Buying A Home As A Single Parent
Buying a home can be a challenging task that requires plenty of attention to detail and the ability to research homes, neighborhoods and schools. There are many different housing styles, different locations and more to consider when looking for a home. Add to that being a single parent and there is a lot more that one person has to handle on their own in order to make sure they get the right home that meets all of their family needs. This article explores some tips and ideas for the single parent to help make their home buying decision easier on them and their family.
Hire A Realtor
First and foremost hiring a Realtor will set you on the right track towards finding a home. The Realtor or real estate agent helps home buyers and sellers on a daily basis with their real estate needs. It is their job to know local markets and to help get homebuyers the information they need during all crucial stages of the home buying process.
Don’t get offended though when the real estate agent starts asking for you to get pre-approved for a mortgage. While you may have a price range in mind for a home or have an idea of what monthly payment you can afford, until you go through the pre-approval process you will not know if your assumptions are correct which could lead to a big disappointment if you find a home you like and find out it was out of your mortgage pre-approval range. A mortgage pre-approval is a deep dive into your credit and income history. You may have a great job but not a very long credit history which could hinder your getting a mortgage for the amount you can truly...
Great Tips For Improving The Curb Appeal Of Your Home
Curb appeal generally means how a home looks while seeing it from the street. A home’s curb appeal is one of those things that a home has or either does not have. While technically there can be an in between status of curb appeal where it is not completely bad that is not what makes buyers stand up and take notice. Homes with great curb appeal present well in photographs which do grab the attention of homebuyers online as well as in person when they come to visit. This article will help you learn how to boost the curb appeal of your home so everyone takes notice.
Cleanliness Of The Landscape
One of the easiest things to do with your yard to improve your home’s curb appeal is make sure it is clean. What that means is making sure no dead plants or trees are present anywhere in the yard. Trash as well should be picked up otherwise the home may have more of an abandoned property look than one of a lived in and cared for home. Often times the trash may not necessarily be the homeowners doing as based on the traffic from the street others may throw trash onto the property for “convenience” sake. Regardless of who put the trash in the yard in the first place the homeowner still should strive to keep the yard clean as that adds to the appeal of a home.
Especially right after winter time or during periods of drought grass, bushes, shrubs, plants and trees may die out. Leaving the dead vegetation in plain view is a major detractor of curb appeal. Potential homebuyers may think since the homeowner did not care enough to clean up their yard how must the rest...
4 Things That Can Sap Your Cash Flow And Your Wealth
There are a number of factors that can affect your cash and wealth position. One of the big things that can have a great impact on your cash and wealth is real estate. Real estate can both positively and negatively affect your ability to build wealth and can be a slow grind on your finances if you are not careful. It is your wealth that will sustain you when the economy is down and will keep growing when the economy is great. This article explores some of the major expenses that can quickly sap your cash flow and hurt your overall wealth position.
What Is Wealth And Cash Flow
Cash flow is a term often used in real estate investor circles to describe how much money a rental building is bringing in after all expenses have been paid. Cash flow for an individual is similar in that it is how much money are you saving at the end of the month after all bills have been paid. Wealth is the accumulation of resources including cash. So if you do have a positive cash flow at the end of the month overtime as you accumulate that cash (whether as plain old cash, investments in stocks, bonds, real estate or something else) you build wealth. Now keep in mind if you have more debts than you have cash or assets that does not necessarily mean you have much wealth. The type of debt is also a big factor. More credit card debt is not a good thing. Debt that was used to purchase investment real estate is not a bad thing so long as the cash flow from the real estate can keep up with all the expenses.
Things That Can Destroy Your Cash Flow And Wealth
Owning More Home Than You Can...