Picking out a new house can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. How do you choose the best location? How do you know what you can afford? What’s the tiebreaker if you love two places equally? The first and only way to begin the decision-making process is to grab your pen, paper and calculator. Make sure you know what it is you want, all the details of the houses you’re looking at and break...
We all know, when decorating, the beauty is all in the details. Choosing to finish, paint, glaze or leave wood alone makes a big difference in your home as well as in the longevity of a piece. To Paint or Not to Paint? It is true, there are some types of wood that are beautiful on their own. Leaving them alone allows them to age naturally and beautifully. Wood such as Accoya, Cedar and other...
After the last box is moved into your new home, you might think the hardest part of the move is over. And you’re right. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you need to do after a move. In fact, there’s a lot of stuff that needs to get done before you can relax completely. Here is a quick checklist of things you may need to do after the move: Check Major Appliances If you moved major...
The ins and outs of buying a house You may think you’re ready to be a homebuyer, but have you done your homework? Buying a house requires a lot of thought and planning especially when it comes to the financial side of things. In the end purchasing a house has to make sense to your financial goals and shouldn’t bankrupt you in the process. The first step is to figure out what you can afford. You...
STEP 1 Find a Realtor you can Trust You will be sharing some personal and confidential information, and you want to ensure you feel comfortable with the REALTOR you are working with. STEP 2 Preapproval from the Bank Once you’ve completed the bank’s loan application, your loan officer will advise you of your lending potential. We recommend you provide your...
Picking out a new home can be terrifying but how do you pick the right house for you? Here are some basic tips to think about when looking at homes: Set your priorities: Before taking a look at any houses, sit down and write out everything you want in a home, with input from all members of the household. Then choose your top five, or even top three, must-haves. Use a comparison chart to remember all...
I imagine many of you have been enjoying your large homes but holding your breath hoping that the time would come again when you could downsize but not downgrade and have some additional money with which to enjoy your retirement. A few years ago, maybe 9 or 10, many of my transactions were selling homes ranging between 2m. and 3m. to young upwardly mobile families. These sellers would then find a nice...
1. Get APPROVED by the Bank! This is most important. There is nothing worse than finding your dream home and you can’t purchase it. Go to the Bank and have them pre-approve you not pre-qualify. There is a difference. They must run everything through - knowing your income, debts, employment (how long have you been at your present job), back account balances, do you have money for a down payment and how...
First contact your bank if you need to borrow money to purchase a home and find out how to qualify for a mortgage. Ask for a pre-approval so you know what your buying power will be. Then select a real estate agent that you are comfortable with and discuss what you are looking for - where you would like to live, what you can afford as well as what your needs and wants are in a property. A good realtor...
There are certain laws that exist to make sure that traders deal fairly with consumers. They exist to protect the consumer, but businesses also benefit because these laws: • outlaw disreputable business practices • encourage fair competition between businesses • offer businesses better protection from anti-competitive practices. If a business does not abide by these laws, awards of damages can be...