As a smart seller, you’ll want your home in tip-top shape, but you don’t want to eat into your profits by overspending on home improvements. You won’t be around to enjoy them anyway. The key is to focus on the most important repairs to make before selling a house to ensure every dollar ...
Just bought a new home and looking for some new furnishings? Want to know when to look for sales on mattresses, appliances, tools and other items? Then read on. According to House-Logic, the National Association of Realtors consumer website, buying can be stressful. Cheap out, and you could ...
Editor’s Note: Brenda J. Linert’s column, “From the editor’s desk,” will return July 28. “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” — Thomas Paine, “American ...
Are you looking to remodel your home? Remodelers across the country took a hit last summer as the cost of building materials spiked dramatically, and the picture for 2019 isn’t much rosier, according to RIS Media. The percentage of return on investment (ROI) is projected to trend downward ...
Special to the Tribune Chronicle We start this column out by saying that everything written here needs to be discussed with your accountant or financial adviser before you talk to your Realtor. Thousands of people build wealth through ownership of real estate and defer or avoid paying ...
As a former human resources professional, I have read a lot of resumes and job applications and helped make a myriad of decisions about whom to hire. Many times the decision was difficult because there were plenty of qualified prospects and any one of the finalists could do the job well. But, ...
According to current research, up to 65 percent of the jobs that children entering elementary school today will end up doing havenát even been invented yet. That's an exciting thought but also a disquieting one. The statistic has tremendous implications for what we need to be teaching ...
SMH. I’m not a fan of social media abbreviations. But lately even I have been using “SMH” — shaking my head — to the point I feel like a living bobblehead doll. The latest SMH took place when I learned that Foundation Medici intends to sever its operating agreement with the Butler ...
In June 2017, it was widely reported that more than $1 million was stolen from a New York Supreme Court judge by internet hackers / thieves pretending to be a party in her real estate transaction. The simple facts of the case are so startling it has alarmed Realtors and should wake up every ...
Forty-plus years ago, professional home inspections didn’t exist. Real estate sales contracts had no references to inspecting the house or what to do if the buyer found something wrong. Today, all that has changed — for the better. Home inspectors have become central to the real estate ...
It’s vacation season and the Warren Area Board of Realtors reminds residents that planning a trip or vacating your home means more than just pulling out a map and taking off. It also should include a checklist of things to do to protect your home and valuables while you are away. Regardless ...
President Donald Trump ran his 2016 presidential campaign on fighting for freer and fairer trade deals for workers in Ohio and across the country, and this promise helped propel him to victory. Americans from both sides of the aisle recognized the failure of outdated trade agreements like NAFTA ...
There are many advantages to owning a home rather than renting one or renting an apartment. We will discuss them here: 1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home. The tax ...
There’s no question our community has taken more than its share of economic hits, most recently with the idling of the General Motors’ Lordstown Assembly Complex. You don’t need to have worked at GM-Lordstown to be reeling from its closure. Suppliers have seen orders drop, while big ...
Sellers in today’s market are looking to make their homes more appealing to buyers. Besides having your home professionally staged, having your home professionally inspected is a benefit to both you and the buyer. A homeowner who has had a pre-home inspection takes the risk out of losing a ...
There are times when we go through difficult experiences. This spring has been one of those times for us. I lost a brother and sister within three weeks of each other. As you can guess, it leaves a void in my life. While my brother lived in Arizona, I could still pick up the phone and talk to ...
As a senior citizen, I often wonder how time flies by so quickly. Sometimes, it astounds me to reflect on how many historic and society-changing trends and events I have witnessed in what seems like such a short time. I was born on Aug. 14, 1941, in a small hamlet called Bridgeburg in ...
Editor’s note: Editor Brenda J. Linert’s column will return next week. When I worked in Mahoning Valley economic development several years ago, I had a conversation with a local political leader regarding the auto industry. He wanted to propose a state bill to incentivize businesses to ...
As we discussed last week, land contracts have one huge difference from cash or bank financed sales — the seller has risk after the sale’s closing. If the buyer defaults (doesn’t pay the mortgage), the seller still has the house and is not getting money. For this risk, most sellers ...
Sometimes I have been called a saver. Other times I have been known as a pack rat. I do have a habit of saving things, of not being able to throw things away. I can’t throw that away because I might need it sometime, even if I haven’t used it for several years. Yes, I grew up in a ...