The gutters and downspouts on your home are intended to channel rainwater away from your home and its foundation. When they’re blocked and not functioning properly they can lead to the gutters coming loose, wood rot and mildew, staining of painted surfaces, and even worse, foundation issues or water penetration into the interior of the […]

Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 in response to the mortgage crisis that led to America’s Great Recession. The two parts that apply closely to homebuyers are the Ability-to-Repay (ATR) and Qualified Mortgages (QM). A Qualified Mortgage is a category of loans that have certain, more stable features that help make it more likely […]

No one wants to waste water or money. For that reason, take a few minutes every other month to do the following inspections: Check to see if cutoff valves on sinks and toilets are working properly. Many times, builders will put individual cutoffs on supply lines to sinks and toilets. It is reasonable to expect […]

Whether it is hesitation or procrastination due to uncertainty, it can cost buyers by having to pay more for both the house and the financing. This is one of those markets where most of the experts expect interest rates and prices will continue to rise through 2019. The National Association of REALTORS® reports there is […]

Buying a home shouldn’t be rocket science. You find the perfect home, make an offer to the seller, pay a couple of fees, and bam! You just bought a home. However, buying a home actually has a lot of moving parts which include a number of funny real estate terms you’ve probably never heard before. […]