You’re ready to fall in love with your first home. You want more living space, a place to do your art and crafts, enough bedrooms to expand your family or accommodate relatives and friends, a separate master suite, and an entertaining area that will impress. All in the best neighborhood, of course! Welcome to the first lesson of home-buying – the perfect home doesn’t exist, but if you’ll choose...
If you’re active or discharged military who’s ready to buy a home, a Veterans Benefits Administration (VA) home loan allows you to buy a home with no down-payment, no minimum credit score, and a better interest rate than you’d otherwise qualify for. Because the VA is guaranteeing the loan for the mortgage lender, you’ll need a Certificate of Eligibility, along with social security numbers,...
An important benefit of homeownership is that you can design and decorate the property to your tastes, but sometimes you need a few ideas to get started. Should you paint or wallpaper? Should you stay safe with neutrals or go wild with color? The answers may lie in trendspotting for 2019. Color over neutrals. This is the year to embrace color – reds, blues, greens and yellows in tones that look...
Crazy fashion trends do more than strain closet space. They can sometimes send the message that trendiness is more important than building wealth. Here’s to save the money you spend on new clothes for something more rewarding – a down payment on your own home. Reduce your wardrobe. Consign, donate or give away clothes you haven’t worn in a year or two. Keep anything that goes with at least three...
According to the Federal Reserve, the primary residence accounts for about one-quarter of all assets held by households, ahead of other financial assets, business interests and retirement accounts. It’s important to protect the value of your home by keeping it repaired and updated. Not only does an update make a home more attractive, it should improve functionality, make it more comfortable, increase...
You’ve cleaned, decluttered and painted to get your home ready to sell. But there’s still one job left – make certain your home smells great for every showing. Here are four things to keep in mind to ensure your house smells fresh and clean for potential buyers: Stuffiness. Open the windows and air out stale, musty rooms. Steam clean carpets and curtains, wash all bedding, and store stinky...
Young home buyers have a rough time compared to their parents when they were first-time home buyers. They have more student debt, slower wage growth and are building wealth later in life than their parents did at the same age. With so many hurdles to cross, parents like you may be thinking of co-signing so your son or daughter may have a home of their own. This would be a true act of love, but it...
If you’re buying a home in a community with a homeowners association (HOA), there are some things you need to know. There are different levels of HOA's from higher dues on patio homes where the homeowners association handles shared maintenance for the homeowners like lawn care, snow removal, and sometimes exterior maintenance. The average HOA's in typical communities on single family homes collect dues...
If you find yourself saying any of the following to your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network professional, you may be hurting your chances of selling your home quickly and for the most money possible. “I’m not making any repairs.” According to the 2018 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report from the National Association of REALTORS®, 47 percent of buyers under the age of 37...
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