House Friends

Covering Your Rent Payment

September 10, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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If you like living in that new high-rise apartment with the view, you probably are less enthusiastic about the price that comes along with it. Actually, paying the rent on any apartment or house is generally the least appealing part of living there. To help you enjoy the apartment more and get the rent out of the way, here are a few creative ways to cover your rent payment.

Cut back on other luxuries – If your fancy new place has a fancy price tag to go with it, try to cut back on other luxuries so that you can continue to enjoy your real estate luxury.

Look for odd jobs – If you have more money going out, you should find ways to have more money coming in. Maybe your sister needs an occasional babysitter for your unruly nephews. Maybe there is an ad in the paper for some help doing yard work. You can find several ways make a little spare change without having to commit to another long-term job.

Take out a small loan – For some months, it won’t matter how much you plan or prepare, unexpected expenses will pop up and make it difficult to make your rent payment on time. If that happens to you, consider taking out a small loan to help get you through. Companies like Plain Green Loans can offer an alternative to a costly payday loan or the like.

If you have trouble making your rent, try these suggestions. With a little luck and perseverance, you will be able to make those payments and stay in your happy, cozy home.

Filed Under: Interior Tagged With: Loan, money, Payment

Preserving the Financial Value of Your House

September 8, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Image by james.thompson via Flickr

Your house is an investment, and you can help keep it at its highest value through good care taking. Here are three things you can do to keep up the value of your home.

Schedule Regular Maintenance

There are certain things that need to be done to a house regularly. Without this upkeep, your house may incur unnecessary wear and damage. Maintenance procedures that you need to schedule at least once a year include cleaning the roof and gutters, replacing furnace filters, and checking indoor and outdoor faucets for leaks.

Repair Problems Quickly

If you have a leak in your ceiling and can see discoloration in the paint and a waviness in the drywall, call a plumber right away. The same goes for if you smell natural gas or find mold in the basement. When a problem arises, do not wait; the problem could become much bigger. If you need to find a reliable technician or contractor, a business database like Canada 411 can help.

Become a Good Cleaner

A clean house will look nice for longer. Not only will you have a better-looking place that will stay in good condition, but being a good cleaner also makes you more aware of any flaws in the house that need to be addressed. While washing the windows, you might notice that they aren’t sealed tightly; while cleaning the cobwebs from the corner, you might see a crack in the wall.

Taking care of your house is one of the responsibilities of being a homeowner. By being proactive about maintenance, quickly addressing any problems, and keeping a clean house, you can keep your house in top shape and at top value.

Filed Under: Rentals Tagged With: Cleaning, Home and Garden, Home Improvement, Home repair

Redecorating Your Bedroom on a Budget

August 22, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Rearrange, Reorganize, or Revamp

Changing the décor in a bedroom can be a fun way to change up the feel of family homes or apartments. Some people may choose to rearrange the location of the pieces of furniture in the room, while others might elect to purchase all new furniture and change the whole room. When redecorating on a budget, there are a few ways to keep costs low without having to skimp on style.

Steps for Renovation

Choosing a theme is step one of a redecoration. Browsing through home design magazines and websites helps give a sense of what colors and textures go well together. Step two is to measure before making any purchases. A king size bed is always a nice upgrade, but may not fit in the space. Ensuring that the furniture will fit comfortably will avoid a lot of frustration down the road. Step three is to make a plan and a list, so that every detail will be accounted for: paint colors, bedding, and the way everything will be laid out. The final step is to take action, purchase the items, and make the room unique.

Making the Purchase

Home renovators can use a prepaid debit card to buy items needed for the redecoration process. Using a prepaid card is safer than cash, and funds deposit right into the account, making the money easily accessible.

Increasing the Value

Home renovations can help boost the value of the real estate, which is useful while living there as well as if the property might go up for sale. Choosing classic styles and colors will ensure that the room is appealing to all for years to come.

Filed Under: Loans, Markets Tagged With: Bedroom, Furniture, Real estate

The Value of Curb Appeal

July 30, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

When attempting to sell your home, you might be amazed at what a little change in your landscaping can do to make your home attractive to prospective buyers. Even if your home is immaculate on the inside, the buyer’s first impression will be set in stone before they even enter the home. If your bushes are overgrown or your grass needs a good trimming, it can quickly turn away most buyers.

However, one type of real-estate investor makes a habit of looking for homes with poor curb appeal. These are typically flippers who are looking to pay pennies on the dollar, improve the property’s cosmetic value, and double their money in a matter of months. By neglecting your lawn and shrubbery, you not only attract this type of individual, but you also lower your property value.

Creating a lovely exterior doesn’t have to be expensive. Just like you removed the clutter from inside your home, get rid of anything that looks out of place or junky on your lawn. Clean your windows, repaint your trim, rake your leaves, and trim your bushes. Buy some attractive potted plants and arrange them on your front steps. If you can’t judge whether it’s enough, ask your real-estate agent for an opinion.

Your goal is to create a welcoming atmosphere that makes people feel like they’ve arrived a well-cared for home instead of a neglected, vacant property. Without this feeling, they may wonder what else has been neglected in the home in addition to the landscaping.

Filed Under: Exterior, Real Estate Tagged With: Buyer, Major League Soccer, Real estate broker/agent

It’s a Great Time to Invest

July 14, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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If you’ve always wanted to invest in rental properties, there’s no better time than the present. The real-estate market is definitely geared towards the buyer with low prices and low interest rates. Although the numbers are dropping, the market is filled with foreclosures and short sales. And, rental prices are actually going up while home prices are going down. This is because the people that are losing their homes have to live somewhere.

When looking for a good investment property, check the records at your local courthouse. Some banks will provide a list of foreclosures, but many won’t. However, every foreclosure has to go through the court system. Many real-estate agents specialize in bank-owned properties, short sales, and other types of bargains. Ask around to find out who can find a real deal and give them a call. If you have the money or the credit to make a purchase, you might be surprised at just what you can find.

Once you have a rental property in your portfolio, make sure that it is in good repair before you advertise it for rent. Carefully review each application before choosing a tenant. To make this a profitable venture, you’ll want the rental relationship to last as long as possible. Look for renters who have a stable employment background and a good credit rating. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they’re planning on a long-term rental or if they’re planning on making a real-estate purchase of their own in the near future.

Filed Under: Real Estate, Rentals Tagged With: Foreclosure, Real estate, Renting

Don’t Skip the Home Inspection

July 5, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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Now that you’ve found the home of your dreams and settled on a price that fits your budget, you’re determined to move forward, close the sale, and take possession of the property. Along the way, don’t forget to have the home checked out by a professional home inspector. This step is very affordable considering how much you’re spending, and it can point out any defect in the home from a non-working electrical outlet to a rotten support beam.

The home inspector will look at every part of the home from the top to the bottom as well as some parts of the yard. If you want, you can meet him at the home and observe the inspection. Afterwards, the inspector will give you a detailed report showing everything that is currently wrong with the home as well as what may need to be done over the next few years.

With this report in hand, you can go back to the negotiation table with the buyer. For each item, they have three choices. They can say they won’t fix the problem, they will fix the defect, or they’ll take a specific dollar amount off the sales price. Depending on how you feel about each choice, it may be grounds to cancel the contract depending on how it was written. If the defect is bad enough, you might want to cancel the sale no matter what. Forfeiting your deposit at this point would still be better than wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on a real money pit.

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: Buyer, Inspection, United States

Covering Your Rent Payment

Preserving the Financial Value of Your House

Redecorating Your Bedroom on a Budget

The Value of Curb Appeal

It’s a Great Time to Invest

Don’t Skip the Home Inspection

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