It's always exciting to pack up and get away from your home for the sake of escape, but going on vacation also means leaving your home behind. While a good neighborhood can go a long way towards making sure your home stays safe in your absence, here are some additional tips for how to ensure you'll be coming back from your trip without incident. Take Care Of Your Property Thieves will often assume that an unkempt yard and home maintenance issues are a sign of a homeowner that doesn't care, and this will often attract them to a property. Instead of giving potential trespassers the wrong idea, … [Read More...]
Last week's economic news included releases on new and pre-owned home sales and weekly readings on average mortgage rates and new unemployment claims. Pre-owned Home Sales Fall, Due to Dwindling Inventory 5.48 million pre-owned homes were sold on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. Analysts expected 5.45 million sales based on January's reading of 5.69 million sales. Lagging supplies of listed homes continue to cause home prices to rise as buyers compete for fewer available homes. First time buyers represented only 32 percent of sales as compared to the normal reading of 40 percent. … [Read More...]
The idea of paying off your student loans and buying a home at the same time can seem like an impossible feat given the impact on your Debt-to-Income (DTI) ratio. However, there are ways it's possible to have enough funds and good enough credit to make your dream of home ownership come true a little more quickly. If you're currently considering how to manage both, here are some options you might want to consider. Decrease Your Debt Lenders will be looking at your DTI ratio in order to determine whether or not you're a solid financial bet, so before throwing yourself into the market, it can be … [Read More...]
Taking on the task of renovating your home can seem like an awful lot of work, but there are ways to do this that require a lot less energy and just a little bit of money. Whether you're looking for an instant home revamp or are readying your home to sell, here are some ideas for how you can improve your bedroom in no time. Make It Clutter Free It might sound too simple, but just clearing away the extraneous stuff that can accrue in your bedroom will instantly improve the look of your space. Instead of doing it over time, set aside an afternoon to go through the excess and clean up extra … [Read More...]
The most popular time of year to buy a home is in the spring, and this means that if you're preparing yourself for getting into the real estate market, you may be experiencing a time crunch. If you're wondering if you'll be ready to put your home up for sale in time to take advantage of the season, here are few things you'll want to think about. Have You Cleaned Up And De-cluttered? Spring is not only an optimal time to put your home up for sale, it's also an ideal time for spring-cleaning! Instead of leaving all of the de-cluttering and clearing away to the time when you know you'll be … [Read More...]
From making sure the exterior looks impeccable to touching up the paint, there are a lot of things that go into the kind of open house that will draw in potential buyers. You may not know, though, that the senses can have a significant impact on how people will perceive your home, and scent can be highly powerful. Instead of leaving your home sale up to a clutter free space and an elegant exterior, try out the following aromatherapy scents to make an even better impression. The Calming Influence Of Lemon There's a reason that lemon is one of the most common scents when it comes to cleaning … [Read More...]
