Moving During the Holidays

 

Moving during the holidays can be stressful, especially if you have young children.  Here are a few tips to make your move easier:

• Give yourself enough time to get organized.  Schedule a moving company, pack a little bit every day and remember to label all your boxes.  Confirm who will be helping you move if you need a helping hand and make plans for somebody to care for your little ones while you're moving.

• You can also hire a professional moving company that will take care of everything for you and all you have to do is take care of the bill.  This way you can enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

• Once you move into your new house you might feel overwhelmed as there's boxes everywhere and lots to unpack.  Instead of stressing about that celebrate Christmas with loved ones.  Visiting family and friends can make moving during the holidays more enjoyable.

• If you moved farther away from family and friends keep in touch by emailing, talking on the phone or by Skype.  This can help you feel more connected with loved ones during the holidays.

Winterizing Your Home

                                                                                            

• Make sure your interior and exterior walls are properly insulated.  Add extra insulation where necessary.

• Check areas in the house where cold air can seep in and hot air can leak out as this can increase energy costs.  Install caulking and weather-stripping where needed.

• Use a programmable thermostat so you can change the temperature in your house whenever you want.  

• Check your furnace and water heater to make sure they're working efficiently.

• Make sure the gutters are clean with no leaves or debris to prevent ice dams that can cause water damage to your roof and walls.

• Turn off the water to your outside garden hose and drain the lines as this will prevent the water from freezing.

Selling a Home During Christmas

The holiday season is a busy time of year.  People are shopping and visiting family and there's not that many people looking to buy a home, but all you need is one buyer.  Here are some tips to remember if you're planning on listing your home:

 

• Make the outside of your home look inviting.  Make sure the walkway is dry and there's no snow or ice.  Decorate the outside of the house with some Christmas decorations to make it stand out.

• It's a good idea to have a nice smell in the house for when people stop by.  Maybe you could bake some ginger bread cookies.

• Christmas is a special time of year so why not give the house a nice touch.  Put up the Christmas tree and set up Christmas decorations.  

It's Christmas time but that does not mean the real estate market is totally dead.  There's going to be somebody looking to buy a home.

Beware of Real Estate Fraud

There are three types of real estate fraud that home buyers should be aware of:

Title fraud-when somebody changes the title of the property to their name so they can sell  or refinance it.

Mortgage fraud-when somebody intentionally leaves out information or lies on a mortgage application to obtain a loan.

Value fraud-when a home buyer is given the impression that the property is worth a lot more than it really is through intentional misrepresentation.

 

Home buyers can prevent themselves from being a victim of real estate fraud by:

• Working with a real estate professional with good credentials

• Believing if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is

• Never disclosing personal financial information over the phone, through mail or email unless they have met in person and know who they're dealing with

• Never paying for real estate transactions in advance

Victims of real estate fraud can suffer a large financial loss, so use common sense and do your homework.