Author: Marlowe Clark

In many regions, the weather during much of the year is not very conducive to outdoor living. Which is why many people like to introduce elements of nature into their home with a few houseplants. That’s all fine and well, but with the weather warming up, what about introducing your home into nature?

Instead of bringing plants inside, plant a garden outside. If you don’t have a large enough plot of soil, you can plant a container garden. That way, you can grow your own herbs and vegetables. Your garden becomes an extension of your kitchen. You can make it even more of an outdoor kitchen by cooking outdoors as well. The easiest way to do this is by grilling, but there are even outdoor stoves, ovens, and sinks. The kitchen isn’t the only room you can bring outside. An outdoor patio doesn’t have to have outdoor furniture. You can put a couch, coffee table, and even a TV outside and create a new outdoor living room. Since you probably don’t want to haul these back inside when the weather cools down again, you can invest in a patio covering.

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Moving fraud has increased recently in the wake of the work-from-home relocation boom, nearly doubling from 2020 to 2021. Fortunately, moving fraud is actually fairly easy to detect if you know what you’re looking for. Most of the things you can look out for aren’t necessarily indicative of a fraudulent company, but probably wouldn’t be the case with a good company. Major red flags involve legal requirements not being met or legal information not being provided, and almost surely indicate fraud.

Very importantly, the company must provide a copy of Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. This is a legal requirement. Included in this document is the requirement that moving companies only collect money for successfully delivered items, meaning demanding up-front payment is illegal. Moving trucks are also subject to FMCSA regulations. If they aren’t willing to provide their FMCSA registration, they probably aren’t registered and therefore not operating legally. The company should also provide contact information, including an exact address, and you should be able to find them online.

There are also less surefire red flags. As usual, “if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably false” applies. Scammers offer low prices to entice customers, but frequently add hidden surcharges or fees, or simply bump up the cost well above their estimate — if they provide one at all. They may say they’ve been around forever, but they may not have any proof of that. Especially if all their reviews are recent. If they’re all five star reviews, they’re probably all fake. Scammers are also frequently very pushy.

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More: https://journal.firsttuesday.us/real-estate-professionals-look-out-for-moving-company-scammers/83501/

Prospective buyers tend to cancel viewings on days of unexpected rain. This makes sense, as most people don’t want to be out in the rain. However, a sudden downpour may actually be an opportunity. If you’re able to tolerate the weather, rainy days are actually the best day to evaluate a home.

Water damage can be extremely expensive to repair. But how are you going to know whether or not a home is prone to water damage? Well, by looking at it in the rain, of course. After rainfall, the water is naturally going to run downhill. If you see water running towards the house, that’s a potential problem. You can also watch for signs of pooling or flooding, especially with waterfront properties, and try to spot leaks before water damage occurs. Sight isn’t the only sense you can use; mildew has a more pronounced smell in the rain. There’s also a bonus advantage — the fact that many people don’t know all this, meaning you’re going to have less competition.

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More: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/look-at-house-rainy-day-37073067

When you’re trying to buy and inventory is low, it may seem inevitable that sometimes there simply isn’t anything available that suits your needs. If this happens to you, it may be that you need to expand the scope of your search. This doesn’t necessarily even mean broadening the range of acceptable homes, but rather looking for them in a different way. There are a couple different options for doing this.

The first option is looking at different media. Many homes are listed on a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and can be easily found by your agent or on an aggregator site such as Zillow. Off-MLS sales aren’t common, but they do happen. And they’re becoming more frequent with the increasing popularity of social media sites. You can potentially find listings on sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The other is to look at old listings or listings slightly outside your price range. Often these will actually be one and the same. Overpriced homes tend to sit on the market longer because no one wants them at the current price. But that also means there will be less competition, so you may be able to offer below asking price, even in a generally competitive market. Even if the listing isn’t old yet, you can keep tabs on potentially overpriced listings and see if the price drops or it hangs around for a while.

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Moving to a new area and not knowing anyone there can be an awkward situation. Some people are social butterflies and will be eager to get to know their neighbors. Others may need a little help. Here are a few suggestions to break the ice.

The most forward approach is to simply go up and knock on their door. Not everyone is going to answer the door to strangers, but you may be able to entice them. Consider bringing a gift of homemade cookies or any other dish you know and love. If you don’t want to take the situation to them, you can instead invite them over. Throwing a housewarming party is a great opportunity to invite all your new neighbors, or you can suggest a block party. For the less socially inclined, there’s an option that doesn’t require contact, but can build up familiarity over time. That is taking walks around the neighborhood and simply greeting people you happen across. If you have a dog, there’s a good chance you’ll do this anyway, but it could just be part of your exercise routine.

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When buying a new home, you should not always expect that you’ll stay there forever. This is especially true for first time buyers, who often need to buy a starter home first before they can build up enough equity to buy a forever home. But sometimes it’s the right call. Keep in mind that you don’t actually have to live in your forever home forever; it just means that you could see yourself doing so. And a starter home doesn’t have to be your first home; it can be a middle stage on the way to your forever home. Neither is a binding commitment.

So when should you buy your forever home, and when should you buy a starter home? Starter homes are generally less expensive, and are something you plan to sell later. If you immediately purchase a new home after selling, you may be able to avoid capital gains tax. It’s an investment for the future. The downside is that they’re generally smaller. If you are planning to have kids soon, a smaller home may not be big enough, and moving frequently can be hard on kids. But that isn’t the only factor in determining if you should buy a forever home. Even if you could see yourself living there forever, that doesn’t mean it’s financially sound. More expensive homes will also have higher mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance fees. You may want to consider it, though, if you are able to secure a low interest rate.

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Finding the right neighborhood can be difficult. You probably don’t know everything about a neighborhood you’re about to move to. Your agent may know more, but won’t know as well as you quite exactly what you’re looking for. But there are certain factors that are important for most everyone, and many of them can be researched objectively.

Everyone wants to feel safe in their community. No area is entirely without crime, but crime rates can give you a good idea of how safe you will be. The websites Neighborhood Scout and Crime Report can give some in-depth details. You should also look at transportation options and commute time. This includes not just your job, but also shopping, amenities, and schools. Not everyone is going to have the same needs in this respect, but everyone will want their specific needs met. Another important factor is the people in the community. It’s near impossible to judge them without going there, but you don’t have to be living there. You can visit community centers or even just knock on doors. Some people aren’t going to answer the door to strangers, but if that’s an important factor in providing a sense of community, that can also inform your decision.

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With home prices on the rise, young adults are experiencing struggles paying for a home with just their own income. As a result, cohabiting is becoming more common, in which unmarried partners –or possibly just friends — choose to pool their money and purchase a home together. Some may be concerned that this can cause some financial headaches. But really, all you need to do is make sure you know your cohabiting partners well.

Marriage certainly confers some legal and financial benefits. As far as purchasing a house, though, the financial side of things doesn’t actually care whether you’re married or not. Relationship status is not a factor in mortgage rates, as every co-purchaser’s financial history is considered separately, whether they are married or not. However, this also means that if you don’t really know a partner’s financial history too well, you may be in for an unwelcome surprise. It’s also important to note that even after successfully purchasing the home, conflicts between co-owners can result in situations not too dissimilar to divorce proceedings, even if you aren’t married.

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Home improvements have gotten more popular recently, as many people have switched to work-from-home and are spending more time there. Usually, these improvements are primarily made for the owner, rather than for a prospective buyer. These features would also be high in demand if you are planning to sell your home, but there are a few things that can actually increase the value of your home by much more than you spend.

You may be able to improve your energy efficiency by upgrading your windows, which is certainly value over time for a homeowner, but it’s also increased value for a home seller. Energy efficiency is a significant draw for buyers, and will improve the value by more than its cost, even if you aren’t reaping the rewards of it yourself. Kitchen remodels almost always pay for themselves. Homeowners spend a lot of time in their kitchen, and they want it to suit their needs. Figure out what people are looking for in a kitchen right now, and make it happen. A rather expensive upgrade is a stone veneer. You won’t recoup the entire cost if you sell immediately, but you’ll get back most of it. This is one that you’ll want to have accrue value over time.

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