Buy Owner Blog

Whether you’ve just gotten news about a job transfer, are looking to relocate somewhere nearby or haven’t decided when or how you’ll be moving next, one thing’s certain: you’ll care about location. Within a given region, there are cities; within cities, neighborhoods; within neighborhoods, subdivisions or developments or communities. How can you decide which is right for you? What issues matter most?

Beyond visiting homes and asking around, there are ways you can whittle down the possibilities, particularly through checklists. So if you’re coming up against a wall, location-wise, consider these questions as a preliminary guide:

Selling your home is part work, part creativity and part persistence. But what it isn’t—or at least, what it doesn’t have to be—is difficult. Or expensive, for that matter. In fact, when you sell your home yourself, eliminating costly commissions, you’re already on your way to a less expensive sale. Couple that savvy decision with some of the following low-cost tips for further savings!

1. Eliminate unnecessary clutter, trashing, donating, storing or selling whatever you don’t need.
2. Put away all personal mementos and photos.
3. Clean everything, from top to bottom: floors, walls, surfaces, windows, etc.
4. Vacuum daily.
5. Clear off all counters and flat spaces!
6. Empty all trashcans.
7. Repair what needs fixing!

[...more...]

As part of our green decorating series, Buy Owner is here to share a few ideas on how you can make your Independence Day celebration a little more eco-friendly. [...]

In today’s tighter economic times, it’s becoming increasingly common for extended families to live together. [...]

As anyone who’s applied for a credit card, a loan or a lease (not to mention a mortgage) can tell you, your credit rating matters. And while it’s important to remember that you can’t raise your score overnight, there are some steps you can take that will improve it over time. Consider these:

1. Always pay your bills on time. At its most essential, this is what good credit is all about. When you’ve established yourself as someone who can consistently pay what you owe, you prove you are a responsible credit user. Also, the longer you’ve been paying on time, the better.

2. Pay down debt. If you haven’t been paying your credit cards on time (thus the problem with your credit in the first place), the best way to repair the damage is also the simplest: pay down the debt!

[...more...]

We’ve talked a lot about preparing your house for a sale, covering everything from how to Increase Your Home’s Value to the Top 10 Home Staging Tips. But what if your house needs a lot of work? How do you decide whether it’s worth it to fix it up or if you should just put your property on the market as is?

• First of all, you should have a thorough inspection of your home to find out what really needs to be fixed. Figure out how much you could get for your home as is, and then figure out how much you could get after fixing it up. Comparing the before and after price will help you decide if it’s worth it to make the repairs.

[...more...]

Fact is, decorating with neutral colors is a smart investment now and for the future. Here’s why! [...]

Lots of methods exist to lower the usage of A/C, while still remaining cool inside. [...]

No matter what your reason for needing a fence, there is a system out there for you, and Buy Owner is here to help find that solution. [...]

Whether you just bought a new home, are about to or have been living in your current residence for quite a while, it’s always a good idea to evaluate your spending and look for ways to cut costs. One smart place to start is home insurance.

It’s no secret that home owners need to purchase home insurance. To protect your assets, your property and your investment, home insurance is a necessity too important to overlook. What you may not know, however, is that this is an investment where a little investigation goes a long way.

Want to cut your home insurance costs? Here’s how: [...more...]