Many people view their furry friends as members of the family. If you have pets at home, you need to make sure they are well taken care of. That means taking a closer look at an important pet safety checklist. What are a few of the most important items you need to include on this checklist if you want to make sure your dogs and cats are safe? Regular Checkups Are Critical First, you need to make sure that you take your pets to the veterinarian at least once per year. Just as you go to the doctor once per year, your pets need to go to the doctor once per year as well. Regular check-ups are important because the veterinarian could identify issues that you might not otherwise have noticed. In … [Continue Reading...]
If you're at the stage in life where home ownership is nearly within your reach, you're probably wondering whether you should start looking for a home or whether you should just keep renting. Renting is easier, people say, and it gives you more mobility. But over the long term, all that rent money can really add up - and it eventually reaches a point where buying a home is a better deal. So why is paying a high rent a worse option than buying a house and getting a mortgage? Here's what you need to know. Renting Doesn't Generate Equity One of the single biggest sources of wealth in the United States is home equity - as you pay down your mortgage, you invest more and more of your money into … [Continue Reading...]
There are not many parts of your life that are private anymore. Today, it is relatively easy for someone to go online and look up your address in just a few minutes. At the same time, there are some people who have an easier time keeping their lives private. Celebrities, public officials, and other people who are frequently in the public light are able to conceal their addresses. Even if you aren't famous, what do you need to do to hide your address? Talk To A Real Estate Agent If you want to keep your address private, the first thing you should do is talk to your real estate agent. There is a great chance that they have worked with someone who wanted to keep their address private in the … [Continue Reading...]
Every holiday season when you get out the decorations, there always seems to be a period of organization where you need to untangle lights, sort out the broken ornaments and just get all of the trimmings in order. Next year, skip the hassle of sifting through everything. The year-to-year holiday storage strategies below will help make next December's decorating easy. Hide Paper Up High Utilize a space that is always vacant — the ceiling of your closet. Attach two strings of wire from the front wall above your closet door to the back wall. Make them parallel to each other and about two feet apart. Then you can slide your wrapping paper tubes across the two wires. No more crinkled or … [Continue Reading...]
Last week’s economic reporting included readings on U.S. housing markets, pending home sales, and weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims. S&P Case Shiller Home Price Indices: Month-to-moth home prices fall in October U.S. home prices fell in October for the fourth consecutive month. Wavering demand for homes was caused by rising mortgage rates and high home prices in many regional markets. The 20-City home price index showed the top three cities with the highest month-to-month home price declines were Miami. Florida with a -1.0 percent decline, Tampa, Florida where home prices declined by -0,8 percent, and Charlotte, North Carolina where home prices dropped by … [Continue Reading...]
Home ownership may be one of the most familiar goals of adulthood, but there's more than one reason why so many people flock towards this type of investment and leave the rental market behind. If you're trying to decide if you should make the big plunge towards buying, here are some benefits of saving up for a down payment and finding the right place to settle in. It's More Economical Many people eschew home ownership simply because it can be hard to wrangle together the funds for a down payment. However, while a monthly rental is money you'll never see again, the money you put down on a mortgage is being invested back into your home, making for a solid investment you can capitalize on … [Continue Reading...]
