Moving is pretty stressful so most home buyers want a house that is move-in ready. So what does this mean? In the strictest sense, a house must have a certificate of occupancy or CO issued by a local government agency saying a house is ready to be occupied. COs work for new construction …
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For most people, home ownership is your biggest investment. Saving money involves looking at every item that goes into the total cost of home ownership. So we cover everything ... from buying a house to monthly operating expenses including your mortgage, insurance, property taxes, utilities, cleaning services, home maintenance and repairs.
Smart homeowners save money through preventive maintenance to reduce repair costs. That leaves more money for home improvements, things you can enjoy while increasing the value of your home.
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- Why Move-In Ready Homes Sell Faster
- What’s Your Homeowner Personality?
- Setting Your Home Buying Priorities
- What is Gross Living Area (GLA)?
- Bad Appraisal or Bad Appraiser?
- Mortgage Closing Paperwork Can Be Overwhelming
- Can’t Pay Your Mortgage? Forbearance Might Help
- What is a Builder Design Center?
- Getting More House for Less Money
- Flood Insurance Nightmare
- Water Mitigation Done Wrong!
- How to Track Homeowner Expenses
- Do You Really Need Flood Insurance?
- Mold Remediation Process: Steps & Sequence?
- Electrical Building Code Changes Coming
- Water Damage Repair in Plain English
- How to Fix Water Damaged Art
- Finding a Mold Remediation Company
- Cleaning Up to Avoid Mold After a Flood
- How to Dry Out Kitchen Cabinets
- Why Hiring a Public Adjuster Might Help
- Talking to Your Insurance Company After a Flood
- Insurance Coverage for “Loss of Use”
- Homeowner Insurance Inspections Because …
- Understanding Smart Lighting
- Flooded House & What I’m Learning
- What Smart Lighting Means?
- Moving Checklist: Boxes, Trucks & More
- My Home Address Nightmares
- Documents Needed for a Mortgage Application
- 10 Easy Fire Safety Tips for Your Home
- Condo Insurance: Facts You Need to Understand
- Letter to Allstate: Time to End Gender Bias
- Property Taxes: What You Need to Know
- Housing Industry Trends 2018
- What is Net Neutrality & Why It Matters!
- True Cost of Home Ownership
- What’s the Right Down Payment on a House?
- Heart and Home: New Hampshire & New York City
- Proposed Tax Changes & Home Ownership
- What Homeowner Insurance Do You Have? and Need?
- Construction Jobs for Women
- Picking the Right House Price When Selling
- How Country Barns Have Influenced Our Lives
- 30 New Homeowner Tips You Don’t Want to Skip
- How Smart Locks Are Changing Home Security
- 5 Tips to Finding a Locksmith You Can Trust
- 7 Steps to Staging a House
- Awesome Kitchen Gadgets: Do I Really Need An Instant Pot?
- 100 Ways to Save the Environment & Enhance Your Home
- Do You Know Many Home Inspectors?
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- 5 Ways to Check Contractor Qualifications
- How to Calculate Your Home Office Deduction
- How to Pay a Lower Verizon Bill
- How Immigration Crackdown Hurts Homeowners
- Home Design Trends & The New American Home
- 2017 Home Color Trends to Inspire You
- How The Meaning of Home is Changing
- How to Buy Weatherstripping
- Why You Can’t Trust Home Warranty Companies
- What You Learn Visiting Model Homes
- How Smart Phones Connect Us to Our Homes
- Choosing a Home Location
- Why Your Home Buying Priorities Will Change
- Book-Addict’s Guide to Letting Go of Books
- Mid-Century Modern House in Phoenix, Arizona
- Moving is Hard: Deciding to Move is Even Harder
- Tokyo Memories & Japanese Toilet Technology
- Fact or Fiction: Why Homeowner Fact Checking is Important
- 2016 New American Home Las Vegas
- How the Best Home Air Filter Can Save You Money
- The Right Way to Buy Homeowners Insurance
- The Customer Experience Roller Coaster
- Angie’s List, Home Advisor & Other Online Directories for Contractors
- Top 20 Jobs Include Women in Construction
- Why You Need to Understand Your Internet Bill
- Tina Gleisner, Homeowner Advocate
- Backyard Fun & Homeowner Insurance
- Home Management Takes How Much Time?
- Band-Aid Loans (Mortgages)
- Working with Contractors: What Women Deserve!
- What We Can Learn from HOA Fees
- Why Where You Live Matters
- Can a Motion Sensor Light Switch Save You Money?
- Researching Senior Housing Options
- Digital Doorbell for Smart Homes
- My House is Built with Styrofoam Insulation?
- Cancellation of Debt (COD)
- Which Phone Charging Station Do You Like?
- Astronomy, Cookie Sheets & Reasons for Moving
- Recourse or Non-Recourse Loan?
- Is it Worth it to Refinance Your Home?
- Hiring a Kitchen Contractor
- Home Management & Email Madness
- Moving Information & Government Resources
- In a Regulated Industry, Which Moving Company Do You Pick?
- Letter to Bekins Van Lines
- Moving Company Fails to Deliver Customer Service
What’s Your Homeowner Personality?
Identifying Your Homeowner Personality Here's how you can identify your homeowner personality. In fact, how you deal with homeowner tasks will be similar to how you handle other responsibilities. Proactive or Reactive - Do you like getting out in front of problems to take …
Setting Your Home Buying Priorities
Your current lifestyle is as important a factor in home buying as anything else. You might be ready to change your lifestyle. Or you might not. But one thing is for sure, some things will change once you buy a house. The trick is choosing the right home in the right location, to make those changes …
What is Gross Living Area (GLA)?
When you made an offer on your house, the square footage was listed on various real estate websites. When the appraisal came back, the square footage was lower and you're not sure why. Did someone made a mistake or copy the number incorrectly? So it's now time to learn what's included in the gross …
Bad Appraisal or Bad Appraiser?
While I've seen some ridiculous appraisals, the rules are pretty straight forward so the results are fairly predictable. After purchasing 15 homes plus multiple refinances, it was time to refinance my new home in Florida. What I didn't expect was a bad appraisal. After my rebuttal (my first) …
Mortgage Closing Paperwork Can Be Overwhelming
Today I'm wrapping up refinancing for my Florida house. I've done lots of closings in person, a few mail closings and today is my first online closing. You can laugh but I'm actually excited. As I review and sign-off on each document, it's the perfect time to document the title and purpose. This …
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