Home Finances

We are introducing a new category of articles, Home Finances. At first look it might appear to be out of place and not even belong on a DIY home repair site. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A very significant part of buying, owning keeping and eventually paying for a home involves home finances.

If you are unable to work smart with the money you have your chances of success are very small. And it is DIY because no one is going to take better care of your wallet or pocketbook than you are. If you think the banks, bankers, and friendly home equity loan pushers have your best interests at heart you may want to think again.

Don't get me wrong, very few of us would ever own a home if we did not borrow money at some point in time. Borrow wisely, spend wisely and enjoy the joys of home ownership.

This section will also include legal and insurance matters related to home ownership as both of those can seriously affect your finances.

Do You Know Your Home's Current Value?    09-08-2018
All of these are, indeed, somewhat valid measurements. If nothing else, they tend to give you the trend in values for your ar......

How a mortgage works    04-08-2012
If you own are about to purchase a home you really should understand how a mortgage works. This article is also an introducti......

Which Improvements Make Cents    07-13-2010
My grand-mother always said if you watch your pennies the dollars will take care of their self. The truth of the matter is th......

Avoiding the Value Grabbers    03-20-2010
Once your property closing takes place, you have the deed and you move into your beautiful new home, even if it's only new to......

The Excess Renovation Trap    03-16-2010
Before considering what's worthwhile to do and what's not, let's spend a moment considering home appreciation. I was just tal......

Getting a Home Improvement Loan    01-18-2010
Costly home improvements frequently cost more than the cash you have available. There are two financing options available to ......

Understanding a Second Mortgage     01-18-2010
This article is a continuation of Getting a Home Improvement Loan.There are some disadvantages of getting a second mortgage; ......