28 Nov 2023
By Mark Feder

How Can Home Renovations Protect You from Natural Hazards

Homeowner Tips
Home renovations can be an effective way to protect your home and family from natural hazards. Start by identifying the potential hazards in your area. This can include natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes, as well as man-made hazards such as gas leaks and fires. Once you've identified the potential hazards in your area, create a plan for how you will respond to them and prepare your home to take on these natural disasters and keep your home and family safe. Here are some ways home renovations can help protect you: Reinforce Your Home's Structure: One…
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30 Mar 2022
By Mark Feder

Case-Shiller Home Price Indices: Home Prices Grow at a Near-Record Pace

Financial Reports
U.S home prices grew at a near-record pace in January according to the National S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index; year-over-year home prices rose by 19.20 percent in January as compared to December’s reading of 18.90 percent. Home prices rose 1.80 percent on a month-to-month basis from December to January. While home prices continued to grow at near-record rates, home price growth slowed in some areas during  December but picked up in January. Craig M. Lazzara, managing director at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said: “Last fall we observed that home prices, although continuing to rise sharply, had begun to decelerate. Even…
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08 Mar 2022
By Mark Feder

Why Did My Application For A Refinance Get Turned Down?

Mortgage
If you want to save money on your home loan, you might want to refinance. During the refinancing process, you could secure a better interest rate on your home loan. You could also withdraw cash from your home’s equity value to cover other expenses. Similar to a regular mortgage application, some refinance applications are denied. Why is this the case, and what should you do next?  Your Debt To Income Ratio Is Off One of the most common reasons why an application for a home refinance is turned down is that the applicant has too much debt. The lender will…
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08 Dec 2020
By Mark Feder

Home Values Are Impacted By School Zones: Is The Move Worth It?

Mortgage
If you are looking for a home, then you probably have a budget in mind. You also need to know about the most common factors that influence the price of a home. One factor that always seems to play a role in the price of a home is the quality of the school system. This makes sense. After all, a lot of people who are looking for a home have children (or are planning on having children) and want to make sure they have access to a quality education. At the same time, is it truly worth the price increase…
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