Blog

What does the average realtor make? According to RadioIowa, Scott Wendl, the president of the Iowa Association of Realtors, says the changing seasons are prompting a slowdown in home sales in the state, but Wendl, who has been a realtor in the Des Moines area for 24 years says 92 percent of all property sales […]

We are building a house, and we have an overall budget. The myriad of choices can blow our budget if we are not careful. We continuously weigh the things that we should splurge on and where we can save money. Apartment Therapy helps with an article on 7 things to splurge on when you build […]

Do I need Title Insurance? A frightening article appeared in The Kansas City Star. A woman in Virginia discovered by accident through her junk mail that her house no longer belonged to her. This was not a case of stolen identity. Her home had been stolen. Checking court records, she found out the deed was […]

How does a Cedar Rapids foreclosure impact your credit score? When you miss a mortgage payment, your financial situation just became severe. You are in default, and you’d better do something fast, or foreclosure threatens. You could lose your home, and the impact of foreclosure on your credit can blow up your credit report. That will leave […]

Now more than ever, people are finding ways to make ends meet without having to punch a clock or deal with a demanding boss. That’s because there’s been a growing demand for passive income. Passive income is income resulting from cash flow that comes in regularly for work that you did once. Cash flow is […]

My wife and I loved “Olive Kitteridge” on HBO.  The concluding episode of the series featured Jack Kennison played by Bill Murray and Olive driving a Porsche 911 Carrara Cabriolet. Jack knows how to say his car’s name correctly: Por-sha! He will tell you Porsche, is a two-syllable word. Por-sha! Here is another word you […]

According to the 2019 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, master bathrooms are making extra space for showers. In fact, some homeowners, when faced with a choice of bathtub or shower, are choosing to eliminate the tub. Twenty-four percent of renovating homeowners remove their master tub and more than four in five of those decide to enlarge the […]

Can you call real estate a good investment? Real estate in Cedar Rapids and most of the country, has proven over time to be an excellent inflation hedge. Investopedia says, “An inflation hedge is an investment that is considered to provide protection against the decreased purchasing power of a currency that results from the loss […]

With winter approaching, many couples think about buying a vacation home in some warm area. Last year in January, vacationers read in the news that their home town in the Midwest was experiencing temperatures below zero. They were so happy that it was 85 degrees outside and the pool was available until 10:00 pm. Purchasing […]

When you take ownership of Cedar Rapids property, you will receive a piece of paper called a “deed,” which shows you have title. As if carved in stone, this deed explains how you want to own the property. Be careful how you register your ownership. When you and another person or persons are buying a […]