For many people, moving time means decision time: Do we buy a home or find a place to rent? This dilemma doesn’t just face young people starting out, but it also stumps established professionals relocating for a job and empty nesters who have sold the big family home.Corey Fick and his wife, … [Read more...] about Is it time to buy a house? 7 questions to ask
How to get the best refinancing deal
If you're paying an interest rate of more than 5 percent, now may be the time to refinance your home mortgage.Although interest rates have risen slightly in the past few weeks, they are still at historic lows. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 3.89 percent in the last week, … [Read more...] about How to get the best refinancing deal
How to get rid of your timeshare
In the glow of the vacation moment, it seems like a wonderful idea: Buy a timeshare so you can return every year to relive the wonderful experience again and again.But years later, when your life has changed and you no longer want to return to the same vacation spot, getting rid of that … [Read more...] about How to get rid of your timeshare
Is the tiny house movement for you?
When life seems too complicated, some people advocate this solution: Move into a smaller home to have a bigger life.For some, the tiny house movement has become a way of life, adjusting to a smaller space and fewer possessions, with a goal of saving money and focusing on relationships and … [Read more...] about Is the tiny house movement for you?
Age in place by joining or forming a retirement village
For every retiree that packs up and moves to Florida, Arizona or some other warm-weather spot, another four or five prefer to stay right where they are. But as they get older, many people find themselves needing more help, whether it's a referral to someone who can fix a leaky toilet, a ride to the … [Read more...] about Age in place by joining or forming a retirement village
How to put on a perfect real estate open house
When a home hits the market, one of the first tasks for the seller is to put on an open house. If your home is listed with a real estate agent, your agent will tell you how to prepare your home and organize the open house. If you list your home without an agent, then it's all up to you.Either … [Read more...] about How to put on a perfect real estate open house
How to boost your savings as you near retirement
Retirement may seem far away, but those who are closing in on it can tell you that it comes faster than you think. What you do in the last 10 years before you retire can make an enormous difference in how comfortable your retirement years will be."From 55 to 65, you've got time to really make a … [Read more...] about How to boost your savings as you near retirement
Is it time to buy a home?
With interest rates expected to rise later this year, you may be wondering whether you should buy a home at today's low rates. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 3.85 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey, about what it was at the end of … [Read more...] about Is it time to buy a home?
How to find out if your car has been recalled
If you own a car made between 2002 and 2008, you might need new air bags.Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an agreement with the Japanese company Takata that doubled the number of cars it will recall due to the potential of faulty air bags. The first Takata … [Read more...] about How to find out if your car has been recalled
How millennials are changing real estate
For decades, the telephone has been the real estate agent’s tool of the trade. But a new wave of younger homebuyers is changing the way agents use those phones. Millennials, those born between 1980 and the late '90s don’t want to talk. They want texts.“We’re on our phones all the time, and this … [Read more...] about How millennials are changing real estate
Should you get a home equity loan? It may depend on the reason
With home values rising, more Americans have equity in their homes. That has generated plenty of cheers from homeowners, and it’s also brought back the home equity line of credit as a popular option for the first time since before the Great Recession.Americans took out $23.4 billion in home … [Read more...] about Should you get a home equity loan? It may depend on the reason
How to pay off your mortgage early
The mortgage-burning party may have gone the way of the rotary phone, but that doesn’t mean Americans don’t own their homes free and clear anymore. In fact, about 34% of homeowners in the United States no longer have a mortgage, according to U.S. Census data.The stories of people who pay off … [Read more...] about How to pay off your mortgage early
14 tips to make your home sell faster
The peak spring home-buying season is approaching, and you're ready to sell your home, the quicker the better. How can you make it happen?First, of course, you want to make sure your home looks its best. “Curb appeal is everything,” says Michael Mahon, general manager of HER Realtors in … [Read more...] about 14 tips to make your home sell faster
How to find and hire a good contractor
For most homeowners, the hardest part of any home renovation project isn’t the work itself, it’s finding a competent and reliable contractor to do the job. Installing kitchen cabinets, knocking down a wall or retiling the bathroom is simple compared with the struggle of hiring a quality contractor … [Read more...] about How to find and hire a good contractor
We’re looking for website publishers
Do you want to run your own business and publish a hyperlocal website? Living on the Cheap is looking for publishers to take over or start On the Cheap sites in cities around the country.Living on the Cheap provides the tools, including the website, hosting and instructions. Publishers provide … [Read more...] about We’re looking for website publishers