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Mortgage recasting is one way to reduce your monthly mortgage payments. It’s less common than refinancing or modifying a loan, and it’s rarely advertised, but it decreases mortgage payments for those who can apply a lump sum toward their loan’s principal. What is recasting your mortgage? When you recast your mortgage, you pay your lender […]

Now hiding stuff may seem like your best option, right? You just sweep the dirt under the rug and move your stuff in the garage. Easy. But that theory may also backfire. According to Galindo, the places you might hide all your junk —the garage, the basement, the closets —are often the areas you want […]

Get this: Nearly 1 in 10 American households rents a storage facility, and there are 4 times more storage facilities in the country than Starbucks. Statistics show that most people who pay to rent a storage unit already have a garage, attic, or basement. So what does that tell us? We have too much stuff. Friel […]

As we said in the previous week’s article, not every item in your house will be right for resale. But you will likely have several pieces in your home that can be resold. The key is finding the right stuff. Consider the items in your home that are rare or vintage or in perfect condition […]

Get in the giving spirit and donate what you can (you can’t sell everything!) Selling stuff sounds great in theory—get rid of all the things you currently don’t need, want, or use, and make a buck (or several hundred). What could be better? But the reality is that all that pricing, mailing, tagging, and organizing […]

Between the collectibles or keepsakes, treasures from your travels, garage sale finds or those 15,000 pieces of junk mail you’ll receive in a lifetime, you no longer know for certain who is in charge—you or your stuff. You’re not alone. Americans spend $1.2 trillion every year on items they don’t need, while 1 in every 11 U.S. households rents […]

The holiday season from November through January is often considered the worst time to put a home on the market. While the thought of selling your home during the winter months may dampen your holiday spirit, the season does have its advantages: holiday buyers tend to be more serious and competition is less fierce with […]

A toy-lover’s paradise nestled on 25 idyllic acres. The property includes Santa’s main living quarters, a community of elf tiny homes, a state-of-the-art toy-making facility, garage with space for an all-weather sleigh and stables that board eight live-in reindeer, plus a bonus stall for red-nosed company. Santa’s Living Quarters The home, constructed in the 1800s, […]

When you switch from renting to owning a home, you’ll need to have a plan to cover maintenance and repairs. In some cases, a home warranty can help reduce the cost burden. But are home warranties worth it? After all, appliances eventually break down and will either need to be repaired or replaced. It’s the […]

So, can you buy your dream house if you have student loan debt? The common wisdom is bleak: student loans are preventing borrowers everywhere from living The American Dream. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. Here are 8 ways to maximize your chance of buying your dream home — even if you have […]