buying a home

Yay! You just bought a house. Now, before you get too settled in, have a quick read of these 6 things that recent buyers said they wished they had paid more attention to when they moved in. 1. NEVER BUY FURNITURE ONLINE THAT YOUHAVEN'T TRIED. It's a literal pain in the neck, back, or rear to discover that your cool, expensive retro-styled sofa sinks so low that you feel like you're sitting in a...

Photo by Daniel Joseph Petty on Pexels.com In April, Canada's finance minister announced a two-year ban on foreign home buying, as well as higher taxes for people who sell their homes within a year (with qualifying exceptions). Also in April, the island of Oahu in Hawaii passed a law nearly eliminating short-term rentals, now requiring minimum stays of 90 days in all but a few situations. Many...

ONCE YOU SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF GETTING A MORTGAGE, YOU’LL FIND ALL THE ADVICE YOU SEE IN THIS REPORT. HOWEVER, BORROWERS OFTEN DON’T REMEMBER OR HEED THE ADVICE. SO HERE IT IS…EVERYTHING BUYERS SAY THEY WISH THEY’D KNOWN ABOUT GETTING A MORTGAGE BEFORE THEY GOT A MORTGAGE. 1.  Get your finances in order (WELL) ahead of time Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com You’d be surprised how...

A few years ago, I watched a reality TV show about a home inspector who went to homes that had already been inspected. He always found all sorts of problems that the original inspector had missed. I was struck by one important thing about that show: The TV version of an inspector was poking holes in walls to look at the wiring, ripping out siding to look for mold underneath, digging up the yard to peek...

An ever-increasing number of homeowners are taking advantage of their extra equity by getting a home equity loan or a line of credit. But accessing your extra home equity should be done carefully, and only in a narrow set of circumstances. In 2006, just before the last real estate bubble popped, homeowners were treating their homes like endless piggy banks. They used their equity to purchase nice...

"I have a ton of equity in my home. I'm thinking about selling and putting that money in the bank before the market goes down again. Should I?"

Are you ready to make that leap from living at home or renting to owning a home of your own?