A famous warning, “Beware the Ides of March” was issued by the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar play. And once again in March of 2020 the world as we knew it changed dramatically from exposure to the Coronavirus pandemic. For the United States, it brought our flourishing economy to a screaming halt as workers were […]
Buying or selling a home involves negotiation at all stages of the process whether you like it or not. It’s not like going to the store where you decide to buy something and then just pay for it. Emotions get involved that could affect the negotiations adversely and it is easily the most expensive purchase […]
NAR or the National Association of REALTORS® surveyed a random sampling of their membership on June 24-26, 2020, and put it into a report titled Market Recovery Survey. They sampled close to 100,000 of their members. The statements presented below are their members’ opinions on different aspects of the recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic as […]
As a seller, you can put a price on your home for sale, but the value of your home is ultimately determined by the person who buys your home. Some conditions would make a buyer pay over the market price for your home, they include location, the elevation of the home, or proximity to something […]
Well you contacted a mortgage company, did your homework and now you believe you are pre-approved. Since you finished that part of the process, you can concentrate your efforts on finding a home and moving…or can you? Please be aware that pre-qualified and pre-approved mean two different things. Unfortunately, some people, including business people use […]
Our parents’ and grandparents’ goal in life was to prepay their mortgage on their homes. It can provide peace of mind and can be a worthy goal. But is it the best thing for you to do right now? Here are some things to think about before you decide to pay off your mortgage. Do […]
Even with taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing to take the interest and property tax deduction, homeowners still have considerable advantages from the amortization of the mortgage and the appreciation enjoyed by most homes. There is a saying, “Rent or buy, you pay for the house you occupy.” Either you pay for it yourself […]
Owning a home is a responsibility and a privilege. Even if you have owned a home for decades, you may still need help to handle some of its challenges by focusing on the three “M”s of homeownership: maintenance, minimizing expenses, and managing debt and risk. While you may recognize that you need an annual physical, […]
A team of professionals is involved in the process of buying a home. You have the lender, the appraiser, the inspector, the property insurance agent, the title officer plus others. But a real estate agent may hold the most critical role. Baking a loaf of bread seems simple. With only four ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, […]
As a homeowner, you will receive a generous exclusion on the gain of your principal residence. Current rules stipulate $250,000 for single taxpayers and $500,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly. Many people probably consider the gain or profit to be the difference between the purchase price and the sales price. Before calculating your gain, the […]
