Vacation Rental Ownership – Is It For You?

Investment properties used to be homes and multi-family properties used for full time rentals. Over the past decade, we’ve seen a new crop of investment properties emerge, the short term rentals. But what’s involved in owning a vacation rental? Is it worth the work? A short term rental is a great investment for a number

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Tips to Pay off Your Loan Faster

For generations, homeowners would buy a home for life. Working over the years to make the payments and celebrating the end of the 30 year mortgage were great milestones in the family. Today, few home buyers expect to be in their home for longer than 7 years on average. Paying off a 30 year mortgage

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The Cost of Home Staging

Have you wondered if you should consider professional staging for your home before you list it for sale? Most of us have wandered into new home developments and enjoyed the ambiance of a perfectly styled model home. Of course we would all like our homes to give that same impression to potential home buyers, but

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What Does “Move-in Ready” Really Mean?

If you’ve been searching for a new home no doubt you’ve seen the term, “movein ready.” This description sounds very appealing, but understanding what it actually means is important so you have the right expectations when arranging your home listing tour. First it’s important to remember that the descriptions in real estate listings are written

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Maximizing Space in a Small Kitchen

A small kitchen doesn’t have to mean dark or cramped, you can maximize a small kitchen by using these clever tips. From tricking the eye to great ways to get extra storage, these easy design ideas will help you love your small kitchen. • Tone on Tone Colors Scheme – Trick the eye by using

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Down Payments Explained

A down payment is the amount of cash a home buyer puts toward the price of a new home. It accomplishes a few things; first it reduces the amount of money you need to borrow and it reduces the risk the lender takes in loaning the money. By reducing the risk, the borrower will typically

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Preparing Your Home for the Colder Months

Now that the warm summer months are behind us, it’s time to prepare for winter. Regardless of whether you expect to see sub-zero temperatures this season or you live in one of the warmer climates, preparing your home for colder weather can save you money and hassle this winter. So before you dig out your

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