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Here are tips, tricks and more on homeownership!
How to Wallpaper a Small Bathroom
Calculate the square footage of the bathroom which was 300 square feet of walls to buy the correct amount of wallpaper. Example: A 300 sqft. bathroom will use about 6 rolls (56 sqft. each) of wallpaper. Materials Needed Step 1: Cutting the paper Measure from the top to the bottom of the walls and add…
Home Office a Hot Mess? Let’s Fix It
Many of us continue to work from home, at least part of the time, which means the home office should be orderly, highly functional, and even attractive. Just don’t spend a ton when you go to rehab this spot. To help you tackle this increasingly important space, here are five ways to give new life…
10 Tips to Create the Ultimate Gaming Room
Whether you’re playing Candy Crush in your bonus room or Fortnite in your small office space, here are 10 gaming room ideas for how to create the ultimate room on any budget.
5 Gifts To Leave For Your Old Home’s New Owners
Selling a home is an emotional event. You are leaving behind a house filled with memories and venturing off to someplace new. The people buying your home are excited to create their own memories in a home that you loved for so many years. Welcome them with a thoughtful gift that will leave a lasting…
What is MLS?
MLS stands for multiple listing service. It is a database of homes for sale that is produced and maintained by real estate professionals to help their clients buy or sell property. Homes for sale on an MLS are called listings. The MLS listings typically include important property information, such as exterior and interior details, asking…
Buying a House Under an LLC
If you own your own business, chances are you have a limited liability company (LLC) or, at the very least, you know what that is. Business owners may choose to buy a home using an LLC or under their own name. Buying a home under an LLC is beneficial for two main reasons: Reason No.…
6 Potentially False Home-Selling Hopes and Dreams
Home sellers are in a great mood these days. And who can blame them? In this seller’s market where homes go fast and for top dollar, many sellers are excited to cash in and make a killing. In many cases, they’ll succeed—yet this wild exuberance can also go overboard. Such bullish optimism could result in…
Can a Buyer Inspect a Home Without a Seller’s Permission?
Here’s the scenario: Your house is on the market, and you have interested buyers, but they are concerned about the roof. Maybe your home has a bit of damage from the last storm, but it’s nothing major. Still, a potential buyer sends a roofer to check things out without your approval. Sending a professional to…
Keep Your Home Address Private
There is a myriad of reasons buyers don’t want their names associated with their home address. Certainly, celebrities or professional athletes aren’t eager to give up their home info, nor are public officials, police officers, or survivors of domestic abuse. In fact, the same applies to any homeowner who finds it unnerving that anyone with…
Major Household Dangers for Cats and Dogs
All pet parents want to keep their fur babies safe. So they may be shocked to learn their home can be a minefield of potential hazards that can cause severe harm or even death for their feline and canine family members. Cats and dogs are curious animals and tend to get into things, so nothing…
4 Cool Ways to Hide Your TV
Today, flat-screen TVs are ubiquitous—hanging serenely on walls, freeing up space once hogged by bulky traditional boob tubes and the hulking entertainment stands that supported them. Still, a flat-screen TV still looks like … a TV. Not exactly a work of art gracing your wall. Lucky for you, plenty of other homeowners are on the…
3 Sneaky Ways to Make a Small Home Office Look Huge
The struggle of the way-too-small home office: a space that needs to be functional often doubling as a guest room and the holding pen for all the random stuff you couldn’t find a home for elsewhere. And did we mention these rooms are often tiny? You spend many of your waking hours in this small,…
What Everyone Wants To Know: Will Home Prices Decline in 2022?
If you’re thinking of buying a home in today’s housing market, you may be wondering how strong your investment will be. You might be asking yourself: if I buy a home now, will it lose value? Or will it continue to appreciate going forward? The good news is, according to the experts, home prices are…
6 Tips for Buying in a Competitive Market
The housing market is hot. On fire, actually—and it doesn’t seem to be dying anytime soon. This can be scary because of how tough it is to buy a home in a competitive market. 1. Do Your Pre-Approval Homework Before you even start looking at actual homes, head on over to a lender (or multiple…
5 Financing Essentials for Buying Property at a Real Estate Auction
Pandemic-related mortgage bailouts are ending, and foreclosures are now rising. Foreclosure stats jumped 32% in the third quarter of this year from the second quarter and were 67% higher than the third quarter of 2020. With foreclosures flooding the market, it’s “standing room only” at real estate auction sales these days. Those properties are selling…
Should you go to an open house even if you’re not ready to buy?
With all of the listing sites available, browsing homes online can become addictive. Even if you’re not in the market to buy or sell a home, you may find yourself scanning the internet for homes that you do not intend to buy or are completely out of your price range. Not only does this help…
3 Simple DIY Driveway Ideas
Nowhere to park? Create your own driveway with one of these affordable methods. A DIY driveway can be an easy want to add parking or improve the look of your home. Here are three relatively simple options. Carve out a parking pad The easiest, most affordable way to get an extra parking space is to…
A 3-Step Downsizing Plan
When it’s time to move to a smaller home, these tips will help you save the memories while minimizing clutter in your new place. Moving into a new house is often bittersweet. You are excited for the change, but sad to leave a home so full of memories. Downsizing can be even harder. A smaller…
Give Your Home a Morale Makeover
7 easy ways to revitalize your space and boost your mood With many Americans spending a lot more time at home, you may find your house taking on the roles of office, classroom, gym and community center — and it’s easy to feel uninspired by your surroundings after occupying the same space day in, day…
Use Shipping Pallets as Building Blocks of Rustic-Cool Style
Home improvement can be expensive—even if you want the slightly battered reclaimed-wood look, be prepared to pay through the nose. Or you could get creative with shipping pallets, the bulky wood crates companies use to move goods. No, really. Pallets are the perfect material for just about any home project, rustic or modern, you can…
Bathrooms of Wonder: How to Transform Your Powder Room
Once, it was the room that no one would show in movies or even mention in polite company—but these days, a fabulous bathroom is a prime home feature, and for many proud owners, the subject of major bragging rights. They’re luxurious! They’re high-tech and functional! They’re beautiful! Plus—and here’s the real point—today’s HGTV-savvy homeowners know…
How to Save 20% When You BIY Instead of DIY
You want to get projects done around the house, but you lack the skills, desire, or the time to DIY. The other side of the coin—hiring it all out—is an expensive option you’d like to avoid. What to do? BIY, that’s what. BIY—buy-it-yourself—is a smart, middle ground for those who want to upgrade their homes,…
What Small Homes Can Teach You About Living With Less
Need to declutter? Anytime is the perfect time for getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff that accumulates in your home. How does it manage to pile up? Didn’t you just do this last year? Maybe you should just throw it all away—for good. In fact, that’s what a lot of people are doing now.…
Your Pipes Are Gross, but That’s OK
Plumbers do the dirtiest of work, but somehow the profession has garnered a reputation for rip-offs. But where would you be without them? Where would your bathroom be? And let’s be honest. We don’t schedule plumbing appointments months in advance. Plumbers are the ones we frantically call at 2 a.m., with water pooling up around…
Glam Up Your Home With Crown Molding
Installing crown and other types of molding is an easy upgrade that can give a classy, traditional look to your home and add to its value. A good miter saw, which can make cross-cuts at various angles, and some patience make this a feasible do-it-yourself project. Not up on your molding lingo? Let’s start with…
How to Paint an Exterior Door So It Looks Brand New Again
Wondering how to paint an exterior door? This home improvement task will not only make a great first impression on visitors, but it will also improve your home’s curb appeal with minimal expense and effort. If the front door is structurally sound, it may need only sanding and a coat of paint or varnish, sparing…
4 Factors Other Than Money To Consider in an Offer
Are you selling your home and reviewing several offers? Congratulations! You’re well on your way to getting as much as possible out of what is likely your largest asset. But when it comes to picking an offer, sometimes it’s important to take a step back and recognize that your bottom line shouldn’t be your only…
6 Space-Saving Secrets to For Your Laundry Room
Let’s face it—when it comes to laundry rooms, most of us are lucky to have a single shelf to hold detergent and a tiny counter for folding shirts. But because doing laundry is a weekly task that will never, ever end, finding more space to deal with it is a big bonus. Here are six…
8 Tools Every Homeowner Absolutely Must Own and Why
Whether you’re just settling into your new rent-free digs, or you’ve been making mortgage payments for decades, every homeowner should be sure their toolbox has the necessary items to handle common problems around the house. That includes leaky faucets, drywall that needs patching, and heavy frames that need hanging. If you don’t already have a…
What Is a Wet Bar vs. Dry Bar—and Does Either Belong in Your Home?
What is a wet bar and what is a dry bar? Both are designed to make entertaining at home easy by providing an area to prepare beverages for guests, but the big difference is a wet bar has a sink so glasses can be more easily rinsed. The difference between a wet bar and dry…
Home Energy Cost: The Real Deal on Big Bills That Come With a House
Home energy cost is not something people always think of when it comes to buying a house. But don’t get consumed by the details of finding and buying a house without considering the potential bills you’ll have to pay every month for heating, cooling and more. Home energy cost considerations Even an affordable mortgage payment…
Need to Replace Pet-Damaged Carpet?
As a pet owner, you know that accidents happen. There are a variety of reasons why our four-legged friends do their business or act out inside the house and on the floor. Maybe they’re marking their territory, or their anxiety may be manifesting in their clawing at the carpet. However, your home is probably your…
5 Mortgage Myths — DEBUNKED!
MYTH: You must have a 20% down payment to buy a house. TRUTH: Different loans require different down payments—some as low as 0%! MYTH: Pre-qualified means the same thing as pre-approved. TRUTH: A pre-qualification is a quick assessment of how much money you can borrow based on info you provide—no documentation necessary. A pre-approval letter…
10 Fatal Mistakes That Will Kill the Sale of Your Home
While it might seem a little dramatic to call a seller’s mistakes fatal, especially over something as innocuous as selling your home, selling a home is serious business. Not approaching it as such is a surefire way for your home to remain on the market. Selling your home does not have to be an emotional…
6 Ways Home Buyers Mess Up Getting a Mortgage
Getting a mortgage is, by general consensus, the most treacherous part of buying a home. Many homebuyers said they found the mortgage experience stressful and complicated. Even lenders agree that it’s often a struggle. If you’re out to buy a home, you have to be vigilant. To clue you into the pitfalls, here are six…
Kitchen Faucets: How to Install
Tired of staring at your old faucet? Installing a new one is easy! (No, really.) If you’ve been washing your hands a lot lately, you might have started paying extra attention to your faucet. Does it drip? Is the chrome flaking off? Is it dated? Plumbing projects can be intimidating because no one wants to…
What Is The Goal Of Staging Your Home?
When the real estate market turns sluggish, you may have to take steps to set your home apart from others. It won’t be enough to just put out a for-sale sign and wait for potential buyers. One way that homeowners can sell their homes more speedily is by home staging, which can have the added benefit of…
What Might Your Homeowners Insurance NOT Cover?
There are things that can happen to their homes that their homeowners insurance policies don’t cover. Fire is the basic coverage provided by an insurance policy, while other common perils are water damage, theft, wind and liability. Earthquake and flood usually require a separate policy. In some states you can add earthquake coverage as an endorsement. It…
What is APR and how Does It Impact My Mortgage?
If you’ve ever gone shopping for a home mortgage or refinance you’ve probably seen an interest rate advertised as, for instance, “Rate: 2.65%; APR: 2.7%.” The annual percentage rate (APR) represents the average annual finance charge you’ll be paying on the loan when including all the fees and costs associated with getting that loan. This can include…
Do I Need Neutral Painted Walls To Sell My Home?
“If you want to sell your home, paint your rooms beige.” That could be the rallying cry of real estate agents across the country, and for good reason. Presentation and first impressions mean everything when selling a home, and the men and women who make their living selling homes know that neutral colors will generally spark more…
How Long Should I Save For A Down Payment?
One of the biggest hurdles homebuyers face is saving for a down payment. As you’re budgeting and planning for your home purchase, you’ll want to understand how much you’ll need to put down and how long it will take you to get there. The process may actually move faster than you think. Using data from the U.S. Department…
Styling A Bar Cart
Here are her five top ideas for outfitting a cart that looks as good as the cocktails you’ll serve up taste. 1. Keep It Simple You don’t need to fill every inch of the cart with bottles—just focus on the essentials. You just need are a few quality spirits to make the classics, whatever else…
Pros & Cons of Adding A Fence To Your Property
Have you been considering adding a fence to your property? Maybe you are wanting to increase your home value, or you just want a little more privacy. If you’re wondering about some of the advantages and disadvantages of adding a fence to your home, we’ve got the top contenders on both sides for you below!…
DIY Gallery Wall
Thinking about adding a gallery wall? Here’s a step by step process to make it easy! Start With Art If you’re going for a modern look, choose a color palette and find art that fits within that. You can also try pieces that are from one collection, or ones that have a similar theme. If…
The Dos and Don’ts of Accent Walls
Accent walls are in style and aren’t going away anytime soon. You have unlimited options for your accent wall color, and can even add texture! Accent walls should be just as special as you, and can add that perfect customization to any room. They can be used in any room if you know the essential…
What Is Escrow?
When it comes mortgages are concerned, “escrow” and “escrow accounts” refer to two slightly different concepts. Escrow is the process by which a neutral third party mediates a real estate deal, holding money and property “in escrow” until the two sides agree that all the conditions are met for a sale to close. By contrast, an escrow account is…
Turn Your Home from Cold to Cozy
As the days get shorter and shorter, you’re probably spending more time curled up on the couch than you were on those long summer days. Instead of letting the cold weather get you down, take the time to turn your space into a warm and cozy escape from the outdoors. Here are some tips to…
Boost The Mood Of Your Space
If you’re still working from home, you may be feeling down about your current space. While working from home can be fun, it is important to make sure your space keeps you motivated. The best way to do that is to change up your style! Here are some of the easiest ways to boost the…
Why Did My Credit Score Drop?
If you’ve seen a change in your credit score recently, you may be wondering why. There are a number of factors that contribute to a dropping credit score and it is important to know what may be causing that! When buying a home, it is important to maintain your credit and not make any major…
The How-To of Buying a Ceiling Fan
Just like other details of your home, sometimes fans (and their light fixtures) can make or break a room. While their appearance is important, keep in mind there are other factors you should consider. Different fans offer different amounts of breeze, and depending on where you live, that range can make a difference when it…
Why To Get A Bed With A Adjustable Base
For quite some time, adjustable base beds have had a major association with hospitals. With adjustable bases often being linked to the elderly, many people pass off on the many benefits they have. As time has passed, adjustable base beds have become much more current and much more attractive as a bedding option. If you…
Thinking About Buying a Foreclosure?
As homebuyers look for deals in times of uncertainty, many are becoming aware of foreclosed homes and the benefits that come with purchasing one. If you are interested in buying a foreclosed home, here’s what you might need to know. Where Should I Buy? Places affected by the housing crisis will likely be your best…
Reading Your Title Report Before Listing
While it might not be the first thing on your list, there are quite a few reasons why you should several important documents before making any property purchase. Those include your title abstract, the title insurance policy with schedule of exclusions, the survey while you walk the property lines, and any homeowners’ association documents. You…
Finding The Right Home For You
If you’re a first time home buyer, the stress of choosing the perfect house for your family can feel overwhelming at first. While that stress may seem very real, it is often unnecessary. Instead of entering the market trying to find a house that is perfect in every way, keep an open mind. Approach the…
How To Maintain Your Concrete Driveway
Concrete driveways are becoming more popular again, and there are plenty of reasons why. With a lifespan 10-15 years longer than asphalt, often lasting around 30-40 years, concrete is a worthy investment if you are willing to maintain it properly. If you’re considering making the investment or you already have concrete and want to make…
Buying A New Washer & Dryer
Laundry is one of those household chores that always seems to be a headache. Whether you like doing laundry or not, it is often a necessary task in most households. When the time comes to either invest in a washer and dryer set or upgrade the set you have, you may realize that choosing your…
Quarantine Spring Cleaning
There’s a good chance you’re spending more time at home than you are used to. Whether you had travel plans change, or you are now working remotely from home, or you are on a ‘shelter-in-place’ order from your local government, you probably have some extra time on your hands. Now is the best time to…
5 Must-Do’s Before Buying a House
If you’re ready to begin the journey of homeownership, it is important to cross a few items off of your to-do list before hunting for the perfect house. Buying a home is a process, and you want to be as prepared as possible. Here are a few steps to take that will get you ready…
Home Buying Myths
Although the internet can be a great resource for a variety of information, a lot of that information is incorrect. One of the most important and expensive decisions in your life, home buying, tends to circulate a lot of misinformation. Most of that misinformation is in regards to how much of a down payment you…
Add Charm To Your Bedroom
With a new season upon us, you might be wanting to spruce up your bedroom to add a little charm and “newness” to your space. Here’s some tips to decorating your bedroom by adding some charm and elegance. 1. BEDROOM FURNITURE Your bedroom furniture is what makes the biggest impression on you, first thing in…
You’re Making Your Landlord Rich
While you’re fussing over your bills, did you realize you’re making your landlord rich? Rentals are the most lucrative business to get into. It turns ordinary people into multi-millionaires. The next time you’re afraid of committing to a mortgage, keep in mind that you’ve already committed to paying off the mortgage of someone else -…
All My Single Ladies!
In 2017 alone, 60% of women millennial buyers were single! Buying a home seems to come with the idea that it’s the step AFTER you get married and have a family – but that simply isn’t true! Not only is home buying an incredible investment, it provides stability. If you’re worried that a home is…
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Amanda McCarty Real Estate 