Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top ones is being able to protect yourself from rising rents and lock in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage. Don’t Become Trapped Jonathan Smoke,  Chief Economist at realtor.com,   reported  on what he calls a  “Rental Affordability Crisis.”  He warns that, “Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect that they’ll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.” In the  Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University's 2015 Report on Rental Housing,  they reported that 49% of rental households are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. These households struggle to save for a rainy day and pay other bills, such as food and healthcare. It’s Cheaper to Buy Than Rent In Smoke’s article, he went on to say, “Housing is central to the health and well-being of our country and our local communities. In additio

A father sat at a park watching his daughter play on the swings. A mother sat next to him, and they began chatting as her son climbed the jungle gym. Then the father called out to his daughter: "Mary! It's time to go!" "Five more minutes, Daddy!" the little girl pleaded. "Just five more minutes?"  He smiled.  "Okay. Five more minutes." The father waited much longer than five minutes, then called to his daughter again. Once again, the child asked for five minutes, and the father nodded.  "You're very patient," the mother commented.  The father nodded again. "Her older brother just went off to college. I often worked long hours and didn't spend enough time with him, and now I miss him. So while my daughter thinks she's getting five more minutes to play, I'm getting five more minutes to watch her." 

Your brain stays half-awake when you sleep in a new place. In the April 2016 issue of Current Biology , scientists at Brown University published findings that show your brain arouses a night watchmen hemisphere as you sleep in a hotel, go camping or spend the night at a friend's house for the first time.  In most people, the left hemisphere of the brain remains more active when sleeping in a new environment. While the active hemisphere isn't fully awake, it is usually responsive to external stimuli like squeaky doors and sounds made by animals.  This new information suggests that it is a good idea to plan an easy first-day of a vacation or a business trip to counteract less than optimal rest the night before. 

This year there are more  healthy and happy people over the age of 65 than ever before. At the same time, millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest generation. Millennials are on track to be the most educated generation to date, but this achievement has come at a cost. Many millennials are struggling with student debt. In addition to the weak labor market of recent years, student debt is perhaps one reason why many are still living at home. Despite being in different financial life cycles, Millennials and Baby Boomers report feeling upbeat about their financial future.  Like Baby Boomers, Millennials are also heavily swayed by the input of their family and friends when choosing a product or service. Both of these groups prefer an enthusiastic introduction over the thought of the unknown.  It's important you know that I skillfully work with first-time home buyers as well as folks who have bought and sold many homes.  The next time you notice a person who is young

A farmer lived in a small house with his wife and six children. The lack of space was driving him crazy, and in desperation he sought advice from the local elder. The elder listened sympathetically to his problem. "I can help you," he said, "but you must do exactly as I say." The farmer agreed. "Do you own any animals?" "Yes," the man said. "I have a cow, two goats, and some chickens." "Good. When you get home, bring all our animals into the house with you." The farmer was puzzled, but he did as the elder advised. The next day he returned, complaining, "Elder, the animals are all over my house! What should I do?" "Go home and take the chickens outside," the elder said. The man went home and took the chickens away. The following day he went back to the elder's house. "The chickens are outside, but we still have two goats and a cow getting in the way." "Take the goats back out

The  National Association of Realtors’  most recent  Existing Home Sales Report  revealed that home sales were up rather dramatically over last year in five of the six price ranges they measure. Homes priced between $100-250K showed a modest increase at 3.4%. This not only points to the lower inventory of homes available for sale in this price range but also speaks to the overall strength of the housing market. Sales of homes over $250,000 increased by double digit percentages with sales in the $750,000- $1 million range showing the largest increase, up 16.7%! As prices in many markets continue to accelerate, it is no surprise to see the percentage of homes in the higher price ranges increasing. Here is the breakdown: What does that mean to you if you are selling? Houses are definitely selling. If your house has been on the market for any length of time and has not yet sold, perhaps it is time to sit with your agent and see if it is priced ap

The only rock eaten by humans is salt. The average adult human contains just over half a pound of salt. In the natural course of things, we lose salt and must take action to replenish it. The lack of salt does not trigger cravings in the body so we must maintain an adequate sodium to water ratio or we risk getting weak, suffering from headaches and becoming light-headed.  It is not known if humans first began the practice of salting food, yet salt was one of the earliest traded commodities and remained a major force in international trade for thousands of years.