Blog - Kara Brem

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December Calendar of Events

So much holiday fun to be had! Enjoy all our area has to offer and happy holidays to you and yours. Copyright © 2019 Windermere Homes & Estates, All rights reserved.
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Four Holiday Décor Trends to Inspire You This Season

by Meaghan McGlynn The holiday season is here and for many of us, that means it’s time to deck the halls. If you’re looking for some inspiration and a place to start, here are some ideas that are certain to get everyone in the spirit. A Tree of a Different Color Photo Credit: Left […]
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Homeownership is the Top Contributor to Your Net Worth

Many people plan to build their net worth by buying CDs or stocks, or just having a savings account. Recently, however, Economist Jonathan Eggleston and Survey Statistician Donald Hays, both of the U.S. Census Bureau, shared the biggest determinants of wealth, “The biggest determinants of household wealth [are] owning a home and having a retirement account.” (Shown in the graph below): This does […]
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5 Tips for Styling Your Bedroom for Better Sleep

Image by pexels For many of us, the bedroom serves numerous purposes – it’s an office, a reading nook, a dressing room, and a place to unwind after a long day. However, aside from all these extra functions that the bedroom performs, […]

Uncategorized December Calendar of Events So much holiday fun to be had! Enjoy all our area has to offer and happy holidays to you and yours. Copyright © 2019 Windermere Homes & Estates, All rights reserved.

Uncategorized Four Holiday Décor Trends to Inspire You This Season by Meaghan McGlynn The holiday season is here and for many of us, that means it’s time to deck the halls. If you’re looking for some inspiration and a place to start, here are some ideas that are certain to get everyone in the spirit. A Tree of a Different Color Photo Credit: Left […]

Uncategorized Homeownership is the Top Contributor to Your Net Worth Many people plan to build their net worth by buying CDs or stocks, or just having a savings account. Recently, however, Economist Jonathan Eggleston and Survey Statistician Donald Hays, both of the U.S. Census Bureau, shared the biggest determinants of wealth, “The biggest determinants of household wealth [are] owning a home and having a retirement account.” (Shown in the graph below): This does […]

Uncategorized 5 Tips for Styling Your Bedroom for Better Sleep Image by pexels For many of us, the bedroom serves numerous purposes – it’s an office, a reading nook, a dressing room, and a place to unwind after a long day. However, aside from all these extra functions that the bedroom performs, […]

Uncategorized Southern California Real Estate Market Update The following analysis of the Southern California real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact your Windermere agent. ECONOMIC […]

Real Estate 5 Powerful Reasons Owning a Home is Better Than Renting Owning a home has great financial benefits. In a recent research paper, Homeownership and the American Dream, Laurie S. Goodman and Christopher Mayer of the Urban Land Institute explained: “Homeownership appears to help borrowers accumulate housing and non-housing wealth in a variety of ways, with tax advantages, greater financial flexibility due to secured borrowing, built-in ‘default’ […]

Uncategorized Are You Better Off Paying Your Mortgage Earlier or Investing Your Money? Photo Credit: Rawpixel via Unsplash Few topics cause more division among economists than the age-old debate of whether you’re better off paying off your mortgage earlier, or investing that money instead. And there’s a good reason why that debate continues; both sides make compelling arguments. For many people, their mortgage is the largest expense […]

Uncategorized Top 4 Renovations for the Greatest Return on Investment Some Highlights: If you are planning on listing your house for sale this year, these four home improvement projects will net you the most Return on Investment (ROI). Minor renovations can go a long way toward improving the quality of your everyday life and/or impressing potential buyers. Whether you plan to stay in your house for a […]

Uncategorized Minimize and simplify your living space Have you considered what it would feel like to let go of the “stuff” in your life and downsize? To remove all the excess items you’ve acquired over the years and really minimize? I recently did just that and I will tell you…it feels better than I ever imagined. Everything I own now fits in […]

Uncategorized Renting vs. buying. What’s best for you? The debate about whether it makes more financial sense to rent or buy has been raging for decades. Advocates of buying argue that when you pay rent you’re paying for someone else’s mortgage. When you buy, you are making an investment, which can significantly increase in value every year you live in the home. Supporters […]

Uncategorized What’s Holding You Back From Buying?

Uncategorized Slaying the Largest Homebuying Myths Today Some Highlights: The average down payment for first-time homebuyers is only 6%! Mortgage interest rates have been on the decline since November! Hop in now to lock in a low rate! 88% of property managers raised their rents in the last 12 months! The average credit score on approved loans continues to fall across many […]

Real Estate Are Low Interest Rates Here to Stay? Wednesday April 17th, 2019 Interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage have been on the decline since November, now reaching lows last seen in January 2018. According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, rates came in at 4.12% last week! This is great news for anyone who is planning on buying a home this spring! Freddie Mac had […]

Uncategorized 3 Graphs that Show What You Need to Know About Today’s Real Estate Market The Housing Market has been a hot-topic in the news lately. Depending on which media outlet you watch, it can start to be a bit confusing to understand what’s really going on with interest rates and home prices! The best way to show what’s really going on in today’s real estate market is to go […]

Uncategorized Dollar-Stretching Ideas for Couples Taking the Next Step Image courtesy of Pixabay Article courtesy of: Natalie Jones natalie_jones@homeownerbliss.info www.homeownerbliss.info Are you and your partner ready to cohabitate? Making that decision is often exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Thankfully, keeping a few dollar-stretching strategies in mind means outfitting your new place […]

Uncategorized What are the disadvantages of renting? Survey says…

Uncategorized You Do Not Need 20% Down to Buy a Home The largest obstacle renters face when planning to buy a home is saving for a down payment. This challenge is amplified by rising rents, which has eaten into the amount of money renters have leftover for savings each month after paying expenses. In combination with higher rents, survey after survey has shown that non-homeowners (renters […]

Uncategorized Tips for Moving Into a Smaller House as a Senior For many seniors, there comes a time when the expense and upkeep of a big home no longer seem realistic. All of your kids have moved out, and suddenly, your multi-bedroom house feels excessively large and empty. Plus, it may be difficult to keep up with mortgage payments if you’re expecting a lower […]

Uncategorized Tips for Downsizing Downsizing is both freeing and stressful. It’s never easy to pare down a lifetime of memories, and most of us tend to associate our belongings with events and the people we love. Here are some downsizing tips to help make sure you don’t make any mistakes, but pare down enough to happily move to a smaller home […]

Uncategorized Excited About Buying A Home This Year? Here’s What to Keep an Eye on As we kick off the new year, many families have made resolutions to enter the housing market in 2019. Whether you are thinking of finally ditching your landlord and buying your first home or selling your starter house to move into your forever home, there are two pieces of the real estate puzzle you need […]