Here are seven tips to help prepare your home for the cold weather.


Buyers and sellers usually ask how they can prepare their homes for the cold weather around this time. I have some tips that’ll help keep your home energy efficient and damage-free.
1. Clean out your gutters where it can freeze and cause damage.
2. Winterize outdoor pipes. Check anywhere there might be exposed pipes, like under the home or in the attic, and insulate these areas as much as possible. 
3. Install an emergency release on your pipes. This is a release valve that lets you release some built-up pressure and keep pipes from bursting. Newer homes may already have this.
4. Keep your thermostat set a bit lower. If you set your thermostat at 65 or 66 degrees, it’ll still keep your home feeling nice and toasty compared to outside while saving quite a bit on your bill.
5. Get your HVAC system inspected. You want to make sure any wear and tear or missing parts are addressed in adv ...

 Here's a closer look at the latest real estate market data this fall.



 
As we head further into fall, I wanted to bring you a comprehensive update on our real estate market. Buyers and sellers alike are asking me about what we can expect in the immediate future.
 
Feel free to watch the full message, or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure:
 
0:36 — When is the market going to crash? Is it going to crash at all?
 
1:12 — An update on mortgage rates
 
1:55 — Taking a closer look at home appreciation trends
 
2:43 — Why our inventory plays a major factor in the health of our market
 
4:08 — How long are homes taking to sell, and how does that compare to historical data?
 
5:17 — How many offers do listings get on average right now?
 
7:30 — Final thoughts

If you have questions about the stats in today’s video or anything else rela. ...

Here are my key factors to consider when refinancing your mortgage.

 
Is now a good time to refinance your home? Today I want to help answer that question and go over a few key points you should consider:
1. Your current interest rate. The first thing you should consider when refinancing your home is your current interest rate. This is the biggest factor in terms of how much you could save, so it’s important to keep it in mind. 
2. Monthly savings. When you compare your current interest rate with what is possible, how much do you save every month? It’s important to talk about this with a trusted lender. 
3. Length of time on the mortgage. Even if you can save money by refinancing, you need to consider how much is left on your mortgage. If it’s almost paid off, you should consider if it is worth refinancing. On the other hand, saving even a little bit of money can pay off over time. 
4. Your new interest rate. This is the big one. Right . ...

Here’s how you can help your kids better afford a home in the future.

 
Recently, I had a conversation with our lender about the influx of young buyers in the marketplace. We started talking about the difficulties these young buyers face. If you have kids of your own, it can help to start preparing them for this purchase early. One of the best ways to do this is by establishing their credit score, and I have a few tips to help you do this:
1. Help them establish a line of credit. You can start this when they’re still in high school but have a part-time job. Whether that’s through a car or a credit card, you want something that they put their signature on and that you can coach them through building that initial credit. 
2. Help them make consistent payments. It’s good practice for them to be making their own payments, but you might need to help them out at first. You do not want them to miss a payment or this whole process could backfire.
3. ...

Here are a couple of things you should avoid when buying a new home.

Today I wanted to talk about what you should not do when buying a home. You may already know some of what you should do, but that’s not everything you need to be aware of.
 
Don’t open new lines of credit. Outside of applying for the mortgage on the home, each time you have the credit pulled, it leads to a potential change in your score. This can disrupt or slow down the mortgage process.
 
Make sure you have a paper trail to your money. A lot of issues are caused by not knowing where the money comes from. You might have had it gifted to you or had it put away in a safety deposit box. Lenders need to know where the money is coming from to know that you have the ability to repay the loan eventually, so not having a paper trail can slow down a transaction.
 
Don’t miss payments. It’s really easy to get distracted during the home-buying process and miss a payment. Len. ...