Monica Rattee - CMS Realty

08/05/2022

09/25/2019

Tips for Getting Your Home Ready for Spring

Home Maintenance Projects to Address Before Winter Arrives Fall is a wonderful time to tackle home maintenance projects, especially those that should be addressed before the onset of winter. Consider the following: Trim trees. Trim the trees around your home to minimize the buildup of leaves and deb...

08/28/2019

Tips for Getting Your Home Ready for Spring

End of Summer Property Maintenance You Cant Afford to Ignore As the summer winds down, many homeowners are looking to fall for their seasonal home sweep. But by completing several tasks now, when you have a more flexible schedule and longer daylight hours, you can prepare your property for the upcom...

04/25/2019

Low credit shouldn't stop you from getting a second mortgage to pay off debt or make home repairs. What home project would you use the money for?

Refi Options for Those With Low Credit Scores If you want to get a second mortgage so you can make renovations to your home, it can be difficult if you have poor credit. A second mortgage can use a home’s equity as collateral for a second home loan, allowing up to 80 percent of a home’s value to...

04/21/2019

A credit freeze is safer than credit monitoring - here’s why...

Credit Freezes Are Now Free: What Does It Mean For You? The bill that rolled back banking regulations imposed by the Dodd-Frank bill in the wake of the Great Recession included an interesting tidbit for consumers: free credit freezes. According to CNNMoney, Congress was pressured to make freezes fre...

04/20/2019

Because in certain situations, nothing shows off your home like an aerial view!

5 Ways a Drone Can Help Sell Your House If your home is on the market, you’ve probably done a lot to make it look its very best for potential buyers, from making sure the landscaping is manicured to adding a fresh coat of paint where necessary. But if you really want to make your property shine, e...

04/18/2019

Checking out your central A/C now can head off costly repairs in the future.

Check Your Central A/C Unit Now, Avoid a Repair Call Later Few household maintenance routines pay off better than checking out your central air conditioning unit before the hot weather sets in. Preparing the unit for heavy duty now will not only save on energy costs, but will up your chances of stay...

04/14/2019

A CMA may help make a case for lower taxes.

Expert Insights: Can I Contest My Property Taxes? Many people do, mainly because determining value can often be tricky. This is especially true in a changing market when local prices either take off dramatically or plunge precipitously, like during the Texas oil bust of the 1980s. While it is up to....

04/13/2019

When it comes to retirement funds, every little penny helps.

States That Won't Tax Your Retirement Income Affording to retire can be difficult enough, and having your retirement income taxed can leave you with less money. To start, the federal government taxes income from a 401(k) retirement plan, traditional IRA or pension, along with taxing Social Security....

04/11/2019

Do you have an idea of your home's worth? Here's what you need to know.

How Much Is My Home Worth? As a real estate professional, one of the things I get asked the most is how much a person's home is worth. This infographic illustrates some aspects that could alter the value of your home and will assess the differences between the homeowner's perception and the appraise...

04/07/2019

Here are a few negotiating points.

Some Home-Closing Costs Are Worth Negotiating Closing costs are 2-5 percent of the purchase price of a home, resulting in an average of $3,700 in fees for paperwork required to buy a house. That’s a lot of money to come up with when you may have already put everything toward a down payment. Some f...

04/06/2019

What's your ideal downsized home? Here are 10 packing tips to help you so you won't lose your mind!

10 Quick Tips for Easier Downsizing For empty nesters and others, moving into a smaller space can mean less maintenance and a welcome bump in discretionary income. But what to keep and what to toss can be a difficult, and sometimes painful, decision. The editors at after55.com offer 10 good tips for...