Sunrise Homes & Renovations, Inc.

Expecting a Newborn? Baby-proof Your Home With This Quick and Easy Checklist

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Expecting a Newborn? Baby-proof Your Home With This Quick and Easy ChecklistIt’s a very exciting time for most parents when their kids begin to crawl, but it can also be much more difficult to watch over your child and ensure their safety. If your child is starting to get along on their own and you’re preparing to baby proof, here are the main areas and items you’ll want to watch out for.

Clearing Away The Crib

There’s no place your child is going to spend more time, so ensure that there are no toys left in their crib when they’re going to sleep. You’ll also want to stay away from fluffy blankets that can smother their breathing. It’s entirely likely that you’ll have a lot of stuff to store for your baby, but ensure there are no heavy pieces of furniture in the room that they will be able to pull over or move.

In The Bathroom

It goes without saying that you should never leave a baby in the bathtub alone, but there are other things to do as soon as they become mobile. In addition to non-slip mats for the tub and the area outside of the tub, you may also want to invest in soft covers for the knobs and the spout on the bathtub. It’s also good to keep any hazardous cleaning products out of reach.

Care In The Kitchen

Your baby is likely to wreak havoc on all of the door handles they can, so ensure that you have cabinets that don’t close automatically and a latch for your oven door. If you happen to be cooking in the kitchen when your baby is about, ensure that all pot handles are turned in and all cooking items are kept away from the edges of the counter.

Around The House

Your quickly crawling child will be able to find many hazards if they move fast, so ensure you’ve covered up any electrical outlets or cords that can be pulled out. If there are sharp edges your infant can reach, put safety guards on them to protect your baby’s head. Safety gates should also be used at the top and bottom of stairs to avoid any falls.

Most parents get pretty enthusiastic about the idea of their baby starting to crawl, but it’s important to be prepared for that time by baby proofing your home. If you’re currently getting ready to buy a home for your growing family, contact your trusted real estate professional for more information.

An Overview Of A Wrap-Around Mortgage: What To Know

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An Overview Of A Wrap-Around Mortgage: What To KnowAre you having a difficult time qualifying for a traditional mortgage in the current market? If so, there are other options available, and a lack of financing can frustrate not only the buyer but the seller as well. For example, one option that you may have heard about is called a wrap-around mortgage. The entire goal of this mortgage is to help the buyer get financing to purchase the house while making sure the seller still turns a profit. What do you need to know about a wrap-around mortgage? 

What is A Wrap-Around Mortgage?

A wrap-around mortgage is a specific type of home loan that allows the seller to hang on to the mortgage they have in place as the buyer takes out a new mortgage to wrap around the loan that is already owed.

Using this type of mortgage, the buyer will make payments to the seller every month instead of the lender. While this secondary option usually means the interest rate is a bit higher, it also makes it easier for the buyer to finance the home while taking care of the seller at the same time. 

How Does The Approval Process Work?

Because there isn’t a traditional mortgage mediated by a lender, the buyer and the seller have to come to a mutual agreement on their own. The seller is responsible for maintaining the existing mortgage, but they offer secondary financing to the buyer, wrapping the new loan into the loan that the seller already has. The buyer and seller have to agree on the down payment, the total amount of the loan, and draw up a contract that outlines the terms of the loan. Then, the title passes from the seller to the buyer. 

Consider The Benefits And Risks Carefully

Even though it can help the seller sell his or her house, it is important to understand that there are some risks. There is still a primary mortgage on the home, which means that the seller still has to pay the primary lender. Furthermore, the seller is assuming a significant amount of risk, as they will be responsible for the mortgage if the buyer is unable to keep up with the payments. 

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 20, 2023

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What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - March 20, 2023Last week’s economic reporting included readings on housing starts and building permits issued, the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s Senate testimony. The Commerce Department reported on housing starts and building permits issued published, and a monthly reading on consumer sentiment was published. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and jobless claims were also released.

Two bank failures instill fear in depositors

In the aftermath of two bank failures last week,  US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that “the banking system is sound” during testimony to the US Senate last Thursday. When asked if federal protection could be extended to deposit accounts exceeding $250,000, Secretary Yellen replied that such action would “require approval from super majorities of the Boards of the Federal Reserve, the FDIC.and consultation between the Treasury Secretary and the president to determine that failure to protect uninsured depositors would create system risk and significant economic and financial consequences.”

NAHB: home builder confidence in US housing market improves

The National Association of Home Builders reported that its Housing Market Index for March increased by two points to an index reading of 44. Home builders expected a reading of 40 and the February HMI reading was 42. Readings below 50 indicate that most home builders surveyed were not confident about current housing market conditions.

The Commerce Department reported that housing starts exceeded expectations in February with 1.45 million starts reported as compared to the expected reading of 1.31 million starts and January’s reading of 1.32 million starts. Building permits issued also rose in February with 1.52 million permits issued as compared to expectations of 1.34 million permits issued and January’s reading of 1.34 million building permits issued.

Mortgage rates, jobless claims fall

Freddie Mac reported lower average mortgage rates last week as the rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell by 13 basis points to 6.60 percent. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages fell by five basis points to an average rate of 5.90 percent.

Initial jobless claims were also lower with 192,000 first-time claims filed as compared to the prior week’s reading of 212,000 claims filed. 1.68 million continuing jobless claims were filed as compared to 1.71 million ongoing claims filed in the previous week. 

What’s ahead

This week’s scheduled economic reporting includes readings on sales of new and previously-owned homes, the post-meeting statement from the Federal Open Market Committee, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s post-meeting press conference. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims will also be published.

How to Get Along With Your Homeowners Association

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How to Get Along With Your Homeowners AssociationRules and covenants of a homeowners association can be a bit overwhelming, especially for a first time homeowner. Understanding that the regulations are designed to protect the value of your home helps make some restrictions easier to live with.

Homeowners Association CC&Rs, which stands for “covenants, conditions and restrictions,” can be intimidating. But, with the growing number of communities and subdivisions that have existing HOAs, it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you buy a home.

Associations Come In All Forms

An association’s goal is to maintain the ambience of the community and assure that home values are upheld. Associations are typically responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of common areas, including streets and green spaces, playgrounds and community pools, if they exist.

Some associations, often in retirement communities, include front yard upkeep; Condominium associations commonly include exterior building maintenance as well.

Homeowners Association CC&Rs may be quite restrictive, requiring vehicles to be garaged or disallowing privacy fences, for instance. Alternatively, they may be loosely organized and act primarily as social organizations designed to foster the sense of community and promote safety for resident families.

Only occasionally is HOA membership offered on a voluntary basis; in those cases, the HOA is apt to be a group with little power.

CCRs Are A Legal Obligation

Subdivisions with functioning homeowners associations must supply prospective buyers with a copy of current CC&Rs prior to closing.  If you plan to buy a home that has an existing association, it is important to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations prior to agreeing to abide by them. Read them thoroughly and understand them completely, because they constitute a legal obligation for compliance as well as for payment of dues and special assessments.

Legal Requirements Of An HOA

Whether the dues are a lot or a little, and whether the association’s affairs are professionally managed or not, the majority of associations are governed and controlled by a volunteer board and elected officers who volunteer their time for the benefit of the community. If you choose to become involved in governance, you might have a great influence over the way rights and responsibilities are defined in your neighborhood.

However, don’t count on being able to make changes to your own property easily if there are clauses in the HOA CC&Rs that initially rub you the wrong way. In some cases, owners require association approval prior to making any changes to the property, whether that be planting a new tree, adding a skylight or changing the color of the front door. 

As you consider making an offer on a home, it’s important to decide whether or not you object to any of the existing regulations. If you feel that the regulations will negatively impact your livability in your new home, it might be better option to look for another house. It can be difficult to be at odds with your HOA and can cause significant ongoing stress. Withholding dues or flaunting existing regulations can have unpleasant legal consequences, even resulting in a lien against your property.

Talk to your trusted real estate professional about any concerns you have about HOAs and what you are looking for in a neighborhood. Your agent can help you navigate the area and offer information about individual neighborhoods to make sure that you find just the right home for you.

Manage These 3 Items Before Applying For A Mortgage

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Manage These 3 Items Before Applying For A MortgageMortgage lenders weigh the risk of getting their principal and interest paid back by looking at the qualities of the prospective borrower. And due to the amount of money being requested and lent to purchase homes, those requirements can become daunting.  Working with a trusted and qualified mortgage professional makes this sometimes confusing process a little clearer.

To this end, there are three things that a potential homebuyer can do to prepare for the mortgage approval process:

Manage Debt And Credit Levels

For many homebuyers, managing their credit score is the biggest challenge. Mortgage lenders like buyers with strong credit. While getting strong credit usually isn’t something that can be done overnight, paying bills on time, all of the time can help to build a positive profile.

Using as little credit as possible is also helpful, since high utilization of existing credit lines can harm a borrower’s score. Having less debt can also reduce monthly payments, making it easier to qualify for a larger mortgage.

Manage Income And Qualifying Ratios

Lenders look for two things when it comes to a borrower’s income:

  1. Stable incomes are preferred, so being able to prove the income with a W-2 form or other documentation is usually required. Self-employed people will typically need to prove their income with their tax returns, so taking high write-offs can make it harder to qualify.
  2. A borrower’s income should be significantly higher than his total monthly debt payments. Lenders divide a borrower’s monthly payments — including their proposed mortgage — into the gross monthly income. If the payments exceed a set percentage, the lender will shrink the mortgage until it considers the payment affordable.

Collect Required Paperwork Early

To qualify for a mortgage, borrowers typically need to submit a comprehensive file of supporting documentation. This can include tax returns, pay stubs and bank and investment account statements.

Since lenders frequently want some historical data, it can be a good idea for people considering applying for a mortgage to start collecting documentation before they actually begin the mortgage application process. Once again, working with a qualified finance professional will make this process a lot more comfortable.

Short-Term Vacation Rentals: What To Know

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Short-Term Vacation Rentals: What To KnowIf you are interested in purchasing a rental property, you might want a short-term rental that you can use as a vacation home. This can be a great way to generate some additional income, and you might be able to make thousands of dollars every week if you purchase a property in the right location. On the other hand, there are several important factors you need to consider before you purchase a rental property. 

The Marketing Process

You are only going to make money on your rental property if you can convince people to stay there. Why would someone decide to stay at your rental property instead of a traditional hotel? You must be willing to put in the time and effort to develop a enticing marketing strategy that includes some beautiful photos and videos that will highlight the benefits of your rental property.

The Pricing

Of course, you want to make as much money as possible if you have a rental property, but keep in mind that you don’t want to price the property so high that you end up scaring people away. You might even want to change the price of your rental property depending on the length of their stay, time of year, or special events that might be happening in the local area. You will also want to take a closer look at the competition to see how much they are charging.

Protect Yourself And Your Property

You need to take steps to protect yourself and your property. It can be difficult to predict how your guests are going to treat your space, and you don’t want to rent to guess who could damage your property. Keep in mind that you could also be held responsible if someone is injured while renting your house. That is why you should consider purchasing additional liability protection.

Find The Right Rental Property

There are many advantages you may enjoy if you decide to purchase a short-term vacation home, but you need to make sure you are willing to put in the time and effort to make it profitable. You will want to work with a professional who can help you find the best option in the area.