Understanding Property Taxes
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
I don’t know about you, but my brain shuts down when the word “tax” is mentioned. I think many of us would rather have a root canal than talk taxes. So, let’s try to keep this light-hearted and hit just the basics. Property taxes vary by the local government that imposes them and are based on the assessed value of your property. According to WalletHub.com’s John S. Kiernan, folks in New Jersey pay the highest property taxes – 2.44 percent, while Hawaii’s homeowners pay the least, at 0.27 percent of assessed value. Your property taxes, along with those of your neighbors, are used to fund schoo ..read more
Visit website
Negotiation: There’s more than the price of the home to consider
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Naturally, the price of a home is top-of-mind when we talk about negotiating in a real estate deal. And, for some homebuyers, these negotiations are critical. But, did you know that there are other ways to bargain with a home seller other than on price? The purchase agreement is full of haggling opportunities. Let’s take a look at five of them we deal with most often. 1. Repairs Negotiating home repairs is something we are quite familiar with. After the home inspection, when the homebuyer receives the inspector’s report, negotiations often begin anew. Understand, however, that no home is perf ..read more
Visit website
The life expectancy of home appliances
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Whether you’re shopping for a home or already own one, knowing the current age of the appliances is important. Like us, they have an average life span. Unlike us, they can be replaced. But it’s pricey to do so. The experts at Consumer Reports recommend that you replace appliances if the cost to repair them is more than half the price of a new one. While that’s a good rule of thumb, it’s something you can put off with care and proper maintenance of your home’s appliances. As a bonus, your appliances won’t become energy hogs ..read more
Visit website
USDA Loans – They Just May be the Best Option for Low-Income Buyers
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Keeping your nose to the grindstone, using credit wisely and responsibly and paying your bills on time every month have their rewards, no matter how much or how little money you make. One reward is how much easier it is to realize your piece of the American Dream – the opportunity to purchase your own home. A bonus for the low-income earner is a government-backed loan with no down payment. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Single Family Housing programs may just be the best option for low-income folks with good credit and a steady job to buy a house. Two typ ..read more
Visit website
Kick stink bugs out of the house, naturally
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
If you haven’t met your fair share of stink bugs this year, brace yourself. Although stink bug season is officially from March through September, the cooler it gets outdoors, the bigger the problem. Brown marmorated stink bugs infest both the interior of homes and the garden. In the garden, they feed on fruit and vegetable crops, causing spots and decay. They prefer to overwinter indoors, in homes. While they aren’t considered harmful to humans or to the home, they create lots of noise and, if bothered, quite a stink. Once inside the home, they are a challenge to control. Death by drowning Th ..read more
Visit website
3 Things to know about buying a new-construction home
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Will this be the year you buy a brand-new home? Don’t be discouraged by news reports claiming that “U.S. home building fell,” or “housing starts dropped.” The scary-sounding numbers are due to a drop in multi-family home building, not single-family. In fact, the single-family home construction market across the country is set to be just fine, with a surge in new building permits late this summer. Moving into a newly-built home is a lot like the first time you sit behind the wheel of a new car, but on steroids. No stinky smells from whatever it was the previous occupant was cooking, no greasy ..read more
Visit website
Quick fixes for a stinky home
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Inured. That’s just a fancy way of explaining how we humans can, over time, become accustomed to something unpleasant. If you’ve ever lived near railroad tracks or under the flight path of a local airport you know what we’re talking about. At first, the noise was torture. After time, however, you may have barely noticed it. It’s the same with smells. We become accustomed to the odors in our home and it’s not until either someone very honest comes to visit or we return home after some time away that we realize just how stinky the home is. While pets and smokers are obvious causes of home odors ..read more
Visit website
Dreaming of life on a golf course?
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
There was a time when real estate agents could confidently tell their clients that one of the biggest advantages of owning a home on a golf course is that the verdant view would be permanent. Today, many owners face a view of brown, dead fairways, vandalized buildings and uncertainty about what may pop up when the land is sold. Chalk it up to the busyness of Americans. The lengthy game of golf has declined in popularity, leaving course owners to deal with the consequences. Or, blame the oversupply of golf courses and the waning of Tiger-mania (among other reasons), as  John Eidukot at GolfOpe ..read more
Visit website
Your down payment: What are “seasoned and sourced funds?”
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Sometimes (not often enough, in our opinion) money falls into our laps. Tax returns, bonus checks, gifts and an inheritance are just a few ways that we can come into a chunk of money suddenly. If you’ve been saving for a down payment on a home, the windfall will go a long way toward getting you closer to home ownership. But, “sudden” money comes with a catch. Lenders like things seasoned Lenders become skeptical when money suddenly appears, seemingly out of nowhere. Your lender will want a paper trail of every last cent you have and expect to have in the near future. And, the lender will ask ..read more
Visit website
Autumn: the perfect time to whip that mudroom into shape
Dolci Group
by
4y ago
Folks who live in areas of the country with wild winter weather use a vocabulary that sounds like a foreign language to those who live in more mild climes. One of the words not in the Hawaiian’s or Floridian’s vocabulary is “mudroom.” But, whether it’s an entryway retrofitted in the winter to hold wet, muddy shoes or an entire room devoted to winter over-clothes, boots and recreational equipment, a mudroom is something many Americans can’t fathom living without. After all, it helps keep the rest of the home clean. That’s the beauty of the mudroom. Located at a home’s entry point, it’s a corra ..read more
Visit website

Follow Dolci Group on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR