The Golden Rule of Personal Finance is to pay yourself first. The idea being that the first check you write out each month is to your savings account. The thought behind this is if you wait until the end of the month there won’t be any money left to contribute to your savings or investment […]
You make an annual wellness visit to your doctor, why not make an annual review of your finances and your home investment. This is the last year to take advantage of the HARP program since it expires December 31, 2016. Your home is not only your largest investment but your biggest asset. Are you making […]
Hey, your scratch-off ticket hits big and you win $8,750. Instead of spending it away, you decide to invest the money. Three alternatives are on your mind: purchase a certificate of deposit, invest in a mutual fund or use it as a down payment on a $250,000 home. Let’s compare these three alternatives by looking […]
Most people including homeowners fear things they don’t understand. This fear leads people to not try different solutions that might be a benefit to them. Prospective buyers know about fixed rate mortgages and have long memories when it comes to stories about people losing their homes because they could not afford the payments once their […]
Homeowners can develop a condition that is called “nose blind.” Getting to this state involves three steps. The first is odor adaptation; your nose’s physical response that normalizes new smells. The second is odor habituation; a built-in reprogramming of our brain to ignore a smell. And last odor infestation which is what your guests smell […]
Federal law now entitles you to receive a FREE copy of your credit report each year from the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. These reports will alert you to any errors and update you on your creditworthiness. It is recommended that you stagger your request for these reports throughout the year. That way […]
Technology today is a wonder! We are able to do more things with our smartphones than we could just a few years ago. Homebuyers (over 90%) use video tours, digital signing and home search sites such as ZillowⓇ to get information about homes, neighborhoods, schools and even future neighbors. With all this technology happening, homebuyers […]
There is a popular saying “burning the candle at both ends” which we often determine to mean being an A+ personality and working harder than the average person. But what if burning both ends gives you an unexpected benefit? Let’s use the analogy that the candle is your home mortgage and getting it paid off […]
Unexpected things can happen at any time, that’s why we call them emergencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA makes a standard recommendation to all Americans that you have enough basic supplies on hand to survive an emergency for at least three days. The creation of a “Ready” kit needs to be assembled now. […]
Your bank may have a voluntary program where you can transfer $100 each month from checking to savings. After five years, you would have over $5,000 in your savings. You can view this as a type of forced savings. The same happens when you buy a home with a standard amortizing mortgage. Each month as […]
