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| Quick quiz |
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Each month I'll give you a new question.
Just reply to this email for the answer.
Where do the World Ice Art Championships take place every year?
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| Ask the Agent |
Is a Zillow Zestimate Accurate?
If you have gone online to different websites to seek the value of your home, you have probably found differing results. The Zillow Zestimate is likely part of your search. While highly touted, the Zillow estimate is only as accurate as the input received by the sources of information that it utilizes, usually public records and prior sales.
The Zillow values do not incorporate value-added features, such as a home's condition, location, upgrades, and those things that affect a buyer's emotions. Nor are conditions of sale considered in the final Zillow Zestimate. Final sales prices are impacted by buyer and seller concessions, such as closing cost concessions and negotiated repairs. Zillow sources are not privy to these important details.
We are your source for sales data that will give you an
accurate market valuation because of our intimate knowledge of the comps and because of our relationships with our fellow agents that allow us to get detailed sales information. |
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| Purchasing a Home vs. Renting: 5 Tax Advantages |
While renting a home gives you the freedom of picking up stakes and moving whenever you want, realizing the dream of home ownership can give you far more benefits, the most obvious being the growth of your nest egg coming from normal market appreciation and the additional equity increase that you gain from making home improvements over time.
Home ownership can also enhance your financial status with some of the following tax advantages.
1. Making monthly principal and interest payments on your loan may qualify you for a mortgage interest deduction, which reduces your income tax liability proportionately.
2. Owning your own home means paying property taxes and, with some limitations, may give you an additional tax deduction on your income taxes.
3. If your loan includes a mortgage insurance premium and your income qualifies, that
premium is deductible and also lowers your tax liability.
4. A percentage of some home improvements can increase your tax deductions, especially if they are eco-friendly. Solar panels and wind turbines are examples.
5. Having a home-based business and the improvements that are associated with that business may also contribute to decreasing your tax liability. The square footage percentage of the portion of your home where you conduct business may give you additional tax deductions.
If you feel that owning your own home will benefit your financial future, then we are here to take you down that path. |
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| Thinking of Buying a Home? Get My Free Guide |
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Buying a home is a complex process with many factors to consider.
Prepare for the decisions you’ll need to make along the way by requesting my free report, "10 Easy Steps to Buying a Home."
Just reply to this email and I'll send it right out to you.
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| Turns Out Giving is Good for You and Your Health |
It turns out giving to others is good for your health! According to Professor Michael Norton and his Harvard Business School study, participants are happier spending money on others than on themselves.
This residual happiness is not limited to spending and physical gift giving. In fact, a National Institutes of Health study found that when people give to charities and volunteer their time, it activates the region of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust. And with the holidays firmly around the corner, there's no better time to get your give on.
Giving is not only good for our emotional well-being but our physical health, too. Kathleen Lawler of the University of Tennessee conducted a study that found participants had lower blood pressure when providing social support to others (as opposed to those who didn't), leading
to the conclusion that giving reduces stress and improves longevity.
Generosity's health-boosting effects tend to ripple out and gather up others in its wake. It's linked to the release of oxytocin, the love hormone, which induces warmth, empathy and the propensity to be generous towards others, which kick-starts a behavioral circle of giving, according to neuroeconomist Paul Zak.
As you bravely take on the Christmas sale season, donate to charity, or volunteer, remember that your efforts not only show your family and your community that you care about them. Your simple selflessness will also kick-start a cascade of goodwill that echoes beyond the year-end festivities, giving you a big dose of happiness in the process! |
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Wondering What’s Happening in
Your Neighborhood? |
How has the price of your home changed in today's market? How much are other homes in your neighborhood selling for? Do I need a house inspection? These are all critical questions that shouldn't be overlooked when thinking about buying or selling your home.
Whether you're curious about prices in your area, whether it's an excellent time to sell, or just need an expert to answer your questions, I can give you the tools and offer guidance through the entire buying or selling process.
Let me know how I can help by simply calling or emailing to set up a time to connect. I won't waste your time - I'll just give you the honest facts about your home, its value, and what's happening in your neighborhood. |
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| Gingerbread Muffins |
These delicious holiday muffins are quick and easy to prepare, thanks to your trusty blender. Added bonus: they also happen to be low carb!
Yields 12 muffins |
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• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves |
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Preheat oven to 325° F.
Line a muffin pan with liners.
In large blender jar, combine eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract. Blend approximately 30 seconds.
Add sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and spices. Blend until well combined. If batter is too thick, thin out by adding 1/4 cup water.
Pour the mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. |
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| 4 Reasons to Consider Buying a Home in the Off-Season |
As a home buyer, you can optimize your home buying if you move forward with your search during the off-season of where you wish to live. In very hot climates, the off-season will be during the summer, while in most other parts of the country, it would be during the winter months. Here are a few reasons you may want to consider buying your home out of season.
1. A seller who lists his or her house during the off-season is more likely to be very motivated to get the home sold. Therefore, you can benefit because the seller will be more willing to negotiate on price and terms, especially if you present a fair offer.
2. There are usually fewer buyers when you decide to shop when it's not peak market time. Fewer buyers mean less competition and no price wars. Buyers tend to be more focused on the holidays during the winter, while communities in hotter
climates draw virtually no competing home-buying snowbirds during the summer.
3. Since the off-season can mask the usually attractive curb appeal of a home, it can also provide a more realistic viewing of a home without the gingerbread. You can better see the "bones" of a home with minimal landscaping and possible deferred maintenance.
4. The durability of a prospective property can be better tested when you shop off-season since the mechanics of the home are being put to use on a daily basis. The furnace output is being tested to its maximum capability in cooler winter zones, while the air conditioning is being constantly challenged in the desert climates during the summer. The insulation and soundness of doors and windows are also best evaluated during these times.
Even though the market traditionally slows down during the off-season, we are here 365 days a year to improve the results of your home-buying experience. |
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| Share This Newsletter |
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If you find this newsletter helpful or interesting, share it with those you care about.
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| What Is This Journaling Thing All about? |
What do Oscar Wilde, Susan Sontag, Henry David Thoreau, Franz Kafka, and Ben Franklin all have in common? Other than shaping the world with their erudite minds, they all kept personal journals.
But journaling is not just a pastime of the historical elite. Increasingly adopted by the millennial generation, it's a great way to stay in touch with yourself and reap science-backed benefits, such as increased work performance (according to a 2014 Harvard Business School study) and improved emotional well-being after stressful events (according to a 2005 Cambridge University study).
All you need to figure out before you set pen to paper is what type of journal would best suit your needs and personality. You could begin a memoir journal, where you record your thoughts, goals, feelings, and ideas diary style; a bullet journal, which is used to record daily
tasks, goals, and to-do lists, or even a gratitude journal, which records all the things you're grateful for.
Once you've chosen your format, start small, like writer James Clear. His idea of "atomic habits" (undertaking one small act that will snowball and eventually make an enormous difference) perfectly applies to journaling. Instead of setting out to write an opus, start by writing for five minutes a day. Once you get into the habit, you'll know when you're ready to build on the practice and write in more depth.
Remember that a journal is your own private space. You don't need to censor yourself, and if you need to offload some emotional baggage or negative thoughts, your journal is a safe place to leave them, clearing room in your mind for positive and constructive ideas and perceptions as you move forward. |
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| This newsletter and any information contained herein are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or medical advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible at any time for any errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent professional advice and/or legal counsel with respect to any matter discussed or published in this newsletter. This newsletter is not intended to solicit properties currently for sale. |
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