Sunday, July 9, 2023 / by Steve Ticknor
You scrimp and you save for months...maybe even years...to buy a home. Finally, the time feels right. You're ready to dig in your heels and start looking. You prepared yourself for some of the basic expenses. But did you ever stop to think about the real cost of buying a Lake Havasu home? Hint: there's more to it than a down payment.
The Real Cost of Buying a Home
Before You Buy
Down Payment - Of course. This is probably the first thing you thought of when I talked about "cost". Unless you pay all cash or are a veteran using a VA loan to purchase your property, you need to come up with a down payment. FHA loans require at least 3.5% down. On a $500,000 home, that means $17,500 at the very least. But that is only the first in a long line of actual costs.
Closing Costs - Closing costs are the fees for services required to complete the sale of your home. They include prorated HOA and property taxes, title search, loan origination, appraisal, credit check, and sales tax, among others.Z ...
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lake havasu real estate, home buying tips, havasu homeowners
Sunday, March 26, 2023 / by Steve Ticknor
When asked about their least favorite subject in high school on a Thomas B Fordham Institute survey, students overwhelmingly chose math. But we actually do use math for all kinds of things as an adult. Balancing our checkbook. Making sure that we get the correct change back on a purchase. And when buying a home, to calculate its total square footage.
How Square Footage is Determined
What is Square Footage?
First of all, we've all heard this term before. But do you actually know what it means? In real estate terms, this is the total actual dedicated living space inside of a home. According to Bankrate, "livable space" must include walls, a ceiling, a floor, and heat. That means garages, unfinished basements, and patios/porches do not count as livable space. However, hallways and stairwells (for multiple-story homes) do count.
How to Calculate It
Determining the square footage for a whole house? Before you freak out, think about your house in terms of several smaller boxes. MeasurZ ...
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lake havasu real estate, home buying tips, home selling tips, havasu homeowners
Thursday, February 23, 2023 / by Steve Ticknor
Benjamin Franklin once said that "nothing is certain except death and taxes". Well, Uncle Sam expects you to file your 2022 income taxes by April 18th this year. Taxpayers needing more time may file for an extension. This allows you to file as late as October 16th, 2023. If you sold your Lake Havasu house last year, then you may be eligible for some home seller tax deductions.
Home Seller Tax Deductions
Well, "tax deductions" may actually be a little deceiving. Some of these affect your capital gains tax, not your taxable income. If you sold your home and made a profit, congratulations! However, the IRS calls this "capital gains" and views it as income. That means that it is taxable. But the following home seller tax deductions lower your capital gains. In turn, that lowers how much tax you may owe (if any) on this profit.
Capital Gains Exception
First, let's discuss capital gains. This is the difference between what you paid for your home and what you sold it for. So, if. ...
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lake havasu real estate, home selling tips, havasu homeowners
Thursday, September 15, 2022 / by Steve Ticknor
When you own your home, things are going to break. Now that you are a Lake Havasu homeowner, you can no longer call the landlord to take care of these issues. So, unless you want to spend your money on visits from a neighborhood handyman, you’re going to need to fix at least some of them yourself. Fortunately, YouTube offers a "how to" video on just about every household chore you need to tackle. Luckily, you don’t need an arsenal of tools to handle most home maintenance fixes. These five tools should cover most of a Lake Havasu homeowner's basic projects.
Must-Have Tools for the Lake Havasu Homeowner
Cordless Drill
A cordless drill is a must-have for installing cabinets, drawer pulls, hinges, picture frames, shelves and hooks, and more. Whether it’s for do-it-yourself projects or repairs, you’ll use your cordless drill just about every month. Just make sure to place it back on its charging station when done so it will be ready to go for that next project.
D. ...
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lake havasu real estate, home buying tips, havasu homeowners
Thursday, July 21, 2022 / by Steve Ticknor
When purchasing a new Lake Havasu City home, smart buyers do in-depth research on all facets of the homebuying process. One thing you need to understand is how to best protect yourself and your investment if anything were to go wrong. Check out the information on homeowners insurance versus home warranty below to educate yourself on your options.
Homeowners Insurance vs Home Warranty: What's the Difference?
Homeowners Insurance
First of all, homeowners insurance pays for any accidental damages and loss caused by fire, lightning strikes, windstorms, and hail. However, it typically excludes damage from earthquakes and floods. Those require separate policies. (Make sure to talk to your insurance agent about them if you believe you might need them.) Homeowners insurance also covers the replacement of personal property in case of theft or damage. If a person gets injured in your Havasu home or on your property, homeowners insurance covers this as well. According to the insurance we. ...
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lake havasu real estate, home buying tips, havasu homeowners
