Good Reasons to Buy a Home Part 1
If you're like most first-time home buyers you've probably listened to the advice of family, friends and co-workers, many of whom are encouraging you to buy a home. However, you may still wonder if buying a home is the right thing to do. Relax. Having reservations is normal. The more you know about why you should buy a home, the less scary the entire process will appear to you. This week we will be sharing with you some good reasons why you should buy a home.
1. Pride of Ownership
Pride of ownership is the number one reason why people yearn to own their home. It means you can paint the walls any color you desire, turn up the volume on your CD player, attach permanent fixtures and decorate your home according to your own taste. Home ownership gives you and your family a sense of stability and security. It's making an investment in your future.
2. Appreciation
Although real estate moves in cycles, sometimes up, sometimes down, over the years, real estate has consistently appreciated. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight tracks the movements of single family home values across the country. Its House Price Index breaks down the changes by region and metropolitan area. Many people view their home investment as a hedge against inflation.
At HOPE we help our clients everyday in making wise decisions regarding their credit. If you would like to know more about how the HOPE program works please give us a call at 704-503-3669. We are waiting on your call.
Today is the final day of our “Ways to Save Money” series. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have. Don’t forget, if you missed an article during the last 2 weeks you can access it by visiting the April 2009 Archives section of our website. Please feel free to leave comments on our blogs as well. We love to hear your feedback!
Tip #11: Ask for Fees to be Waived!
Early in the week we recommended that you ask for any late fees that you may incur to be waived. However, there are many other fees that you may be able to have waived as well.
For example, a friend of mine recently booked a cruise through an online travel company. She wanted to book through the travel company instead of the cruise line directly because the cost of the vacation was a little cheaper. However, the travel company added some booking fees that the cruise line did not charge. These fees would have wiped out her savings. Therefore, she asked the travel company if the booking fees could be waived. The sales representative did waive the fees for her and she would up saving an extra $90!
You can also try to request for fees to be waived when you sign up for new cell phone service, visit your doctor or dentist, open a new bank account, etc. It never hurts to ask.
If the company is unable to waive any of their fees then you can still go forward with your purchase if it is important. Just remember, a little boldness could save you a lot of money.
As we mentioned before, please feel free to forward your friends a link to our website if you have found this blog series helpful. We will continue to add more informative blogs to our website in the weeks to come, so check back with us often. Thank you again for visiting www.HOPE4USA.com.
Don’t forget, if you need professional assistance with credit problems, the HOPE4USA team can help you. Just give us a call at 704-499-9696.
Ways to Save Money Part 10
There are many, many ways to make your dollars stretch further. At HOPE, we felt that it would be beneficial to write some of our recommendations down and share them with you. Please feel free to comment on our blogs and let us know if you have found them to be helpful.
Tip #10: Check to See If a Trade Is Possible!
You need a baby sitter, so you hire one. You need a mechanic, so you take your car down to the local garage. You need a haircut, so you drive to the salon. These are not bad things to do; however, you might be able to trade for the service you need instead of paying for it. Here are a few ideas:
1. Swap Baby Sitting Services.
If you have young children and need a baby sitter from time to time you might try to find a friend, family member, or neighbor with the same need. You can take turns baby sitting for one another and avoid having to pay your co-worker’s teenage daughter a fee for watching your kids when you need a night out.
2. Make Other Trades.
Maybe you are a talented mechanic, an experienced carpet layer, a skilled dance instructor, or a gifted tutor. Chances are, you have a skill which you can use to trade for other services which you need. The next time your car breaks down you could offer to trade with the mechanic for all or part of his fees in order to bring down the cost of your bill. For example, I know of a man who tiled the kitchen of his child’s orthodontist. As a result, his son received his braces for free. Another person received weekly house keeping in exchange for pet sitting for a friend who frequently traveled out of town.
Don’t be afraid to be creative. You could receive essential services without having to spend any money. Plus, if you offer to swap with someone and they are not interested you can always still pay for the service you need. It never hurts to ask.
Feel free to give us a call at 704-499-9696 if you need assistance with your credit.
Bad credit can seem overwhelming; however, there is an answer. You are not stuck in your current situation. We would love to help!
Ways to Save Money Part 9
We will be sharing some more great advice with you today on how to keep more of your hard earned money. Don’t forget, if you find this blog useful or even slightly enlightening, please spread the word by forwarding your friends and family members a link to our website. As a country we are facing some very hard economic times right now. It is more important than ever to be frugal and wise with the money we make. We hope today’s tip, and the tips we have been sharing with you over the last few weeks, are helpful.
Tip #9: Don’t Carry Your Credit Cards with You!
There are 2 reasons why it is a bad idea to carry your credit cards in your purse or wallet. The first is the most obvious. If you have those plastic debt machines on your person then it is much more tempting for you to impulsively make unplanned purchases. The truth is that, if you don’t have the cash available to buy that pair of shoes, you should not buy them.
The second reason it is a bad idea to carry around your plastic is because of identity theft. If you lose your purse or wallet then it is very easy for a dishonest person to get your personal account information and make unauthorized charges. (FYI, you should not carry your social security card in your wallet or purse to protect yourself against identity theft as well.)
Many people will argue that it is important to carry your credit cards with you for emergencies. However, here at HOPE we disagree. It is wiser for you to carry some extra cash, which you never spend, in your wallet or purse at all times. Then, you will be prepared in the case of an emergency without the need of using your credit card.
For more information about the wonderful services offered by the HOPE Program, please give us a call at 704-503-3669. We would love to assist you with your credit and financial needs.