South Florida On The Market

The first thing you need to know about home inspection: You’ll feel all the feels. There’s the excitement — the inspection could be the longest time you’re in the house, after the showing. Right behind that comes … anxiety. What if the inspector finds something wrong? So wrong you can’t buy the house? Then there’s impatience. Seriously, is this whole home-buying process over yet? Not yet. But you’re close. So take a deep breath. Because the most important thing to know about home inspection: It’s just too good for you, as a buyer, to skip. Here’s why. A Home Inspector Is Your Protector An inspector helps you make sure a house isn’t hiding anything before you commit for the long haul. (Think about it this way: You wouldn’t even get coffee with a stranger without checking out their history.) A home inspector identifies any reasonably discoverable problems with the house (a leaky roof, faulty plumbing, etc.). Hiring an inspector is you doing your due ...

Many of us dream of the day we're entirely debt-free and paying off the mortgage can be at the top of the list. Saving for retirement, planning for children's college education, and maintaining a cash cushion for emergencies are just a few items competing for your hard-earned dollars. If you're thinking of paying off your mortgage, understanding recent changes in the tax law, specifically the changes to the "standard deduction," can be a key deciding factor. It's important to understand whether it makes more sense to prepay your mortgage or invest the extra money elsewhere. For example, take a home with a $300,000 balance and 20 years remaining on a 30-year mortgage at 6.25 percent. Let's assume you begin paying an additional $400 per month toward your mortgage. In the end, you'd have saved yourself $62,000 in interest and have the loan paid off six years earlier. This may sound like a great plan initially, but you won't really know until you...

Getting away for a summer vacation can be fun and relaxing, but there’s no need to leave home to have fun and relax. Check out these three easy DIY projects to turn your backyard into the ultimate staycation location. 1. Cinder Block Fire Pit Start by creating a flat, fireproof base using large bricks, then build a square pit by placing a layer of cinder blocks beside each other on the brick base with the open ends facing up. Fill the holes in the cinder blocks with dirt, sand, or rocks to help solidify the wall. Add a second layer of cinder blocks, centering them over the meeting place of the first layer, and fill them like the first layer. Add your firewood, gather some friends, and enjoy! 2. Patio Lighting Nothing can transform your backyard or patio quite like patio lights. Grab some solar-powered string lights from your local hardware store and get creative! Hang them from trees, create a perimeter around your yard, and circle the posts on your deck, then enjoy ...