Both of these alone can be very stressful on their own: hosting Thanksgiving and moving into a new home. Can you imagine hosting Thanksgiving in a home you just moved to? It can potentially be incredibly stressful if you have not had a chance to unpack fully yet. You may also be hosting for just your small family, but it can still be incredibly stressful! In an effort to help reduce your stress, we will share some tips and tricks we have learned over the years.

To start, make sure all of your kitchen appliances, dishes, cookware, and any other supplies (like your spices!) you might need are unpacked. If you are not fully unpacked, it is important to at least know where all of the items you will need are. We would suggest you unpack them before the holiday. If there are items you are missing or you may have purged when unpacking, add them to your next shopping trip.

If time allows, we would suggest you do some cooking before the big day so you can get a feel for how your new stove and stovetop work. As you likely know, every stove is a bit different. This also holds true for any other new kitchen appliances you might plan on using. If you are struggling with getting the temperatures right, we would recommend that maybe you let your guests help with some of the dishes or even order some dishes from a local restaurant or grocery store already made.

On Thanksgiving day, we want to remind you to be sure you relax and feel the love of everyone who is over! It is a special feeling, knowing you have loved ones who want to celebrate the special day with you. Try not to stress out (moving is stressful as it is!) and be in the moment as much as you can with your loved ones. Create new, wonderful memories in your new home!

Organizing certain areas in your home can make you feel incredibly accomplished. Not only feeling accomplished, but also getting rid of items that may be outdated or not longer working is always a good idea. There are many people who do not even use their garage as what it is intended for – a car – because there is simply no room for one. Homeownership is a blessing but it can also be full of tasks that are not fun!

Sometimes it is easier to tackle large projects like this by dedicating a couple of hours for a few days, instead of dedicating one full day of doing it. When starting this process, we would recommend organizing the items you are going through in four piles: items to keep, sell, donate, and throw in the garbage. Purging items is beneficial for your mental health as well!

When going through your items, keep in the back of your head that there are some items that should not be in the garage but are often stored there. Some of these items are: paint cans, propane, pet food, paper goods, etc. Paint cans, paper goods, and pet foods are safer in an indoor area where the temperature is controlled. Propane should be stored somewhere far away from your home to safety reasons.

Once you have your pile of items that you wish to keep, organize them in such a way that you can easily not only get to them, but find them when you want them. You can accomplish this task by labeling bins or storage shelves. For items that you see yourself using frequently, be sure to keep them somewhere that is easy access to you. Items that you do not plan to use frequently (like Christmas decorations) can be stored in your attic or high up on a shelf.

Some people forget to keep a fire extinguisher easily accessible in their garage. Be sure you have one in the case of emergency!

Are there any other tips or tricks you have for organizing your garage? We would love to share them with others!

Whether you are thinking about applying for a home loan or you have already pre-qualified for one, there are things you should take into consideration. There are a handful of situations that can potentially delay closing on your home or even cause you to not be approved for a mortgage at all. 

To start with, we would recommend that you do not make a large purchase in neither cash, nor credit. One of the reasons we discourage you from doing this is that you might be dipping into your savings and you might need those funds as a downpayment or to even help with closing costs. When making a large purchase on credit, it will increase your debt-to-income ratio. This means you might possibly not get qualified for a loan.

This leads into not opening or closing any lines of credit you already have. By opening or closing a line of credit, your credit score might be impacted. You may hurt your chances of getting approved for a mortgage by closing or opening. This even plays into effect if you have already pre-qualified for a mortgage. Being pre-qualified does not mean a guarantee.

This maybe common sense but we do want to remind you to be sure you do not miss any payments on your current credit cards, bills, or other loans. Even just one late payment may cause harm on your credit score. When you are in this limbo, so to speak, make sure you are not purchasing things where it might be difficult for you to pay off your bills on time. Stay within your means.

You may know this already as well, but we want to remind you that it is not recommend to start a new job during this process. We would recommend that you wait until you have closed on your mortgage before you change jobs. A steady employment history is always looked at by lenders.

If you have any other questions as it pertains to your finances and what would or would not be a good idea for becoming approved for a loan, please ask us. We are always here to help!

Real estate agents play an important role in your life, both if you are selling or buying a home. Real estate agents have a multitude of tasks that they perform in the process of both selling and buying. As you likely know by now, there are so many agents to choose from! It can become quite overwhelming. We will share some tips and tricks with you in choosing the right one for you and your family.

To start with, we would recommend that you ask everyone you know if they have any experience with real estate agents in the area you are wanting to purchase or sell a home in. This is helpful for both finding out someone you should possibly work with, but also someone to possibly stay away from. By asking questions about who to work with, you may come up with more ideas when it comes to questions to ask about the whole process.

This might seem incredibly obvious, but we do want to mention it…do not forget to do your research! The internet can be a wonderful place to start your journey. With many people and professionals being on social media lately, you can also get a good idea of someone’s personality from their social media pages. You might be able to figure out if you will get along with them or not.

Be sure to make a list of what is the most important to you and your family with working with a real estate agent. Not only should this have to do with what the agent specializes in, but also personality traits you are looking for. That might seem a little silly but is is very important as you will be spending a great deal of time with your agent. There are many things to keep in mind, so it really just comes down to what is the most important to you.

Like with many other decisions in life, sometimes you need to just go with your gut. If you have a bad feeling from someone upon initially meeting them, it might be for a reason. Gut does not decide everything, but it can surely say a lot!

Did you know that there are renovation loans available out there? This type of loan can help you renovate your home – whether you currently own the home or will be purchasing a home that will need some renovations. The opportunities are endless! It includes all kinds of common repairs and remodels! This includes: doors, windows, patios, patio additions, room additions, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, fences, driveways, roofs, gutters, etc. There are so many options.

If you are thinking of renovating your current home or thinking of purchasing a home that needs remodeling, we would be happy to help you go over your options. As always, there are many and we would love to not only education, but work with you.

There are a couple of common renovation loans. The first is a FHA 203(k) loan. This type of loan will help you purchase not only the mortgage on the home, but also repairs. The home would need to be your primary residence. The Standard FHA 203(k) loan will help with any repairs with a minimum cost of $5,000. The Streamline FHA 203(k) will help finance not only minor repairs, but also renovations in the amount of up to $35,000. The FNMA HomeStyle loan is more flexible with the stipulations. This type of loan helps you purchase and renovate any type of home (primary residence, secondary residence, or even investment property) with a minimum down payment of 5%. The lending limit will vary.

As you can see, there are many options available. You do not have to worry about finding the absolute perfect home with these many remodel loan options out there!

It is officially storm season! This has been a crazy season already and it is expected to continue being a crazy one. As a new homeowner or newly moving to an area that is affected by hurricanes, we want to make sure you are prepared and ready for any size storm that is coming your way.

To begin, we would suggest that you actually do some outdoor maintenance. What we mean by this is to clear any dead trees or plants on the outside. When you remove these items, make sure you dispose of them properly so they do not find them somewhere crazy if there is high wind. If you have gutters, make sure they are not only completely cleaned but also that the spouts are facing the proper way so they drain properly. Also check to make sure all parts of your fence and outdoor shed is secured tightly. Right before an expected storm comes, if there are any items that might blow away in high winds, either secure them tightly or take them inside.

If you do not have any type of emergency kit at your ready, get one stocked and ready! This will save you a lot of stress at the event you lose electricity for a period of time. It is recommended that you have enough food and water for every person in your household for a minimum of three days. You should also include a first aid kit, flashlight, candles, matches, radio, and batteries in your emergency kit. It would also be a good idea to have books and board games available if you have any kids in your household. Actually, it would be a good idea to have that for adults too! If you plan on evacuating for any reason, make sure that people know where you plan to go at the event you cannot make calls or text anyone.

If you have any other tips for a new homeowner or someone living in a likely hurricane affected area, please be sure to share it with us!

Budgeting can be an art! It is very important, especially if you are saving for something big, like a new home! Due to the importance, we wanted to make sure you are familiar with the process. Last week, we helped walk you through the first part of creating a budget – writing all of your assets, debts, incomes, and expenses down.

Now that you have that, you need to track what you spend. You should do this for a minimum of one month before you develop your budget. By doing this, you will be able to create a budget that reflects your lifestyle if you are able to. You can also track it for a few months and then take the average. If you typically use one credit card for payments, most credit card websites have this feature within their website. That will make it even easier for you!

Next up is deciding what type of budget plan you want to work with. How aggressive do you want to be with saving funds? One of the most common plans is the 50/30/20 Budget Plan. This plan incorporates 50% of your net income going on what you absolutely need and cannot live without. This includes: your house, food, utilities, car, medical, insurance. After that, 30% of your income goes toward things that you want (but can live without.) This includes entertainment, new clothes, eating at restaurants, etc.  The 20% portion of this is very important if you are saving for something big, like a new home. 20% of your income goes toward reducing your debt if you have any or saving your money.

This is just one example of a budget plan. There are many other options out there. We can briefly go over them with you if it is something that would interest you.

The best part of budgeting is that it is a process that evolves with your lifestyle and your finances. If you find a particular plan not working for you, change it the next month. If you want a budget to save for a new home, we would be happy to talk to you about what type of mortgage you might qualify for and how much of a down payment you might need. This will help you with figuring out your budget.

It is never too late to work on a budget! This is especially true if you are wanting to purchase a home as a current homeowner or a first time homeowner. Establishing a budget does not have to be completely strict and restricted. Having a budget will help you know how much money your household has and where it goes. If coming up with a budget is new to you, it does not have to be a burden or be a scary process. We will help break it down for you. If you have any other tips when it comes to establishing a budget, please share it with us. Just like you, we are always learning and evolving!

To begin the process of establishing a budget, you need to write down all of your finances. This includes all funds you have all over – in your checking, savings, retirement, etc. accounts. Be sure to count for any savings bonds you might have as well! Next, write down all of the debt you have. This debt includes your mortgage loan, your car loan, any credit card balances, any outstanding student loans, etc. Now is time to write down income from all parties in your household. This includes any side jobs or incremental revenue you may have coming in that you do not think about right away. This next part might be the most stressful as next up is writing down your monthly expenses for everyone in the household. This includes fixed and variable expenses. A fixed expense is an amount that stays the same every month. A variable expense is one that changes monthly, such as utilities, gas, groceries, etc.

In an effort to not overwhelm you, we know that was a lot of work, we will carry this back up next week!

Whether you are decorating your home for pleasure to pass the time, to beautify it since you just moved in (congratulations!) or getting ready to sell it, decorating can be overwhelming! You do have the option of hiring a staging company if you are getting ready to sell your home. If you do not want to do that in an effort to save some money, we will give you some decorating ideas.

You probably already have done it, but if you have not, be sure to look on the world wide web for ideas! There are a multitude of websites full of decorating ideas! There are also many people you can follow on social media who shares decorating tips often. Also, grab a decorating magazine if you have not already. Seeing decorations in action will help greatly.

Making areas cozy tends to bring comfort and peace to others. Having blankets on couches and coffee tables can help make things feel cozy. The blankets can be stylish and add a pop of color to the room.

Adding additional lighting is always a good idea and an easy way to decorate. When things are bright, it makes it seem like there is more space to enjoy! You can do this easily by adding stylish lamps and string lights around. Adding this additional lighting is especially important during the winter when it gets dark outside so early.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have some fun too! While we know it can be stressful and tedious, it can also be fun and give you a feeling of accomplishment! If there is a certain holiday coming up or a birthday, you can even decorate to celebrate. Let your creativity flow. There is no wrong way to decorate.

We have talked about credit scores many times in the past. Credit scores are important in today’s society – for more reasons than just your mortgage rate. It also plays a role in what you get approved for and how much money you need to put down. While it is true that the higher your credit score is, the easier it is for you to qualify. It does, however, not necessarily mean that if you have a low score, you will not get qualified. It may be a little more difficult and your mortgage rate might be higher in comparison.

We would recommend you find out what your credit score is in the months leading up to applying for a mortgage. This is helpful in case you need to work on improving your score – you will have time to do so before you apply.

A quick rundown of how credit scores are usually evaluated:

720 and above: excellent

690-719: good

630-689: fair

629 and below: poor

If you are looking to improve your credit score, we would recommend you make all payments on time. This includes your rent payment, credit card payments, and any other loan payments you might have.

Be sure to thoroughly go over your credit report! This is important. Mistakes can be made. If there is a mistake on your report, figure out how to fix it.

If you are in the poor or fair range, you might want to think about working with a credit counselor or loan officer. They will give you one on one support in order to improve your score.

Keep in mind that if you are unable to improve your credit score before applying for a mortgage, there is still hope for you. There are some specific loans that will work for you – do not lose hope.