Blog

11
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

Reduce Your Home’s Carbon Footprint With These Energy-Saving Tips

Do you believe that humans are changing the climate? As of today, the debate over carbon dioxide and climate change continues to rage. But regardless of your political standpoint, there's always a case for reducing electricity use. Because who doesn't like saving money, right? Let's explore a few ways that you can save energy while reducing your home's carbon footprint. Leverage The Power Of Automation The technology behind home automation is improving at an amazing rate. Thermostats from companies like Nest make home heating and cooling simple. They learn from your use to automatically set temperatures up and down as…
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10
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

3 Ways That You Can Leverage Mortgage Financing to Build a Real Estate Investment Portfolio

Real estate may be one of the most important things that you will ever invest in, but it can also be a useful means of increasing your financial well-being. If you're getting into the real estate game and are wondering how you can make use of investing in homes to improve your net worth, here are three ways you can successfully work towards a real estate investment portfolio that will make you proud. Home Equity Line of Credit Loan Also known as HELOC, this is the type of loan where a homebuyer taps into the equity of their home while…
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09
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Buying a Home This Autumn? 4 Unconventional Ways to Save up for Your Down Payment

Autumn is a popular time for new home buyers to start looking for their first house or condo. But with that down payment looming, everybody could use a bit of help saving up to make that bulk payment a little less intimidating. There are plenty of unconventional ways to save up that may seem small, but will quickly add up and put a dent into that down payment. Create A High Interest Savings Account Talk to the bank about creating a secondary savings account with a higher interest rate. These super savings accounts usually come with the caveat that no…
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08
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Reverse Mortgages 101: How This Unique Financial Product Can Make Your Life Easier

If you've been in your home for a while and have considered other loan options, you may have heard the term reverse mortgage without being aware of how this product can benefit you. While this type of mortgage works for those who have a high amount of equity in their home, here are the details on reverse mortgages and how this product may work for you. What's A Reverse Mortgage? The reverse mortgage was created in 2009 as the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage for Purchase (HECM) and is something that can be used by those who are older than 62.…
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07
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Mortgage Rates

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – November 7, 2016

Last week's economic news included reports on inflation, construction spending, the Federal Reserve's announcement regarding interest rates and several labor and employment related releases. Weekly reports on new jobless claims and Freddie Mac's survey of interest rates were also released. Construction Spending Rises, Fed Holds Steady on Interest Rates, Suggests December Increase Construction spending remained in negative territory for September according to the Commerce Department. The month-to-month reading decreased by 0.40 percent against the expected reading of +0.40 percent and August's reading of -0.50 percent. Approaching winter weather is a likely reason for less spending, but ongoing challenges with shortages…
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04
Nov
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips,

Buying a New Home? Use This Checklist to Ensure Your Finances Are in Order

Buying a home is a significant expense. It doesn't matter whether you're a first-time buyer or have experience. Unless you have a large pile of cash, you'll need to ensure your finances are in order before closing. In this post we'll explore four financial items you'll want to check off before buying a new home. Figure Out Your Current Monthly Budget First, you're going to want to sort out your monthly budget. If you've never done a budget before, start with something basic. Open up a spreadsheet or take out a piece of paper. Make two columns: 'income' and 'expenses'.…
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