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Most homeowners have insurance on their home that additionally, gives them coverage on their personal property. That is the first level of peace of mind to know that it is available to you if there is an unfortunate need for it from a burglary, fire, or some other insured circumstance. ...CONTINUE READING

Some homeowners feel like they may as well throw a dart against the wall to decide whether to move or not. Other people might invoke a process attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Supposedly, to evaluate the options and bring clarity to the choice, this American founding father would list all the reasons for and against the decision on a sheet of paper. After reducing it to writing, the choice would appear either by obvious majority or practicality. ...CONTINUE READING

In cooking, "mise en place" describes having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, as well as bowls, utensils and pans ready to use before you begin cooking.  The advantage is to inventory the ingredients and recognize if you have everything you need.  You are less likely to leave out an ingredient or step because it is "set up" and ready to use. ...CONTINUE READING

With mortgage rates below 4% since May 2019, you would think that most people would have already refinanced but according to a recent Lending Tree survey, 49% of homeowners say they are considering a mortgage refinance in the next year. The report estimated that over a third of homeowners are have mortgages above 4% and 11% didn't know what their rate was. ...CONTINUE READING

With at least 40% less homes on the market currently than there were a year ago, serious buyers have probably experienced the disappointment of losing a home they wanted to buy from increased competition. Today's buyers are looking for ways to improve their odds of being the best contract without having to use the purchase price as their only tool. ...CONTINUE READING

"How long do I have to keep this stuff?" is the usual question you ask yourself when feeling that you are running out of room for all this "paper" that may never be needed. ...CONTINUE READING

There is a little-known provision in the tax code that allows homeowners to rent their principal residence or second home for up to 14 days a year without having to recognize the income. In this situation, the taxpayer does not deduct the rental expenses associated with the income. ...CONTINUE READING

Before you pay cash for a home, ask yourself if there is a possibility, at some point in the future, you might put a mortgage on the home and would want to deduct the mortgage interest on your federal tax return. ...CONTINUE READING

Doing a lot of work to a car before you trade or sell it to a dealer is not generally a good idea. In most cases, you won't recapture the cost of the repairs. They can do the repairs for a less than you can. Not to mention, you are selling to a wholesaler who needs to sell it again to the end user and still make a profit. ...CONTINUE READING

To understand the reasoning behind why a homeowner should not sell their home by themselves, we need to identify the motivation.  Probably, more times than not, the homeowner wants to "save" the cost of the commission.  It certainly represents a significant amount of money. ...CONTINUE READING