Real Estate Information

Many times folks hear about a reverse mortgage on the television and they think it sounds like the best thing since sliced bread.  There are a few things you need to know about reverse mortgages before you decide to move forward with one and below we have listed a few tips on how to avoid a reverse mortgage nightmare.  

1. One way to avoid even thinking about doing a  reverse mortgage  is to not wait until you simply don’t have any other option.  Do not go into something like a reverse mortgage without counseling with a HUD-certified housing counselor.  If you make huge decisions such as getting involved with a reverse mortgage during a time of financial stress, you will likely end up worse off than you started. 
2. Another tip for avoiding a reverse mortgage nightmare is to search around for all that is offered.  You don’t have to settle for a reverse mortgage just because you think it’s the only thing you can do.  Talk to a financial counselor and find out what all of your options might be and then make an informed decision based off of the facts and not just what you think the facts might be. 
3. If the lender you have chosen to move forward with suddenly starts telling you that your home needs a ton of repairs, be sure to find a new lender as quickly as possible.  HUD insures over 95% of reverse mortgages and they only require that the home be safe and functional.  Any small issues that your home might have shouldn’t even come into play during a reverse mortgage consultation. 
4. If you feel pressured at all to sign on the dotted line to receive a reverse mortgage, do your part and do not sign the papers.  You don’t want to end up in a reverse mortgage nightmare just because you felt like you were being pressured into signing the papers.  Again, get up and leave the room if you feel any kind of pressure to sign on the dotted line for a reverse mortgage.
5. Be sure to show up for the closing if you do decide to do a reverse mortgage.  If you are not present things may go astray and you might end up with a raw deal in the end. 

These are just a few tips to avoiding a reverse mortgage nightmare.  Do your part to pay close attention to detail so that you don’t end up living in the middle of a real nightmare.  

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

Owning a home is a wonderful thing, but you should always be really careful to make the best choices if you make changes to the outside of your home and this includes putting up a fence of any kind.  There are a few tips for adding a fence to your property that you might want to take into consideration before doing so and some of those are listed below. 

1. Before putting up a fence on your property be sure to talk with your neighbors about it.  You need to keep in mind that you are not only putting up a fence in your backyard but you are also adding a fence to your neighbors land as well.  Talk with the neighbors that your fence will directly affect and discuss such things as property lines and types of fencing etc. 
2. Another thing to consider when adding a fence on your property  is the color of the fence and also the style.  Will the color and style of your fence match your home?  If you need ideas of what style fence will look good with your house consider looking online at some ideas.
3. You may want to consider planting trees to use as a fence if you decide you can’t find a style of fencing that will look good with your homes style.  Cypress and pines are great for this type of privacy fencing and they never go out of style. 
4. If you decide to add a wooden fence, be sure that you know you will have to take care of it and paint or stain it every so often.  If you want something that has less maintenance than that you may want to purchase a vinyl fence.  
5. You may want to consider cost as well when deciding what type of material you want your new fence made out of.  Keeping within your budget is always a good idea when adding to your home.
6. Longevity of the fence material is another thing to keep in mind when choosing fencing for your property.  You don’t want to purchase a material that will need to be replaced sooner than you wish for it to. 

These are just a few tips for adding a fence of any kind to your property.  Once you have gone over these tips you should be able to choose more wisely than you would have without them.  

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

Decorating your home can be fun but no other room is more fun than decorating the nursery for the arrival of a new little one.  Nothing brings more happiness than welcoming a new baby into the world and what better way to welcome your new bundle of joy into your home than by fixing the nursery up for them.  Below are a few nursery decorating ideas to welcome your new little one. 

1. A little baby is nothing more than a miracle from above so why not decorate your new baby’s room like the royalty that they are.  Decorating the nursery  in a royal theme is a perfect idea whether you are welcoming a tiny prince or a princess.  You can keep the décor unisex by adding some rich colors to the wall or adding a chandelier to the ceiling.  Adding a few decorative pillows maybe in the shape of a crown might be a good idea as well. 
2. Another cool idea for decorating your nursery is to make it extremely colorful with balloon décor.  This type of room can be unisex as well if you stick to the primary colors of yellow, blue, green and red.  If you want to get really creative you could paint a balloon mural on the wall and perhaps an outdoor scene to go along with it. 
3. If you like country décor you could use painted pallets to add a touch of southern sass to the room.  This type of country décor can be unisex if you want or you can make it more of a cowboy feel or a cowgirl feel depending on which you have been blessed with. 
4. Yet another great decorating idea to welcome your new little one into their new room is a Hollywood glitz and glam room.  Sheer curtains hung throughout the room with walls painted pink is a great way to get this particular look and feel.  Yet again, a chandelier may be appropriate for this type of room. 
5. If you want another gender neutral idea for your baby's room  you can use colors such as grey and yellow.  These colors are not only unisex they are timeless as well.  

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

New Castle County DE listings decreased 4.76% in October 2016 with 38 fewer homes being listed. The average sales price increased 4.94% to $252,037, and market times decreased by 1 day.

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If you have recently put your house on the market and want it to sell quickly you may need to take a look at a few of these tips on how to eliminate smells so that your house will be more likely to sell. While selling your home quickly may sound good to you, you may not be thinking about exactly how clean your house smells when you have a last minute showing pop up.  If you are caught in a bind with a last minute showing and you need to get rid of a few household odors, be sure to read below for some ideas. 

1. If you have pets you already know that they have a smell all their own.  Pets that may not be house trained yet may be hard to deal with during a house showing.  If you need to cover up the smell of pet urine quickly there are several ways to go about it.  One way to get rid of pee smell in the carpet is to soak the area with enzyme spray.  Another way to get rid of the smell all together (however it may take a bit longer) is to get rid of the carpet once and for all and put in hardwoods. 
2. Another way to eliminate smells so that your house might sell is to open up your windows while you are cooking.  If you know you have a showing one night, be sure to keep your windows open while you are cooking with the hood fan on as well.  Another good way to get rid of the smell of a recently prepared meal in your home is to set a bowl of coffee grounds on the countertop over night (if your showing doesn’t happen to be the same evening of course.)  If you don’t want to take any chances of having your dinner linger during the showing you could always just go out to eat for the evening. 
3. Garbage smell in a home is some of the worst odor possible.  One easy way to get rid of that particular smell is to be sure and take it to the curb before you leave for the showing. 

These are just a few ways that you can get rid of smells in your home  so that your showing might go well and you may be more able to sell your home.  Hopefully they will get you started in the right direction.  

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins. 

You must admit the housing market is booming right now and this means that many folks are getting more than one offer on their house.   Knowing which offer you should accept  can sometimes be a daunting task.  If you do get multiple offers you may think that opting for the highest bidder is the route to go, but not in all cases is this true.  Below are a few tips for making sense of it all and deciding which home offer is best for you and your family. 

1.  If you want your home to be sold to a family member but their offer is just too low as compared to someone who is going to use your house as an investment for example, try coming back with a counter offer.  Just because you get a really high offer from someone doesn’t mean you have to accept that offer.  If you don’t want to see your home be flipped for example, don’t accept the offer from that person.  If you can afford to do so, accept a little bit of a lower offer to keep the house in the family.
2. If you have a potential buyer make an offer with contingencies it may be best to skip over that person.  You don’t want to get involved in things such as waiting for a potential buyers house to sell before they can purchase yours.  In most cases it will serve you best, if you have more than one offer, to skip right over those with contingencies. 
3. If you have a buyer that makes a good offer on your house but they cannot close for a month or two, pick the one that can close more quickly if that meets your needs. 
4. Just because someone makes a really high offer on your house doesn’t mean they are the ones who need to win the bid war.  Many times folks that make very high offers may back out in the end leaving you high and dry.  Be careful not to just accept the highest bid and not look at any of the rest. 

Hopefully these ideas on how to decide which offer to accept  when you have multiple offers on your home will make things easier for you.   Don’t worry too much about it, after all…multiple offers is a good thing! 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.

Owning a home is a wonderful thing, but you should always be really careful to make the best choices if you make changes to the outside of your home and this includes putting up a fence of any kind.  There are a few tips for adding a fence to your property that you might want to take into consideration before doing so and some of those are listed below. 

1. Before putting up a fence on your property be sure to talk with your neighbors about it.  You need to keep in mind that you are not only putting up a fence in your backyard but you are also adding a fence to your neighbors land as well.  Talk with the neighbors that your fence will directly affect and discuss such things as property lines and types of fencing etc. 
2. Another thing to consider when adding a fence on your property  is the color of the fence and also the style.  Will the color and style of your fence match your home?  If you need ideas of what style fence will look good with your house consider looking online at some ideas.
3. You may want to consider planting trees to use as a fence if you decide you can’t find a style of fencing that will look good with your homes style.  Cypress and pines are great for this type of privacy fencing and they never go out of style. 
4. If you decide to add a wooden fence, be sure that you know you will have to take care of it and paint or stain it every so often.  If you want something that has less maintenance than that you may want to purchase a vinyl fence.  
5. You may want to consider cost as well when deciding what type of material you want your new fence made out of.  Keeping within your budget is always a good idea when adding to your home.
6. Longevity of the fence material is another thing to keep in mind when choosing fencing for your property.  You don’t want to purchase a material that will need to be replaced sooner than you wish for it to. 

These are just a few tips for adding a fence of any kind to your property.  Once you have gone over these tips you should be able to choose more wisely than you would have without them. 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.

The garage - it's that space where you used to just store your car, lawn mower, power tools, bikes, bats and boxes of things you wore in the 90s. But to say a garage is only for storage is like saying a truck is only for hauling dressers and box springs.

From game room to workshop, man cave to hangout - your garage has the potential to be anything you want it to be. So if you're thinking of redecorating or remodeling your house, don't spend all your time picking out kitchen tile and arguing over what type of counter looks best - step into your garage and let yourself dream big.

With the right materials, some creativity and a little work, you can turn your garage into the star of the house. How? TV personality and award-winning interior designer Anitra Mecadon offers the following five ideas to get you excited about all the possibilities.

Toughen Up Your Walls

No matter what you want to do with your garage, first make sure your walls can stand up to real life. There's probably no space in the house more susceptible to scratches, scuffs and accidental holes than the garage - so pick your walls accordingly. Look for PURPLE Hi-Impact XP made by National Gypsum for extra wear and tear to resist everything from car doors opened too close to the wall to the hockey sticks swung a little too hard. This drywall is embedded with fiberglass mesh to make it impact and penetration resistant - and like all PURPLE drywall, it resists moisture, mold and mildew.

Make Your Garage Your Hideaway

Sometimes you need to get away from it all - especially from your "honey do" or project list - and the garage can be where you go, your hangout, an extension of yourself and a definite point of pride. Add a snack machine, fridge, swivel chair or two and big screen TV, and you and your friends will have it made. 

Lift It Up

Most people have a lot of stuff to store in the garage in addition to cars, tools and bikes. And let's face it, the more available space you have, the more likely you'll find stuff to fill it. That means you'll need to get creative with storage. In addition to shelves and cabinets attached to the walls, another way to store your stuff is to use a raised lift system which retracts up into the top levels of your garage and comes down with a push of a button when you need something.

Hang It Up

There are some things that just don't belong in your house but are perfect for the garage. Just like restaurants that have walls crowded with collectibles such as old soda signs, sea anchors and license plates - garages can follow this same design concept and personalize a space even more. Walls also can serve as anchors for storage systems that hold your tools, bikes, boxes and equipment. And you can rest assured that high-performing drywall, like PURPLE Hi-Impact XP, will stand up to the wear and tear of hanging up and taking down your tools, rakes, bikes and more, day after day.

Do More With Your Floor

Today, garage floors can be anything you want - yellow, red, metallic, acid-washed or made out of heavy-duty vinyl or rubber. And whether you want the grey concrete vintage look of your childhood or something that reflects your more grown-up self, when it comes to garage floors, take a chance and get inventive, because your garage can be your personal and customized sanctuary.

There's a lot you can do with a modern garage, and no matter how you decide to personalize it, the best garage remodel starts at the studs. The right drywall is as important as the right wrench in the toolbox. (BPT)

Millennials are frequently criticized for needing instant gratification, but recent reports point out that they actually have more patience than previous generations. Both the U.S. Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say millennials are delaying getting married and starting a family by almost a decade.

And it's not just life decisions millennials are postponing; this behavior is also prevalent in their financial decisions. According to a recent survey from Bankrate.com, millennials are putting off important financial moves due to high levels of student debt.

"Knocking out debt should be a priority when you are young, but it's also important to balance that with other key financial priorities," says JJ Montanaro, a financial planner with USAA. "Time is your number one ally when planning for the future and delaying now may cost you more in the long run."

Montanaro highlights the three main financial priorities millennials shouldn't hit the pause button on:

Life Insurance

A recent survey found that one in three millennials acknowledge they need additional life insurance coverage. However, most aren't purchasing it because they think it's too expensive or because they have other financial priorities.

While millennials may not immediately reap the benefits of life insurance coverage, locking in the cost of life insurance premiums at a young age can pay off in the future. Montanaro explains that life insurance premiums will only increase with age and additional health complications.

With many life changes likely on the horizon, millennials should find a plan that offers term life event options that allow them to easily increase coverage following significant events such as getting married, having a child or buying a home.

Montanaro also points out that life insurance may not cost as much as buyers anticipate. More than eight in 10 people overestimate the cost of a policy. He says a life insurance calculator is a great place to start to understand coverage needs and estimate costs.

Health Insurance

Regardless of overall health or age, it's important to have health insurance and understand what it covers to avoid additional penalties and plan for the unexpected.

Under the Affordable Care Act, not having a qualified health insurance plan can result in a penalty at tax time. Montanaro points out that this penalty has risen to 2.5 percent of household adjusted gross income in 2016, or a flat rate which is expected to rise in the coming years.

For millennials who may not currently have large medical bills or health issues, Montanaro recommends they look at a high-deductible plan with a health savings account (HSA). An HSA allows account holders to set aside pre-tax money for health expenses and free-up some emergency cash when they do eventually need it.

Retirement Investing

Only one-third of individuals aged 18 to 35 say they invest in the market, according to a recent Bankrate.com survey. Montanaro says sitting on the sidelines with retirement savings may result in millennials missing out on the power of compounding returns and may even extend their retirement timeline.

But retirement investing doesn't have to be intimidating. Montanaro recommends starting small with a low-cost mutual fund, such as a target date fund, that allows a low entry point, requires little maintenance and invests in a portfolio that automatically adjusts as retirement gets closer.

The most important step is to get a foot in the door. While USAA recommends investing 10 percent of your income toward retirement, even earmarking 1 percent for the future provides a foundation upon which to build.

This material is for informational purposes. Consider your own financial circumstances carefully before making a decision and consult with your tax, legal or estate planning professional. (BPT)

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.