The old home has been sold, the new home has been purchased, and almost everything is packed away. Now it’s time to focus on the move, but that’s easier said than done, especially when moving requires driving across the country. Long distance moves share a lot in common with local moves, but they also present their own unique challenges. Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when preparing for the big move.

1. Get Rid of Anything Unnecessary

When moving long distance, moving space is extremely valuable, so homeowners need to ensure that they’re only taking the things that they truly want and need. When packing up everything to go, homeowners should be sifting through all of their things and separating what they don’t want in order to

A competitive real estate market can be good or bad, depending on whose favor it skews to. For a buyer looking for a home when dozens of new homes are listed each day, it’s a very good thing. But what happens when a homeowner is trying to sell their home when there is hardly any buyers? In this sort of market, it’s an excellent time to be a buyer, but it can be difficult selling that home. If this is the case, here are four essential tips all homeowners should know when trying to sell their home in a buyer’s market.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

1. Work With a Real Estate Agent

No matter if the market is competitive or not, all

For most new home buyers, obtaining homeowners insurance is an important part of buying a home. Knowing what homeowners insurance is, what it does, how it protects buyers and when it's required can help keep the home buying process smooth.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a financial advisor before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Homeowners Insurance Protects You From Financial Liability

Homeowners insurance is a product that protects the homeowner from financial liability if the home or its contents are damaged in a covered event. When a covered event, the insurance will pay to repair or replace what has been broken, damaged or destroyed. What is covered by a homeowners insurance policy can vary from one

Home buyers need to be prepared to pay for some expenses when buying a home. Closing costs are one of the more difficult to understand expenses because they're made up of many different fees. Closing costs also cause confusion because the buyer won't know how much money they owe until close to the end of the escrow period.

All of this uncertainty can sometimes lead to some confusion that can actually disrupt the home buying process. Knowing what to expect can help make the home buying process less stressful for buyers.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed mortgage professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

What Are Closing Costs?

Closing costs are the fees that are paid at the end of the

An outdoor living space adds value to the home while also providing an excellent space for entertaining. Certain features in outdoor living spaces can help dress up the area and make it a more enjoyable place to spend time. Here's what homeowners need to know to make their outdoor living space more attractive and pleasant.

Provide Privacy and Shelter

Adding some privacy from neighbors makes the outdoor living space more usable. Some Crieve homeowners make their outdoor living space more private by constructing walls from lattice, which they can then cover in vining plants. While these "living walls" are effective during the growing season, they can become bare and less attractive during the winter and fall.

Others use canvas drapes and

It's well understood that solar panels can increase the value of a home and cut the electric bill every month. But, with the large up front cost often associated with a residential solar installation, many people are not sure whether solar will make a good investment for them or not. There are a number of ways to measure the value of solar panels. By running the numbers, a homeowner can use the answers they get to decide whether solar will save them money or adequately increase the value of their home. A few facets to consider:

Increase in Value of the Home

In surveys, many home buyers say that sustainability is one of the core things that they look at when deciding whether to buy a home. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that

Many buyers may have heard the phrases “seller’s market” or “competitive market,” but what do these terms mean? A competitive market, when used to mean a seller’s market, is when there are more buyers looking to purchase a Nolensville TN home than there are homes for sale, creating competition between buyers. Buying a home in a seller’s market is different than other markets because buyers have to move at a much faster pace than they would have to otherwise. Here are some tips all buyers can use to help their odds of finding and purchasing the home they want despite the competition.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Don’t Be Too Picky

Unpermitted work refers to changes in the home that may have been done against the housing code of the neighborhood in which a homeowner lives. It's fairly common to find, but the steps to remediate it aren't always so simple. Learn more about how (and why) most owners probably have some type of unpermitted work in their home, and the steps they can take to make it right.

How It Happens

Because permit laws vary from town to town, it's relatively easy to make a mistake. Property owners assume they can tear down a wall or reconfigure their pipes without anyone's permission. After all, it is their property. Often, unpermitted work is completed by the owner of the home, as a DIY project. This is often done to save money and the expense and hassle

Having roof damage can be frustrating for a homeowner, because of the opportunity for the roof to leak and damage the home. Additionally, it's not always easy to figure out where a leak is coming from or how bad the damage might be. Getting up on the roof can be another problem, especially for homes that are more than one story. But when a homeowner finds roof damage, or a professional inspection of the roof uncovers a problem, the Mount Juliet homeowner will then be faced with whether to repair the damage or replace the roof. There are some specific things to consider when making that determination.

How Bad is the Roof Damage?

For minor areas of damage, it isn't generally realistic to replace the entire roof. But there may be cases where

Selling a home isn't as simple as declaring who owns the property on a standard deed. And while the exact amount of paperwork depends on the circumstances of each sale, Gallatin home sellers should understand the general principles behind the many documents they may need to review and sign. Learn more about the most important paperwork, and how a real estate agent can help sellers decipher the clauses and contingencies.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Usual Home Selling Paperwork

Home sellers may already be familiar with major documents from the buying process:

• A Deed
• A Title
• The Purchase & Sale Contract
• Any