Blog
How to Prepare for Emergencies in Your New Home (Part 3)
The last in our series, preparing for emergencies in your new home means taking extra measure to protect your investment. Surviving a disaster is just the first part. Recovering takes longer and requires more advance planning. Start by designing your…
How Oil Prices Affect the Housing Market
Most of us rejoice when the prices at the pump go down. To use that means freed-up cash in our personal economy. When we’re consider buying or selling a home, however, the price at the pump can impact our bottom…
8 Creative Tips on Saving for a Down Payment
You’re finally ready to think about buying a home, but you doubt your ability to save up the necessary down payment. Twenty percent of even a modest home can seem out of reach for first-time homebuyers. Here are some creative…
Tax Considerations for Home Sellers
Now that the wrapping is all of the gifts and the tree is looking a little bedraggled, it’s time to take a look at your end of the year financial picture. Congress recently passed a bill extending a collection of…
2015 Programs for Home Buyers
Although the federal government has offered homebuyer programs in the past, for Tax Year 2015, most of the available home buyer programs will be at the local and state levels. State and local agencies, along with lenders and non-profit organizations…
What Does the Cost of Living Index Mean?
The cost-of-living index measures the relative cost to live in a certain region. There are several theories about how to arrive at the cost-of-living index, but in general it measures the differences in the cost for goods or services required…