Blog

January 8, 2018

Tax Reform: Here’s What Could Impact Homeowners Most

By Liz Domingue, RISMedia’s associate content editor A new year has started, and with it a newly enacted tax policy: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While most changes will not be noticeable until consumers file their taxes in 2019, the new tax law stands to alter how consumers view homeownership incentives and could impact real estate markets across the country. Additionally, many consumers, but not all, may see a change to their paychecks by next month due to the new tax rate deductions. These are the biggest real estate-related tax policies and how they could affect homeowners. 1. Cap on […]

December 27, 2017

What 87% of Sellers Know About Listing A Home

The rate of For Sale By Owner (FSBO) homes has been decreasing steadily for the last decade. In 2016, FSBOs accounted for just 8% of home sales. Why do 87% of home sellers use an agent to sell their home? Today’s buyers are web-savvy, and expect homes to be marketed on national home search sites that FSBO sellers often forget about. Agents can also help with negotiation and to streamline the closing paperwork. Plus, sellers who use an agent usually make more on their home sale, even after paying an agent’s commission. But don’t take our word for it — […]

December 11, 2017

Georgia’s New Uniform Power of Attorney Act

Effective July 1, 2017, Georgians have access to improved power of attorney laws if they sign a new, written power of attorney made in compliance with the Georgia Uniform Power of Attorney Act (the Act) on or after July 1, 2017. The Act, passed this year by the state legislature and signed by the Governor, provides for a more comprehensive set of laws governing use and acceptance of a written power of attorney (POA) in the state. Importantly, these new laws help protect someone from theft or misuse of assets by someone serving as their agent by providing for greater […]

October 13, 2017

6 Big Ways to Completely Botch Buying a Home

By Daniel Bortz for Realtor.com® We all make careless mistakes. We accidentally undertip the waiter. We lock our keys in the car. We wear white after Labor Day. We press “send all.” It happens to the best of us. But some little mistakes can create big problems, like when you’re buying a home. A house, after all, is a huge purchase; the stakes are extremely high. With that kind of money on the line, you’d better be darn sure you can navigate the home-buying process without a hitch. And avoid self-sabotage! To help you out, we’ve pinpointed six common ways home buyers botch their property-purchasing prospects so […]

October 6, 2017

Vacation Home or Income-Producing Investment?

By Andrew Beattie for Investopedia.com The American Dream has undergone a fair amount of change over the last 50 years. It has expanded to include being able to buy a second home — a vacation home. These are the cottages on the lakeside, the cabins in the mountains and the huts on the beach that all sit empty 90% of the year while their owners are banking time for the next vacation — and footing the bill for the mortgage and property taxes. There is, of course, an alternative to letting your cottage collect dust during the down time. You […]

September 26, 2017

What Does a Home Inspector Look For? A Whole Lot

By Lisa Gordon for Realtor.com Hiring a home inspector to check out a house before you buy it takes time, but it can save you big money in the end. A home inspector can check for major flaws that might need to be fixed. After all, even if a house looks like it’s in great condition, appearances can be deceiving. What does a home inspector look for? In short: a whole lot. “We’ve got 1,600 different items on our list that home inspectors are supposed to look at,” says Claude McGavic, executive director of the National Association of Home Inspectors, which trains and certifies home inspectors throughout the country. […]