If you’re in house-hunting mode (again), you can feel like you’re up against the clock. And if a new duty station is in the cards, that clock can feel more like a countdown timer on a ticking bomb. That does something to a person. It ups the level of stress. It causes panic to set […]
Desperation or Love? Read More »
The VA Home Loan has long been a tremendous benefit of serving in the military, enabling qualifying service members and veterans to purchase homes without having to front a down payment. Thanks to a bill that was signed into law recently, this benefit is now more appealing than ever. On June 25th, the Blue Water
New Law Affects VA Loans Read More »
I’m just going to go ahead and tell you that everyone knows the trick about filling your home with the smell of fresh-baked cookies to make a buyer fall in love. I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m saying your potential buyers will look at each other knowingly and salivate a little bit. They’re on
As a military family, there are dozens of variables you consider when looking at a prospective home. How close is it to base? How are the local schools? What is the local economy like? And while a military assignment may mean a finite list of options, if given the opportunity you’ll also want to think
You know that it can be very easy to feel sometimes like your life is not your own and that the military makes all the choices for you when it comes to where you live. And if you’ve got a quick turnaround situation, where you must be in a new town and new place very
Fixer Upper or New Build? Read More »
Renting a place may not sound appealing to the individualist who really wants a unique home, but sometimes you have no choice while living the nomadic military lifestyle. Making permanent changes in a rental home or apartment is a definite no-go, and the last thing you want to be faced with during a surprise PCS
8 Ideas for Sprucing Up a Rental Read More »
Experienced real estate agents are accustomed to working with clients who have a wide range of knowledge, from first-time buyers just learning words like “mortgage” and “escrow” to multiple property investors exchanging homes as tax shelters. Those of us who primarily serve a military market are more likely to work with clients looking for their
What We Wish You Knew Before Buying a Home Read More »
As a military family, you no doubt know your share of jargon. You’ve got the acronyms all nailed down and speak the language. (You probably even say things you don’t realize are military jargon until someone not in the military looks at you strangely—things like o-dark-thirty.) But real estate has its own language. Here’s a
Real Estate Jargon 101 Read More »
When you’re factoring in the expenses of home ownership, the cost of things like your mortgage, taxes, and insurance are calculated. And there’s a general sense of “I’ll need to plan to cover the cost of repairs and maintenance.” But how much do you need to have accessible (saved) to cover the expense of home
How Much Should I Have in My Rainy Day Fund? Read More »
You love your neighbors (hopefully). You love the feeling of community and togetherness. Chances are also high that you like privacy and boundaries as well. Most folks think of fences when they think of privacy. But fences can be a prohibitively expensive proposition, particularly if you’re not likely to be in your current home for
DIY: Outdoor Privacy Read More »
