Buying a home, whether it's your first or your third, can be a daunting task.  It is one of your biggest financial investments. With all the news recently about inflation and the wild housing market, buying a home may not sound like a good financial investment. But guess what? Owning a house is more secure than owning stocks. Why? Because a house is something tangible - you can touch it, you can improve it, you can live in it and enjoy your life - or you can use it as a rental vehicle to create wealth for you - it doesn't just do ONE thing.    One of the main questions we a ..read more

Having curb appeal can either improve or diminish the chances of selling your home. That’s why the first impression of a home is essential in getting a potential home buyer's attention. Your landscaping can be the advertisement that gets the buyer in your door. If the buyer likes the outside of the home, they will be more inclined to see the inside. Did you know that having a well maintained landscape can add up to 10% to the value of your home. I hope these tips will be of use to you. YOUR LAWN Cleaning up the lawn should be the first thing you do when working wi ..read more

How to Avoid a Huge HVAC Mistake…and a Big Expense   As things heat up in the greater Baton Rouge Area, we wanted to take the chance to remind you of the importance of regularly caring for your HVAC system. We just returned from vacation with our house at 92 degrees!  It was a bad capacitor and luckily it was quickly repaired.  Things can go wrong even after you have your unit inspected, and we know here in the heat of summer, the units really take a beating so it is really important to pay attention to a few things.   Failing to properly maintain your HVAC can cost yo ..read more

Throughout the seasons, your home has taken good care of you and your family and now is the best time to give back.   Go through your property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance/repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include: Re-caulking and replacing weather-striping Cleaning and sealing wooden decks Trimming bushes and trees Realigning downspouts and gutters Repairing the roof Cleaning the pool Mending the fence Sealing cracks along driveway ..read more

When it comes to summer remodeling, there's no better way to invest your hard-earned dollars than by making your home energy efficient. An energy-efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your energy bills. Some of the common items you can buy and integrate into your energy-efficient renovation include: Insulation systems and materials Roofs that resist heat gain Energy-efficient windows HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tier Solar panels Fuel cells Taking on one (or more!) of these projects is a great way to give back to your hom ..read more

Last year the day before Hurricane Ida made landfall, I walked through my house and made a video inventory. I opened cabinets and drawers to record certain valuables, like my silver set and jewelry, as well as the many musical instruments in my home from a ukulele to a baby grand piano. It’s important to have an inventory in case you ever need to make an insurance claim. In fact, some insurance apps have a section where you can upload a video inventory for future purposes.   No one ever likes to think about having their home damaged by a storm or even broken into, but in the event that it ..read more

During my years in real estate, I've seen cases where homeowners made home improvements assuming they’d recoup their investment when they sold, only to find that the improvements didn’t increase their home's market value, and possibly even decreased it.   How could this be? Well, there are many variables involved in how home improvements affect market value. Some relate to the quality of the improvements, while others relate to an individual owner's tastes and needs. For instance, remodeled kitchens and added bathrooms usually generate a good return. However, a new swimming pool that mean ..read more

Don’t pay someone to move a bunch of junk, get rid of it! Before you pack anything, do a merciless purge of your possessions. You’ll be so glad when you have that much less to unpack on the other side! Book your movers as soon as possible. We are hearing many stories of delayed moves because the movers are already booked up. If you plan to rent and drive your own truck, get a truck with a ramp for loading.  Make arrangements to turn on the utilities at your new home and discontinue them at your current home. Notify everyone of your new address: family, church, banks, post office, online ..read more

When you go to a scheduled showing with your Realtor, usually the house is very tidy and staged to look its best. The owners furnishings can be a distraction. Here a few things to notice beyond their nice sofa and coffee table!   Plumbing leaks: Check for possible signs of water damage due to leaky plumbing in the cabinets under the sinks. Closets: Think about the number of closets and the size in each bedroom as well as additional closets throughout the house. And think about their location in the house. Electrical Outlets: Are there enough outlets in each room for your needs ..read more

You've closed on the house, using up a lot of your savings in the process, so what do you do next? Try these tips to build your money back up. 1.  Put that credit card away! Make a list of what you want to buy for the house, then, as you rebuild your savings, you know what you will want to purchase next! 2.  Your first priority should be to rebuild your emergency savings!  This is more important than redecorating! If you dipped into your reserves to buy the house, then you need to build it back up as quickly as possible to offset any unexpected expenses. 3.  Your mortgage ..read more