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Home Inventory

Generally speaking, when you need an inventory of your personal belongings, it is too late to make one. Sure, you can reconstruct it but undoubtedly, you'll forget things and that can cost you money when filing your insurance claim. Most homeowner's policies have a certain amount of coverage for personal items that can be 40-60% of the value of the home. Homeowners who have a loss are usually asked by...

Standard or Itemized Deductions

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 increased the standard deduction to $24,000 for married couples. There will be some instances that homeowners may be better off taking the standard deduction than itemizing their deductions. In the past, homeowners would most likely be better off itemizing but the $10,000 limit of state and local taxes (SALT) adds one more issue to consider. Let's look at a hypothetical...

Eliminate FHA Mortgage Insurance

Mortgage insurance premium can add almost $200 to the payment on a $265,000 FHA mortgage. The decision to get an FHA loan may have been the lower down payment requirement or the lower credit score levels, but now that you have the loan, is it possible to eliminate it? Mortgage Insurance Premium protects lenders in case of a borrower's default and is required on FHA loans. The Up-Front MIP is currently...

Year End Tax Newsletter

One of the first steps in a good outcome is knowing a little bit about what you're about to undertake. By being aware of some of the areas regarding homes that may not come up every year in a tax return, you'll be able to point them out to your tax professional or seek more information from IRS.gov. Look through this list of items for things that could affect your tax return. Even if you have relied on...

Your Real Estate Resource

Being a better homeowner is a full-time job. It's not just about making better decisions when you buy and sell; it's making better decisions throughout the time you own the home. It takes good information to make good decisions. Think of times when you need advice on financing, taxes, insurance, maintenance, finding reasonable and reliable contractors and lots of other things. Imagine how nice it would be...

Common Cold Funny Pic

Home Remedies for Common Colds

Tis the Season for the Common Cold! Nobody likes being sick. Sore throats, achy body, fevers, chills, cough they're all PAIN! Here are a few home remedies you can use to ease the common cold:

More Comfortable, Convenient and Secure

Smart home technology promises to make your home more comfortable, convenient and secure. It may not be the home from the Jetson's but artificial intelligence is the hope to make it the home of the future which is available now and controlled from anywhere you have an Internet connection. When Alexa appeared at Christmas-time two years ago, most people thought it was a novelty to ask what the weather will...

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