Real Estate Information Archive

Start talking to gardening friends and family now. They have been where you are and know it’s not easy to have a magazine-worthy garden the first year. Find out what grows best in your area and choose a few vegetables to try. 
 

Your first plot needs to be small and in a part of your yard that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day. Shade in the evening is great to help cool plants on those hot Summer days, but full sun is best during the day. 
 

A soil test is important and is most easily done through your local cooperative extension service. The results normally include recommendations for improving your soil quality. 
 

Consider using a raised bed for your first attempt! It will make soil-amending easier and gives you more control of water retention/drainage.   
 

Purchase seedlings from your garden center instead of starting everything from seed. You’ll have a head start on the harvest!  
 

Don’t forget to add some flowering plants to your vegetable garden! Planting a few companion plants will bring pollinators and beneficial insects that help keep the bad bug population down. 

Once again, talk to your neighbors; look at what they are growing in their landscapes and flower beds, and ask them what is the easiest to grow and care for. 
 

Soil prep is just as important for blooms as it is for the vegetable garden; test the soil from the areas you’re planning on planting. 
 

Flowering plants have different needs when it comes to sunlight. While geraniums thrive in full sun, impatiens need mostly-to-full shade. Take care to note the sunlight recommendation on plant tags when you’re making your purchases. 
 

If you don’t have time to lug the water hose or sprinkling can all over the yard, you might want to plant in one main area, or purchase a soaker hose that will stay put so you only have to turn the water on. 
 

Planning is important, and you’ll save time in the nursery if you decide what you’d like to grow before you go. Check out this list of easy-to-grow flowers from HGTV. 

Lowering your interest rate can save money. It will not save much if you’ve already been paying on your home for several years, however, especially if you refinance with a 30-year mortgage. Investopedia says that going for the new rate is a good idea if you can reduce your rate by 2%. 

When credit card debt is included in a debt consolidation refinance, homeowners risk losing their home for unsecured debt if they cannot keep up the payments. Credit counseling would be a better step to take first if you are considering debt consolidation to pay off credit cards. 

Refinancing to lower your monthly payment sounds great until you realize that a lower payment only comes with a longer pay-back term and paying more interest in the end. 

Let’s say you’re making more money and would like to shorten the term of your mortgage by having a higher monthly payment. Nerdwallet suggests that you ask yourself a few questions, then decide if you should refinance or just pay more on your current loan every month. 

Has your credit score gone up? If so, find out if you can get a better interest rate as a result. Again, be sure you’ll be saving money in the end before you sign the dotted line. 

You can turn your home’s equity into cash with a cash-out refinance, and if the money is needed for some home improvements or investing, it may be a better way to get the cash. The drawback comes in when the return on investment doesn’t work out, and the equity in the home is lost. 

Discount department stores are full of inexpensive home decor: faux plants, decorative pillows, framed art and mirrors.  
 

Sheer window panels cost less than half the cost of new curtains, allowing natural light to shine through, which is a huge plus, as a dark house isn’t on very many house hunters’ lists. 
 

After cleaning carpets or even refinishing hardwood floors, an area rug or runner to brighten and protect them may be necessary.  
 

The bathrooms can be given a fresh look with new shower curtains and a set of fluffy white linens in each room. 
 

Big box stores are the source for inexpensive cabinetry hardware, light fixtures, as well as faucets that you may choose to replace. 
 

A vase of fresh flowers brightens any room!  Discount bouquets or even single blossoms can be purchased in department store produce sections or flower markets and can last a week or more if cared for properly. 
 

If you’re planning on placing a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, purchase oranges or apples instead of lemons. They can be eaten by the family, which saves money, as they won’t be tossed out! 
 

On the outside, inexpensive mulch can transform the flowerbeds.  Pots with annuals planted in them are all you need for a splash of color on the front steps. 

- Introduce your toddlers to coloring with crayons! Having a set of the thicker crayons are perfect for little hands, give them some plain paper, and let them scribble away! 
 

- Make these toddler-safe watercolors, have your older children help, and sit the younger one in a high chair and let them paint away, and if a little goes in their mouth, no harm! 
 

- All your preschooler needs to make the sun shine bright is a paper plate, yellow pipe cleaners, yellow paint and a bit of glue! 
 

- Bean art is back! Use a variety of beans to create animals, and paint over them with craft paint.
 

- A lint roller for crafts? Why not?! Attach foam craft sticker shapes to the adhesive side of the roller, dab some paint on each shape, and roll across any kind of paper. 
 

- Everyone will probably enjoy making scented playdough! This involves a bit of cooking, but the older ones can be involved and help you choose color and scent combos. 
 

- Fastest homemade pompon ball ever; all you need is a new skein of inexpensive yarn, string, and scissors. (This craft is best for those who can use larger scissors.) 

- String art is a fun craft from beginning to end for the older set, and they just might be willing to set up some for younger siblings to try. 
 

- Create a garland:  plastic eggs (make sure they have those tiny holes!) can be thread on thin twine or fishing line and made into a fun Spring garland. Or, for something to decorate the bedroom, cut small shapes out of colored paper or old greeting cards, and glue them together on either side of the string, and allow to dry. 
 

- Do you remember making friendship bracelets? Introduce your kids to this nostalgic craft! 

Jazz up flowerpots with decoupage! Cut from magazines or print images of flowers, and using decoupage medium and a foam brush, adhere the images all around the outside of the pot. 
   

- A small coat hanger can become the base of a mobile! Follow these instructions to create a friendship theme, but the possibilities are endless!   
                

- Origami is a craft that’s truly an art form. Older children can create many things, from tiny boxes to boats to float and animal faces.  Origami Instructions website is the perfect place for beginners to experts--all you need is origami paper or cut your own! 

Do you already have a monthly purchase at a local boutique or a pedicure in your budget?  Go ahead and call them and buy a gift certificate/card/credit in that same amount. Using it for the future would be great, but once everything is back to normal, give the gift card to someone else, and continue your normal shopping with the store. 
 

If those same establishments have their own merchandise, why not buy a t-shirt, mug or car sticker along with your gift card purchase? 
 

If it’s allowed, order takeout from your favorite restaurants, whether it’s lunch or dinner. Many eateries are bundling dishes into family meals and offering curbside delivery, making it easier for you to order. 
 

Some local businesses have online shopping available; if so, do your shopping that way. Most business owners are certain that everything is handled properly and will offer shipping or pick-up at the door. 
 

Leave a review for your favorites at any online review site, business Facebook page, or other social media. Everyone needs the encouragement, plus, it helps others decide whether to do business with the establishment in the future. 
 

Don’t forget your local produce stands and farmers’ markets! Grocery store chains must wait for deliveries, so if they’re out of your favorite lettuce, call around to the local stands to see what’s available. 

Following a general routine is best for good mental health, especially with children in the home. Have a set time to wake up, have meals, etc., because it takes away any what-comes-next anxiety. 
 

Working in your yard or garden can be great therapy, believe it or not. The physical activity increases your mood, too, and getting the kids involved helps them as well. 

Clean house! A cluttered, dirty home can affect your mood, so put on some upbeat music, grab the dust mop, and get to work! 
 

When you dread doing something, the best stress-reliever is getting it over with.  So, if a junky closet or pantry has you in stress-mode, dive in, clean it up and get it organized. 
 

Keep in (distant) touch:  don’t neglect relationships just because you can’t physically be together. Instead of texting, give friends and family a call and talk for a few minutes. 
 

Add a long bath to your schedule! Soak your cares away in a leisurely bath, complete with those bath salts and soaks that have been sitting at the back of your bathroom closet since the holidays. 

Laugh! Stream-watch your favorite comedy shows or play a fun game with the kids. 

First and foremost, be certain you have some schoolwork time. Teachers and school administrators across the country are doing their best to keep your children learning, whether through online access or hard-copy work being sent home.  If having a designated area becomes tedious, allow them to make a work area on the floor, in a homemade tent, outside in the backyard--it doesn’t matter where it’s done, so long as they work on their assignments. 
 

If you have a book lover and can’t get to the library, check out these free read-aloud sites: Storyline Online is sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild, and you’ll find the likes of Betty White reading Harry the Dirty Dog;  Barnes & Noble has nineteen children’s classics; We Are Teachers has author read-aloud and activities for up to middle-school ages. 
 

You don’t have to be stuck inside--teach children the joy of old school games like Mother May I?, Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, hide and seek, and good old tag are all great games to play that you can participate in, and help the kids (and maybe you, too!) release some pent-up energy. Fatherly has some great ideas to play when you must be inside. 
 

Fun science experiments with common household items can be fun for everyone! 
 

When nerves start getting frazzled, the younger kids will like Cosmic Kids Yoga videos on YouTube. 

According to RescueTime, we are only truly productive for 2.8 hours per day. Taking that into consideration if you’re having to work from home, break up your work and the children’s learning time into two 90-minute periods, or three one-hour periods.   
 

Practicing social distancing simply means you’re not going out to public places, nor are you spending time with friends and family. Need to go for a jog? It’s fine! Need some reading time in the sunshine? Use your backyard or balcony!  
 

Start Spring cleaning, get the garden ready, or get to those little DIY jobs you’ve been putting off! 
 

Have you been wanting to learn a skill, like watercolor, knitting, or something else you can do at home? Look for instructional videos on YouTube and get started--you have no excuse! 
 

Check on your neighbors. If you can call them or text them, do; in the case of an elderly neighbor that lives alone, leave a note in their mailbox or taped to their front door with your phone number, asking them to call if there’s anything they need, even if it’s just to talk.
 

If you paid less than a 20% down payment, you are required to have Mortgage Insurance with FHA and USDA loans, while Private Mortgage Insurance is required with other lenders. In some cases,, these can be removed, and your mortgage payment will reflect the change. 
 

An Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) has a set interest rate for a certain amount of time, and after that time is up, the interest rate will vary. When the rates change, your payments will, too. Learn more about ARMs from Investopedia. 
 

Changes in escrow are almost unavoidable. What is escrow? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s definition: “An escrow account...is set up by your mortgage lender to pay certain property-related expenses.”  When property taxes or insurance premiums increase, your current payments won’t reflect that change, and that results in an escrow shortage. The shorted amount will be added to your loan payment, plus the new amount for adjusted increases. To avoid paying extra every month for the shortage, pay the amount in full as soon as you receive your annual escrow statement. 
 

What if you don’t have an escrow account on your mortgage, and you don’t pay your property taxes?  Lenders don’t want to foreclose on a home because of delinquent property taxes. To protect their money, they can add the amount to your current loan payment or open an escrow account for your loan. 
 

Homeowners insurance is a requirement when you have a loan on the home. If yours lapses, or you don’t have enough insurance on the house, lenders have the right to purchase a policy, called “forced-place insurance.” They will send you the bill for the premium, which is probably more expensive than your current payment.  

- You know what you want in a new home because you know what kind of lifestyle your family lives.  A buyer agent will listen and learn about your needs, wants and don’t-wants, take that information, and you don’t have to do another thing but wait for them to find prospects for you to see! How easy is that?! 
 

- Hiring a buyer agent opens a whole world of real estate options of which you are likely unaware. REALTORS® not only have a network of other agents, but the tools and expertise that can connect you with the right house sooner than you can find on your own. 
 

- The experts a real estate agent has at the click of a mouse or tap on their smartphone will all work together to ensure your home-buying process goes smoothly! Real estate attorneys, tax experts, and inspectors are just a few of the people you may need during the home-buying process. 
 

- If problems arise, your buyer agent isn’t always a miracle worker, but they will use all their means to see that the issue is resolved.  They want your transaction to go as smoothly as you do. 
 

- In most cases, you will owe a buyer agent nothing when you buy your house. Fees are normally paid by the seller, so you’re getting an exclusive, personalized service free!