Buying a home is both exciting and sometimes stressful…whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or an expert at it. The key to reducing the stress and successfully finding the home that matches your wants, needs, and budget is to have a home-buying strategy. A home-buying strategy serves to keep you focused, in line with your goals, and on financial track. It can function much like a marketing strategy does for a company....

It’s a three-digit number that carries a lot of influence over your future. It can dictate whether or not you’ll qualify for a home, car, or business loan. It can also be the deciding factor in whether or not you qualify for a low interest rate. What exactly is a credit score and what factors contribute to its number? A credit score is a number from 200 to 800 that reflects your payment and borrowing history. Are you a big spender?...

You might have heard rumors or received e-mails stating that all real estate sales would have a new tax in 2013 due to the passage of the Health Care Law. Here are the basic facts: Yes, there is a new 3.8% tax that is part of the recently passed Health Care Bill. Yes, this new tax comes into effect January 1, 2013. No, this is not a transfer tax that will be charged on all real estate sales. The tax will only impact individuals who have more...

by Glen Curry They say the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Many households have these high priced toys in them and never think about whether or not they have the proper insurance to protect them. We buy an insurance policy to protect our assets in case we get hit with a claim that could bring about financial harm. Let’s review. If we mess up and have an accident that is our fault, we legally owe the people we...

by Tisha Gay I just read a wonderful article on the Zillow Blog titled “Wanted Dead or Alive: 10 Criminally Outdated Design Features”, and although it was funny, it was also insightful. It’s amazing that I still see a lot of these features in listing photos today! The author discussed several features that might have been big during the 80’s and 90’s, but are surefire killers today. She hit on three of my biggest pet peeves as far as home...