Home Security Tips

Home residences are considered one of the largest financial purchases in an individual’s lifetime. With that in mind, many people consider subscribing to active alarm systems to help deter burglaries at their property. Though this is highly recommended, there are also other actions that can be taken for a considerably less expense. Combine the below home security tips with a strong alarm system (e.g., ADT Security) to deter even the most persistent burglar.

Change all the locks on the premises

When you first purchase a property, it is essential to change all the locks inside the property immediately. Perhaps the former owners lent a key to a babysitter for easy access to the property. Maybe a repairman needed access to the

Benefits Of Homeownership

Purchasing a home is a significant milestone in a person’s life and shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are a multitude of considerations to take inventory of prior to pursuing this endeavor. For instance, annual maintenance costs, trending neighborhood demographics, and potential neighbor personalities can detract someone from actually purchasing a property.

Before you consider signing a rental lease for another year, weigh the following benefits of homeownership and determine if it might be up your alley. More often than not, purchasing a property (the right property) will be more fruitful in the long run.

Build long term wealth over time

Speaking of being fruitful in the long run, owning a home long term can

Reno/Sparks Market Report: October 2015

The Market Report for October, 2015 has been released by the Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors. The report contains valuable information regarding current trends and conditions for the area’s real estate market.  If you are planning on buying, selling, or if you simply want to learn more, the RST Homes team can help you to break down the report.

Market Pulse

October market data appears to demonstrate a sign of equilibrium within the real estate market. All signs point towards a stabilizing market after a four year market recovery since the real estate recession.

We saw a record three months of consecutive declines in median sales prices since the trough of the real estate recession. Though median

Getting To Know The Neighborhood Before Buying

Whether you are itching to be in the fast-paced nightlife of a city or want something a little less active, perhaps family oriented, there are common traits most future movers look for in a new neighborhood. Before plunging into buying or renting a property in an unknown location, do a little upfront research to become acquainted with the atmosphere of the location. This will ensure your hard earned money is wisely spent on a property in a community you’ll thoroughly enjoy. 

Review neighborhood characteristics online

Just jumping on the Internet presents a great opportunity to pre-screen candidate neighborhoods before physically visiting any places. Filter locations using a few qualifying factors

Tips To Selecting The RIGHT Property Manager

Homeowners hear about the financial promises of owning multiple rental properties and quickly lean towards contracting out the associated management workload to a third party. Outsourcing the day-to-day work can prove beneficial in multiple facets (e.g., time, stress) and typically ranges from maintaining the property to managing the tenant personalities or, most commonly, both. How much stress can there be if you hire someone else to do the work?

As everyone knows, there is no such thing as a “free lunch” in life so recognize that there can be pitfalls while selecting a property manager if proper due diligence isn’t applied upfront in the hiring process. Consider these recommendations when determining

How Much House Can You Afford?

Homeownership is an exciting financial decision in life and is often spoken of like a badge of honor in our society. Purchasing a house, especially for the first time, elicits feelings of accomplishment and pride – a declaration to the world that you made it!

Perhaps you’ve added a new addition to the family and need more growing space. Maybe you finally earned a raise after countless hours at work and want to consider removing the landlord from the equation. Regardless of the scenario, this is an exciting milestone in life and highlighting a few affordability tips prior to contacting a realtor will ensure a smoother purchase.

Think like a mortgage lender

Unless you are privileged to see the process behind the

How Much Cash Will You Need To Close a Home Purchase

There are many hands and moving parts included in the home purchasing process and oftentimes both the buyer and seller aren’t privy to the entire activity behind the scenes. Though lenders are required to provide a good faith estimate (GFE) which projects the final closing costs to complete the transaction, these numbers can legally increase or decrease depending on the actual work performed.

So how do you prepare and budget closing costs on a property? Let’s take a look at what closing costs actually are, items expected to be included in closing costs, and potential strategies to minimize the damage to your wallet. Following these tips could ultimately save you hundreds, if not thousands of