Blog

06
Oct
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Setting Your Budget: How to Analyze Your Finances to Determine How Much Mortgage You Can Afford

Whether you're buying a home for the first time or you've decided it's about time that you upgraded to a larger, more expansive house, if you're making a real estate purchase you'll need to be aware of how much you can reasonably afford to borrow in a mortgage. In today's post we'll take a look at a few ways that you can analyze your financial situation to help decide how much mortgage you can truly afford. Prepare An Honest Monthly Budget The first step in understanding how much of a monthly payment you can afford is to create an honest…
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05
Oct
By Adrian Willanger
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Worried about Your FICO Score? 4 Easy Strategies to Fix It Up

If you're worried about your bad credit, you'll want to do everything in your power to improve your rating as quickly as possible - especially if you have a major purchase coming up. Improving your credit rating can give you access to better interest rates on mortgages or even help you to get that job you're after. IMPORTANT! If you are currently involved in a home loan transaction, speak with your trusted real estate advisor before taking any action regarding your credit! So how can you boost your FICO score quickly and easily? Here's what you need to know. Get…
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05
Oct
By Jim Hasek
Mortgage, ,

Simple Tips for a Stunning First Impression

They say, “you never get a second chance to make a good impression”, and when it comes to your home, curb appeal is the key to making a lasting one. Enhancing the exterior of your house not only adds value but also creates a warm and inviting atmosphere for both you and your guests. Here are some simple yet effective tips that will help transform your home's exterior and make it the envy of the neighborhood. Begin with a Welcoming Entrance: The front door is the gateway to your home, and a fresh coat of paint can do wonders to…
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04
Oct
By Adrian Willanger
Home Buying Tips, ,

On Time, Every Time: How Being Late on Monthly Payments Can Affect Your Mortgage

Are you the type of person that struggles with remembering to pay their bills on time? You're not alone. People across the country regularly submit late monthly payments, inflicting terrible damage to their credit. Let's take a quick look at how paying your loan or other monthly payments late can have a negative impact on your mortgage. Your Credit Score Is At Risk As you already know, almost all banks, credit cards, mortgage companies and other lenders rely on your credit score to help assess the risk of lending money to you. Paying any of your payments late – even…
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04
Oct
By Jim Hasek
Homebuyer Tips, ,

Buying or Selling a Home This Winter? Keep These Tax Tips in Mind!

With all of the expense that can go into buying and selling a home, it's good to be aware of what you can claim and how a home can benefit you come tax time. When the New Year rolls around and you're sitting down to the task of completing your taxes, here are a few things that you'll want to keep in mind. Gaining from Capital Gains In the event that you've made money off the sale of your home through a capital gain, it's possible that you may be able to exclude this amount from your tax filing. If…
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03
Oct
By Adrian Willanger
Around The Home, ,

How to Find the Perfect Tenant for Your Basement Living Quarter’s

Do you have an empty basement or separated suite in your home? If you have a suite sitting empty, you are missing out on collecting some extra monthly income in the form of rent. Let's take a look at a quick four-step process that will help you find the perfect tenant to rent out your basement suite. Step 1: Play By The Rules Is this your first time renting out a home or suite to a tenant? If so, you will want to do a bit of research first. Read up on Fair Housing Rules and other regulations as these…
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