All Posts by Lisa

It has been said that more money has been lost due to indecisions than ever was due to making the wrong decisions. Many times, the larger the decision, the more likely procrastination comes into play and doing nothing will cost something. Buying a home is certainly one of the biggest decisions people make. Careful consideration … Continued

Stepped-up basis is an incredible benefit to people who inherit property. Not only do they receive the property itself, the basis or cost value of the property becomes the fair market value at the time of the decedent’s death. This avoids recognizing the gain between the decedent’s cost and what it is worth when it … Continued

The question is “financially speaking, are you better off owning than renting in the long term?” Renting a home has advantages. It is usually a short-term commitment from year to year and the landlord is responsible for the repairs. Owning a home with today’s low mortgage rates, the total house payment could easily be less … Continued

A home warranty is a service contract that protects your home’s appliances and some systems from repairs or possible replacements. A convenient benefit of a home warranty is that when you report an item, they will assign a service provider to evaluate whether it should be repaired or replaced without the owner having to act … Continued

Credit plays a huge role in getting a mortgage because it is a variable that helps the lender determine the likelihood that the loan will be repaid on a timely basis. Credit bureaus evaluate people’s credit worthiness using a FICO score. The higher the score the better the borrower’s credit. The mortgage rate charged to … Continued

There is a story of a real estate agent’s prayer: “Dear Lord, if I can’t be someone’s first love, or second wife, at least, please let me be their third REALTOR®.” In a normal market with a balanced supply of sellers and buyers, this describes the preference that it might be better to be the … Continued

Looking for a simple way to determine if a rental property will give you the rate of return you want? This modified annual property operating data may be just what you’ve been looking for. There are many different rates of return that investor’s consider to determine whether a property will generate the yield that they … Continued

Most homeowners have insurance on their home that additionally, gives them coverage on their personal property. That is the first level of peace of mind to know that it is available to you if there is an unfortunate need for it from a burglary, fire, or some other insured circumstance. Personal property is handled slightly … Continued

Some homeowners feel like they may as well throw a dart against the wall to decide whether to move or not. Other people might invoke a process attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Supposedly, to evaluate the options and bring clarity to the choice, this American founding father would list all the reasons for and against the … Continued

In cooking, “mise en place” describes having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, as well as bowls, utensils and pans ready to use before you begin cooking. The advantage is to inventory the ingredients and recognize if you have everything you need. You are less likely to leave out an ingredient or step … Continued