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Remodeling Your Bathroom on a Budget

Are you one of the many homeowners in the United States who would like to have your bathroom remodeled?  If so, how you do plan on paying for it?  Unfortunately, a large number of homeowners would like to have their bathrooms remodeled, but not everyone thinks that they can do so. The good news is that you can easily remodel your bathroom, even if you on a budget.

When it comes to bathroom remodeling on a budget, perhaps, the first thing you should do is develop yourself a budget and then a plan.  You will want to know exactly how much money you can afford to spend on your next remodeling project.  Once you know how much you can spend, you are advised to start the planning. For instance, if you need to hire the services of a professional contractor, you need to keep the cost of doing so in mind. Also, if you would like to have your bathroom toilet replaced, you will need to examine the cost of new, replacement toilets and so on.  Once you have got everything planned out, you need to total the costs.  If you are lucky, you will find yourself within your budget, but if not, you may just need to make a few changes. 

One of the many ways that you can remodel your bathroom while on a budget is by taking everything one step at a time.  If you are interested in remodeling every square inch of your bathroom, but you can’t necessarily afford to do so right now, you may want to go one project at a time.  By choosing what you would like to have remodeled first, such as your bathtub, you could do that and then move on the next project, when it easier to afford the supplies and the materials needed. Speaking of supplies and materials, where you shop may also have an impact on being able to afford a bathroom remodeling project.

If you are looking to remodel your bathroom on a budget, you will want to shop around for the best prices on bathroom supplies, fixtures, and materials.  Perhaps, the easiest way to compare prices is to use the internet. With a few minutes and the click of a mouse you could easily find exactly what you need for your next kitchen remodeling project, but at a relatively affordable price. It is also advised that you checkout your local home improvement stores, particularly ones that are known for having good prices. It may also be a good idea to keep an eye out for any television commercials or store fliers that advertise sales on bathroom fixtures, supplies, and remodeling materials. Purchasing all of your bathroom remodeling supplies at a discounted price is the best way to remodel your bathroom while on a budget.

As previously mentioned, if you are planning on using a professional contactor to remodel your bathroom, you will need to keep the cost of doing so.  If you are remodeling your kitchen on a budget, it may be a good idea to do the remodeling yourself. This may be easy if you have prior home improvement experience.  If you do not have any home improvement experience, you can easily learn what you need to know.  Online, you should be able to find instructions and tips on bathroom remodeling. Also, you can purchase bathroom remodeling books or how-to guides online or from most home improvement stores or bookstores.  If you want to have your bathroom remodeled, but you don’t want to spend more money that you have to or more money than you have, you are advised to keep the above mentioned points in mind.  Although it is typically expensive to remodel a bathroom, it is possible to do so while on a budget.  In fact, even if you aren’t remodeling on a budget, it may still be a good idea to keep the above mentioned points in mind.  Why pay more money for a bathroom remodeling project than you need to?

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For The Home, Household Services

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Sharing a Rental with a Roommate

Sharing a rental property, whether it is an apartment or a house, can be either a dream come true or a living nightmare. There are many advantages to having a roommate; however, there are also disadvantages. When these disadvantages are severe they can result in an uncomfortable living environment in some situations and even a dangerous living environment in other situations. There are a couple of ways a renter can protect themselves when sharing their rental property with a roommate. This includes screening the potential roommate carefully and including the roommate on the rental agreement.

The Advantages and Disadvantages to Having a Roommate

Having a roommate can certainly be advantageous in some situations. The primary advantage is financial. Renters who opt to have a roommate, essentially cut their rent in half if they opt to have one roommate or in thirds if they opt to have two roommates. This is ideal for renters who would like to have a larger apartment but would not be able to afford such an apartment without the assistance of a roommate.

Another advantage to having a roommate is the opportunity to share household responsibilities with the roommate. Of course this is only an advantage when the roommate is willing to do his share of the work on a regular basis. If this is not the case, it may result in a huge disadvantage which will be covered briefly in the section on disadvantages.

One of the most significant disadvantages to having a roommate is a lack of privacy. Those who live alone do not ever have to worry about not having time to themselves while they are in their apartment. However, when a renter has a roommate, there is no guarantee the renter will ever have any time to himself while he is in the apartment.

Another disadvantage to having a roommate is the distribution of household responsibilities may not always be even. Roommates should have a discussion regarding the household responsibilities such as cleaning the common areas but there is always the possibility that one roommate may not do his share of the work. When this happens it can create conflict and resentment among the roommates. This conflict can make the living situation quite uncomfortable.

Select a Compatible Roommate

When selecting a roommate, the renter should be careful to select a compatible roommate. In the previous section we discussed how conflicts can arise when one roommate does not do his share of the cleaning. However, incompatible cleaning styles are only a small portion of the compatibility issues roommates may face. One important issue is entertaining. If one roommate has visitors at the apartment often, it can cause problems if the other roommate is not comfortable with this.

Even the times in which the roommates normally sleep can cause problems. If one roommate goes to bed early and wakes up at 4:00 am, it can be problematic if the other roommate likes to stay up late and not wake up until 9:00 am. In this case the roommates may not only begin to get on each other’s nerves but they may also begin to adversely affect the other’s job or social life.

Include the Roommate on the Rental Agreement

Finally, renters should be sure to include their roommate or roommates on the rental agreement. This is very important because it helps to protect all of the roommates. Inclusion of all of the roommates prevents one roommate from being able to ask another to leave unjustly. This may occur when conflicts arise but inclusion on the rental agreement ensures each of the roommates has a right to live on the property. Placing each of the roommates’ names on the rental agreement also prevents one roommate from not making their rent payments in a timely manner. It will also help to prevent one roommate from being held legally responsible for not paying the rent on time by the leasing agent.

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Rental News

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FSBO Tip – Don’t Do It

My Number one FSBO Tip? Don’t sell it yourself! A “FSBO,” or house “for sale by owner” can sell fast, and for as much as it would have if listed with a real estate agent. Sometimes – but not normally. Consider the following ten points.

 1. Buyers work with agents. Most look at MLS listings. Sell it yourself, and they won’t see or hear about your home. How do you find that “right” buyer or get top dollar when you’re invisible to most of the market?

 2. Your FSBO will get lower offers. Naturally, the buyer thinks you’ll take less because you’re saving the commission! Save a $10,000 commission, get $10,000 less – where’s the advantage in that?

 3. Advertising is expensive. The costs the real estate office normally pays are yours if you sell it yourself. How much could you spend on ads if it takes a year to sell?    4. They have the resources. And you don’t. Agents have books of sold properties to look at, for example, to determine the best price for your home. You can dig through county records, but you do have to value your time too, right?

 5. They know the market. What’s the target market for your house? Young couples, retirees? What features do they want? You should know these things before you write your ads. An experienced real estate salesperson will know.

 6. They know the laws. What about written disclosures, and who pays for the real estate transfer tax? When you sell it yourself you don’t get to ignore the laws.

 7. Are you a good salesperson? Can you develop rapport and properly answer objections? Could your defensiveness scare off a buyer who criticizes your home? Think back on your own purchases, and you’ll realize that a good salesperson makes a difference.

 8. Paperwork. Will you help the buyer properly fill out an offer to purchase? An agent would. Do you have the other closing documents ready?

 9. Agents negotiate for you. When did you last learn a new negotiating technique? Can you counter-offer without scaring off a buyer? A good salesperson is trained in these skills.

 10. You may not save anything. The documents, newspaper advertising, signs for the yard – it’s all your expense when you sell it yourself. After your hard work, you may get low offers and negotiate poorly. Honestly, sellers often net less money from the sale when they try to save the commission.

Most “FSBO” sellers eventually turn to a real estate agent for help. You could learn the things an agent does, but is it worth it to spend all that time and maybe not even save any money? Don’t sell it yourself unless you really know what you’re doing. That’s my number one FSBO tip.

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Real Estate Tips, Seller Tips

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Is Re-Financing Always Worthwhile?

This is a very important question which all homeowners should ask themselves both at the start and towards the end of the process of re-financing. The answer to this question can spur the homeowner to investigate re-financing further or convince the homeowner to table the thoughts of re-financing for the moment and concentrate on other aspect of owning a home.

Establish Financial Goals

This should be the first step in the process of determining whether or not re-financing is worthwhile. Without this step, a homeowner cannot accurate answer the question of the worth of re-financing because the homeowner may not fully understand his own financial goals. While financial goals may run the gamut from one extreme to another the most basic question to ask is whether the more significant goal is long-term savings or increased monthly cash flow. This is important because re-financing can usually achieve these two goals.

Do You Want to Save Money in the Long Run?

Homeowners who establish a goal of saving money in the long run should consider re-financing options such as lower interest rates or shorter loan terms. Both of these options can considerably lower the amount of interest the homeowner is paying on the loan. This is significant because paying less interest will result in a greater cost savings.

Consider an example where a homeowner has an existing debt of $100,000, an interest rate of 6.25% and a loan term of 30 years. Just by reducing the loan term to 15 years the homeowner can significantly decrease the amount which is paid in interest during the course of the loan. However, this option will also result in an increase in the monthly payments made by the homeowner. Therefore this type of re-financing option may only be available to those who have enough cash flow to compensate for the increase in monthly payments.   Do You Want to Increase Your Monthly Cash Flow?

Some homeowners may have a chosen goal of increasing their monthly cash flow. For these homeowners the overall cost savings may not be as important as having more money available to them each month. These homeowners might consider a re-financing option in which they are able to extend their loan terms. This means they will be repaying the existing debt over a longer period of time. The homeowner will pay more in interest in the long run but will achieve their goal of lower monthly payments and an increased cash flow.

How Will Re-Financing Affect Tax Deductions?

This is another serious consideration for homeowners who are interested in investigating the possibility of re-financing. The interest paid on a home loan is often tax-deductible. A homeowner who re-finances in a manner which results in less interest being paid annually may adversely affect their tax strategy. The implications of this type of chance can be amplified for homeowners who were previously just below a significant tax break line. A significant decrease in the amount of interest paid will mean a significant decrease in the deduction the homeowner is allowed to take. This reduced deduction can put the homeowner in an entirely different tax bracket and could end up costing the homeowner money in the long run. For this reason, homeowners who are considering re-financing should have a tax preparation professional determine the ramifications re-financing will have on their tax return before a decision is made.

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Re - Financing

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Getting Your Security Deposit Back

For many renters the subject of the security deposit is somewhat of a touchy subject. Most renters assume they should receive their security deposit back in its entirety as long as there is no significant damage done to the apartment. However, this is rarely true as there are number of factors which contribute to whether or not the security deposit or a portion of the deposit will be returned to the renter when they vacate the premises.

Did You Do Any Major Damage?

Certainly doing major damage to the apartment such as putting holes in the walls, breaking appliances or tearing up the flooring may warrant the security deposit being kept but even in these cases the leasing agent must justify these costs. In other words the leasing agent cannot use one damaged item to justify keeping the whole security deposit. Rather the leasing agent is obliged to determine a cost to repair the item. If this estimate is large enough to justify not returning the security deposit the renter should be informed of the estimated cost of repairing the apartment.

Is Your Apartment Clean Enough?

All apartments should be cleaned thoroughly before the tenant vacates the property. This should include extensive cleaning of all rooms of the apartment including the bedrooms, bathrooms and any common areas. A cleaning should also include cleaning of all of the blinds in the apartment. Blinds can be rather difficult to clean and many leasing agents charge approximately $10 per blind if they deem there is a need to clean these items. This can add up rather quickly if there are a number of windows in the apartment.

Many leasing agents also perform a number of standard cleaning functions when any resident vacates the property. This may include items such as cleaning out the refrigerator, shampooing the carpet or repainting the walls. When these items are required, there is typically a fee associated with each item. In many cases, adding up these required fees results in a number which is likely already approaching the sum of the security deposit. Additionally, leasing agents often only allow for one hour of cleaning services to prepare an apartment for the next residents. This is rarely enough time to complete the work and therefore renters wind up being charged an additional fee at an hourly rate.

Have You Read Your Contract Documents?

Renters who want to have the greatest chance of having a large portion of their security deposit refunded to them should be very familiar with their contract documents. This is important while living in the apartment as well as while getting ready to vacate the apartment. It is important to be familiar with the contract terms while living in the apartment because it can prevent the renter from making decorating choices which are explicitly prohibited by the rental agreement. These types of decisions can be costly in the long run because they may result in the renter being assessed for perceived damages by the leasing agent.

Renters should also carefully review the contract documents as they are preparing to vacate the property. This is important because it may help the renter to clean and make repairs to the apartment in accordance to guidelines set forth by the leasing agent. Doing this will make it much more likely the renter will not be assessed exorbitant fees at the conclusion of the rental agreement.

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Buying Unfinished Homes

Unfinished homes present a great way to save a lot of money and get yourself a new home in the process.  If you buy an unfinished home, you can keep your monthly mortgage payment low and also lower your initial investment.  You may also be able to buy a larger foundation size as well, which you can easily add-on to and save money in the process.

Normally, unfinished starter homes leave the upstairs area unfinished.  The question here, is just how much equity you want to put into an unfinished area.  Sometimes though, an unfinished home may leave the roofing, framing, plumbing, or electrical aspects unfinished.  Before you make a purchase, you should always decide how much money you have to finish what needs to be finished.

If the home you are looking at has plans for a garage, you can save thousands if you decide not to go with the garage.  On the other hand, if there is another attached room that is planned to go onto the house, you can save just as much if you decide to forego it.  There are always ways that you can save money just by looking at the plans.  Unfinished homes may have other planned on additions as well, in which you can save a lot of money just by leaving them out.

The is something that you should always keep in mind.  When builders acquire a piece of property that they plan to build a home on, they will do everything they can do make as much money as possible on their homes.  You might be able to get them to agree to some of these ideas, although they probably won’t agree to all of them.  Building homes can be a very profitable business – which is why most companies like to build their homes exactly as the plans call for.

When looking at unfinished homes, you also need to look at what banks are willing to accept.  If you are planning to get a mortgage, most banks will need to ensure that the home is up to local codes and in living condition.  What this means, is that there will need to be a living room, bedroom, and other rooms finished.  If the home is lacking quite a bit in terms of being unfinished, most banks won’t give you a mortgage.

Most banks are also known to turn down unfinished home mortgages that they feel will have trouble selling in the event that you default.  Normally, the entire downstairs area will need to be finished, along with most of the landscaping.  You might be able to do some of it yourself and save money, although in most cases the home builder will need to do a majority of the topsoil and grass just to satisfy the bank.  Banks have strict requirements when it comes to unfinished homes, which is why you should always check with your bank before you invest in an unfinished home.

As most of us already know, buying an unfinished home provides an excellent way to get into the housing market and get your very own home.  Unfinished homes also allow potential buyers the chance to grow into their home along with their family.  If you are interested in saving money, you should be sure to talk to the builder.  This way, you can go over the plans and decide what doesn’t need to be there.  In most cases you can save a lot of money and still get a home that will provide years and years of memories for yourself and your entire family.

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Buyer Tips

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