Best Things To Do Now To Get Your Finances Mortgage Ready

Best Things To Do Now To Get Your Finances Mortgage ReadyYou probably already know that qualifying for a mortgage can be the biggest hurdle — aside from actually finding that dream property — along the path to home ownership.

Rather than agonizing about it, however, there are some positive actions you can take in advance to help you realize your dream.

Take A Close Look At Your Budget

If you don’t currently operate with a comprehensive household budget, get started now to analyze your income and monitor your spending habits. There’s no better way to prepare for home ownership than by being realistic about how you spend your money. If you don’t have a regular savings program, or if you’re constantly short on cash prior to the next payday, take steps to remedy the problem. Plan for the future by getting the present in check.

Gather Employment And Earnings Records

Mortgage lenders want to see stability and commitment. Finding and organize your employment records to show a consistent earnings pattern and, hopefully, a record of growth, both in terms of income and responsibility. Simplify the task of gathering required documents by collecting all records in a binder or notebook that can easily be copies when it’s time to submit them to a lender. It’s a confidence-building step as well.

Organize Your Banking Records

Lenders will not only want to see employment records, but they will require copies of all bank and investment accounts as well. Again, by being organized and getting a handle on your dollar inflow and outflow, you’ll gain insights into your individual spending habits and make the job easier for a mortgage specialist.

Make Copies Of Your Tax Returns

Tax returns confirm and validate all the other financial information that you will be required to supply. Typically, returns for the past two or three years will be required. If you own a small business or have income in addition to that from paid employment, make copies of those records as well.

Put A Halt To Spending

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate your serious intent to purchase — and pay for — a new home is by curtailing your spending on impulse purchases and expensive entertainment. This is not the time to buy a new car, book an exotic vacation, purchase major electronics or even home furnishings, or commit to time payments of any sort. Frugality should become your mantra in the months leading up to loan qualification.

Monitor Your Credit Cards

If your credit rating is within acceptable limits, do what you can to make all payments on time, pay down balances, minimize new purchases and demonstrate your continuing ability to “live within your means.” Do not apply for new credit cards, no matter how tempting the offers, because increased account activity can adversely affect your FICO score. In addition, if you have a blip on your credit report, do what you can to repair it prior to making a mortgage loan application, or be prepared to explain the circumstances, in detail and in writing.

Applying for a loan need not be scary; understanding the financial reality, however, is a great benefit.

Contact your trusted home mortgage professional who will be able to assist you in organizing your documents and aligning you with your best financing options.

Junk Drawer Organization Ideas That Will Help You Avoid Stress

Junk Drawer Organization Ideas That Will Help You Avoid StressAt home, everyone has something they wish was just a little bit cleaner. For many people, this is the junk drawer. The kitchen drawer is crammed with who knows what simply has to get better organized.

This could include loose batteries, old cellphones, and even matchbooks from restaurants back when that was still a thing! The good news is that there are ways to clean up this junk drawer and turn all of that chaos around!

Rename The Junk Drawer

First, it is important to rename the junk drawer. If the junk drawer is called a junk drawer, then it is going to take on the personality of a junk drawer. Instead, call it something else. If the drawer has a name, then it isn’t going to get so disorganized. This will also help people remember what is supposed to go in the drawer.

Start With A Fresh Drawer

Yes, this means that the drawer has to get dumped out. Take everything that is in there, throw it on the floor (or the countertop) and see what is in the drawer. Then, figure out what has to be thrown away. This will help reduce the pile right off the bat. After this, see if there is anything in the drawer that can be placed somewhere else. Finally, all that should be left is what belongs in the drawer.

Make The Junk Drawer Pretty With Organizers And Nice Decor

Finally, think about ways to make the junk drawer appear more attractive! This could involve smooth little containers, dividers, or something else entirely! Think about using tools that can help divide the drawer into smaller compartments. This could help everyone keep the items organized. Once this is done, the drawer should have an entirely new appearance that will make the items easier to track.

Reorganize The Junk Drawer Following These Tips

These are a few of the top tips that everyone can follow to make their junk drawer just a little bit more organized. By putting these tips to use, everyone can find a way to make their house a bit cleaner. This can lead to a much less stressful living experience for everyone at home.

Best Things To Do Now To Get Your Finances Mortgage Ready

Best Things To Do Now To Get Your Finances Mortgage ReadyYou probably already know that qualifying for a mortgage can be the biggest hurdle — aside from actually finding that dream property — along the path to home ownership.

Rather than agonizing about it, however, there are some positive actions you can take in advance to help you realize your dream.

Take A Close Look At Your Budget

If you don’t currently operate with a comprehensive household budget, get started now to analyze your income and monitor your spending habits. There’s no better way to prepare for home ownership than by being realistic about how you spend your money. If you don’t have a regular savings program, or if you’re constantly short on cash prior to the next payday, take steps to remedy the problem. Plan for the future by getting the present in check.

Gather Employment And Earnings Records

Mortgage lenders want to see stability and commitment. Finding and organize your employment records to show a consistent earnings pattern and, hopefully, a record of growth, both in terms of income and responsibility. Simplify the task of gathering required documents by collecting all records in a binder or notebook that can easily be copies when it’s time to submit them to a lender. It’s a confidence-building step as well.

Organize Your Banking Records

Lenders will not only want to see employment records, but they will require copies of all bank and investment accounts as well. Again, by being organized and getting a handle on your dollar inflow and outflow, you’ll gain insights into your individual spending habits and make the job easier for a mortgage specialist.

Make Copies Of Your Tax Returns

Tax returns confirm and validate all the other financial information that you will be required to supply. Typically, returns for the past two or three years will be required. If you own a small business or have income in addition to that from paid employment, make copies of those records as well.

Put A Halt To Spending

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate your serious intent to purchase — and pay for — a new home is by curtailing your spending on impulse purchases and expensive entertainment. This is not the time to buy a new car, book an exotic vacation, purchase major electronics or even home furnishings, or commit to time payments of any sort. Frugality should become your mantra in the months leading up to loan qualification.

Monitor Your Credit Cards

If your credit rating is within acceptable limits, do what you can to make all payments on time, pay down balances, minimize new purchases and demonstrate your continuing ability to “live within your means.” Do not apply for new credit cards, no matter how tempting the offers, because increased account activity can adversely affect your FICO score. In addition, if you have a blip on your credit report, do what you can to repair it prior to making a mortgage loan application, or be prepared to explain the circumstances, in detail and in writing.

Applying for a loan need not be scary; understanding the financial reality, however, is a great benefit.

Contact your trusted home mortgage professional who will be able to assist you in organizing your documents and aligning you with your best financing options.

Creative Storage Tips When Downsizing Your Home

Creative Storage Tips When Downsizing Your HomeDownsizing at any stage of life can offer multiple benefits. Less square footage may come with a smaller price tag and usually means less space to clean. However, when downsizing a home, there’s usually the question of what to do with everything. That’s when creative storage ideas become essential. 

Before Downsizing, Take Stock

Before selecting the best storage options, it’s important to first take stock of all personal items, from furniture to clothing, kitchen gadgets, and keepsakes. Sort into items to keep, donate, discard, and place in long-term storage. Long-term storage may mean investing in a self-storage unit to hold things like seasonal decor. Less stuff can mean less storage space needed in a smaller home.

Maximize Closet Space

It doesn’t need to be a walk-in closet to have the capacity to store an array of personal items. Maximize any closet’s storage space with a few tricks. Install a second tier hanging rod and rely on an expandable shoe rack to keep the floor clutter-free. Reduce the number of hangers used by layering outfits on a single hanger — blouse, sweater, and necklace or dress shirt, tie, and jacket. Store seasonal clothing, linens, and pillows in space-saver bags that remove bulk.

Rely On Under-the-Bed Storage

Even in homes with expansive square footage, under the bed often is an under-utilized space. Shoes, books, and other items are shoved out-of-sight, collecting dust and remaining unorganized. When downsizing, every space should have a purpose. Depending on the bed height, consider flat storage boxes ideal for clothing, blankets, and other items. Storage boxes with rollers can make it easy to access and act like an additional set of drawers.

Choose Space-Saving Furniture

The popularity of tiny houses and the number of people downsizing has created a boom of innovative space-saving furniture options. For the living room there are ottomans that open to reveal storage space for pillows, blankets, or video cases. Consider a couch with built-in drawers that slide out. In the bedroom, there are multiple bed choices that have built-in drawers and storage, perfect if the room doesn’t have dresser space. 

Open Shelves Provide Functionality Plus Style

Whether in the kitchen, bedroom, or main living area, open shelves offer great functionality in a smaller space while providing style to the home’s decor. Use them as storage for books, collections, and artwork. They’re ideal when there isn’t space for large bookcases or a coffee table. In the kitchen, open shelves can hold everything from dishes to glassware and potted herbs.

Whether you are looking to buy a smaller home or make modifications to your current home, your trusted home mortgage professional can help you navigate all of your financing opportunities.

 

3 Stress-Free Packing Tips For Moving Into Your New Home

Packing Tips For Moving HomesMoving everything in your house to your new |**CITY & CITY**| home can be an overwhelming task.

You never realize how much stuff you actually own until you try to fit it all into boxes and move it somewhere new.

When you are packing up your things to relocate, here are some helpful tips to make your moving experience much easier:

Start Packing In Advance

You don’t have to wait until the day before you move to start packing everything in your house!

As soon as you find out that you are moving, you can start packing the items you don’t often use, such as your seasonal decorations, photo albums and family keepsakes.

If you pack a few items per week, you’ll have almost everything packed by the time you are ready to go except for the essentials you use every day.

Establish A System

Rather than randomly throwing every item you see into a box, think ahead and create a logical plan for your packing.

Before you start, develop a simple record-keeping system.

Give every box you pack a number and write a corresponding list detailing the items in that box.

This way, when you arrive you will know exactly where to find each item.

Stay Organized

You will want to keep all of the items from each area of the house together so they can be unpacked easily.

For example, keep all of the boxes of kitchen supplies together and then put them straight into the kitchen when you arrive at your new home.

You could even designate a color for each room in the house and put colored stickers on the boxes so that the movers or anyone helping you can easily determine in which room a box belongs.

Bonus Tip: Sometimes Less Is More

One final consideration that can make your move easier is to use your move as an opportunity to pare down your unused belongings.

Plus, you won’t be left wondering why you decided to move things from one home to another once you start unpacking.

As with many things, the more organized you are when packing, the less stressful it will be when you arrive and at your new house. 

 

How to Keep Your Car Organized

Auto InteriorYour car is your important mode of transport between point A and B, but if you are like many people you might also be in the habit of using it as a trash can on wheels.

Are you embarrassed when you offer someone else a ride in your vehicle because of the detritus of empty bottles, pieces of paper and food wrappers that litter the floor?

If you have children, do you have to clear an entire army of toys and stuffed animals from the back seat before anyone can sit down?

If your car is becoming a disaster zone, here are some tips for regaining control of the clutter.

Everything in Its Place

One of the main reasons why your car is such a mess is that nothing has a rightful place to be. You eat a granola bar while you are driving, and then stuff the wrapper in the cup holder thinking that you will dispose of it later and then usually forget.

The trick is to create a system where all of the garbage and junk in your car has a place. Keep a small trash bag in your car at all times, so that you can discard things in it rather than letting them get lost on the floor. Every few days you can throw the bag away and replace it with a new one.

Do Quick and Frequent Cleans

If you are waiting outside for five minutes to pick up a friend, use that time to do a quick tidy of your car. Gather all of the garbage and throw it away in a nearby garbage can, as most public places will have one.

If you can get in the habit of clearing out the junk in your car every few days, the problem will never build up to a point where it becomes overwhelming.

Organize the Back Seat

When you are driving around with your little ones, it’s great to have toys and books in the back seat to keep them occupied. To keep the mess under control, there are clever little organizers that you can buy which hang over the back of the front seat and include pockets for books, magazines, and small toys.

When you are a couple of minutes from arriving at your destination, give your kids the heads up to start putting their toys away so that they get in the habit of tidying up after themselves in the back seat.

These are just a few things that you can do to keep your car organized and tidy! 

Desk Makeover: Create the Optimum Working Environment

messy deskHas your desk become a cluttered ruin filled with half-empty coffee mugs, teetering stacks of books, dusty piles of paper, and crumbs from your breakfast bagel?

Does your working environment make you feel refreshed, energized, and inspired or do you feel cramped, tired and overwhelmed?

Did you know that by changing the features of your working environment you can actually help yourself focus better, work more efficiently, and be more creative?

Whether you work at home or at an office, there are many ways that you can improve your desk space so that you can work to your maximum potential.

Reduce Clutter

Having a lot of junk on your desk is not only distracting when you are trying to work, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Just like staring out at the open ocean or the horizon can be calming for your mind, working at a clutter-free space will help you relax.

You will also find important documents and files quicker and easier rather than having to sift through piles of debris for them.

Here is a quick list to get started:

  1. Clear off everything from your desk and sort it into piles of things to thrown away and things to file.
  2. Create a filing system to organize your documents, which can be anything from folders in a drawer to a special cabinet.
  3. Make sure that everything is off the desk and put in its rightful place, and get in the habit of taking 10 minutes at the end of your day to organize your desk so that the clutter never builds up.

Light Up Your Life

Inadequate lighting in your work space could be sapping your energy, straining your eyes, and making it more difficult to get your work done.

Invest in a desk lamp which sheds light directly onto whatever you are working on so that you can see everything clearly.

Avoid florescent bulbs, because when they flicker they can cause eye strain after a while.

Inspire Yourself

Now that your desk is organized and bright, you can add a few items which will inspire you while you are working.

You can put quotes from your heroes and photos and artwork that represent your dreams and goals on the walls near your desk.

If you ever are stuck for ideas, you will have your own little gallery of inspiration to gaze upon.

Enjoy working in your new and beautiful workspace!

Clever Organization Tips that Will Make a Small Apartment Look Bigger

Organization is very important, and it becomes even more crucial when you live in a small space.

If you are a single person or a couple, living in a tiny apartment can be a great option, it just requires a bit more work to ensure that your space is organized well.

If you live in a small apartment, whether it is a one bedroom or a studio, you might that you struggle to make all of your possessions fit into your compact space. All of your closets are packed full, and you have to step over your computer chair to crawl into bed. To reduce your clutter and make the small space work better for you, here are some organization tips:

  • The first step is to prioritize how you most use your apartment. Do you often entertain guests? Do you work at home? Thinking about which activities you do the most will help you define your floor plan.
  • Another important step is to get rid of absolutely everything that you don’t need. There is no use keeping clutter when you don’t have the space for it, so have a big cleanout and give away or sell your junk.
  • Consider buying a bed that will make the most of your small space. You could choose a loft bed which is just like a bunk bed but with a desk and cabinets rather than a bottom bunk. This saves an enormous amount of floor space when one piece of furniture serves two purposes. Another example is a futon which folds into a sitting area during the day.
  • Use the space underneath your bed as storage. There are many different storage containers you can buy which are designed to slide right underneath the bed.
  • Invest in a table which offers the option of adding and removing leaves. You can expand it during a dinner party and then make it smaller for your daily use.
  • If your shoes are filling up your closet floor, get a shoe organizer that hangs over your closet door.
  • Get a basket which hangs over your shower head to store your shampoo, body wash, and washcloths. This will clear up a lot of space in your bathroom.

These are just a few ways that you can keep organized and make your small apartment feel much more spacious!

What other space-saving tips can you share?  Do you have pictures?  I’d love to see them!