Household Budget & Money Saving Tips

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Running a household is an expensive affair, but there are lots of things that you can do to minimize the costs. Lowering your expenses helps you stay within your budget and save for goals like buying a house or adding to your retirement income. Here are eight ways to reduce household expenses.

Bundle Your Services
Have internet, phone, and cable service? Move all of your accounts to one provider, and you could save $20 or more per month. Ask your current providers about bundling offers or visit ​allconnect.com to determine which company is offering the best service bundle in your area, then make the switch and save.
Cut Back on Extras
Do you really need unlimited data on your phone? How about the premium cable or satellite package that you subscribe to? Are you subscribed to multiple streaming services? You could alternate between them instead so you’re only subscribed to one or two at a time. Examine your list of monthly expenses, and determine what you can live without.
Clip Coupons and Shop Sales
Groceries can take a big bite out of a budget, but they don’t have to take a big bite out of yours. To reign in your grocery spending, start clipping coupons and shopping sales. If you’re a first-time couponer, you could save 15% or more. With time, that could increase to as much as 50%. Keep in mind that couponing only makes sense for items you would buy anyway. If you’re buying items you don’t usually shop for, it defeats the purpose.
Most retailers have sales periodically, but some sales are predictable. For example, summer clothes tend to go on sale by August to make room for fall items. Black Friday through Cyber Monday tends to be a good time to buy electronics.
Slash Your Insurance Premiums
Insurance is essential but costly. Shop around for a better auto insurance rate and you may shave hundreds of dollars off of your current premium. Can’t find a better rate? Talk to your current provider to see if there are discounts that you are missing out on. For example, they may offer a discount for having multiple policies, a ​good student discount, and/or a good driver discount. For even more savings, consider increasing your deductible or canceling comprehensive and collision coverage on older vehicles. If you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, be sure to review those policies as well.
Get Energy Smart
Do you dread opening your utility bills each month? If so, there’s a lot that you can do to reduce your bill.
  • Install a smart thermostat and set it to run less when no one is home
  • Turn off lights when they aren’t in use
  • Wash your laundry in cold water
  • Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater
  • Only buy ​Energy Star appliances

Start looking around, and you’ll find many ways to reduce your energy consumption and energy bills.

Seek Cheap Thrills
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun, so examine your entertainment spending and see if there are places where you can make cuts. Could you stream movies instead of seeing them in the theater? Enjoy free concerts instead of paid concerts? Check out books at the library instead of buying them? Go on a picnic instead of eating out? Challenge yourself to have more fun for less money—every little bit adds up.
Pay Your Bills on Time
In the habit of paying your bills late? If so, you’re probably paying more than you need to. Start paying your bills on time and say goodbye to late fees and rate hikes.
One option for ensuring your bills are paid on time is using autopay. If your budget is too tight for autopay, consider using calendar reminders to prompt you to pay your bills. If you have access to bill pay through your bank, consider setting it up to make paying bills faster and easier.
Learn How to Do More Yourself
Develop your DIY skills so you can keep your home well maintained without all those pricey service calls. Consider learning tasks like handling clogs, lawn care, painting interior and exterior walls and more.
If home cooking isn’t your thing, consider learning. Try one or two simple recipes per week to build up your skills and confidence.

3 Reasons Why… It’s Great Time for Sellers Aug 2015

Posted by Duke Rountree on

2015 is turning into an excellent year for sellers because of rising home prices, increased demand from home buyers and happy houseless overall seller competition for most U.S. and Ocala Marion County Homeowners

 

1. Stronger demand from buyers… Demand from buyers has remained high and less competition(homes for sale), is making 2015 a fantastic year for many Marion County home owners. There is currently a larger pool of buyers, including first time buyers, boomerang buyers)previous owners who lost their home to foreclosure or short sale), and traditional owner-occupant buyers.

2. Home prices on the rise…Across the nation home and condo sellers in the first half of the year sold for an average of 13% above original asking price. Homes in the median price range have increased 6.4% since 2014 based on the June – Monthly Market Reports from Florida Association of Realtors for the Ocala/Marion County area. “So far in 2015, [sellers] are realizing the biggest gains in home price appreciation since 2007,” Blomquist says. “In June, sellers sold for above estimated market value on average for the first time in nearly two years.” Median sales prices of existing-homes pushed above the previous 2006 peak to a record high in June, the National Association of REALTORS® reported this week. The median existing-home price for all housing types was $236,400 in June – surpassing the peak median sales price set in July 2006 at $230,400.

3. Less Seller competition… New listings have decreased year over year by -2.6% and pending homes sales have increased 7%. Ocala/Marion County inventory has also decreased -8% and currently there is only a 6 month supply of inventory. This means if no other homes were placed on the market in the coming months it would take 6 months for ALL homes to be sold. Also the decrease in the number of distressed properties has fallen -11.8% and these sales accounts for less than 10% of all closed sales.

It is important to remember that location is the biggest factors in considering all of the numbers and statistics. It is important to find a trusted real estate professional that is knowledgable about your local market to discuss in further detail. Want to know the value of your home…Contact me today for a “free, no obligation” market analysis of your home and property.

 

Source: Realtormag.realtor.org – DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015″2015 Great Year to Sell,” RealtyTrac (July 22, 2015)

Monthly Market Detail Report – June 2015

Posted by Duke Rountree on

In the Ocala/Marion real estate market, conditions continue to be even as fewer houses become available compared to his time last year. June 2015 found an decrease in the number of new listings, active listings and pending sales were up for single-family homes, according to information from Ocala Marion County Association or Realtors®.

The 877 new listings in June 2015 represented a -2.6 percent decrease over previous year. Active listings decreased 8 percent to 3,083 over the same period. Pending sales had a high jump in June, with the 656 pending listings in for the month, indicating a 7 percent increase over June 2014. Actual sales of single-family homes also increased over the same period.

The Ocala Marion County Association or Realtors® reports that in June, a total of 606 single homes were sold in the Ocala/Marion County area. This represents a 12.8% percent increase over sales in previous year. Prices in the Ocala/Marion County real estate market continue to climb during that year-long period. The median price of a single-family home in the Ocala/Marion County area increased 6.4 percent between June/2014 and June/2015, to $116,000.

Average home prices declined -3.7 percent during that period to $145,862. The closed sales by sales price during the year

increased in all price categories except for “less than $50k and over $1,ooo,ooo. Homes spend an average of 73 days on the market in Ocala/Marion County, which is decrease from June/2014 of 38.1 percent year-over-year. Generally higher prices, limited availability, and quicker sales of those homes that come up for sale make the Marion County real estate market a favorable environment for sellers, and because of the great value in our area buyers can find quality homes far cheaper than average rent prices for the area.

Rountree Realty provides expert real estate services to residential buyers and sellers in Marion County including Ocala, Fort McCoy, Anthony, Sparr, Citra, Salt Springs, Orange Springs and and surrounding communities. Contact us today for more information on local real estate and for professional assistance navigating this sometimes complex home market.

This report describes member activity for the association and is not confined to any specific geographic area. Statistics for each month compiled from MLS feeds on the 15th day of following month. Data released July 22, 2015, produced by the Florida REALTORS®

COSTS vs VALUE 2015 Report – Exterior Improvements Best Return on Investment

Posted by Duke Rountree on

When you begin to consider remodeling or home improvements, homeowners should consider the return on investment(ROI) or recouping of their costs. Many updates are preformed simply because the homeowner desires that upgraded kitchen or bathroom. It is important to remember that many, if not most, updates are not great ROI, because they are more for personal reasons rather than a cost vs. value.

“It can be a daunting task to even decide on what home improvement projects to undertake, let alone to physically tackle and complete them,” says National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Chris Polychron. “Realtors know what buyers are looking for during their search, and curb appeal is and always will be important. That explains why Realtors once again rated exterior projects as some of the most attractive and valuable for homeowners.”

Seeing these reports now for many years in a row I have noticed one update that always stands above the rest in terms of cost vs value; the steel entry door. According to Realtors, a new steel entry door returns about 101.8% of its costs upon resale compared to 96.6% last year. For my sellers and marketing the property to future home buyers we always start at the curb first and front entry way next. These areas are two of the most important areas to focus. Why, because first impressions do matter and the entrance to every home being marketed for sale should be warm and inviting. If you cannot afford to replace the front door, then we suggest a good painting and replacing all door hardware for that fresh and clean look.

The good news is the steel entry door is consistently the least expensive project in the report.

Rounding out the top 10 projects in terms of cost recouped:

  • Manufactured stone veneer (92.2 percent)
  • Garage door replacement – midrange project (88.5 percent)
  • Siding replacement with fiber cement (84.3 percent)
  • Garage door replacement – upscale project (82.5 percent)
  • Vinyl siding replacement (80.7 percent)
  • Wood deck addition (80.5 percent)
  • Minor kitchen remodel (79.3 percent)
  • Wood window replacement (78.8 percent)
  • Foam-backed vinyl siding replacement (77.6 percent)

© 2015 Florida Realtors® http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=2&id=317926

 

Existing Home Sales Continue to Rise In October 2014

Posted by Duke Rountree on

Existing-home sales continued to rise in October and are now up year-over-year for the first time in 2014, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says during a Nov. 20 press conference in Washington. This is good news for our local Ocala/ Marion County market because the inventory is moving closer to a balanced market. The largest issue facing the future is a lack of inventory in many price ranges. If you are a seller and thinking your home might not be worth what you owe, you could be be mistaken. There are still great deals to be found for buyers too. Want to chat more about real estate or discuss your homes value, please contact me today.

 

https://www.homesforsaleocalamarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Ocala_MSA_Single_Family_Homes_2014-10_Summary-2.pdf

 

MORE..Mortgage Modification Options

Posted by Duke Rountree on

Are you two or more years late on your mortgage payments?

If so, you could get another opportunity  to save your home with the recent changes in loan modification rules by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced the elimination of an eligibility cap that forbid loan modifications to homeowners with delinquencies of 720 days or more. This change was made to the “streamlined modification” program which was created in 2013 and touted as an automatic route to lower mortgage payments because no paperwork or application is required. According to the FHFA it is estimated that nearly half of borrowers nationwide would be eligible now under these new guidelines and all lenders must comply with the cap elimination by April 1, 2015 and all are encouraged  to make the change immediately. All borrowers who were previously denied a modification must be reevaluated.

We’ve had multiple clients receive approvals under this program,” said Paul Baltrun, director of corporate development for the Law Office of Paul A. Krasker in West Palm Beach. “It’s very little paperwork, mostly just phone conversations with the lender, and the turn time is quicker.” If the borrower agrees and makes three on-time payments, the modification becomes permanent. Baltrun said it’s hard to gauge how many people the change will affect. Although the worst of the foreclosure crisis is over, he said a significant number of homeowners are still looking for modifications because they have lost jobs, or have used up their savings trying to stay in their home.”I think it will help a small number of people in specific circumstances,” said Baltrun, who believes removing the cap is a good change. “Why would someone who is 721 days late be declined when someone who is 719 days late is approved?

Also, borrowers are encouraged to apply for other loan modification plans, such as Home Affordable Modification Program, which could offer a better deal. About 3% of Florida homeowners with mortgages were 90 days late or more on payments during the second quarter of 2014 and nearly 10% were either 90 days delinquent, or in foreclosure. That puts Florida only second behind New Jersey with the highest foreclosure and delinquency rate in the nation, but a far improvement from the near 18% back in 2011. IN Florida streamlining this process is crucial because the foreclosure process is moving quicker and quicker through the process which mean less time for negotiating with the bank before foreclosure judgement is issued.

Where can you find help? http://www.fhfa.gov/Homeownersbuyer/MortgageAssistance or http://www.harp.gov/

Source: floridarealtors.org and Copyright © 2014 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Kimberly Miller. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

 

Boost Credit Scores with Rental Payment History

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Did you know? Experian became the first credit reporting agency to add on-time rental payments to its database. Rental payment data being added to credit files can potentially help renters become homeowners and we can only hope the other credit agencies will follow suit. For many Americans establishing credit can be difficult because many credit card companies and retail stores are not approving credit applications as easily as in past years. Potential buyers are now going to see they will have a credit score and hopefully help them achieve a lower risk category too, Experian says. “Consumer financing rapidly changed during the economic upheaval, and regulatory changes forced lenders to tighten the standards for the underwriting process,” says Genevieve Juillard, president of Experian Consumer Information Services. “This excluded many Americans from the opportunity to attain credit due to a limited or no credit history. Residents who pay their rent on time month after month should be rewarded and not overlooked simply because they rent instead of own the place they call home.”

Experian recently conducted an analysis to determine how the new rental information has aided consumers’ credit files. The study shows that the addition of rental history on a subprime mortgage moved the participant up at least one higher(or less risk) by the addition of the newly added field. What does this mean for potential buyer? It means more affordable credit and additional credit opportunities.

To read more about the lead being taken by Experian click here>>>>>>Experian-rentbureau-credit-for-rent-analysis

 

“Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.”

– Theodore Newton Vail U.S. telephone industrialist

Source: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2014/08/08/study-rental-payment-history-can-help-boosts-credit-scores?om_rid=AAEWoH&om_mid=_BT5TNOB87s9Kmy&om_ntype=RMODaily

CHOOSE A SEASONED REALTOR PROFESSIONAL TO SELL YOUR HOME

Posted by Duke Rountree on

MLS_Clear

WHY CHOOSE A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL? WE HELP YOU SELL YOUR HOME FAST AND FOR TOP DOLLAR….

There’s nothing wrong with saving a few cents here or there, but when it comes to seeking medical help, building a decent stock portfolio, or dealing with something as ugly as an IRS audit, it’s better to seek out a professional’s advice.

Buying or selling real estate also fits in that category. Remember, you’re dealing with one of the largest assets you’ll ever own! Don’t waste time doing it the “self-service way.” This is an important and life-affecting decision! To insure a fast sale for top dollar or to find a home that matches your criteria for a reasonable price, work with a seasoned professional.

I have nearly 13 years of experience working with buyers and sellers right here in Marion County, and I’ve earned several of advanced learning designations including Graduate REALTOR Institute, At Home With Diversity, GREEN  available to real estate agents. In fact, I’m one of just a few agents in the area with a broker’s license. What does that mean for you? My advanced education and experience helps me zero in on your highest priorities, create innovative and effective marketing programs guaranteed to attract attention to your home, and put transactions together for a worry-free closing day.

I have lived in the Marion County area since 1986, and my family has owned property on Lake Kerr & we vacationed here since the early 70’s. I have a passion and desire to be the TOP RESIDENTIAL REALTOR® in the area.

Over the years, I have helped hundreds of families buy and sell real estate. I will be happy to provide you with a long list of satisfied clients who attest to my professionalism, my expertise, and my attention to every detail.

 Call me today at 352-572-1739 for a FREE, no-obligation report on “How to Prepare Your Home for Sale.” No hard sale, just solid ideas to put more money in your pocket.

 John Wayne “DUKE” Rountree / GRI, TRC, AHWD, GREEN

 

Foreign Home Buyers Continue to Identify U.S. as Profitable Investment, Realtors® Report

Posted by Duke Rountree on

Foreign Home Buyers Continue to Identify U.S. as Profitable Investment, Realtors® Report

 

According to the National Association of Realtors® 2013 Profile of International Home Buying Activity, interest in U.S. properties continues to grow, signaling that America continues to be regarded by international buyers as a great place to own property. International sales have declined a bit in the past year, but are at their second highest level in recent years. Difficult economic conditions, particularly in Europe, have impacted foreign buyers abroad and here at home tightened credit standards and low housing inventories have made finding a house more difficult. However none of these factors appear to be permanent. Total international sales were $68.2 billion, with 51% of foreign buyers with permanent residences outside the U.S. and 49% who are recent immigrants or temporary visa holders.

Five states made up 61 percent of reported purchases; Florida (23 percent), California (17 percent), Arizona (9 percent), Texas (9 percent) and New York (3 percent). About half of foreign buyers preferred to purchase in a suburban area, while a quarter preferred a more central city/urban area. A majority purchased a detached single-family home and 63 percent used all-cash. Based on the reported international transactions, the mean and median prices of purchases were higher when compared to purchase prices of domestic buyers. For the 12 months ending March 2013 the median international home price was $275,862 and for domestic buyers it was $179,867. The types of homes purchased by international buyers frequently tended to be different from the types of homes purchased by domestic U.S. buyers. “Some are looking for trophy properties while others are interested in modest vacation homes,” said  NAR President Gary Thomas. International buyers are more likely to be substantially wealthier and looking for a property in a specialized niche. International buyers also tend to cluster in locations based on their origin and many other factors including proximity to home country, relatives and friends, jobs, education and climate.

 

“Realtors® provide international buyers with a significant advantage when purchasing property in the U.S.. Realtors® who have earned NAR’s Certified International Property Specialist designation have received specialized training and are well prepared to service the international market,” said Thomas.Source: Realtor.org, News-releases, 2013, Foreign Buyers Leanne High

 

“What is right is more important than who is right.”

– John Wooden

 

FHA’s Back-to-Work Program Helps Foreclosed Owners Get Second Chance

Posted by Duke Rountree on

upside down house

FHA’s Back-to-Work Program Helps Foreclosed Owners Get Second Chance

 

Foreclosed owners in Ocala/Marion County can get a second chance at homeownership sooner rather than later. The Federal Housing Administration recently announced the shortening of the waiting period for qualified borrowers who had a bankruptcy, foreclosure,  deed in lieu of foreclosure, or short sale who are in the market to buy again. To qualify under the FHA’s Back-to-Work Program homeowners must show that they have their finances back in order and they must receive counseling from a HUD-approved agency. The counselors provides borrowers with household budgets and customized action plans showing them how to manage money and financial obligations to prevent future failures.The details of the program claim if the buyer meet the criteria they can apply to buy a property in as little as a year.

“The Back to Work program is a great opportunity for us to help those impacted by the recent housing crisis,” Heather Shanahan, a representative with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency      called Springboard, told HousingWire. “Our goal in our counseling sessions is to enable the borrower to better understand their loan options and the obligations.” I think what gets lost in many of these programs is the fact that many, if not most, did not make the decision to make bad financial decisions. There were many factors that played a role in the recent economic downturn and unfortunately many Americans paid the financial price. FHA, Fannie Mae and many other lending institutions created the mess by offering loans that were not safe for themselves or the public they were offering them too.

I have said before and i will say again, “Low down loans did not lead to the housing boom and eventual bust!” It was the exotic 1-2-3 A-R-M loans, No Income Verification and on and on. It was so easy to get a home, anyone could and most did! With the added demand the prices skyrocketed over a few short years. Then the A-R-M loans started coming due and the values were not there and the job market slowed or died all together. It was simply a bad combination for many Americans and I hope more programs will come along to help folks become homeowners again soon.

Want to learn more about one of these programs? Contact Me Today 352-572-1739