27
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Three iPhone and Android Apps That Make Managing Your Mortgage Payments Quick and Easy

Your mortgage payment may be among the largest payments you make every month. While certainly an important part of your budget, this payment is also critical to helping you build equity in your home because it attributes to mortgage principal reduction. Managing your mortgage payments can be challenging, but there are some incredible apps available for use with Android or iPhone smartphones that can simplify your mortgage management tasks. Mortgage Mentor This app is available for both iPhones and Android devices, and is designed to be compatible with all types of mortgages. It can calculate PMI for adjustable rate and…
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14
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

Save Money on Your Home Energy Costs This Winter in Just Three Easy Steps

It doesn't matter if you heat your home with electricity, natural gas or some other energy source; prices continue to rise and that means increased heating costs for most of us. In today's blog post we'll share three easy ways that you can save money on your home energy costs this winter. Install and Use Programmable Thermostats Now that Nest and other companies have brought Wi-Fi enabled, programmable thermostats on the market there's very few excuses to avoid using them. At bare minimum you'll want a digital thermostat that can be programmed to turn on and off at certain hours…
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13
Jun
By Jim Hasek
Real Estate Tips, ,

DIY Or Hire It Done, Renovating Real Estate Investment Properties

Sometimes, when buying - or even thinking about buying real estate for investment purposes, you're faced with the need to fix up the property.  The question then arises: Should I fix it up myself or hire it done? Unfortunately, no one can give you the right answer. However, there are a few questions that you can ask yourself to help decide the issue: 1. Do I Have The Time? Time is an issue that many people forget about, but it should be one of the deciding factors. Some renovations, such as handles, hinges or kitchen hardware can take very little…
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30
May
By Jim Hasek
Homeowner Tips, ,

The Green Thumb: Four Easy Ways To Get More From Your Home Garden

Growing a home garden creates beauty, oxygen and even food for our families to enjoy. If you're looking to get more from your home garden, here are four easy ways to improve a green thumb. A Good Foundation For Your Garden Good soil is the foundation of a healthy garden. By using quality soil, you can give your garden plants the best start possible. Adding a variety of organic matter to soil will give plants a happy home to grow in. Add two to three inches of organic matter to your garden bed at the beginning of each season. Compost,…
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29
May
By Jim Hasek
Homeowner Tips, ,

5 Tips To Protect Yourself When Buying Newly Constructed Real Estate

Buying newly constructed real estate isn't much different from buying an "already used" home. What variances there are, however, can make all the difference between buying a diamond or a lemon.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind when buying new construction: Tip #1: Don't Use The Builder's Sales Agent - Hire Your Own If they're the builder's agent, they're being paid to represent the builder, no matter what they tell you.  Your own real estate agent, who is representing you, is required to tell you the negatives as well as the positives.  The builder's agent doesn't have…
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21
May
By Jim Hasek
Uncategorized, ,

Here’s How You Can Leverage Your Home To Reduce Your Tax Burden For Next Year

Each year around April, we can find ourselves becoming a little more tense at the thought of what is about to occur: tax time. Instead of falling into the trap of procrastinating your taxes, however, it's much more beneficial to face tax time head-on and do your research on your applicable deductions well in advance. Your home is good for many things, but using your home to reduce your tax burden may be one benefit you haven't thought of. Here are some tax benefits that can be leveraged with your home, and some ways to lower your tax bill in…
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