…what should you do? Bail out? Put it up for sale? This is the most common answer that I hear. After all, if you do not like the house you live in, you can always put it up for sale and get yourself the house of your dreams, right?
This might not be the best idea right now, as selling a house is not that easy anymore. While you might be able to find a buyer, you would probably not get much for the house. If I were you, I would take a step back and figure out what you want in your dream house. AND THEN, see if you can put those things in your current house. Who knows, you just might end up loving your “unwanted” house!
Show me the space!
While it seems that the trend is towards smaller and smaller floor areas, especially in city condos, statistics show that a large number of Americans still crave for space in their homes. If this is your problem with your current home, then look for ways to create more space, or at least the illusion of it.
Knock down walls that are in the way between two rooms that can flow into one another. Take doors down and put up glass windows instead. These projects can create a big change with regard to space, and perhaps satisfy your need for it.
Utilize all rooms.
You want a rec room. Your partner wants a library. Maybe the kids want a music room. Whatever it is that you want, you might want to take stock of the unused rooms in your house. Check the basement. Finish it and convert it. Perhaps you have a storage room that you don’t really use? Do the same thing.
(to be continued)
Is there such a thing as a cheap house? Perhaps in relative terms, yes. The chances are you would still have to pay a LOT to buy your own house – these things do not come cheap, really. However, there are some ways by which you can find houses at much lower prices than normal. How?
You can buy from the bank. We all know how the real estate market has suffered a great deal in the past several years. In fact, figures show that the national home median price has dropped to about 26% since the early part of 1996. This spells good news to those who can afford to buy houses. Even better, banks have foreclosed a lot of properties. Technically, the banks own these properties but they cannot really hold on to them. They would rather sell them off and turn the properties into cash – and they do so, at much lower prices.
What you have to do then, is to do research on REOs, or real estate owned properties. The advantages of buying REOs are plenty. Aside from getting a very very huge discount, you do not have to deal with another homeowner. You know how, when we want to sell something off, we tend to try and get as much as we can. When you buy REOs, you do not have to deal with the homeowner and instead go directly to the bank. More so, you get a clean title at the outset!
So why not try and take a look at this option?
Thinking of becoming a realtor? With the current state of the housing markets many are not but for those that are it is vital to follow 9 important rules to become a successful realtor, the following infographic analyses these along with the major duties of a realtor.
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Most of the time, you hear and read about home improvements aimed at saving energy and heating costs; but we don’t really hear much about saving water, do we? If you think about it, though, saving water is just as important as saving on electricity and other utility bills. After all, water is fast becoming a precious commodity and we have to start conserving this resource NOW or suffer for it later. Here are some home improvements you can consider geared towards helping save water.
Upgrade to a new toilet. You may not know it, but flushing the commode uses up so much water; so much that it accounts for about 30% of the water consumption of a single household! There are newer models, though, which use up much less water – go for them!
Get a nice shower head AND take more showers than baths. I know, there is nothing like relaxing in a hot bath after a long hard day at work. I suppose every now and then wouldn’t hurt much, but make it a habit to take showers more than baths. In order to entice you to take showers more than baths, get a nice shower head that has a powerful spray. Newer models also use less water, so you do your part for the environment.
Check for leaks regularly. If you don’t do this, you may never find out that you have a leak until you get an astronomical water bill. By then, it will be too late – the water has been wasted and you’d have to pay for the bill. In order to avoid such things from happening, do regular checks and maintain your plumbing.
Though moving can prove to be difficult, it does not have to reach the point where you want to kill yourself. If I were you, I would go ahead and find a reputable moving company that I can afford way ahead of time. You might have to part with some of your hard earned money but the convenience of having professionals do the job will certainly save you more in terms of stress. But how do you find the perfect moving company for your needs?
Contrary to what you may be thinking, it is not a very good idea to look for a moving company online. To be honest, I am not very sure about this as I think that the Internet has a lot of good options. According to experts, however, majority of complaints as to moving companies involve those that operate online! If you do not feel like risking it then, I suggest that you check your local directory to find out about moving companies that operate in your area.
What’s the next step? Ask several companies to come visit your house to give you an estimate. They can take a look around and see what stuff they have to pack and move and then give you an idea as to how much it will cost you. If a potential moving company refuses to do this for you, never mind – go find someone else.
Once you have the details for several companies, you can sit down and compare their services and fees. From there, you can make a decision as to which moving company you will deal with. Good luck!
If you are in the process of moving or you are planning to move pretty soon, then you would know how much of hassle it can be. In the previous post, I talked about boxes and how important it is to have lots of them when you move. What else do you need to consider when moving?
One important consideration is to make sure that you have the necessities handy for your first night or so once you get to your new home. Boxes are all well and good but it would be more convenient to have the necessary items within easy access. You wouldn’t want to have to go through different boxes just to get yourself settled in for the night, would you? After a long day of hauling and you stuff, the last thing that you would want is to immediately unpack before going to bed.
Here are some things that you might want to put in separate storage so that you will find them easily once you get to your new house.
Personal items
Make sure you have these for EVERY member of the family. This includes a change of clothes, toiletries such as toothbrushes, towels, and the like. Place these in a handy bag and just take it with you in the car so you don’t have to look for it.
Eating utensils
Get a pack each of paper plates, disposal cups, forks, and the like. No need to open up the box for silverware on your first night.
Handy tools
Screwdrivers and the like should be taken along separately. These would come in handy in case you need to reassemble furniture and other things that you had to take down from the old house.
Moving is something that I do not look forward to. Actually, let me correct myself – on the one hand, I like moving because it presents change. Change is something that I look at in a positive light. On the other hand, moving can be such a hassle. Packing, finding movers, unpacking – just the thought of all the work gives me a headache. It does not have to be that difficult, though. Here are some tried and trusted tips that might just help ease the “pain” of moving.
Of boxes and containers
Do not make the mistake of NOT getting enough boxes and containers. I did this once, because I thought I was merely moving to a unit in the same building. I thought it would be fine NOT to get boxes. That was a big mistake. In the end, I still had to buy some boxes. More than getting enough boxes and containers, however, you should make sure that you get the right kind. The boxes should be made of sturdy materials and should be able to hold the things that you place inside them.
Another thing that you have to remember is that you should get the right packing material. I am talking about peanuts, wrapping, and the like. These are particularly important if you are moving a long distance as you should protect your things from breakage and scratches during the move.
If you want to save on wrapping, you can get old newspapers and used paper. You will not only be saving on money, you’ll also be helping the environment by re-using paper.
(to be continued)
If you are like majority of Americans, you are probably feeling all positive about the fact that spring is here. Well, for some, it’s not quite spring but we all have that silver lining to look forward. Pretty soon, the days of freezing temperatures, frozen driveways, and slushy paths will be gone.
Then again, there is one thing that homeowners must pay attention to when this wonderful time of the year comes around – cleaning up the mess that winter has created. Here are some things that you can look at as you plan on doing your spring cleaning.
Gutters
Ahh, these gutters serve a purpose but they can be nasty once winter gets through with them. Do make sure that you take a look at all your gutters and see if any damage has been done by the cold weather. Make sure that all the dirt and debris that has gathered is cleared up and that nothing is clogging your gutters.
Gaps and cracks
The cold of winter can create a lot of new gaps and cracks in your walls, windows, doors, and other similar areas. What you should do is do a once over and see if there are any gaps or cracks that need to be sealed. Otherwise, unwanted moisture might seep into your home, creating the possibility for more damage in the future.
Air conditioning
If you live in an area that requires the use of an air conditioning unit (and we all probably do), then this is a good time to make sure that your unit is functioning well. While it is not a must to use AC during spring, you would want to be prepared just in case you do need to use it.
Are you looking for waterfront property? This is perhaps one of the dreams of many an average person. Having a piece of property fronting a lake or the sea is something that makes you think of the ultimate relaxation, time off from your daily routine. If you have the means to purchase waterfront property, now might be a good time to do so. Before you do that, however, why not take a look at some of these tips to help you make the right choice?
Look for a specialized agent. There are a lot of real estate agents offering their services. Perhaps you may even have one already. However, if it is waterfront property that you are looking for, you should make sure that the agent handling your purchase is specialized in waterfront property. He will be able to provide you with information that you will be thankful for in the future. This includes points such as fishing spots, seaweed problems, and so on.
Take a look at insurance costs. Waterfront property may have higher insurance costs, especially if it is located in a hurricane-prone area. You should make sure first that you will be able to handle these costs and if the property is worth the premium.
Find a specialized inspector. Much like with the real estate agent, you would want to hire an inspector who knows what to look for in waterfront property. Aside from regular damages that may be present, an inspector specializing in waterfront property will know what to look for in terms of damage due to the weather and water.
If you are thinking about buying a house in the next year or so, you should be asking a different set of questions.
For starters, ask yourself if buying a home is the right move. Why are you looking to buy a home? Do you want to move to a more suitable house? Do you want to buy an additional home? Are you going to buy a new piece of property for investment purposes? At the outset, it should be clear to you as to why you are planning on buying. From there, you can proceed to the other details.
If you are planning on buying a new house for personal – not purely investment – purposes, here is one question that you should answer with all honesty. Never mind that you really want a new house, or that you “think” you can manage all the related expenses. Ask yourself this: If your household income suffers a drastic decrease (say half), would you still be able to manage the mortgage payments? If your answer is no, then I suggest you take a second – even a third – look.
Another question you should ask is about the interest rate: if the rates go up considerably (say 10%), would you be able to afford the mortgage? Again, if you are sure that such an increase will pose a problem for you, then you will have to re-examine your goals.
It all boils down to planning and a realistic view of the situation. Good luck in finding that dream house next year!
