The Real Estate Guide

When it comes to building wealth and ensuring your future financial security, there are some investments that are almost always in your best interest. Owning a vacation home and renting it out can be a cornerstone of your financial plan. Consider the following factors to see how a second property can help you meet your financial goals. Your Property Can Pay for Itself If the mortgage payment, taxes, utilities and cleaning costs add up to a thousand dollars a month, rent your property for $1500 and watch it pay for itself. Once the mortgage is paid off, the rental fees can be socked away for another property, other investments or your retirement fund. Diversity in Your Investments It's never a good idea to put all your financial eggs in one basket. Many people invest heavily in their primary residence and then panic if its value dips. By owning two properties, you can feel more confident that one of them is bound to rise in value or retain its value. This is especi...

  You have a few options for lodging when traveling. The most typical is a hotel room in a large building usually located in the middle of a city or on the side of a highway. A better option is a real cabin. Here are some of the pros of renting a cabin when traveling. Stay In Nature  Staying in a cabin allows you to be near nature during your visit. Most cabins are located in areas that are mostly untouched and natural. This means you will be greeted with amazing views, fresh air and the sounds of wildlife when in the cabin. This is far different from hotels where you are mostly going to see sterile and industrial things around you. More Space Hotel rooms tend to be cramped and small in order to get as many rooms as possible into the building. Cabins are often standalone buildings that do not have this problem. You will usually have more space when renting a cabin while traveling. The extra space allows you to stretch out and relax instead of trying to squeeze ...

Springtime rains can be troublesome when it comes to your home and most importantly your basement. Flooding and leaking can be detrimental to your basement and can cause irreparable damage from ruined belongings to a ruined foundations. Waterproofing your basement early in the season is an essential chore that will ensure that you don't suffer any damage this spring.   Why is Waterproofing Important? Prevents Mold From Growing Water that is left sitting in your basements can often cause mold to grow. This mold can lead to larger problems by spreading via mold spores that can cause the deterioration of your homes' infrastructure. Even more detrimental, these mold spores cause major health complications and are particularly problematic for those that suffer from asthma or allergies.  Protects Your Belongings Waterproofing helps to ensure that your belongings stored in your basement remain safe. Flooding can lead to your belongings, such as famil...

Now that winter is over and you can leave the house without layers and layers of clothing on you, it’s time to prepare the house for the warmer seasons. As a yearly routine, it helps to identify what little or big damages winter has cast upon any part of the house. Even if you live in a place that’s sunny all-year round like Florida, the summer months can expose your house to grueling moisture and heat. So before the damage gets any bigger and costs you more, do these simple tips on how to prepare your home for spring and summer.

I've driven some jalopies in my life and had great affection for a few of them. I've had two Pontiac Grand Prixs that lasted over 200,000 miles and never had anything more than structural issues. So, while I see some people calling folks crazy for ever getting an extended warranty (of any kind) I don't know if they're as crazy as they're made out to be. Case in point. My last Grand Prix, a 1998 that I sold in 2012, never had any major engine issues. What it did have was a problem with eating brakes. So while the car kept running well beyond its expected life span, the only thing that ate into my pocketbook were the rear brakes, which needed to be changed every two or three years. This, and a couple of other small issues with power windows got to be a little expensive. Once the car approached 100,000 miles I thought, "I wonder if I can get an extended warranty up to 200,000 miles?" I figured I could at least break even on my expected brake repairs,...

Flag of City of Grand Rapids (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) No matter where you live someone is always telling horror stories about the things that either cost too much or are remarkably inexpensive about where they live. This can range from property taxes, to gas to bread (REALLY expensive in Hawaii). But one thing that really seems to get people fired up is when it comes time to talk about the cost of car insurance. Unless you’ve just switched to a new company and seen a big savings, chances are you think you’re paying too much. In Michigan, this has been a complaint for years. Grand Rapids, the state’s second biggest city, this has been an increasing complaint as the city continues to grow and prosper. So is it true, do people in Grand Rapids actually pay more than the rest of Michigan? Or the rest of the country for that matter? No Fault’s Fault With Michigan drivers required to carry no-fault insurance, there is some truth to the high price gripes. This requirement provides...