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For years, people have set up their home offices in any spare, empty corner of their homes. It might be in a basement, in a guest room or in a corner of a living room. But as remote work continues to trend upward, people will need to shift to a more permanent home office space. What can you do to redesign your home office to be a more productive and happy space?

Choose the Best Space in Your Home

If it’s possible, make sure you have a dedicated space. Ideally, it should be a place where you’re not interrupted or distracted by things going on in the home. Many families are choosing to transform unused guest rooms for this purpose. A basement room could also work.

Focus on Lighting...

We all love our pets and want to keep them safe and secure at home. Your yard should be free of hazards, especially for dogs who regularly go outside. So what is the best way to landscape for your pets? Here are some ideas for nontoxic plants, secure fencing and more.

Putting Up Fences

The best way to create a safe place for your dog is to fence in your yard. You can install several types of fencing, from chain link to wood privacy fences, yourself. Or you can hire a professional fencing company to install these for you. You may also consider Invisible electric fences to contain your pets.

Safe, Non-Toxic Plants

Dogs and cats sometimes unknowingly chew on plants even if they are toxic...

TikTok has swept the nation. Short videos influence many top trends, including how we decorate our homes. If you want to know the top trends this video platform promotes, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few TikTok trends you may want to consider for your new home.

DIY transparency TikTok personalities shed new light on what it takes to complete DIY home improvement projects. While networks like HGTV glorified the DIY lifestyle, TikTok is drawing back the curtains and giving homeowners a realistic look inside DIY projects. TikTok decorators can give you the confidence to know you can do it, but understand you may face challenges you can overcome with creativity.

Make your o...

Do you have old, worn, or dated tile in your bathroom? You may want to take a sledgehammer to the wall and tear it all out, but may be a  better idea to consider all your options before you do that. Is tile reglazing worth it? Here are some pros and cons to consider.

What Fits Your Budget?

The first step is to consider the cost. The prices to replace a shower or tub and tile can range anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000. Reglazing can be 75% cheaper and will last  about ten to fifteen years. You’ll need to decide what works for your home improvement budget to determine which solution is best for you.

Do It Right the First Time

One of the most significant drawbacks of reglazing is that it ...

All new parents want their babies to have the best of everything. When designing and stocking the nursery, think about the things that would make your life easier as a new parent. What must-have items do you need for your baby’s new nursery? Here are some ideas to help get you started on creating the perfect safe space for your baby.

A Safe Crib and Bedding

Cribs have come a long way over the years. The cribs your parents used are no longer considered safe, and chances are the crib you slept in isn’t up to current standards either. Before making a purchase, always review the current safety requirements for cribs and bedding to keep your child safe when sleeping.

Baby Monitor

Inv...

There are few better ways to start or end a day than with a nice shower. A strong, invigorating stream of water against the skin does more than get you clean; it's an antidote to the troubles of the day. That's why it's so frustrating when you open up the valve and only a dribble comes out. You spend twice as long rinsing off and enjoy it half as much. But is it worth it to call a plumber? Fortunately, fixing low water flow doesn't always require an expensive visit from a plumber.

Here are a few of the most common reasons why water flow might be low and how to fix them:

The fixture is blocked

Hopefully, you'll need to look no further for the cause of the weak stream than the shower fix...

Having guests over is a great way to celebrate milestones or have fun with friends and family, but you need a place to entertain. How is your outdoor entertainment area? Here are a few things you can do to improve your outdoor living space for guests this summer.

Build a fire pit

While you don't require warmth in the summertime, a fire pit can be a great way to gather in any season. There are commercially available fire pits that use gas, propane or wood, so you'll want to choose what works for you. Make sure it's situated in a safe place to prevent injuries or unintentional fires. Build or place seating around it to create a cozy spot for gathering.

Install a water feature

Water can ...

The simple answer, NO, you are not being punished, and NO, this is not new! Loan level price adjustments have been around. When you have a great lender in your corner, they are going to find the best strategy for you and your circumstances to get the best terms possible. Learn more here:

Click here to understand Loan Level Price Adjustments!

The mortgage process may seem scary. This is understandable: Your lender will ask for plenty of paperwork to verify your income and debts. You’ll need to sign what might feel like a mountain of documents. And your lender will closely study your credit history. But the mortgage-lending process isn’t nearly as overwhelming as it seems at first glance.

Start the application

The process starts when you fill out a Uniform Residential Loan Application. This application will ask for your basic information, such as full name, current address and Social Security number, for anyone applying for the mortgage loan. It will also ask for the address of the home you hope to buy.

You’ll also need to p...

Plenty of homeowners have made mistakes when remodeling. It's worth learning from those challenges to avoid making them yourself. Let's take a close look at a handful of the most common bathroom remodeling mistakes as well as how you can avoid making them. 

Bad ventilation 

Having inadequate ventilation in the bathroom causes more than just steam buildup. It can lead to significant challenges with dangerous mold and air quality problems. Moist rooms like the bathroom need proper ventilation, so cutting corners in this area can lead to major issues in the future.

Poor lighting

The bathroom is used for many things, including getting ready in the morning. You'll need enough light to ensu...

It is May 2 and as I scroll through my feed I see pictures from Wisconsin and even Snowshoe, West Virginia, piled high in snow. Meanwhile along the Grand Strand, it is sunny, breezy and 73 degrees.
This strikes a cord with me while working with several sets of clients who are making plans to relocate to our area to escape unfavorable weather, high taxes, or are planning for the reality that as they age, their current living situation is not ideal. We work with so many people who are ready to make the lifelong dream come true of moving to the coast. Prior to joining Luke in real estate I worked in senior healthcare, an industry that is also seeing incredible growth along the Grand Strand. I...

Applying for a mortgage? Your debt-to-income ratio is a key number. Lenders care about how much money you spend each month on your credit cards, student loans and auto loans. The less of a financial burden your monthly debts are, the more likely you are to not miss any mortgage payments.

What exactly is your debt-to-income ratio?

Your debt-to-income ratio measures how much of your gross monthly income your monthly debts eat up. The lower this ratio, the better it will be when you are applying for a mortgage.

What is gross monthly income? Your gross monthly income is the money you earn every month before taxes and any deductions that are taken out.
What are my monthly debts? Your monthly...

As we continue to grow, we want to officially introduce you to our executive assistant! She is a tremendous asset to us and to you! Get to know Rosette:

I am a mother of 2 boys, a 7 year old and a 3 year old. They are the very reason why I pursue working from home and assist clients in the best possible way that I can. 

My work from home journey started as an Executive Assistant for a CEO in Australia. My main tasks were to manage his email and his calendar. I also assisted him in updating his e-commerce website by updating the stock on the back end of his website. I also communicated with the clients and updated them with the status of their orders.

After few years, I had an opportuni...

With the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of spring also come the chores of garden and lawn maintenance. Whether it is a source of exercise and relaxation for you, or a chore that you'd rather hire someone to do, spring gardening is a must. What steps do you need to take to make your garden healthy this spring?

1) Make necessary repairs to hardscaping.

Hardscaping refers to any of your garden's elements that aren't planted. Now is the time to inspect and repair those retaining walls, walkways, fences, and other parts of your garden that have shifted or been damaged over the winter.

2) Clean up thoroughly.

Next, take time to clean up to prepare for spring plantings. Leaves and twigs...

Every time you make a mortgage payment or if your home’s value rises, you build your home's equity. But what is equity? It’s the difference between what you owe on your mortgage and what your home is currently worth.

Here is an equity example: You owe $250,000 on your mortgage and your home is worth $350,000. You now have $100,000 of equity in your home. If you owe $150,000 on that same home, your equity is an even higher $200,000.

Why does equity matter? Equity is important when you sell your home. The more equity you've built, the greater the profit you earn from your sale.

Say you owe $100,000 on your mortgage when you are selling. If your home is worth $380,000, you might sell it f...

We love helping people buy real estate! It is truly one of our favorite things. Most of the people that we help come to us with a property already in mind. Maybe they saw a post on social media, maybe they rode by a ‘for sale’ sign, maybe they overheard a conversation at Target, maybe they casually scroll on Zillow. But anytime we talk to someone who is serious about real estate, we point them to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Collaboration Center and our website.

Why?

Number one, accuracy. The most accurate information will be found on the MLS, it is the database that real estate agents list their clients’ properties on. Third party websites pull their information from the MLS. Our...

The Federal Reserve is the nation’s central bank. The FED’s goals are to encourage economic growth while also guarding against inflation. To help steer the economy, the FED is in charge of the money supply and setting the Federal Funds rate. They can literally print money and with the stroke of a pen, change the interest rates overnight. 

Mortgage interest rates are NOT set by the Federal Reserve. But they are significantly impacted by the Federal Funds rate increases and decreases. The best analogy I’ve heard is that the mortgage rate and Federal Funds rate are dance partners. Sometimes the Federal Funds rate changes and the mortgage rates follow and other times the mortgage rates take ...

When the trees start budding again, and flowers begin to dot the yard with their bright colors, it's the perfect time to spring clean. While we might dread spring cleaning, it helps us refresh our home environment after a long, cold winter and move refreshed into a bright new season. But where should you focus your attention? Here is our Spring Cleaning 101 Guide.

Freshen your mats and rugs

Indoor and outdoor mats and rugs can collect a lot of dirt tracked into the house by  people and pets over the winter months. Vacuuming doesn't always get everything, so you might consider buying or renting a portable steam cleaner. Pay special attention to the doormats inside and out since those col...

Let’s talk about that price reduction before you pull the trigger.  We know in competitive markets sometimes it is a must, however, before you make that move let’s talk about how to attract more buyers and help them win at the same time.  We have a great strategy that will serve both seller and buyer and you’re going to love it. 

Let’s say your home is on the market for $450,000 and its been sitting for more than 60 days, your first thought may be to reduce the price by $10,000 to get fresh eyes on it.  And it likely will.  But let me tell you how we are helping sellers keep their full asking & bring more buyers to the table.  Instead of reducing it by $10,000, offer those funds in the f...

Inventory is up and the spring market is here! Check out great information from Jenny King with US Mortgage and Luke Anderson with the Anderson Team at Beach and Forest Realty to learn how February 2023 finished up here!

Click here to learn more!