Upgrading Your Family Home? Here’s How to Make It More Marketable to Renters

Have you reached the phase of your life where you’re considering downsizing to a smaller home? Before you begin the selling process, consider turning your once family home into a rental property. There are several benefits to owning a rental property, one of the main attractions being that it can provide a source of income, which can be especially beneficial as you near retirement. 

However, if you’ve owned your home for years (even decades), there may be a few upgrades that can help make your property more attractive to renters. Here are four things to consider to make your family home marketable to renters:

Make Necessary Repairs

Before you begin making cosmetic

Why a Home Inspection Is Crucial Before Purchasing

If you're in the process of purchasing a home, then it's important to get a home inspection. Home inspections give buyers confidence and promote a smooth home-buying process. Here are three reasons why buyers should avoid skipping out on their home inspections. 

1. Expensive Repairs

Getting an inspection keeps you in the loop of your potential home purchase. This is important before making a huge investment.

An inspection enables buyers to know about any unexpected repairs before committing to a home. Unfortunately, buyers end up wasting money when they skip the inspection process. 

This is because buyers end up missing the opportunity to negotiate a lower price for the home due to repairs.

Reasons Why It's Important to Choose a Certified Home Inspector

Getting your home inspection done is vital, especially if you plan on selling or buying a house. Many inspectors in the market claim to do inspections but have no qualifications. If you plan to put your home up for inspection, it is vital that you get it inspected by a certified home inspector. Knowing the reasons behind it will guide you as you choose an inspector.

They Will Ensure Your Safety

If you are buying or selling property in the market, you need to get an inspector who knows what to look out for. There are houses with flawed foundations or flooring, which might prove to be a danger to you or the home's new occupants. A verified inspector knows what to look out for and will

Why People Are Buying Bigger Homes

It's not surprising that people are buying bigger homes. Many of the decisions to go larger have to do with work and lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic.

Social Distancing

With social distancing protocols in place, it's not surprising that everyone wants a little more space than usual. It's essential to have a comfortable space where everyone can work and live when working remotely. The pandemic forced many workers into home offices, and they felt cramped because of the sudden change.

When living with family members or roommates, it may be necessary to purchase a larger house for privacy, even if you don't need the extra room. Having people on top of you when you're attempting to work causes a

4 Home Features to Look for if You Work Remotely

Working from home is a dream come true for many, especially in this increasingly digital world. With that said, for a work-from-home setup to work out, you need to make sure your office space offers maximum flexibility and has what you need for you to do your best work. While there's a lot of advice on the web about how to work from home, in this article we will look at some of the essentials that you absolutely must have to make working from home doable. 

1. Create an Office Space for Yourself

The first order of business for your work-from-home space is to actually have that office space available for yourself. Having your office space in your actual bedroom is less than ideal, for several

3 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your House Now

Because of the pandemic, your plans of moving into a new home may have been put on hold. Thankfully, with the vaccines finally being administered, it’s time to start focusing on getting your life back on track. Though the pandemic has thrown things out of balance, there are a few positives to come out of it. For instance, the real estate market isn’t as booming as it once was, which makes selling your house easier. 

If you’re still on the fence about selling, here are three reasons why now is a good time to sell your house. 

1. The Demand Is High for Single-Family Homes

If you live in a single-family home, you’re bound to have more than your fair share of offers. This is because single-family homes

Is It a Good Time to Buy a New House?

Are you looking for a new home? If so, you'll be happy to learn that it could be a great time to buy. That's because many people have had to sell their homes during the pandemic, and this has created an excellent buyer's market. This is especially true for first-time homebuyers. As the pandemic is coming to an end, a larger number of buyers will enter the market for the first time. 

This will drive up home prices, and it could make real estate an exceptional investment these days. Not only that, but there are plenty of homes available in all regions of the country. 

This can allow you to pick out the right property for yourself and your entire family, and you'll be able to find a living situation that makes

5 Ways COVID-19 Is Affecting the Current Real Estate Market

Every part of the economy has been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The real estate market is no exception. Here are five ways that the pandemic has affected all participants in real estate, including real estate agents, buyers and sellers.

1. Hesitancy of Sellers

Sellers have been hesitant to put their homes on the market. This has led to a sharp drop in existing home inventory. The low supply has created a new challenge in the real estate market. At the same time, construction of new housing units dropped, which contributed to the low inventory problem. The United States overall has about a 30-day supply of homes for sale. A 90-day supply is considered optimal.

2. Fewer

Examining the Pros and Cons of Buying Versus Building a Home

Everybody loves getting brand-new things, especially if the new thing has been custom-made to fit your needs. However, whether it is a suit, a car, or a home, new things that are custom-made are more expensive and usually take longer to deliver. This is an important factor to consider when determining whether you should buy a house or have it custom-built.

A house is a major financial responsibility. Making the wrong decision could affect your budget and the level of happiness you have with your new home. The following are a few pros and cons of building a home versus purchasing one that's already built.

Is It Less Expensive to Build or Buy?

According to the National Association of

Why a Home Inspection Is Worth It

Purchasing a home is likely one of the biggest expenses you will ever have. Even if you are able to negotiate a great price for the home, it can be tempting to get around some costs that are considered optional. This includes the home inspection.

Depending on where you live, a home inspection will cost between $400 and $1,000. Saving a few hundred dollars upfront might seem like a good deal. However, down the road, it could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars.

You Want to Know What You Are Purchasing

You would not go to a fast-food restaurant and just take whatever food they give you. You want to know what you are paying for before you get it. The same principle applies to the most expensive