Your home will probably be the most expensive item you’ll ever buy. That’s why it’s of utmost importance that you time your purchase right and learn the best time of year to buy a home. Of course, market conditions, like mortgage rates and the general state of the economy, will significantly impact the price of your new home as well. Here are the best times of year to buy a home.
Winter As the traditional slowest season for the real estate market, winter will generally bring the lowest prices on homes. As one of the few buyers on the market, you’ll also likely have an easier time negotiating a better deal with a seller. Finally, the professionals guiding you through the home-buying journey may be more available to work with you during this slower season, possibly making the process quicker. Buying a home in the winter is not all fun and games, though. First, fewer homes for sale means slim pickings for you. If you’d like to have a wider selection of homes to choose from, winter may not be the best time for you to go house-hunting. Depending on the area of the country you live in, you’ll also be checking out homes and properties in less than ideal conditions. In addition, you’ll have fewer daylight hours to get a feel for the home’s true curb appeal and the amount of natural light that shines into it. Late spring The real estate market really blossoms in the spring. This is the time of year when you’ll see a large influx of new homes on the market. The warmer weather and longer days are ideal for scouting properties, inspecting roofs and exteriors of homes, as well as getting a feel for a community. You’ll also have a robust inventory of homes on the market to choose from. However, shopping for a new home during the warmer months of the year means competing with many other shoppers who can be interested in the same homes you are. This can lead to higher prices, fierce bidding wars and the inability to negotiate for a lower price. Lastly, realtors and title agencies can be swamped during this time of year and may have less time to work with you, resulting in a lengthier buying process. Early summer Early summer is peak real estate season in the U.S., and often sees the most homes sold out of the entire year. The weather is still warm and the days long, making for ideal home-shopping conditions. Shopping for a home in the summer means shopping the homes that are left over from the influx of spring. You may have slimmer pickings, but sellers will also likely be more eager to sell before autumn and winter arrive. Use this guide to learn the best times of year to buy a home.
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Scammers are always looking for new ways to deceive people to make a quick buck, and home improvements are a common target. As the weather warms and home improvement projects start taking center stage, contractor scams start blossoming like weeds after a spring rain.
No one wants to be taken advantage of, and you’re probably no different. To help you know what to look out for in these scams, let’s take a look at some of the most common home improvement scams and how to avoid them. The door-to-door scam In a door-to-door scam, scammers show up at a target’s doorstep, claiming to be contractors or representatives of a home improvement company. They may offer to do work for a low price or even for free, alleging that they are in the neighborhood and have extra materials, so they’re happy to “do you a favor.” Cheap or free labor sounds amazing, doesn’t it? And it is – until you realize the “contractor” is not licensed or insured, uses subpar materials and does shoddy work. They may also try to get you to sign a contract on the spot, not leaving you any time to do proper research or get competing quotes. In the worst variation of this scam, the alleged contractor will ask to be paid upfront in full, claiming they need the money to buy materials or cover other expenses. However, once they have your money, they disappear without doing any work. Stay safe: Never hire a contractor on the spot. Always ask for proof of license and insurance as well as references from previous clients. Also, never pay for a project in full before it’s completed. The high-pressure sales scam Some irreputable home improvement companies use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to sign a contract. They may offer a special deal that is only available for a limited time or claim they can only do the work if you sign a contract right away. Unfortunately, though, these tactics are only a ploy to pressure you into making a decision before you are ready. They may also hide additional fees or charges in the contract, or promise things that they cannot deliver. Stay safe: Never rush to hire a contractor. Don’t be swayed by limited-time offers, and always carefully read the contract before signing. The “as seen on TV” scam In this home improvement scam, an alleged contractor tricks you into thinking a product or service is endorsed by a reputable source. They may claim that their product or service has been featured on a popular TV show or website, or that it has been used by celebrities. However, these claims are completely false or highly exaggerated. The product or service may not live up to its promises, or it may be overpriced compared to similar products or services. Stay safe: Always do your research and read reviews from other customers on multiple platforms before hiring a contractor. Don’t assume celebrity endorsements or claims of popularity are legit without verifying them first. The insurance scam In this variation, scammers claim they can help you get a new roof or another home improvement project covered by your insurance company, despite the fact that there was no covered event making the project necessary. This, of course, is insurance fraud, which is illegal and can lead to fines and jail time. Stay safe: Always check with your insurance company before starting any home improvement project. Make sure the project is covered by your policy and that you understand the deductible and other terms of your policy. Home improvement projects are exciting; getting scammed while renovating your home is not. Follow these tips to protect yourself from falling victim to a home improvement scam. Stay safe! TikTok Inspo: Can you scam us? Try impersonating a home improvement scammer using one of the ruses described above. For the green-thumbed homeowner, there are few things as pleasurable as running fingers through soft, moist earth, catching sight of the first flowering buds of spring and inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass.
Tending to a lawn and garden can get expensive. Between seeds, fertilizer and gardening supplies, costs can be high enough to take the pleasure out of lawn care. Here are 10 creative ways to save on landscaping, so you can have your well-tended lawn and your budget, too. 1. Plant perennials Go green with your garden by choosing plants that flower year after year. You’ll have to pay more out of pocket when you first plant these blooms, but the cost-free plants you’ll have each year will more than make it worth the price. 2. Make your own compost Mulch and other soil products may keep your garden healthy, but they’re not as kind on your wallet. Save money by going the DIY route with compost. All you need is a designated outdoor bin to collect your old fruit and veggie peels, plant clippings and dead leaves. After a few weeks, you should have a pile of nutrient-rich soil ready to give your garden the boost it needs to grow and glow. 3. Grow and trade For a colorful variety of flowers, plant perennials that grow and multiply quickly, like Hostas or Daylilies. Within a few years, you should have more of these flowers and plants than you need. Then, you can trade them with friends and neighbors for new and interesting plants. 4. Propagate your plants Grow your garden by helping your plants propagate. You can do this by separating an already growing plant into two and replanting; rooting a leaf or rooting a small stem with leaves. You can propagate new plants in soil or in water. Find out more about propagating here. 5. Choose plants that are natural to your region For lower-maintenance plants, choose species that grow naturally in your area of the country. You’ll save on extra watering, soil correction and special plant food. 6. Shop the end-of-season sales The plants in the nursery and home improvement store won’t look too attractive in the fall, but that doesn’t mean they’re useless. Plants that look wilted now can grow beautifully in the spring, as long as the roots are alive and well. Best of all, you can score these healthy plants at bargain prices. While you’re shopping during the fall sales, you can pick up discounted potted plants, planters, gardening tools, lawn chairs and more. 7. Leave your grass clippings Looking for an easy and cost-free way to improve your lawn? You already have one! Just leave your grass clippings on the lawn after mowing instead of cleaning them up. The clippings will break down quickly, adding organic matter and nutrients to your grass. 8. Don’t cut your lawn too short Shorter grass attracts more weeds and will need more herbicides. Higher grass will shade out those pesky weeds while also developing a deeper root system, thus requiring less watering. Keep your grass at 2- 2 ½ inches for best results. 9. Pay attention to pH It’s important to measure and control the pH level of your lawn. If the ground is too acidic or alkaline, your plants and grass won’t absorb nutrients, no matter how much fertilizer you feed them. Ideally, pH levels on lawns should be between 6.5 and 7. If your lawn’s pH level is too high or too low, you can add lime or sulfur to correct it. 10. Save extra flower seeds Bought too many seeds to plant this year? No worries; you can save them for another year! Most flower seeds will keep well if stored in a cool and dry place. You can even buy seeds in bulk with plans to save the extra for a more cost-effective purchase. Gardening is fun and rewarding — and it doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Use our tips to cut back on landscaping costs without compromising on the health of your lawn. Your Turn: How do you save on landscaping costs? Share your best tips and tricks in the comments. As spring deepens and vibrantly colored flowers blossom everywhere, you might be dreaming about a garden of your own. You’ll till the soil, pat the fertilizer into place and plant your young shoots with tender care. You’ll make sure they get just the right amount of sunlight and water, and you’ll be careful to keep out unwanted pests with strong fences and natural pesticides. And you’ll be rewarded with beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables, straight from your very own garden.
But when you hit the stores to start shopping for your garden, the sticker shock can be alarming. There’s so much to buy—and it’s all so expensive! There’s specialized equipment, must-have tools, frequent runs for seeds and fertilizer and a steady supply of weed killers and animal repellents. You might be wondering: Can I really afford to have the garden of my dreams? Yes, you can! Save on gardening costs this year with these six creative hacks: 1.) Share equipment You won’t be able to care for your yard and garden without the proper tools, but that doesn’t mean you need to break the bank to get all that equipment. Instead, speak to your neighbors about sharing some of your gardening gear. Let your neighbor use some tools you own, like your weed-whacker, trimmer and spreader, in exchange for free use of your neighbor’s gardening tools. If you dare, consider sharing your larger, more expensive tools like a lawn mower and rototiller as well. To make it easier, consider tending to your gardens and yards on different days of the week so you know you’ll have your equipment available when you need it. If you and your neighbor both need to purchase a new tool or machine, talk about splitting the cost and then sharing the tool. You can also work out a bartering system with your neighbors, exchanging extra gardening supplies, like leftover seeds and fertilizer. 2.) Purchase used gear You can save big on gardening equipment by looking for second-hand tools and machines. Check out sites like Craigslist, Freecycle and eBay for quality equipment at bargain prices. Be sure to give the pre-owned tool a test run before finalizing a sale. 3.) Rent equipment Instead of shelling out big bucks on expensive tools you’ll only use once or twice a season, consider renting them as you need them. Home Depot rents out a wide variety of gardening tools at excellent rates, and lots of smaller hardware stores have a similar garden tool rental service during the spring and summer months, too. You’ll have access to quality equipment when you need it at a price you can afford. Plus, you won’t have to worry about storing bulky gardening tools all year long. 4.) Shop the dollar store Before hitting the big chain stores, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, for gardening supplies, check out your local dollar store. You’ll find loads of gardening supplies, like seeds, markers, buckets and planters, at rock-bottom prices in stores like Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. 5.) Shop the sales Like every retail product, gardening equipment and supplies have their season for markdowns and sales, and the wise consumer knows how to time their purchase in order to save big. Larger gardening equipment, like mowers and tillers, usually sees steep discounts at Memorial Day sale events, making the start of summer an excellent time to stock up on pricey garden tools. Flowerpots, garden décor, lawn furniture and select plants will retail at blowout prices during the clearance sales at the end of July. If you’re hankering after a new set of Adirondack chairs for your garden, or you want to spruce up your yard with some garden gnomes, this is the time to buy them. You’ll also see some wilting flowers on sale now; don’t let those drooping leaves scare you. If you find a marked-down perennial past its blooming window, check for strong roots and stems. A firmly rooted perennial planted late in the season might not bring you colorful blossoms this year, but if it’s well cared-for, it will likely recover by next spring and reward you with beautiful, healthy flowers. Whenever you decide to buy your tools and supplies, be sure to check coupon sites like RetailMeNot and CouponCabin before making a purchase. 6.) Buy seeds Purchasing young transplants is a lot easier and a lot quicker than starting from scratch, but the difference in price can be enormous. You can pick up a packet of flower or vegetable seeds for less than a dollar in many nurseries and through gardening catalogues. You’ll also have a much broader choice of plant when you buy seeds instead of being limited by the store’s pick of transplants. Finally, raising a plant from seedling to vegetable or flower is a uniquely rewarding experience. Tending a garden and watching it grow is one of life’s last remaining pleasures that remains unaffected by the encroachment of technology. Use these tips to bring your dream garden to life without draining your wallet. Happy gardening from all of us here at IRFCU! Your Turn: How do you save on gardening supplies? Share your best tips and tricks with us in the comments. If you’re thinking of selling your home, think spring. That’s because the season of blossoming flowers and gentle breezes has traditionally held the designation as the best time of year to sell a home.
Before you start prepping your home for a photo shoot that shows it off in the best light, take a moment to consider your particular circumstances and needs. What makes spring so well-suited for house-hunting? Does the seller benefit from this arrangement, or is it only advantageous to the buyer? Let’s take a deeper look at the sell-in-the-spring rule so you can make an informed decision about when to put your house on the market. Why spring? There are two primary factors making spring an excellent season for selling a home: The weather and the time of year.The beautiful, mild weather of spring showcases the exterior of your home in all its glory. Your yard will be alive with healthy, green grass, your flowers and bushes will be in full bloom, and your property will be free of unsightly piles of leaves or mounds of melting snow. If you have an in-ground pool, there’s a world of difference between presenting it to a prospective buyer when it’s sparkling under a brilliant sun, or pointing to a dark, covered shadow at the edge of your yard surrounded by windswept branches and ice puddles. The pleasant weather that typically heralds the arrival of spring also makes it easier for you to tend to repairs and upgrades on your property. The cold and the dark tend to lead to neglect. Plus, it’s a lot easier to paint the picket fence, stain the deck, and power-wash the siding when the weather is mild and sunny. Aside from delightful weather, springtime also brings the end of the school year. House-hunting in the spring often makes the most sense for families that include school-age children. This way, they can be settled into their new homes and schools before the new school year. By listing your home for sale in early spring, you’re making it available for this entire group of house-hunters. Finally, spring means longer daytime hours. This can be advantageous for shoppers who work full-time and can only spare time for home viewings in the evenings. You can schedule a viewing as late as 7 p.m. and still enjoy the benefits of a daylight showing. Do homes listed in the spring really sell quicker and at higher prices? It’s not just hype. There are actually studies proving that houses sold in late spring to early summer are on the market a shorter amount of time than houses listed the rest of the year. Also, they tend to close at higher price points. Here is a sampling of studies proving this theory:
Does this rule hold true for everyone? “Springtime to market” might be a good rule of thumb for most home-sellers to follow, but it does not apply in every case. Here are some factors to consider:
On the flipside, if your home has one or more features that set it apart, you’ll want to list it when the neighborhood is full of house hunters, to give it optimal exposure.
Whether you choose to put your house on the market in spring, or you decide you’d be better off waiting until summer or fall, we wish you a smooth sale at the best possible price. Don’t forget to stop by [credit union] to ask about our fantastic home loan options when you’re ready to start searching for a new place to call home. Your Turn: Have you sold a home in the spring or summer? Tell us all about it in the comments. |
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