Laurence Many potential homeowners know that buying a home is truly the best way to create wealth for their future. What they may not know, is that earlier is always better. This worksheet explains what the cost of waiting just 1 year to buy a home will mean in terms of missed out savings and opportunity. … Read more
If you’ve spent any time reading about personal finance, then you already know that budgeting while trimming monthly expenses is all the rage these days. But while it’s easy enough to drop your unused magazine subscriptions or buy store brand ketchup, those smaller expenses don’t even begin to touch the one, major expense that most … Read more
Navigating This Year’s Color Trends Color trendsetters like Pantone, Behr, Sherwin-Williams, and others, have announced their 2020 color of the year choices that range from dark blues, to pink, to variations of green. Some homeowners may be hesitant, but strong color choices don’t have to be an automatic drawback. The key may be that less is more. Homeowners … Read more
Five areas of the city primed for car-free living. With its beautiful weather, diversity of landscapes, and a push for low-cost and zero-emission transportation (see any electric scooter lining the sidewalks), Los Angeles has the potential to be a prime destination for resident bicyclists. Riding your bike saves money, improves cardio, and allows … Read more
The First-Time Home Buyer’s Guide Find a loan officer, give him/her the info he/she needs, they will tell you a price range of what you can qualify for. As mentioned, it’s great to do this step early as the loan officer can advise on credit issues. Have a phone conversation with your realtor. Talk about … Read more
The biggest hurdles most people face with buying a home are the initial costs and downpayment.
There are many benefits to home ownership. Yearly tax savings, equity and home appreciation. Studies show that children of homeowners earn higher test scores and graduate at a higher percentage than those of renters. Additionally, when you rent, if you are not in a rent-controlled area, the rent only goes up. When you own, you … Read more
Owning a home can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be- save that for movies and costumes. Just starting out and looking to purchase a place for yourself and your budding family? Looking to trade up and see what’s out there? Now is the perfect time to invest in your life and think about … Read more
1. Find a trustworthy real estate agent. Your agent (and google) can tell you the average price per square foot for every neighborhood. Compare this to the asking price (price per square foot) and you can evaluate whether the house is over-priced or on par with recent sales in that area.2. Look for a house that … Read more
