Posts from January 2018
Subscribe and receive email notifications of new blog posts.
RSS Feed
- 2026 | 15 Posts
- 2025 | 77 Posts
- 2024 | 85 Posts
- 2023 | 73 Posts
- 2022 | 72 Posts
- 2020 | 44 Posts
- 2019 | 27 Posts
- 2018 | 20 Posts
- 2017 | 29 Posts
- 2016 | 85 Posts
- 2015 | 85 Posts
- 2014 | 117 Posts
- 2013 | 50 Posts
- 2012 | 32 Posts
- 2011 | 35 Posts
- 2010 | 16 Posts
25
Financial Resolutions That Can Help You Buy a Home in 2018
If you want to buy a home this year, you may be in the midst of planning—or perhaps you're already well on your way. Purchasing a home is a process made up of many moving parts, including your finances, your overall goals, your planning ability and your current financial situation. That said, it's the season for New Year's resolutions, right? Start making some financial ones along with your other goals.
To get you started, here are five financial resolutions that can help you reach your goal of buying a home in 2018:
Make a Budget
Just over 40 percent of Americans have a budge...
19
5 Steps to a Healthier Home
Believe it or not, being healthy at home isn't just about what's happening in your fridge. Sure, it's a good starting point, but there are actually many ways to create a pro-health environment throughout your home. Here are five simple ways to start.
- Declutter the kitchen. In this case, we're not talking about knickknacks—we're talking about food. Go through your cabinets, pantry, fridge and freezer and say goodbye to anything that's been lingering for way too long. Donate canned goods you've been saving 'just in case,' get rid of freezer-burned processed meals and old packages of crackers and snacks. Once your shelves are cleared out, start buying and eating mostly fresh items, picking up just what you need every couple of days as opposed to doing a mega shopping every couple of weeks.
- H...
17
Century 21 American Homes accepted into Pearl's prestigious Broker Advantage Program
Vienna, VA and Long Island, NY - January 22, 2018 -- Pearl Certification and Century 21 American Homes are proud to announce that American Homes has been accepted into Pearl's prestigious Broker Advantage Program. Century 21 American Homes is the first broker in New York to receive this distinction.
"American Homes is dedicated to providing the highest-quality service to our clients," said Principal Broker Mike Litzner. "There's a tremendous opportunity in residential real estate for our agents to make value visible in listing and marketing homes that have energy efficient features. Pearl Certification gives our agents the training and tools needed to showcase their full value. Pearl Certification will help our agents sell homes for more and faster."
11
Debunking the Top 4 Renting-Is-Better-Than-Owning Myths
If you've never bought a home before, some people may try to tell you that renting is a smarter choice than buying. However, for the vast majority of people, that's simply not true. Here are some of the top myths about the advantage of renting over owning.
Myth No. 1: You can't afford a down payment. Many would-be homebuyers opt for renting believing that they won't be able to afford to save the 20 percent down payment. In reality, you usually don't have to put 20 percent down. In fact, you can usually put down 10 percent, or sometimes 5 percent or less.
Myth No. 2: Renting is cheaper. Even if your monthly mortgage payment ends up being a little higher than what you might have paid in rent, that money is going toward your own long-term financial investment. When you pay rent, you're making your landlord...
7
Tax Reform: Here's What Could Impact Homeowners Most
A new year has started, and with it a newly enacted tax policy: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While most changes will not be noticeable until consumers file their taxes in 2019, the new tax law stands to alter how consumers view homeownership incentives and could impact real estate markets across the country. Additionally, many consumers, but not all, may see a change to their paychecks by next month due to the new tax rate deductions. These are the biggest real estate-related tax policies and how they could affect homeowners.
1. Cap on Mortgage Interest Deduction
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the limit for the mortgage interest rate deduction for new loans starting Dec. 15 to $750,000. Loans that were taken out before this date are grandfathered into the previous tax policy, which featured a $1 million ca...