While renting can be useful for some financial situations, owning a home provides great benefits to you and, ultimately, your financial well-being. 1. Control your space. Use a spare bedroom for your own home office. Create a workout area in the garage. You own the home, you make the rules. 2. Pride of Ownership. When […]
Here is another easy way we can save money as homeowners of northern Virginia real estate: automatic thermostats.
In this age of technology and the prevalence of personal computers, everyone has either experienced or knows of someone who has lost their data from a crashed hard drive, an accident or a burglary. For those who had created a backup, this data loss was more inconvenient than critical. We all know of the importance of backing up important information.
Owners of northern Virginia real estate, please be aware: The IRS currently has a $1.1 million limit on mortgage interest deduction. A recent U.S. Tax Court ruling upholds the IRS’ position that this deduction applies per residence and not per taxpayer.
This month’s issue of ‘Healthy Wealthy and Wise’ is now available. My Free Consumer Newsletter is loaded with useful Consumer & Health Tips, Wild Trivia, Funny Jokes, Entertainment, Quotes, and a bit of Money Saving ‘Insider’ advice from my Real Estate Radio Show!
The extra costly weekend call to the repairman to fix an item that really wasn’t “broken”; it has probably happened to most of us owners of northern Virginia real estate. The feelings of relief that it wasn’t a serious problem are overshadowed by the frustration that we have to pay for the service call.
Registering a new product makes it easier for manufacturers to contact us regarding recalls on defects or other safety issues. However, it is still possible to miss a recall notice on a product, and it could put you or your family’s life in jeopardy.
The U.S. government now offers a subscription service that will notify you when recalls are made on vehicles, tires and child restraints.
Many owners of northern Virginia real estate have felt the impact of foreclosures and short sales in their neighborhoods. If you have been affected with a foreclosure or short sale, have you taken advantage of the Mortgage Forgiveness Relief Act of 2007?
Housing Affordability Index is at an all time high, encouraging buyers to take advantage of the current real estate market conditions.
Beginning April 1, the FHA will raise the annual Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) to 1.25% of the loan amount. MIP is a requirement on all FHA loans, and covers lenders when borrowers default on their mortgages. Also, starting June 1, the premium on high dollar FHA loans (larger than $625,500 in high-cost areas) will increase […]
