Keep Your Home Safe in Winter Weather

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realtor.com® | The winter season is a prime time for house fires. Half of all destructive fires tend to occur in December, January, and February, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

But most home fires are preventable. Here are some leading culprits to watch for:

Space heaters.
These devices are the leading cause of house fires in the winter. Make sure the heater is at least three feet away from anything flammable. Plug it directly into the outlet, not an extension cord. And do not go to bed with the spacer heater still on, experts warn

Cooking.
The leading cause of house fires year-round is stovetop cooking. Interestingly, the majority of these fires occur within the first 15 minutes of cooking. Never leave the house when the oven or stove is on.

Electrical cords.
Overloaded or damaged circuits cause 3,300 fires annually. The laptop, iPhone charger, toaster, and other electrical appliances all squeezed onto the same power outlet with extension cords and adapters can be dangerous. Feel your cords to make sure they’re not warm (if they are, it’s a sure sign they’re overloaded and you need to unplug some). Also, never run extension cords under rugs or in walls, and don’t connect several in a row.

4 Real Estate Trends That Will Dominate 2016

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Realtor Magazine ® | Last year may have marked the best for housing since 2007, but the market will likely get even rosier in 2016, according to a recent real estate forecast by realtor.com®. Realtor.com® highlights the following housing predictions for 2016:

1. ‘Normal’ is coming.
Expect a healthy growth in home sales and prices – at a slower pace than in 2015. “This slowdown is not an indication of a problem-it’s just a return to normalcy,” writes Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist

2. New-home construction focuses more on affordability.
In 2016, builders will likely shift to more affordable housing to cater to the entry-level buyers. In addition, credit access is improving enough to make the first-time buyer segment more attractive to builders.

3. Higher mortgage rates.
Mortgage rates will likely be volatile in 2016. But the recent move by the Federal Reserve to guide interest rates higher should push mortgage rates higher in the new year than the historical lows they have been at for years – although so far, there has been very little change.

4. Rents to go up even higher.
Rental costs are skyrocketing, and the costs are likely to only go up in the new year. More than 85 percent of the nation’s markets have rents that exceed 30 percent of the income of renting households.

Save for a down payment with these 5 tips

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For most Americans, a down payment is the only thing standing between renting and owning a home. Although it may seem like a daunting task to save enough to get out of the renting cycle, there are some tricks to saving money quickly. Here are a few:

Develop a budget & timeline.
Start by determining how much you’ll need for a down payment. Create a budget and calculate how much you can realistically save each month – that will help you gauge when you’ll be ready to transition from renter to homeowner.

Establish a separate savings account.
Set up a separate savings account exclusively for your down payment and make your monthly contributions automatic. By keeping this money separate, you’ll be less likely to tap into it when you’re tight on cash.

Shop around to reduce major monthly expenses.
It’s a good idea to check rates for your car insurance, renter’s insurance, health insurance, cable, Internet or cell phone plan. There may be deals or promotions available that allow you to save hundreds of dollars by adjusting your contracts.

Monitor your spending.
With online banking, keeping an eye on your spending is easier than ever. Track where most of your discretionary income is going. Identify areas where you could cut back (e.g. nice meals out, vacations, etc.) and instead put that money into savings.

Look into state and local home-buying programs.
Many states, counties and local governments operate programs for first-time home buyers. Some programs offer housing discounts, while others provide down payment loans or grants.

Here are five tips to sell your home pronto

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1. Why DIY when help is around the corner?

Did you know 1/3 of sellers don’t use a traditional agent? Using Professional help will expand your reach and create awareness. Cutting costs in this department is not always the best approach. Realtors have access to online sites, marketing tools and a network that will increase your reach dramatically. TIP: Always interview a couple Real Estate Agents to make sure the fit is right for you and your home. This Agent will be representing you and experience is very valuable. 

2. First Impression Counts!

With 9 out of 10 buyers starting their search online, photos are the first impression they will have. Allocating funds to a professional photographer or videographer and taking time to clean up your home for the photo shoot is very important. The photos must draw buyers in and peek their interest. Stand out amongst all the clutter of homes for sale with beautiful photos. TIP: Stage your home, move furniture around even if its not how you use it everyday. De-personalize your home so it is versatile for the buyer to imagine how they would live there. Most importantly, GET RID OF CLUTTER! Click here for tips on staging your home

3. Light it up!

Buyers love brightly lit and cheery homes. It makes them happy as they tour your home with wide open windows and a warm sun peeking in making it bright. Maximize the light in your home even during the day. Open the blinds, change your curtains to lighter shades for example creams or whites, clean the windows, lampshades and blinds. Open it up, light it up!

4. Sell the Kitchen!

“You’re not actually selling your house, you’re selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. It may be a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. Why one? Because when people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.” via HGTV continue reading the 10 best kept secrets to selling your home fast. 

5. Say goodbye to extra stuff!

Distinguish your home from others by leaving some enticing items behind. What can distinguish your home is leaving behind some of your property, ideally items that are above and beyond what the average homebuyer in your home’s price range would be able to afford. Item ideas: Fridge, Plasma TV, Garage cabinets, Kitchen Updates, etc.

 

Is it smart to sell your home in January?

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In between celebrating New Years and taking down all your holiday decorations, is it really the best time to sell your home?

Sheer madness right? Maybe not. Many might say it’s definitely not the time to put up a ‘for sale’ sign in the front lawn, but that may not be the case anymore thanks to low supply and demand.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to call in a Realtor and start thinking about selling your home in January.

1. People who are shopping for a home at this time of year tend to be more serious and some of them may be purchasing for year-end tax benefits.

2. Less competition of homes on the market and the MLS.

3. Many buyers who are looking during this time wish there were more homes on the market. That’s when you as a seller, with a nice home might seriously consider thinking about listing it after 2016.

4. If you don’t want to keep your home open for viewings during the holidays, think about doing it after January when inventory levels tend to be lower. That when many sellers prefer waiting – during the springtime to list, a more traditional selling time.

5 Reasons to Own Your Home

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Daily Real Estate News | Skyrocketing rents are not the only reason to own a home. Here are the top 5 reasons why owning a home makes good sense:

1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home.

2. Appreciation. While year-to-year fluctuations are normal, median existing-home sale prices have increased on average 6.5 percent each year from 1972 through 2005, and increased 88.5 percent over the last 10 years, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

3. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

5. Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.

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If you like classic hot chocolate or ever been to Italy and had the thick rich hot chocolate, then this is the right place to be. Here are some delicious, warm, mouth watering hot chocolate recipes to try this season. Treat your guests or just yourself, you deserve it! So, how do you make the BEST hot chocolate? The secret is to use really great chocolate, and not much else.

Jacques Torres’ Famous Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream:http://bzfd.it/1MiXny7
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate: http://bit.ly/1DDf1hz
S’mores Hot Chocolate: http://bit.ly/1bCzy6m
Hot Chocolate Float: http://bit.ly/1DpSfnz
Snickers Hot Chocolate: http://bit.ly/1HbTGZH

How Smart Investing Could Significantly Lower Your Taxes

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Borrow cash with tax-free loans: Remind your clients that the beauty of real estate is that it’s the easiest asset to borrow against. An investor can always borrow from a bank through a refinance and pay no tax on this debt. The cash is a tax-free loan, plus the investor can keep the real estate asset and tax deductions that go along with it.

Borrowing Against Home Equity:  Investors who have built up sizable equity in either their personal home or investment property may simply choose to refinance their properties and pull out equity to make additional investments, remodel or other purposes. Regulations vary from state to state. Borrowing will also depend on the the borrower’s credit score, their existing debt-to-equity ratio, and their debt-to0income ratio. This may be riskier for those able to handle additional debt, it can build wealth without having to enter into a 1031 exchange or sell a property.

State Sales Tax Break: The state sales tax break gives itemizers the chance to either deduct state income or state sales taxes paid. This benefit is great if you live in a state without income taxes.