If you're in the market for a new home, one of the first things you need to determine is how much of a monthly mortgage payment you can comfortably afford. A loan officer or mortgage broker can help you figure that out, based on your income, debts, and other information.

One thing they probably won't include in the equation is the cost of home maintenance and other essential services, like garbage collection.

Ultimately, it's up to the homeowner to build in enough "breathing room" in their budget to cover unexpected expenses. Although you can't predict exactly what those expenses will be or how much they'll cost, it's virtually guaranteed that they're going to occur. Whether you're planning to buy a new house or a mid-century dwelling, here's the short list of typical homeowner expenses that could crop up. While all these items may not apply directly to your situation, many of them eventually will.

• Plumbing repairs: Leaky pipes, clogged drains, and broken plumbing fixtures are common problems in most homes. You may also need a plumber to fix or install a garbage disposal, repair or replace a hot water heater, or hook up a new refrigerator to your water supply.
• HVAC services: When you combine the cost of semi-annual routine service calls and unexpected emergency repairs, the cost of maintaining your heating and cooling systems can really take a bite out of your household budget!
• Appliance repair: The typical family depends on at least a half a dozen major appliances to prepare meals and keep their clothes and dishes clean. When one or more of those appliances break down, chaos can ensue! In many cases, it's more cost-effective and practical to call a repair service than buy a new appliance.
• Exterminator services: Regardless of whether you live in the city or the country, unexpected and unwelcome insects, rodents, and other miscellaneous varmints can show up in your home and yard. Sometimes it's even necessary to call a wildlife control specialist to remove skunks, raccoons, and other intruders!
• Electrical repairs and upgrades: Although electrical repairs are occasionally needed for safety reasons, most calls to electricians are more routine in nature. However, when light switches, electrical outlets, and ceiling lights stop working, it can be a huge inconvenience for you and your family. In some cases, you might even be desperate enough to pay extra for emergency electrical service on weekends!
• Miscellaneous expenses: Garage door repairs, fireplace cleaning, swimming pool maintenance, deck repairs, rain gutter cleaning, professional carpet cleaning, landscaping, fence repair, home siding repair, and wet basement problems are a few of the many expenses that may require you to dip into your savings or household budget.

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Image by Zach Schorr from Pixabay

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you might discover there is an easement attached to your property. If so, you’re probably wondering how this affects your property values.

What is an Easement?

In a nutshell, an easement is for one person to have explicit permission to have use of another person’s property for a specified purpose. There are three general types of easements: gross, appurtenant and prescriptive. Each has specific rights attached to them and the rights could be for either a private (i.e. allowing someone access or use) or public purpose (i.e. utility companies). Easements can be temporary or permanent; with the latter, the easement is typically written into the property deed.

It’s important to know, while easements permit others to use your land for a designated reason, it doesn’t grant anyone using your land any rights to ownership; you are sole owner.

Can Easements Affect Property Values?

Easements of land may or may not impact your property’s value, depending on how the land is being used and whether you want to use (or sell) your property. Many times, an easement has no impact on your property’s value. However, there are potential issues that may crop up when looking to develop or sell your land which could impact its perceived value.

In many neighborhoods, everyone has the same easement attached to their property. In these cases, it doesn’t typically impact your property value because the easements affect everyone’s property equally.

Is There a Way to Remove an Easement?

A court of law often considers an easement to be used in perpetuity unless a stipulation exists in the original agreement of how long the easement will last. In some cases, easements can be removed.

If you do successfully terminate an easement, be sure it’s recorded in public records.

While technically an easement doesn’t devalue your property, it can affect its marketability. This is always something to consider when determining to willfully grant an easement or buy a home that has an easement attached to its property deed.

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If you want to streamline your home search, there is no need to worry. In fact, there are several things you can do to quickly and effortlessly discover a great house at a budget-friendly price.

Now, let's take a look at three tips to help you streamline your search for your ideal house.

1. Create Homebuying Criteria

Homebuying criteria may help you save time as you embark on a quest to find your dream home. Because if you enter the housing market with homebuying criteria in hand, you'll know what you want to discover in your ideal residence.

To create homebuying criteria, think about your home must-haves and wants. Then, you can search for houses based on your homebuying criteria and move one step closer to finding a residence that you can enjoy for years to come.

Of course, it is important to remain flexible as you pursue your dream house too. And if necessary, you should be ready to adjust your homebuying criteria as your home search progresses.

2. Hone Your Home Search to Preferred Cities and Towns

You know you want to buy a house, but you still have no idea where you want to settle down. If you make a list of preferred cities and towns, however, you may be able to accelerate your home search.

Consider your short- and long-term aspirations as you prepare a list of preferred cities and towns. For instance, if your long-term goal is to work in the city, you may want to focus on houses in or near the city itself. On the other hand, if you want to own lots of land in a small town, you may want to consider small town residences.

3. Work with a Real Estate Agent

Searching for a home on your own may prove to be time-consuming. Fortunately, real estate agents are homebuying experts who are happy to help you simplify your house search.

By hiring a real estate agent, you can receive comprehensive assistance throughout the property buying journey. A real estate agent will teach you about the housing market and respond to your homebuying concerns and queries. Plus, he or she will offer recommendations and suggestions to help you make an informed home purchase.

In addition, a real estate agent is ready to assist you in a number of ways. He or she will set up home showings, keep you up to date about new houses that become available in your preferred cities and towns and help you submit a competitive offer to purchase your dream home. Perhaps best of all, a real estate agent will do whatever it takes to help you acquire a terrific residence at an affordable price.

As you get set to embark on a home search, it generally is a good idea to enter the housing market as a prepared property buyer. Thanks to the aforementioned tips, you can conduct an in-depth home search without delay. And as a result, you can use these tips to discover your dream house in no time at all.

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Photo by Jean van der Meulen via Pixabay

You are nearing the end of a building project when your general contractor reminds you that it will soon be time to finalize your lighting, fixtures and appliances. You have been looking and saving different ideas for months, so it seems it should be easy to make your final decisions right? Here are a few ways to solidify your new accessories.

What Is Your Style?

It’s not uncommon to find yourself liking a variety of styles; however, it’s usually best to find a style that is most appealing to you and carry that style/theme throughout your home.

Did your last home have gold fixtures and now the trend seems to be silver or brushed bronze? Don't let the past define your future style. Be open-minded as you explore what new styles you might find yourself drawn to, and solidify the one that speaks most to your tastes.

Online Ideas

Online research can be very helpful. Is your style Old World, Traditional, Contemporary or cottage charm? With many styles to consider, you might feel a little overwhelmed. But before you know it, you’ll discover a style that brings a smile to your face. If Traditional is your choice, all you need to do is search key terms such as "traditional style kitchens," "traditional bathrooms" or even "traditional style landscaping," and you’ll be shocked at all the options you have to choose from.

Budget

Before moving ahead too quickly, remember your overall budget. Do you have a particular refrigerator or stove you were hoping to have, but it does not fall into your budget? You may want to prioritize the appliances that you’ve been hoping for and scale back on a few stylistic choices.

Moving Ahead

Now that the research is complete and you know the style and appliances you are you want, it’ll be fairly simple to pick your various items. The general contractor will provide you with an online or local home improvement store in which to choose each item, along with sizing and itemized cost parameters.

Cherry on Top

Once all your necessary items are set in place, you can add the finishing touches as you incorporate color and texture. Furniture, pillows and other decor such as family photos and art will add the needed warmth and personality to turn your house into a home.

Not sure where to start? Ask your real estate agent for the names of reliable decorating and interior design professionals in your area.

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