Fall is here, which means the days grow shorter, the air has a crisp breeze to it, and the leaves begin to change color. Amongst all the excitement around fall, it’s also time to start preparing your home for the change in seasons.To help you get started here is a fall home maintenance checklist. Fall home maintenance checklist: 6 indoor tasks #1: HVAC System It’s important to have your heating systems inspected and repaired before winter sets in. You’ll want to check all the HVAC vents and air ducts for dust and debris that built up over the summer. Your local HVAC company can helpRead More →

Investing in a housing cooperative can be a rewarding alternative to the traditional homebuying process. But buying a co-op comes with particular considerations and consequences.What is a co-op and is it right for you? Let’s find out. What is a co-op? Co-op is short for housing cooperative. It’s an alternative to home or condo ownership. It’s run like a corporation and owned and controlled by residents. The co-op owns the building, and residents own shares of the co-op.  How do housing cooperatives work? Housing cooperatives engage in the cooperative ownership of one or more residential buildings. Co-ops also own the land under the building(s). Residents purchaseRead More →

Shopping for a mortgage, you might encounter lenders who pre-qualify you for a higher loan amount than you expected. Many lenders work with standard debt-to-income ratio calculations which don’t take into account other costs of homeownership. If you take the highest loan amount, you risk maxing out your available funds and becoming “house poor,” without liquidity.  Here are four steps to follow when deciding how much you should spend on a house. Step 1: Understand what percentage of your income should go toward your mortgage  Take a good look at your monthly income and expenses. This will help you understand how much you can spend onRead More →

The foundation is one of the most important parts of any home, if not the most important. The foundation is what supports your home, keeps moisture out, resists movement, and insulates from the heat and cold. While a majority of foundations last a lifetime without any issues, there are instances in which a foundation can fail in some way. Foundation failure can be caused by a variety of issues – poor drainage, climate conditions such as drought, poor soil conditions, and plumbing leaks, just to name a few.  Foundation problems can create a number of issues throughout your home, so knowing the signs of foundation troublesRead More →

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the looming autumn season, a new report from real estate tech firm MoxiWorks suggests home sales will remain strong during the next month and a half. The report indicates that in September of this year, 564,000 homes should sell in the U.S. That would be down 5 percent from 594,000 sales in August, but that drop-off would be considerably smaller than the historical average decrease of 14 percent from August to September. In other words, if MoxiWorks predictions come true, September should be considerably better than average when it comes to home sales. The report additionally predicts that for all of 2021, the U.S.Read More →