Living in Louisville BlogRecently posted or modified blog posts by tag - Movinghttps://www.kyselectproperties.com/blog/Copyright KYSelectProperties.com2018-08-16T05:46:30-07:00tag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:14024How To Cut Costs When MovingIf you’re transferring to a new home or office <a href="https://www.acbrosmoving.com/phoenix-local-movers/">with the help of a moving company</a>, then the following tips on how to cut costs when moving should come in handy.
Don’t bring everything with you
Surely, some of your belongings are things you don’t really want, much less need. Instead of taking them with you to your new home or office, getting rid of them in one way or another is a much better option. Just leave them behind or give them away. If you want to make some money off them, then hold a garage sale.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/299/image/Blog_Charts_and_Images/How_To_Cut_Costs_When_Moving.jpg" width="600" height="400" alt="Moving" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Cut Costs When Moving" />
Schedule the move during the off-peak season
Moving during peak season can cost you more than if you do it during off-peak months when movers charge lower rates and conditions are more convenient. If you do your move sometime between September to early April, you are going to reduce your costs.
Recycle packing materials
It’s always good to have brand new materials on hand when packing, but if you want to save money, recycling should be an option. You can use boxes you already have at home, but if you need more, you can always ask friends and family for old boxes of their own. You can also go to your neighborhood store and buy old boxes for cheap, or even get them for free.
Pack your own stuff
Some people are just too busy to do their own packing, so they hire someone else to do it for them. Hiring professional packers are a good option if you have the budget for it, but if you’re short on funds, making time to pack your belongings is pretty much the only choice you have left.
Do your research on moving companies
It’s always best to have more than one option when it comes to moving companies. Before you choose a mover, do your homework first. For basic information about a company, visit its website. You can also request estimates from at least three moving companies to help you find out the best deal. Your friend or family might also have some knowledge about the said companies.
Save your receipts for tax season
Your moving expenses may be deducted from your taxes due, so never forget to keep all your receipts. You need them to get the right to claim your moving expenses as a deduction on your federal income tax return.
Notify the IRS about your move
The Internal Revenue Service sends out tax refund checks for people who have made excess tax payments. To be able to get those checks, you have to make sure that you inform the said agency about your relocation. Failure to do so means you can kiss those tax refund checks goodbye, as you won’t be likely to receive them at your new address, about which the IRS wouldn’t know anything.
These are just some of the many ways that can help you cut costs when moving. Give them and try and see how much you can save.
Guest post by Amanda Schultz of <a href="https://www.acbrosmoving.com/">A&C Brothers Moving and Storage</a>.<a href="http://www.acbrosmoving.com"><br /></a>2018-08-10T06:36:00-07:002018-08-16T05:46:30-07:00Jay Gulicktag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:10733Your Ultimate Moving Checklist (StyleBlueprint, May 2016)The local real estate market is hot right now, if you haven’t noticed. Seems like a lot of people are moving, especially in May. We asked <a href="https://www.kyselectproperties.com/agents/540/missy-ormerod/" target="_blank">Missy Ormerod </a>at <a href="http://styleblueprint.com/louisville/guide/kentucky-select-properties/" target="_blank">Kentucky Select Properties</a> to share with us her moving checklist. This one starts two months out, so if you are crunched for time, you might need to adjust accordingly. Either way, consider this your ultimate moving checklist! Take it away, Missy! <a href="http://styleblueprint.com/louisville/everyday/ultimate-moving-checklist/">Read more</a>.2016-05-11T05:53:00-07:002016-05-11T05:56:02-07:00Jay Gulicktag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:8535Home Appraisals 101Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home, or even refinance your current home at a lower rate, a home appraisal is a key step to confirming the value of a property. Lenders use professional appraisers to provide an unbiased opinion on the value of a home in order to ensure that, in the event of default, the funds they lend are backed up by the property. In this way, lenders have a bit of insurance that, even in the worst-case scenario, their investment is a safe one. So, what are the major aspects of an appraisal? What are the most important factors to know about that can affect the value of a home, and what happens if an appraisal comes in lower than the agreed upon price during closing on a sale? Let’s take a closer look at the details of appraisals and their importance on property investments from both buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives.
Professional, certified appraisers take into account comparable sales, home amenities and other key, quantifiable factors. Since property condition is a factor, keeping up with necessary repairs can provide a boost to appraised value.
You may have, at some point, rushed to clean up your home to get ready for an appraisal in order to receive a quick boost in value. While it couldn’t hurt, tidiness isn’t a major factor in appraisal value. According to <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/home-appraisals.asp">Investopedia</a>, appraisal numbers are typically a sum of factors including current market trends, your home’s amenities, upkeep and maintenance, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and square footage. Another major factor to appraisals relates to recently sold comparable properties. As a result, taking the time to check out recently sold, similar homes in your neighborhood is a quick way to get a relatively close estimate when creating a list price on your home.
If you’re buying a home, expect an appraisal as part of the closing procedures. If appraised value comes in lower than the agreed-upon price, look forward to more negotiations and savings.
As a buyer, you’ve likely heard plenty about the closing costs on your mortgage, and this is one step of the home buying process where that money is applied. In exchange for several hundred dollars, you’ll get a detailed overview of your potential property outlining property conditions, comparable properties in the area, photos of the home and tax records, all of which are used to determine the property’s fair market value. In the event of a low appraisal, you’ll likely need to agree upon a lower price with the seller in order to attain financing. If the seller truly needs to get rid of the home, a low appraisal could be a great opportunity to save some money thanks to a lower asking price. After all, lenders won’t approve loans greater than the appraised value of the property.
As a seller, a low appraisal can cost you a pretty penny. If possible, perform necessary maintenance before requesting a second appraisal if you believe mistakes were made on the first attempt.
If a low appraisal disrupted your sale, there are a few avenues available to sellers that could help in adjusting the value. Start by performing needed repairs and maintenance to achieve a quick boost in value before requesting another review by a different certified home appraiser. In the event of an inexperienced appraiser, a simple reevaluation could mean the difference between selling your home for list price and losing a bundle of cash in the short-term. According to <a href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/buying-home/home-appraisals2.htm">How Stuff Works</a>, if you still believe your home’s value assessment to be inaccurate following a second review, consider filing a complaint at your state’s appraiser licensing agency. Just remember, the mortgage application of the buyer is likely on hold until your home’s value meets the contract price.
If you believe the final appraisal to be a misrepresentation of the value of your property as a seller, or if you can’t negotiate to new terms as a buyer, take advantage of the financing contingency on your offer contract to walk away from the deal.
If all else fails and no common ground can be reached based on the home appraisal, most offer contracts contain a contingency for failure to attain financing. This affords buyers the opportunity to walk away from the deal completely and without penalty if the home value estimate creates too much difference between perceived value and financing availability. In some cases, walking away from a home is the only option. If you’re unsure of how to proceed, depend on the knowledge and experience of your real estate agent to guide you through the relatively uncommon situation.
Penny W. is a writer whose interests include <a href="http://www.homecity.com/austin/leander" target="_blank">Leander homes for sale</a> and playing the acoustic guitar.
Sources:
<a href="http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/buying-home/home-appraisals.htm">http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/buying-home/home-appraisals.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/home-appraisals.asp">http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/home-appraisals.asp</a>
2015-01-23T08:15:00-07:002015-01-23T08:36:27-07:00Jay Gulicktag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:828510 Things You Should Know About Buying or Selling A HouseSome solid fundamentals on buying or selling real estate from the folks at Realtor.com:
When it comes to buying a home there are many different steps to consider. It can be a very confusing time for the first time home buyer. Putting your home up for sale can be equally demanding. <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateagents/Billy-Malone_San-Marino_CA_1442679_654299908">Realtor® Billy Malone of San Marino, California</a> recently compiled his list of ten things that those shopping for a home or putting one on the market need to keep in mind:
Buying and selling a home can be the most stressful process you may ever experience. Even if the process is not overly stressful, it can often be a personal and emotional transaction and will be one of the most significant. Owning a home is the American dream, it is where we build our lives and families, and it should not evolve into the American nightmare. So how do you make sure that you get to live the dream and live it well? One method is to refer to one of those Real Estate checklists you come across online. <a href="http://www.realtor.com/advice/ten-things-you-should-know-about-buying-and-selling-a-home/">Read more</a>.2014-12-01T09:21:00-07:002014-12-01T09:26:04-07:00Jay Gulicktag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:8259Buying A Big House When You Retire? Think Twice.Once you’ve paid for your house, how much will it cost you? This is a crucial issue for anyone looking ahead to retirement. The more expensive your home, the more of a drain it’ll likely be in terms of property taxes, maintenance, homeowners insurance and more. Suppose you own a home that, in addition to any mortgage payment, costs $1,000 a month. You then get a fat pay raise, prompting you to trade up to a larger house, which has double the monthly expenses. <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/in-retirement-a-big-house-can-lead-to-the-poor-house-2014-11-22?dist=countdown">Read more</a>.
If you stay in the larger home during retirement, you’ll need to come up with $2,000 a month, equal to $24,000 a year. Based on a 4% annual portfolio withdrawal rate, that would mean $600,000 in retirement savings just to pay your housing costs, versus $300,000 for the smaller home.
2014-11-24T13:08:00-07:002014-11-24T13:14:25-07:00Jay Gulicktag:kyselectproperties.com,2012-09-20:806012 Things To Do After You MoveThe last of the moving trucks has just left and you are finally ready to close the door on an exhausting day. But wait, are you done with moving yet? No. There are a whole lot of things that you need to do after you move into your new home. Here is a quick checklist to help you kick-start the process.
1. Check your big-ticket stuff and furniture to make sure that nothing was damaged during the moving process. Most movers and insurance companies have a limited time in which you can file a claim. Make sure that all your appliances and electronics are working before that deadline passes you by.
2. If you were not able to have an exterminator visit the <a href="http://househunter.co/" style="line-height: 22px;">house</a> earlier, get it done now before you start opening all your packed boxes. If you have a lot of time on hand and can rough it for a day or two, consider giving the home a thorough and in-depth cleaning before you start organizing.
3. When unpacking, don’t open all boxes at once. Hopefully, you’ve been diligent in marking all your boxes and maintaining a ‘moving diary’ when you packed. Now is the time to reap your rewards!
<img src="https://www.pods.com/portals/0/images/Moving-to-a-New-State.jpg" width="400" height="265" alt="Moving Day" title="Family Unpacking" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />
Multiple boxes lying open with stuff strewn all over can tempt you to stuff all of them inside a closet and then forget about it. Instead, open one box at a time and organize your belongings neatly as you go. Set yourself a timetable, like two or three boxes a day, so that your entire unpacking will be over in a week.
4. Change all locks and alarm codes. Not to sound paranoid, but do you really know how many copies of your keys are out there?
5. Make sure that all smoke detectors in the house are in working condition. If necessary, replace their batteries.
6. If you have not updated your new address at your job, at the bank, at the postal office or at your insurance provider, don’t wait any longer!
7. Get to know your neighbors. Invite people who seem to be on the same wavelength as you to a tea party once things are settled. Knowing your neighbors is essential to feeling “settled” in your new home.
8. Get your driver’s license and license plates updated. Your local DMV may be a good place to go for more information.
9. Register to vote in your new area.
10. Find new healthcare professionals and that includes at the minimum, a general physician, a pediatrician (if you have kids), a gynecologist, a dentist and a vet. Don’t forget to find out from your insurance provider the closet hospital that comes under their network.
11. Make sure that all receipts and bills related to the moving process are stored at one place. You may need them later to apply for tax deductions.
12. Enquire about trash disposal policies and if curbside pickup is available in your area.
Kurt Jacobson is a surfing enthusiast with a background in real estate. Having moved 10 times in the past 7 years, he thrives on helping others learn from his experiences. When he's not out shredding waves he writes about homes for <a href="http://househunter.co/">househunter.co</a>.
2014-10-20T13:19:00-07:002014-10-20T17:51:49-07:00Jay Gulick