Summer vacation season is here! So many of us are planning our vacations, the fun beach trips, and getting away for a while. But vacations also mean being away from the house. That means more risk for the security of your home. During the summer, burglaries do happen more often given that people are not in their homes for extended periods of time. There are things that you can do to protect your home, though!

1. Lock All Windows and Doors Before You Leave
It seems simple enough. You may even be thinking, "who wouldn't do that??" But it's never a bad idea to double and triple check that your windows and doors are properly shut and locked. These will be the first areas that a burglar will try to access. A few weeks before your planned vacation, test your locks. That way, you'll have time to hire a locksmith to replace any locks that need it.
2. Install a Home Security System
Home security systems greatly reduce the chance that a home will be burglarized. Many systems nowadays . ...

Making a move out of state will, undoubtedly, be stressful. You can either choose to wing it and hope that everything works out with minimal planning, or you can do as much research as possible to know what to expect. If you fall under the second category, then this blog is for you! If you fall into the first category, this can still be a great tool for you to make things go a bit smoother.
Moving always involves a lot of work. Regardless of if you're moving states, moving streets, or moving a few houses down, there will always be a lot of work to plan for. Not to mention work that may not be expected and unforeseen obstacles. If you're relocating to an entirely new state, or even thinking about it, here's a list of to-dos and how-tos that should help you get things going smoothly.

1. Research the New City
Before moving out of state, it's important to know more about where you're moving to. In the best case scenario, you'd be able to make a trip to the new city for a few days. ...

You knew that you wanted a bonus room when you went house hunting, but now that you have one, you're stuck on what to do with it. Turn it into a guest room? A home office? A storage space for all the odds and ends that you say you'll find a home for? A room of abandoned projects that you'll definitely come back to one day? 
You're not alone.
Many homeowners struggle to make good use of the space provided with a bonus room. However, there are many ways you can turn the area into a room you'll never want to leave. The first step is evaluating your priorities on what you want/need the most, and then looking at the constraints of the bonus room itself. The size of the room will limit what you can and cannot do, so it's important to know what the space is capable of realistically. The possibilities are endless though! Check out the following ideas for what you can do with your bonus room.


1. Home Office
Whether you work from home currently or know that you'll have to do work fr! ...

There are a million questions to think about when house hunting. There are so many things to consider, but one of the first ones to consider is whether you want a home that is move-in ready or a fixer upper. Each option has its pros and cons, and each option also has a different price tag attached to it. If you're wondering which option may be right for you, then keep reading!

What is a fixer upper?
A home that's described as a fixer upper is normally a livable place but needs significant maintenance work. This includes redecoration, redesign, and even reconstruction. Each one, though, is different. Some really only need cosmetic updates. Some need a pretty deep clean. And then others could have more severe problems like mold or structural flaws. Everyone's definition will differ, with some people viewing the same house in two completely different ways about the level of fixing it needs.

What's a move-in ready home?
This definition also varies depending on who you ask. How. ...

Home inspections are critical to both buyers and sellers. It's the last opportunity for a buyer to to discover problems with the home before purchasing. For sellers, it's a chance to address those problems and negotiate pricing with the buyer. If there are major problems found by the inspector, then it can be a big issue for both parties. If there's a home inspection contingency, the buyer can back out or negotiate a different price based on any major issues that arise. As a seller, you may have to pay for these issues to be fixed - that can get very costly very quickly.
As a buyer and a seller, this blog will help you to understand what the home inspection will be like, what will be looked at, and how to handle any issues that arise.

Here's what to expect:

A home inspector will look at the interior and exterior of the home. This will include things like the foundation, structural components, roof, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. They will then provide a written hom. ...