With more people working from home, families are struggling to upgrade their home offices or convert a garage or unfinished basement into a usable space to get their work done. It’s hard to work if you can’t get away from the family, but if you can create a dedicated work space within your existing home, […]
The only thing certain about today’s economy is that it is uncertain. No one can guarantee what the next few years will bring. Fortunately, you don’t have to give up on the home of your dreams because of a fluctuating economy. Here are four steps you can take to make sure your money – and […]
I want to increase the value of my home this summer. What can I do? Regular home maintenance is essential to protecting your largest investment. Before you worry about luxury amenities like a swimming pool or marble countertops, go through the house and do some preventative maintenance. You can start by printing out a home […]
Q: I’d like to take out a loan against my home’s equity, but I’ve heard that interest rates are expected to climb soon. What are the differences between a home equity line of credit (HELOC) and a typical home equity loan? How does an environment of rising interest rates impact each choice? A: It’s true […]
When you’re making improvements to your home, you’re not just making your life better in the short term. You’re also making an investment in your future. Ideally, the increase in the value of your home will exceed the cost of the improvement. However, it seldom works out like that. The most efficient home improvements don’t […]
What is a home loan? A home loan, or a mortgage, enables you to purchase a home without having to foot all the cash out of your pocket when purchasing. You will, however, need to make a down payment, which is typically between 5-20% of the home’s appraised value (some types of loans require zero […]
Q: My husband and I have been renting an apartment since we got married. We recently decided to buy our first home. Some friends of ours had lots of trouble with the process, and wound up buying a house they can’t really afford. We don’t want to go through what they did. What can we do […]
In the 2019 real estate market, home-flipping has become more popular than ever. Flipping houses is a basic real estate investment concept that involves purchasing a rundown or undervalued home at the lowest possible price, spending the necessary time and money fixing it up and then selling it for a profit. Flipping or rehabbing homes […]
Our dependence on energy increases daily. With energy-dependent technology driving our lives, ecologists continue to search for ways to save our environment. Focusing on energy-efficient appliances is one way to do that. Your monthly electric bill may not itemize the specific usage of each appliance in your home, but you can ask your local electric […]
Is it possible for me to buy a house while I’m still paying off a student loan? Yes, you can buy a house and have a student loan you are still paying off. If student loan debt that is managed responsibly should not hold you back from purchasing a house. A 2018 Student Loan Hero […]
Q: My summertime electric bills are sky-high. For this reason, I’m really thinking about having solar panels installed on my roof. I figure it’s gotta help me save on energy costs, but I hear they can be super-expensive. Should I go solar? A: Solar panels are popping up on roofs all across the country. This […]