My father gave me lots of good advice over the years. I wish he was still around to give me more.
     The advice he never gave me that I wish he had, though, was to buy real estate. Any real estate. 
I moved out of the family home for good at 27 (kind of embarrassing back then, but not a big deal now) and spent the next nine years renting a small apartment after I moved to another city to work. It was a nice, comfortable place that I remember cost $500 a month. I'm not going to multiple 500 by 108 months but that was a lot of money spent on rent.
     At the time, where I was living I could have gotten a small detached home for well under 100,000. I could have rented out a room and proceeded to go to town on the principle of my mortgage.
     Oh well.
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When you’re about to sell your home, it may be disheartening to see so many other properties for sale in your neighborhood. You may be thinking, “That’s a lot of competition! Will our property get noticed?”

Fortunately, there are many proven strategies for standing out in a sea of For Sale signs. 

First of all, keep in mind that many home purchasers come from the REALTOR’S personal network of buyers who want to move into your area. So, choosing the right REALTOR® is crucial.

Second, remember that when there are other properties for sale on your street, curb appeal becomes even more important. There are many simple things you can do to make your property look great to those driving around looking at homes. Make sure your property looks as picture…

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A pantry is the ideal nook for storing extra food and other items ordinarily crammed into the kitchen. It’s also a nice design feature, as it harkens back to the days of country kitchens with spacious pantries. 

 You might be thinking, “That’s nice, but our home doesn’t have a pantry.” 

 That’s okay. These days, there are many ways to create a pantry in your home – even if it doesn’t have one! Here are just a few suggestions: 

  • Add shelves to the laundry room. If you have the space, this is the ideal place to create a mini-pantry. 
  • Purchase a portable pantry. There are many available on the market. Some are even disguised as cabinets you’d expect to see in living and dining rooms. 
  • Purchase a movable pantry. These units are on wheels and…

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When considering which of two or more competing offers to accept for your home, there is no doubt price plays a huge role. After all, if Offer #1 is $10,000 higher than Offer #2, that’s an enticing difference that puts thousands of extra dollars in your pocket.

However, price isn’t the only thing you should think about when comparing multiple offers. There are other factors you need to consider as well.

For example, what conditions are in the offer? If Offer #1 is conditional upon the seller selling his current property for a specific amount, then what if that doesn’t happen? You could end up with an offer that dies and be forced to list your home all over again.

In that circumstance, accepting the lower offer may be your best move. 

There’s…

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You can’t call yourself a dentist unless you have specific hard-earned credentials. Just about anyone, however, can hang a shingle and call himself a home improvement contractor. That’s why choosing a reputable one is so difficult. 

Here are some tips: 

  • Find out if he or she is truly in business full-time. A part-time or occasional contractor may not have the experience necessary to do a great job. 
  • Ask about licenses and other credentials. Some contractors have accreditation's from professional and trade associations. 
  • Review his or her project portfolio. A reputable contractor will have photos and other evidence of work completed for similar clients. 
  • Check online for reviews. If there are more than five poor reviews within the past…

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