By Margaret HeidenryFeb 1, 2021 What are the tax benefits of owning a home? Plenty of homeowners are asking themselves this right around now as they prepare to file their taxes. You may recall the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—the most substantial overhaul to the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years—went into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. The result was likely a big change to your taxes, especially the...
“New year, new you” doesn’t have to only be about yourself. In 2022, you can apply the same principle to your home. Take this year to resolve to make your home more clean, green, and efficient. Here are some ideas that can help! Clear out the clutterWhen you live in one place for a long time, you tend to accumulate a lot of clutter. Whether it’s kitchen items you thought you no longer use or...
Hosting the holidays in your home can be both exciting and challenging. Not only are you focused on making the celebration special for your loved ones, but you also need to get your home ready. Here are three tips to simplify the process, so you can host with ease.Plan aheadThe best thing you can do to prepare is to plan ahead and early. Think about how many guests will be coming, whether any will be...
October brings ghost tours, stories of paranormal activity, and haunted houses. Haunted data is hard to come by as most ghosts tend to be elusive when it comes to taking a census count. That said, some areas generate more ghost stories and sightings than others. Here are five of the most haunted cities in the U.S. New Orleans, Louisiana. Ghosts are said to wander in the city’s famous...
Selling your home when you still need to shop for a new one can feel daunting to even the most seasoned homeowner––especially when the demand for new homes keeps rising, but the supply feels like it's dwindling.¹ You're not alone either if you're already feeling drained by the complex logistics of trying to sell and buy a new home all at once. Searching for a new home can be exciting, but...
It’s the old supply-and-demand predicament: Home sales in the U.S. continue at a torrid pace, but the availability of listings remains limited. Buoyed by historically low mortgage rates, buyers keep shopping for homes, reducing the available inventory and sparking a rise in home prices across the country. News website The Atlantic summarized the sizzling home market this way: “Pick a housing...
If you’re searching for drama, don’t limit yourself to Netflix. Instead, tune in to the real estate market, where the competition among buyers has never been fiercer. And with homes selling for record highs,1 the appraisal process—historically a standard part of a home purchase—is receiving more attention than ever. That’s because some sellers are finding out the hard way that a strong...
There’s a delicate balance between getting the best price for your home and achieving a fast home sale. How much you ask for your home when it first hits the market can be the difference between selling fast for a great price and missing out on motivated buyers. However, the greatest threat to many home sales is a low appraisal. Mortgage lenders won’t approve your buyer’s bid unless the appraisal...
If you’re thinking of retiring soon, now may be a great time to start thinking about selling your home! Interest rates and housing inventory are low, meaning many sellers are receiving multiple offers on their homes. Suburban homes especially are in high demand with people looking for more yard space to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. Homes and neighborhoods with amenities such as a pool,...
Your home is more than just a bunch of rooms under a roof. It’s the space where you watched your daughter take her first steps, hosted Super Bowl parties, and celebrated holidays. Those memories are priceless. But when sell your house, the warm and fuzzies can’t factor into the question: What is the value of my home? You aren’t selling your memories; you’re selling a house. This is...