This week, the Education Department launched the beta website for SAVE, or Saving on a Valuable Education, a new student loan repayment program that could drop monthly payments for one million borrowers to as low as $0. Want to find out if you’re eligible? Use the website calculator today. And learn more from the Sacramento Bee.
When you put your home up for sale, choosing the right asking price could be the difference between getting what you want and leaving big-time dollars on the table — especially in today’s tight market. So how do you find the right number?
Setting an asking price is all about striking a balance — between the price you want and what the market will bear, high interest rates and low inventory, first impressions and protracted negotiations. In this treacherous territory, it’s good to have an agent to guide you to the promised land. We’ll help you make sense out of the tea leaves and find the asking price that fits your property.
I love a good numbers game, and finding your asking price is all about crunching the data. The first step is to analyze comparable sales in your neighborhood. How do the homes compare to yours by the numbers? How closely did asking prices mirror impartial estimates? How long did the properties spend on the market? Once you know the landscape, it’s easier to find your way.
Throughout July, we take pride in the diversity of our ability. You never truly appreciate a skill or a sense or a body part until you can no longer use it. We’ll share a personal story on this topic soon!
For the second year in a row, foreclosures are up across the country, and the trend has a lot of folks remembering the Great Recession. But we’re still nowhere near the levels we saw when that bubble burst. About 25 of every 100,000 homes in America had a distressed property or foreclosure filing in June, which is about 15 times lower than during the recession.
And the pain isn’t spread equally. The highest rates of foreclosure can be found in small to mid-sized metro areas like Modesto, which checks in at number ten on this list from Realtor.com.
There’s only so much you can do to protect your home from the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. If we’re not prepared as a community, we’re all vulnerable.
Many of the changes we need to make are actually pretty simple. We just need to focus our efforts on things like replacing old water, sewer, and electrical infrastructure, expanding the ranks in our fire departments, and upgrading their firefighting technology. How can you make this happen? Start by talking to your local city councilperson or the appropriate public agency.
Whenever government officials pass the buck on the climate crisis, their objection seems to come down to money. As in, they don’t have any. Well, here’s the thing: The upfront costs of adapting to a new climate reality are naturally high. But the long-term payoff on the investment would be huge, particularly for our children — and our grandchildren. I, for one, think it makes a lot of cents!
