not crashing right now?  The housing market.

Sure, the general value of homes sometimes appreciates and sometimes has corrections of its own, but on the whole, the real estate market is much less volatile and much more predictable than the stock market.  It is not affected by sudden world