Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Making the Most of Your Credit Card Rewards Using a credit card to earn rewards is pretty simple. Just use the card to buy things and you’ll get cash back or reward points from your credit card company. Getting that free money of 5 percent or even more on every purchase is easy, but there are some things you should pay attention to if you want to get the most rewards possible. Register for Bonus Categories To get the most out of a cash-back credit card, look for a card that gives bonus rewards on certain purchases. While 1 percent cash back is common on all purchases, some cards offer a 4 percent bonus for a total of 5 percent for buying from certain types of merchants. These can include restaurants, travel, grocery stores, gas stations, airfare or hotels. The categories may change every quarter, with airline purchases earning 5 percent back for three months, then changing to movie the

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties What Identity Thieves Want from Your Facebook Profile Social media is just that—social. And a big part of it is sharing photos when you’re out celebrating something, such as your birthday. However, these two things—photos of yourself and your date of birth—can be all someone needs to steal your identity and start opening bank accounts, credit cards and other things in your name. Frank Abagnale, a famous fraud-prevention specialist, has said that “98 percent of stealing a person’s identity is just finding their date of birth and an image of them.” While you may not want to delete every photo of yourself from Facebook, or leave your birthday off your profile page, you can at least limit who sees them. Hiding Your Date of Birth Click on your name and then click on the About tab. On the left are several categories that you can edit. Click on Contact and Basic Info to get to your birthdate—

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties What Are Your Rights in Debt Collection? If debt collectors are calling or sending you letters demanding payment, you may be worried—and for good reason. Not only can having a debt in collections stay on your credit report for up to seven years, but it can seem like you’re being barraged by debt collection notices from a different company than the original creditor you owed. It can be confusing. If you’re more than 30 days late on a debt payment, it may be reported as delinquent. Hit 180 days, and the credit card company, bank or other creditor may stop trying to collect and sell your debt to a third-party debt collector. Even if they’re only seeking pennies on the dollar to settle your debt, you still have rights under the  Fair Debt Collection Practices Act . Here are some to be aware of: You Can Limit Communications Consumers can tell a debt collector to stop contacting them, and th

 

 

Three Reasons to Refinance Three reasons to refinance a home include lowering the cost of housing, shortening the term of the mortgage to pay it off sooner or to using the equity to accomplish another purpose. Replacing the mortgage at a lower interest rate, which is entirely possible in today's market, would reduce the payment.    On the other hand, shortening the term of the mortgage could make the payments increase but would allow the home to be paid for sooner.    In either case, the equity would not be reduced unless the refinancing costs were rolled into the new mortgage. Refinancing the home to take money out would increase the mortgage on the property and lower an owner's equity; careful consideration should be made before doing so. Mortgage rates are considerably lower than credit card rates and usually lower than short term borrowing like student loans or car loans.    For that reason, homeowners will sometimes refinance to payoff higher cost debt. Some people refinan

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties 4 Mantras to Make You Happy Some days, keeping a smile on your face can be a struggle. Whether you’re dealing with a stressful career, medical issues or just feeling weighed down by your daily routine, repeating positive mantras can help shift your mood—if you’re open to it. Below are four helpful happy mantras to lift your mood. You can do it.  Whether you’re under a huge deadline for work or trying to finish that last mile on the treadmill, telling yourself that you can do it will make your success more likely. Be your own cheerleader! Just breathe.  Feeling overwhelmed? Remind yourself to breathe. Pair this mantra with big, deep inhalations to feel calmer and happier. Thank you.  Gratitude goes a long way, and can shift your perception of things (and the way people perceive you) if integrated into daily life. Be thankful for getting to work safely, even if you had a longer-than-usua