When deciding whether to buy or rent, there are a lot of considerations to take into account. When I'm making decisions like this, I like to make a pro and con list. But what are the pros and cons of renting versus buying a home?Of course, you should always run the numbers of renting versus buying. Zillow has an easy calculator that can quickly tell you the break even point for a home purchase - how long do you have to live in a house to … [Read more...]
Should I Buy a Mattress Online?
For a while now, I’ve been putting off buying a new mattress for my bedroom. I’ve had my current mattress for over thirteen years. While I haven’t noticed any comfort issues, I know that it’s well past the typical lifespan for a mattress, and it’s time to start thinking about a new one. After all, if you get the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night, you’re spending a third of your life in bed. Might as well make sure that it’s … [Read more...]
Mortgages for First Time Home Buyers
As a first-time buyer the mortgage process can be a very intimidating process.Mortgage are often quite complicated and involve loads of paperwork.There are dozens of different types of home loan programs so how do you know which one is best for you?How do you ensure you end up getting the best deal on your loan?Here are some first-time homebuyer tips to help you through the lending process. Picking the Right Loan Type One of the … [Read more...]
Renting is Not Throwing Away Money
A very good friend of mine was recently looking to leave her current rental situation with roommates and was looking in to whether or not she could afford to buy a place. Her general line of thinking was "Well, when I'm renting, I'm throwing away money."That's not true at all. Renting is not throwing away money. Renting means putting a roof over your head, and that's clearly critical to your survival. In fact, there are plenty of perks to … [Read more...]
Enter the Property Market This Year – and Pay Off That Loan Quickly Too!
There is a growing speculation that 2017 will be the year that the Reserve Bank of Australia will finally raise the official cash rate. If this happens, it will be the first time the central bank will raise rates since November 2010. Rate hike forecasters claim that the recent cuts have failed to create the desired effect of improving the economy and increase inflation.Also, the US has started to raise interest rates. That matters because … [Read more...]