What is an HOA?

HOA stands for homeowner association. It's a corporation formed by a real estate developer for the purpose of marketing, managing, an selling homes and lots in a residential subdivision. Generally, apartment buildings, condos, and planned unit developments of single-family homes.

Pro's to a HOA:

Benefits to homeowners may include:

• maintenance and management services
• provision of recreational amenities such as pools and parks
• insurance coverage
• enforcement of community appearance standards which may lead to higher property values
• the opportunity for members to plan development in accordance with community values

Con's to a HOA:

Disadvantages to homeowners may include:

• the financial burden of association fees, punitive fines, and costs of maintaining appearance standards
• restrictions on property use and personal autonomy
• the potential for mismanagement by the board, including the possibility of arbitrary or heavy-handed enforcement of rules

Overall, its up to you to choose whether or not to purchase in a HOA community. As with other decisions in buying a home, just be sure that you are properly informed to make the decision. 

Selling your home during the holiday season can be tough. Often homeowners pull their home off the market during this time of year. The snow, the familial obligations and other events make selling a home rather difficult during the season. However, I am here to tell you it's not impossible. If you plan on keeping your home on the market this holiday season, follow my quick guide to ensure that you have the best chance at success possible.

 The do's and don'ts of holiday decorating:

It's quite common to show the holiday spirit through decorations of ghosts, bats, and witches during Halloween. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, people also choose to show their spirit with decorations. However, all these decorations can easily take away from the curb appeal of your home. Beyond so, Christmas and Hanukkah are religious holidays, and you're opening yourself up to judgment from potential buyers. When decorating for the season, take into account the neighborhood. If your house is the only house on the street with no decorations whatsoever during the holiday season, that can be equally detrimental as having too many decorations. If your neighbors decorate, follow these steps below to ensure that your decorations are tasteful, appropriate, and helpful to selling your home.

Exterior Decorating:

• Keep the entrance and walkways clear and simple. Don't put up massive amounts of garland or lights. The buyer should be able to easily see the features of the house.
• Avoid big decorations that take away from the house exterior.
• Use wreaths and other simple decorations to make your house festive and tasteful.
• Use plants and other natural elements. Pumpkins, hay bales, and poinsettias are classy and simple.
• Steer clear of using colored lights.
•  Avoid religious displays.

Indoor Decorating:

• Again, keep things simple. Large displays often can distract from some of the best elements of a home.
• Set the table formally for each holiday.
• Keep within a color scheme. For example, red is great color to use for the holidays and is a warm, loving color.
• Play into each of the five senses carefully. Create an emotional attachment by burning a candle that smells of cookies or apple cinnamon. 

Selling during the holidays is not impossible. In fact, it can be idea sometimes because the inventory is often low during the season. Also, more buyers are serious and wanting to move fast on the sale. Use these tips to create a loving atmosphere this holiday season, and be successful in getting that home sold!

If you’re like me, you’ve been feeling the Halloween spirit lately. The colder weather and the pumpkin-flavored-anything inspire the holiday spirit. It can be difficult to choose Halloween activities each year, because most attractions are only open for a short time. Also, lets face it, spending exorbitant amounts of money on Halloween festivities isn’t appealing either. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the most popular haunted houses, shows, etc that Utah has to offer. Check them out, and don’t forget to come back and comment on your experiences!

Haunted Houses:

Asylum 49 - http://www.asylum49.com/

Castle of Chaos - http://castleofchaos.com/

Fear Factory - http://fearfactoryslc.com/ 

Nightmare on 13^th - http://www.nightmareon13th.com/

Haunted Forest - http://www.hauntedutah.com/ 

Haunted Hollow - http://www.hauntedutah.com/

Corn Mazes

Black Island Farms - http://www.blackislandfarms.com/

Other Haunted Events:

Haunted Kays Cross - http://www.kayscross.com/#home

Haunted Village - http://www.thisistheplace.org/todays-fun/haunted-village.html

Lagoon Frightmares - http://www.lagoonpark.com

Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus - http://www.stranglingbros.com/

Buying your first home is a huge decision, and can be quite exciting. However, it is important to know what you are doing! Home buying is a complicated process, and many people lose money and time when they don’t know how to do it properly. Be sure that you are getting the most out of the experience by following the guidelines provided here.

Start your Research Early

Get to know the housing market. Is it a good time to buy? Are interest rates changing? How many homes are currently on the market? The research portion of home buying is the lengthiest portion, and is often the step that first time home buyers skip. Don’t spend more than necessary on your home. Watch the market trends in the area you are looking to buy in to gain the best insight on your home investment.

Determine Your Budget

This is the step that most people start with. Knowing your budget helps you begin your search for a home, as well as helps determine your location in many cases. It is recommended to buy a home that costs no more than 3-5 times their annual household income. Don’t make yourself house-poor by purchasing a house that is out of your budget.

Get Pre-qualified and Pre-approved for Credit for Your Mortgage

If determining your budget is challenging, getting qualified can really help. You will get a total number for how much a lender can give you. Take caution though, it’s not always wise to take the full amount that you can receive.

Find the Right Real Estate Agent

A good Real Estate Agent can make or break the deal for your dream home. They also can provide great insights to the area and help find listings through the MLS. For more information on choosing a good agent, visit this webpage.

Shop for Your Home, and Make an Offer

Take the time to search hard and find the perfect home for you. This page can give you more specific information on the home buying checklist.

Select Your Loan

Working closely with a trusted mortgage banker can help you pick the best mortgage. Having someone to help answer all the questions you may have is key in making the best decisions possible.

Have the Home Appraised

The appraisal will let all the parties know that you are paying a fair price for the home. Be sure to have an appraiser be independent and impartial.

Coordinate the Paperwork

There is a lot of paperwork involved in buying a home. Your lender should help do most of the heavy lifting in this area.

Close the Sale

Grab a good pen and don't be afraid to ask questions throughout the process. It generally takes a few days for the paperwork to process, but once the seller has been paid, you are ready to move in to your new home!

You’ve all heard of it. There are many popular TV shows that showcase home flipping. But what really is it? And how do you do it successfully? Well, stay tuned. You’re about to find out.

So, what is it?

There’s two ways to approach home flipping. First is the time-old version of buying low selling high. Holding onto a home during a rising market can lead to large gains! Second, there’s the fix and flip. This is highly risky, but mainly due to people not correctly understanding how expensive the “fix” portion can be.

So, how do I do it?

Money Crashers wrote a list of 6 steps to follow in order to flip a home successfully:

1. Get Educated

You need to have a strong understanding of the real estate market, and the entire process of purchasing and selling a home. Having a strong knowing of your personal financial situation is key. Additionally, you must know which home improvements will increase the home’s value.

2. Find a Mentor

Whether it’s a trusted friend or a hired mentor, having someone who knows the business will be invalueable to a new flipper.

3. Research Listing and Foreclosures

Foreclosures are a great place to find a good deal on a home. The only downside is that these homes need more work than a typical home.

4. Make an Offer

It’s possibly that you will have strong competition if the home for sale is a good deal. Before making an offer, be sure to know the limits of what you can spend.

5. Get Working

Gather permits, hire contractors, and set deadlines for the work that needs to be completed.

6. Relist and Sell

Determine how and where you will be listing. Most flippers use a Realtor, they tend to have the most experience and knowledge of the markets.

There you have it! If you have the money and the time, get flipping!

The leaves are changing, the weather is getting colder, and the time is now to evaluate the exterior of your home. Winter brings wet weather and heavy snow which could have a devastating impact on your home if you aren’t properly prepared. If you are planning on selling your home in the spring, taking these 10 tips for fall home improvement could save you a lot of trouble later on. If you aren’t planning on selling, these steps will help capture the most out of your home, and help it last for many more Holidays to come.  

These are the ten tips recommended by professionals (and myself, of course) to protect your home:

1. Evaluate your roof. Ensure that there are no leaks in your roof; leaks could quickly ruin your day. To find them, look for missing or loose shingles. Find any weak spots in your roofing. If you do seem to have a danger area, replace the shingles or call in a professional. A leaky roof isn’t something to gamble with.
2. Clean your gutters. Remember junior high science class? Water expands when frozen. Make sure there are no blockages in your gutters that could trap water and cause a bulge in your gutter. Also, be sure that all the drains are properly sloped and pointed at areas where you want excess water to run off too. (Ex: Not a window well)
3. Check your siding and trim. Check for rotting boards or areas where the siding is pulling away. Determine if there is exposed wood that could use a new paint job before the snow moves in.
4. Evaluate the deck. Your deck needs to be able to hold extra weight from snow. Be sure that there aren’t any rotting areas or weak areas.
5. Check the functionality of you garage door. You’ll want to be parking in the garage when winter hits especially, no one enjoys scraping their windows. Be sure the door works well, also check the interior door for cold air drafts.
6. Seal up the windows. This step could almost be #1 in my mind. Having energy efficient windows can save you hundreds on your heating bill during the winter. If possible, replace old windows to create a stronger seal. If not, Pinterest has great DIY options to help seal your windows.
7. Turn off valves to exterior hose bibs. Turning off your water, and running the pipes until they are empty is key to avoiding a devastating pipe crises come spring.
8. Check your doors. The weather stripping wears down over the years; make sure that yours is still doing its job by preventing drafts.
9. Check railings and walkways. Ice makes everything at least three times more precarious. If there isn’t a sturdy handrail to grasp, that could lead to injury to you or your guests.
10. Prepare your yard. Rake away the dead leaves from the grass. Many people will use these leaves as mulch in flower beds, but they can be harmful to your lawn. Perhaps even put down a slow-release fertilizer so your lawn will bounce back quickly after the winter.

As a homeowner, it is vital to complete these tasks every fall in order to have a safe and sturdy home for the winter.