Author: Marlowe Clark

Kids can complicate the process of moving. Young children may not understand what’s happening, or just not understand the reasons why. Older kids that know what’s going on may simply have strong emotions about significant life changes such as this. Parents wish they could do something to make the transition smoother. Well, it turns out they can: Involve the kids in the process.

A large factor in kids’ reluctance to move is that they feel a lack of control. It’s simply something that’s happening and unavoidable, rather than something they’re doing. Take them to open houses with you, so they can familiarize themselves with their potential new homes. Ask them to help pack — you may think your kids aren’t going to want to be given tasks, but if it helps them feel like they are an actor rather than observer, they will feel more in control. Hosting a goodbye party for the kids, and not just for adults, can also help to add closure.

The process doesn’t end with moving out. There is more to do after moving in. Unpacking is just as important as packing. Let them help choose paint colors and the arrangement of furniture, especially in the room that will become their new bedroom. Once you’ve settled in the new house, go meet your neighbors, and take your kids with you.

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Some routine expenses may not seem like they’ll break your bank individually, but they aren’t just one-off expenses, and there’s often a cheaper way. You may notice these things more easily if you record your budget in a spreadsheet. This is a good practice for tax season anyway, and it could open your eyes to a whole lot of unnecessary spending.

Many people start their work day by grabbing a cup of coffee from someplace like Starbucks or a donut shop, then at lunch time, pick up a ready-made sandwich. Both of these things can be done at home. It takes more time, but it doesn’t have to get in the way of your morning, and it’s far cheaper. The coffee machine can be prepped at night and turned on when you wake up, and you can prepare and bag a sandwich in the evenings as well. You can also probably save on groceries by creating a list and sticking to it. Impulse buys are not uncommon, and while you may simply start adding some of these items to your list, they probably won’t all make it there. Another cost saving measure, this time unrelated to food, is ditching cable service. Streaming services can cover the same channels for a fraction of the cost.

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Almost everyone has a few smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher somewhere in their home. If you don’t, you definitely should, and are required to by law in California. Unfortunately, that’s as much care as many people take in their fire safety. That may not be enough.

Smoke detectors should be spaced around your home so that they can be heard regardless of where you are. California requires smoke detectors in certain areas of the home. This includes every bedroom, every hallway that leads to a bedroom, and at least one per floor in a living area. Check to make sure that you are conforming to code, and that your smoke detectors have working batteries. If your home is large, you may also want to consider additional smoke detectors above the minimum requirements to cover more area.

Homes are only required by law to have one fire extinguisher. However, this is the bare minimum and not ideal. You want to have easy access to a fire extinguisher regardless of where you are. The suggested number is one per floor. If you live in a multi-family building, every unit should have easy access to a fire extinguisher. This doesn’t necessarily need to be inside the unit, if there are hallways with access to multiple units. But having just one for the entire building isn’t a good idea, even if there are only a few units.

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Airbnb is a commonly used method for vacation-goers to find lodgings. It’s usually — though not always — cheaper than a hotel, and often significantly more flexible and easier to book. All of this makes it attractive to people going on vacation. But what about the other party? Is Airbnb a good investment over traditional income property? Well, that depends.

If your property is in a heavily touristy location, it can probably earn quite a bit as an Airbnb rental. Part of this is the per night costs, which add up quickly if you have guests most nights. In addition, cancellations aren’t as backbreaking as losing a tenant. However, overhead costs may be higher, with Airbnb taking a cut and the high likelihood that you’ll be paying for utilities and housekeeping. You don’t want long periods of inactivity with high overhead costs. Unfortunately, such periods are likely because vacations are frequently seasonal.

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For many people, their goal is to pay off their mortgage so that they can continue to live in their home without any more mortgage payments to make after retirement. This is certainly a good financial decision, but with a bit more planning, it could be made even better. Consider downsizing going into retirement. You may even be able to sell your home and purchase a smaller, cheaper home without a mortgage at all.

That’s not the only way smaller homes are cheaper. Insurance and tax payments would also be lower. Smaller space generally means less utility usage. A smaller home probably won’t have a pool to maintain and may not have much lawn or garden space to take care of. Money isn’t the only thing you’ll save, either; you’ll also spend less time cleaning and maintaining your home. With the time and money you’ll save, you’ll also have the opportunity to take more vacations and relax even further.

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Home offices have become more popular as more people are transitioning to work-from-home. This has increased the popularity of larger homes with additional space that can be used for a home office. But a home office doesn’t actually require that much space, and certainly doesn’t need its own room, unless you need privacy.

If you have an attic or basement, either of these spaces can be converted into a home office. Converting the attic can even add to your home’s value, and an office space probably won’t even take up the entire basement. Another feature your home may have is a breakfast nook. Often, this is superfluous and the same purpose is served by a dinner table. It would not be difficult to convert the breakfast nook into an office space. Even if your home doesn’t have any of these features, you can probably find an unused corner of a bedroom or the living room to put a small desk and a chair.

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While homebuyers don’t necessarily have the experience to know everything they should be considering when buying a home, they definitely know what they want. It may not be easy or even possible to match all the criteria at once, but there are several top priorities buyers look for in an ideal home. These are the factors buyers typically tell their agents they’re considering most.

The first is safety. Buyers will usually research a specific area’s crime rate before considering it, though if they don’t have a predetermined idea of which area they want to live in, they may not know all of the crime rates in various regions. You shouldn’t only rely on statistics, though. Go visit and see for yourself what the area is like. Spend some time there. If you don’t feel safe, you probably don’t want to live there, even if the crime rate doesn’t seem very high. Something else buyers want is proximity to work, friends and family, and community amenities. However, they also want to be careful to balance this with light traffic, while being close enough to main roads. There’s going to be some sacrifice made. Make the commute yourself before buying, instead of just looking at map data. Another extremely important factor for most buyers is having a good school system. It’s very difficult to enrolls your children in a school system outside of your school district, though it is technically possible. Buyers also want to make sure the area isn’t too expensive to live in outside of purchasing the home, meaning low cost of living and low local taxes.

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More: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/buyers-most-important-factors-deciding-130014349.html

Most everyone has had the unfortunate experience of losing their house keys and being locked out of their home at least once. Some people end up having to break into their own home, which can cause some misunderstandings. Otherwise, you’ll have to call a locksmith, or have a spare key hidden somewhere. But you can avoid this entirely with an electronic or smart lock. Not only that, smart locks can also help you keep track of who comes and goes, and it’s much easier to change a smart lock code than a manual lock if it becomes necessary.

Not all electronic locks work the same way, though, and not all of them use smart technology. The most basic electronic locks just require a code to unlock the door. Some use a form of unique identification instead, such as fingerprints, RFID, or Bluetooth recognition. Smart locks have the potential to issue multiple codes to different people, and log which codes have been used when. You also need to make sure that if you plan to connect the lock to your phone, choose a smart lock that is compatible with your model. You should also look into what types of security measures the smart lock has.

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