Archive for the 'Home and Mortgage' Category
Loan Network, Find A lender.
The following is a sponsored post.
Are you in the market for a new home mortgage? Buying a new home or refinancing can be difficult, especially if you haven’t done so before. Going to different banks, wading through the internet, or thumbing through the local Yellow Pages is very daunting for those in this situation. The Loan Network can connect you with mortgagelenders that fit your needs. Just fill out a simple application, you do not need to reveal your social security number, and you’re on your way! Quick and painless, what a nice way to get in touch with some of the U.S.A’s top mortgage lenders!
What is nice about this site is that even if you are not in the market for a mortgage right now, there is information and advice for anyone interested in real estate and loan programs. I personally love it when a site is offering helpful information for free. Don’t just try to sell me a product, help me figure out what is right for me, even if it turns out to not be your service. You know what? Even if it turns out I don’t need your service, just for helping me, when I CAN use it, I will be back.
Great site, great info, great people. What more can you ask for?
Posted in Finance, Home and Mortgage | 2 Comments »
Ease Moving Frustrations
Ah summer. Popsicles, swimming, rest and relaxation. And moving!
It’s true more families move during the summer than at other times of the year. I understand why, parents don’t want their kids switching schools mid-year; the housing market flourishes; less snow. But, geez, what a way to ruin a perfectly good season.
I actually had this post titled, “Moving Made Easy” then I realized, no move is easy.
There’s always a glitch or two along the way. No matter if you pack and move yourself or hire a moving company something always goes wrong.
And, if you’re claiming to have found a way to avoid moving glitches you should write a book and make bank.
Despite this, there are some some things you can do to help keep your move as smooth as possible. *Note: these moving tips cover tips for packing and moving yourself. Moving with a moving company is a long post all to itself. Which I promise to do later.
Pre-plan: Always make some preliminary plans. Make some lists. Typical lists may include:
- Which rooms you need to sort and get rid of before the move.
- Comparison of moving truck costs and or moving companies.
- What your family is going to need left out during the move. Clothing and toothbrushes are a good place to start — go from there.
- Set up services well in advance; this includes canceling your current services (phone, electric, gas, etc.)
Your rented moving truck:
- Price and reserve well in advance. Call and pester the company every once in a while. Long story short, when we moved from Humboldt to New Mexico the U-Haul company “forgot” that we reserved a truck. We got a truck at the VERY last minute but only after having to drive three towns over to pick it up.
- Make sure you get the insurance recommended by the moving company. The last thing you need is to pay for another vehicle crashing into you. You can check your insurance first because some polices do cover moving trucks.
- Start online. The best deals on trucks are usually given when you reserve online.
- When something goes wrong don’t be afraid to complain. Remember the moving truck we almost didn’t get? The one they finally gave us had a broken air conditioner. Imagine no air, moving from California to New Mexico, in July, through the Mojave desert; with a four year old. Nightmare! We complained (a lot) and got some considerable money back.
Packing:
- Start early. No matter how early I start I’m always throwing stuff in garbage bags at the last minute. That’s not smart packing and exactly how things get lost or broken.
- Make sure to have all the packing materials you need.
- If you want to score free boxes go check out the local supermarket at 3am. That when many stores are unpacking their merchandise and usually have no problem with you carting away tons of them.
- See here for a great comprehensive how-to pack article.
The actual move:
- Reserve hotel rooms far in advance for cross state moves.
- Pack a good first aid kit in each vehicle and the moving truck.
- Make sure each child (and you) has a box of stuff they’ll need for the trip. Cell phones, clothing, a few toys, coloring books, snacks and plenty of water.
- Map out your route. I think it’s a good idea to map out a few alternative routes in case of road construction or other delays. National Traffic and Road Closure Information can help you plan and so can AAA if you have a membership. Make sure the maps walk out the door with you when you go.
Need more (of course you do) we could never cover it all here: Century21 has a good site with tips and tricks for having a smooth move with the kiddos.
Posted in Home and Mortgage, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Should I Rent or Buy a House?
A question that many renters and home owners ask is, “should I rent or buy a home?” Luckily, the New York Times has found the answer through their new Rent or Buy Online Calculator. Their calculator let’s you enter the following information and then graphs the results.
- Monthly Rent
- Home Price
- Down Payment
- Mortgage Rate
- Annual Property Taxes
We’ve been renting a house for almost two years now, but we’re currently in the market to buy. After running the numbers on our current rental house, the calculator determined that we were better off renting, but only for three years. So, it looks like we’re looking for a new home at the right time.
Posted in Finance, Home and Mortgage | 1 Comment »
FamilyResource.com Introduces New Mortgage Calculator
When looking for a house, one of the most important aspects is how much you can afford. Our advanced mortgage calculator allows you to input the most common elements that make up mortgage loans. When you submit your loan information, our calculator creates on-the-fly graphs and charts to help you understand the cost of your loan, and to help you create a home budget.
FamilyResource.com Mortgage Calculator
Posted in Finance, Home and Mortgage | No Comments »
Houseplans.com Claims To Have The Most Home Building Plans Online
I would love to build my own custom home one day. In fact, my wife and I have talked about it often. However, we’ve also talked about how much it would cost to hire an architect to put a house plan together. Whenever we bring that up, we usually drop the subject.
Interestingly enough, I just found out about a website called Houseplans.com. They provide over 21,000 house plans from over 150 leading designers in North America. They offer the plans in many forms, including CAD, reproducible masters, construction sets, and more. Each form has its own price. I looked at a nice European style home, and the forms ranged anywhere from $400-$1,500 — which is pretty reasonable considering you don’t have to hire an architect.
The site has a bunch of other resources too. They have a place to answer frequent questions about building your own house, an estimator for how much it will cost to build your home, and a resource to find builders in your area. I’ll definitely be re-visiting this website if my wife and I are ever lucky enough to build a new home from scratch.
Posted in Finance, Home and Mortgage | No Comments »
