All’s Well That Moves Well - Don’t let a bad move ruin the first day in a new home. Here’s a foolproof plan for a smooth transition
Along with death and divorce, moving is considered one of life’s biggest stressors. It requires countless decisions sparks potential problems and involves emotional adieus.

Do you have 80/20 vision? - Here’s all you need to see clearly on private mortgage insurance
Ophthalmologists may consider 20/20 vision to be ideal, but when it comes to the picture-perfect loan-to-value ratio, 80/20 is the number to set your sights on if you want to avoid paying for private mortgage insurance.

Ask Our Broker - I often see ads by lenders claiming to cut my payments in half. Too good to be true?
Q: I have a 5.5-percent, fixed-rate mortgage. However, I keep seeing ads from lenders who say they can cut my payments in half. Should I refinance to get the lower cost?

Fighting Foreclosure - Knowing the options in today’s volatile mortgage market will help keep you in your home and your credit intact
The cries of desperation are becoming too common for Northern Virginia loan officer Enrique Noriega.

Mortgage XL - Securing a home with a jumbo-sized price tag requires an equally large loan
Like opting to super-size your meal at the drive-thru window, it’s only human nature to salivate over a bigger, better dream home in a more coveted location. But unless you have a significant portion saved for the down payment, chances are you’ll have to apply for a more costly “jumbo” loan - and prove that you can make the monthly payments, too.

Ask Our Broker - Our rates adjust soon, so we’d like to modify our loans. How do we know what’s available?
Q: We currently have two home loans, a 3/27 first mortgage and a 3/12 second. With each, the rate is fixed for the first three years and then adjusts for the remainder of the loan term.

Assessing Your Assessments - Beds and baths are important, but when buying a condo or townhouse, so is the monthly maintenance. How much do you need, and how much is too much?
Smart home shoppers take a fine-tooth comb to the fine print and scrutinize the sale terms before signing on the dotted line of a home purchase contract, as well they should. But not enough home seekers may be taking the necessary time to carefully inspect exactly what they’ll be paying for in monthly assessments, say the experts.

Just a Hint of Something - The right color in the home can produce a variety of subtle effects
Want to create a restful mood in your bedroom? Would you like your kids to concentrate more while doing their homework? Want to feel energized during your morning shower?

Ask Our Broker - If we hold our own open house and find a seller, how do we compensate our listing agent?
Q: We recently listed our house with a real estate firm and had our first open house. We now intend to hold open houses on our own in an attempt to increase our selling chances. What would happen if we found a buyer during an open house held by us? Is it appropriate to ask our listing agent to reduce their commission?

Is the Price Really Right? From calculating square footage to comparing recently sold homes, picking the right price for your home is a lot trickier than you think
That bungalow down the street sold for $275,000. But, c’mon, it’s not nearly as nice as your Tudor, right? You could get at least $20,000 more, particularly since you remodeled the kitchen two years ago. Plus, you need to get $295,000 in order to afford the down payment on that Dutch Colonial. And while you’re at it, you better pad that price another five grand to cover your eventual buyer’s offer. So you list it at $300,000.

Moving On Up - Before opting for a bigger, fancier house, be sure you know exactly what you’re looking for
Today, selling a house may take longer in many markets, but that hasn’t completely discouraged certain homeowners from moving to a larger house or apartment to accommodate their family in greater style or simply fulfill a dream.

Ask Our Broker - Does a broker get a commission if a property is rented out while it’s still on the market?
Q: Suppose you’re a broker. You have a property listed. While the property is listed, it’s rented out by the owner without your permission. Is the broker entitled to a fee?

Illuminating Decor - Don’t let a lack of lighting knowledge leave you lost in the dark
Have you ever had dinner in a room that was so poorly lit you weren’t sure if you were being served a salad or an entree? Or the lights were so bright that you felt like you were being interrogated? Lighting that is too dim or blasts you with a hot spotlight not only is annoying but diminishes the beauty and function of your home. By understanding and applying the basics of proper lighting you can bring warmth, beauty and utility to any room.

The Ins and Outs Of Up-and-Down Rates - Across the board, loan rates are higher than they were just a year ago. As you look into mortgages, keep these factors in mind as you look for the best loan - and rate - for your budget
What’s the best type of home mortgage loan to choose in the current housing downturn? Will interest rates continue to tick up? Should you wait for a rate drop? Indeed, the mortgage market is beset by questions these days, especially considering the tighter restrictions being imposed on borrowers lately and the gradual uptick in rates.

Ask Our Broker - I need to move out of state, and my home can’t stay vacant. What kind of sale can I do?
Q: I owe $138,000 on a house, plus $22,000 on a second trust. I’ve lived here for two years. The property is worth about $140,000. I must move; my broker cannot find a renter; I don’t want a seller leaseback; and I’m concerned that my broker will not renew the listing when it runs out. I currently am getting job offers out of state, but I can’t leave this house empty or else I’ll default on my homeowner’s insurance. Would a short sale make sense in this situation?

Building a Better Kitchen - For you and the next owner of your home, the priciest amenities aren’t always the best
Conventional wisdom dictates that you'll be able to recoup a major chunk of the costs to redo an upscale kitchen, which now averages around $108,000 nationally, according to the 2006 “Cost vs. Value” annual report from Remodeling magazine.

Help Wanted, Home Provided - Employer-assisted housing programs are helping workers have their own home to go when they punch out
Mike Romano couldn’t have picked a better time to glance at a poster at work that described an employer-assisted housing program.

Ask Our Broker - I Moved Back Home to Save Money. Will the Lack of Rental History Cause a Problem When I Apply for a Mortgage?
Q: I’m living with my parents to save money for the down payment on a house. I anticipate that it will take at least a year to save enough. Will my lack of a recent rental history be a problem when I apply for a mortgage?

The Black and White of Green - Eco-friendly and energy-efficient don’t have to be esoteric. And as more homebuyers demand green features, architects and designers are taking a new approach to living spaces
Today, a home’s greenness isn’t relegated to the garden. Inside the walls and out, be it a 900-square-foot refurbished mountain cabin to a 2,500-square-foot modern condominium in a revitalized downtown location, green is taking on a whole new meaning, and it’s changing the way both buyers and builders look at homes.

Makeovers - 'Make this tiny space appeal to the masses'
The real estate agent for this tiny home called wanting help preparing it for sale. The homeowners had moved out of state and had turned over the home-sale preparation to her. Renters had been living there for a while but hadn’t taken care of the place. Fortunately, the renters would be out before the house went up for sale, so we didn’t have to inconvenience them or work around their possessions. (If you own a rental, it’s usually best to show the house after they’ve moved out. Renters aren’t always motivated to keep the place looking spiffy.) The agent asked me to look over the property and coordinate preparation to get it ready for sale.

Ask Our Broker - Listing, buying, selling. What’s the difference between all these brokers?
Q: What’s the difference between a listing broker, selling broker and a buyer broker?

Too Big ... Too Little ... Just Right - More and more houses are coming with more and more rooms, but that doesn’t always mean they’re practical. The right-sized home utilizes the right amount of space for your lifestyle
Gregory Johnson’s decision to move out of his 2,000-square-foot home to one that is less than one-tenth that size didn’t happen overnight.

Pondering Property Tax - Home price is one thing, annual assessments are another. Don’t let the hidden costs in home ownership surprise you each year
Shopping for a home can be a taxing process - especially for those who don’t probe deeply enough to learn how much they’ll owe in property taxes once they purchase.

Ask Our Broker - After an inspection, I found tons problems with my home. What can I do now?
Q: I bought a home and got an inspection. After the inspection, I found that a heavy metal sliding door did not slide. The owner said he would fix it with some oil.

For Makeovers That Sell, Go For the Heart - To get buyers to bite, you need to prep your home to play to their emotions
Most likely you know someone - or you are someone - who has had a home project on the to-do list for, oh, since you moved into the house three years ago. Maybe it’s painting the front hallway, or trimming the dead branches off the backyard trees, or fixing that leaky showerhead. Over time, the hectic pace of life intervened and you probably got used to the imperfection.

Waste Not, Want Not - A trashcan is one of those must-have, must-not-see items. Here’s how you can finesse its function
I have carefully scanned page after glossy page of my design magazines and have yet to find one of them. I must admit, I dislike viewing them, but I still wonder, where have they hidden them?

Ask Our Broker - We’re trying to pay off our 20-year loan quicker. What can we do to speed it up?
Q: We were looking for some advice regarding how to pay off our mortgage faster. We currently have a 20-year mortgage at 5.125 percent and have been putting in extra principal payments in every month. I was surprised when talking to the mortgage company that we would be finished paying off in 16 years, I thought it would be a lot sooner. Is there a system you recommend that would pay it off faster? We are not be able to add much more to the monthly payment than we do now.

The Rules of Home Renting - If you’re opening up a house to tenants, it’s better to be safe than sorry
Whether you buy a vacation house for personal enjoyment, investment or future retirement, you may find that you don’t use it as much as you originally hoped. Perhaps you should think about renting it for a few weeks or maybe the entire year.

Ask Our Broker - We’re considering a large remodel for our home. Is a 15- or 30-year loan best?
Q: Houses in our area sell for about $210,000. Our mortgage is just about paid off, we expect to stay in our home forever and we’re thinking of remodeling at a cost of $100,000 to $150,000. Would it be best to get a fixed-rate loan for 15 years or for 30 years?

Keep Your Mind On Your Mortgage - Rates are higher and loan packages are harder to choose from, so don’t go blindly into the world on homeownership
Without a doubt, the lending free-for-all is over. Lenders today no longer are willing to gamble on prospective homeowners who can't provide them with some assurances of long-term financial stability. The rising numbers of mortgage-loan defaults have rattled financiers and slowed the subprime-mortgage market for borrowers with weaker credit histories.