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Priorities vary when we're choosing our nest and the US real estate market has a huge place in  news and Social Media now with advice and the latest stats in this drastically changing world of Real Estate.  Here are a few fun facts. When we look for a home, the amount of square footage is right up there with the amount of money we can or want to spend so top of our list. Did you know however, many, many factors contribute to the final number and it can be irrelevant to your actual available living space for things from furnishings to family. Typically the outside perimeter of the house is measured, then a garage and any unheated area square footages are subtracted from the total. Some listing realtors will measure each room and post the layout on MLS. Here's some fun math trivia. A typical wall in a standard, residential home is 4.5" thick to allow for standard requirements, not even including extra insulation or out of the ordinary requirements for pipes or electrical. So...

Deciding how much you can afford to spend for a new home can be so overwhelming, it's easy to feel paralyzed by indecision and doubt. With constant news now of "high" interest rates consuming us, one thing that needs to be said is that rates have been a lot higher and banks have been a lot more discriminating in the past regarding who they approve and how much they charge. It may surprise you to know that our parents dealt with interest rates of 16%-18% in our childhood homes and 8.5%-10%  and up, just 10 years before.  Another fun fact is that women weren't always allowed to be listed on a title as a co-owner, or to build credit like today by being included on a mortgage less than 100 years ago. That was especially problematic if a husband died or you divorced and also when a female wife was supporting her male husband financially or supplying most of their income. To quote an old ad, "we've come a long way baby" so let's say your realtor shows you ...

  KIDS AND BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH  This month is set aside for people everywhere to remember the heroes who battled breast cancer and won. And those whose lives were tragically cut short, and the lives of their families and friends that were forever altered by this terrible disease. It’s never too early to educate and encourage our kids and October is the perfect time to investigate which non profs and which salons in your area will give you the special haircut that can make the burden of chemo just a little lighter. It's possible to wade through the daunting specifics and do it at home, but we decided it was also the perfect excuse to go to a salon.   This is Laina. When she was 13 she decided to finally part with her long locks and get a haircut. It was a hard decision for a young girl about to start high school and face the challenges and anxieties that go along with that first day. In the process of talking about her cutting her long beautiful hair, I ...