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In Crime and Safety

How to Find a Home in ID

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

Idaho has some of the best potatoes in the world, but it has more to offer than just that. It’s also dubbed the Gem State, with over 70 precious and semi-precious stones found within its bedrock and streams. The real gems of Idaho are its national parks, friendly people, and a range of real estate deals for buyers looking to maximize value without breaking the bank.

Finding an amazing home in Idaho is easy if you know what to look for and have the top tools and professionals on your side.

What to Look for in an Idaho Home

In Idaho, you can have your pick of beautiful homes and properties with stunning natural backdrops. To narrow down your list, you may want to keep a few things in mind.

Proximity to Employment

The capital of Idaho, Boise, is a major draw for many homebuyers due to its impressive list of corporate and boutique employment opportunities. If you’ve already landed a job at a powerhouse like Boise’s Micron, Hewlett-Packard, Clearwater, IDACORP, or St. Luke’s you will want to look for a home in or around the Boise area. If you haven’t scored a job yet, being close to the city can only help your search and prospects.

With the Homie app, you can narrow down your search using the city or town of your current or future job. Whether you are looking in Boise’s Bench or North End, Garden City, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Kuna or some other area, you can find what you are looking for. You can then collaborate with a Homie agent to decide which homes you may want to make an offer on in Boise.

The Lot the Home Sits On

Even though much of Idaho’s real estate sits on predictable, easy-to-manage land, in some cases, a property could have hidden issues. Keep an eye out for the following when evaluating where your home sits:

  • Setback regulations that may limit where and if you can put on an addition
  • Easements put in place that may limit what you can do
  • How fences, hedges, trees, and other things at the edges of the property sit in relation to the actual, registered boundaries of the lot

Check the Available Utilities

Particularly in the more rural areas of Idaho, you will want to double-check the utilities at your disposal. In the more urban sections of the state, you may have multiple options for handling sewage, as well as heating your home. However, other parts of the state have far fewer choices. It’s best to decide ahead of time how you will deal with:

  • A septic system instead of a town sewer
  • Limited heating fuel options—and the extra expense that may involve
  • Getting a back-up energy source in case there’s a blackout due to a storm and crews are delayed in fixing it

In most cases, any inconveniences can be overcome with a little planning. The more rural sections of Idaho more than make up for it with their natural beauty.

Energy Efficiency

Idaho’s temps can dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and push the mercury above 100 degrees in the summer months. To keep comfy, whether you want to be cozy or cool, it’s important to try to find a home that’s energy-efficient. Focus on both the insulation and the mechanical system.

If there’s no information available for the insulation used in the home, you can often gauge its efficiency based on the thickness of the walls. Two-by-six construction tends to be better at maintaining inside temps than two-by-four walls. Likewise, single-pane windows allow more heat loss or gain than a modern dual pane window filled with argon. A quick trip to the attic can reveal the kind of insulation between the roof and living spaces below.

The Importance of Using an Agent

Enlisting the assistance of a Homie agent can make the buying process easier and save you thousands of dollars, not to mention peace of mind. Here are some of the top advantages of using a Homie agent instead of trying to DIY your home purchase.

Getting the Best Deal

Making the right offer is a fine art and skill. Often, a homebuyer may have a number they think reflects the value of the home, but even a thoughtful figure may be skewed by a number of subjective factors. With an agent from Homie, you’ll get a dedicated professional that knows the local area, how its prices have fluctuated over the years, and how well homes tend to hold value.

A local agent from Homie also knows how long properties tend to stay on the market in a given area, as well as the infrastructure and municipal projects in the works that may influence the value—present or future—or a home. With this store of data and insights, a Homie agent can help you nail the best offer and earn you a great deal.

Work With Experienced Professionals

When you work with Homie, you not only get to work with some of the top agents, but Homie also helps you find the best providers for all your needs through Homie Marketplace. The Marketplace is a list of partners that we know do amazing work in things like home inspections, warranties, and moving services.

Finding trusted professionals for each part of the home buying process is essential. A good home inspector will tell you what types of repairs your potential home needs. This important information to have so your agent can help you negotiate a fair price.

You’ll also want a good home warranty to protect against any unexpected issues that might come up after you move in. Instead of hunting all over the place to find each of the providers you need, our Homie team will help connect you with the right people.

Familiarity With Legal and Paperwork Requirements

There’s a lot more to buying a home than writing a check and grabbing the keys. The legal landscape can get tricky, particularly when it comes to the paperwork. Even well-meaning sellers can include clauses in the contract that could put you at a disadvantage.

Work With a Homie

If you’re digging for an Idaho real estate gem, a Homie professional can help you as you prospect for your prize. Whether you’re looking for the perfect starter home, an upgrade as your family grows, or a lovely investment property, your Homie agent will help you score a great deal and have a smooth process. Click here to start working with Homie to find your Boise home today!

For more tips on home buying, check out the articles below!

4 Ways to Outsmart the Competition When Buying a Home
5 Tips to Help You Afford Your First Home
Common Home Buying Fears and How To Overcome Them

Want to learn more about buying or selling? Sign up to get more info directly to your inbox!

What are you interested in?

The post How to Find a Home in ID appeared first on Homie Blog.

Source: homie.com

In Apartment DIY, Home

The Best Renters Insurance of 2021

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

Renters insurance is so affordable, not having it is a huge financial risk. While your landlord’s home insurance may cover damages to the structure you live in, it won’t cover any of your belongings. Renters insurance costs an average of $180 a year, making it an incredibly affordable policy. You may be able to find […]

The post The Best Renters Insurance of 2021 appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source: thesimpledollar.com

In Apartment Life, Business

Should you get a corporate credit card?

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

Whether your employees fly a lot and need a card to reserve plane tickets or they purchase lumber or office supplies for the company at the store, getting them a company credit card is often a great way to keep track of expenses and make it easy for them to purchase what’s needed.

For many entrepreneurs, a small business credit card is the best solution. Many are designed to reward the types of purchases that employees typically make in a small firm.

However, for larger small businesses, getting a corporate credit card, like the ones big corporations issue to employees, often makes sense.

See related: How to get a business credit card

What is a corporate credit card?

Corporate cards are generally available only to larger small businesses, meaning those with at least several million dollars in annual revenue. A company may have to submit a federal tax ID and undergo an audit of its financials to qualify.

For example, the One Card from Capital One requires its users to have a minimum annual card spend over $1 million. Cards are issued to the company itself (rather than any individual) and require that you submit your tax ID and require an audit of company financials before approval.

Similarly, the One Card from J.P. Morgan is available to businesses that spend between $1 million and $9.9 million per year. The bank can also match companies that spend $20 million or more on travel with corporate credit cards.

Once an account has been opened, the company is responsible for paying the balance in full each billing cycle and managing spending of each cardholder. However, it is also the company that reaps any rewards the card may include, including statement credits or travel perks. In the case of the One Card from Capital One, businesses earn competitive rewards up to 1.5X net purchases.

Corporate credit card pros and cons

The biggest perk attached to corporate cards is the ease of tracking employee spending. Rather than having employees make personal charges and submit expense reports or receipts for reimbursement, the company can easily manage spend limits, track budget needs and manage fraud risk. Most corporate cards offer detailed analytics all in one system about where and how company money is being spent.

Since these cards are sometimes more complex, corporate cards often come with their own designated customer service representative who can help resolve any issues quickly. These representatives are usually on-call 24/7 and have an intricate knowledge of each company’s individual needs.

Pros

  • Simplified tracking and analysis of work-related purchases
  • Benefits and rewards help the company directly
  • Dedicated or on-call customer service representative
  • Prevents employees from trying to make personal charges on a company card with clearer visibility and better spending controls than most business cards

Cons

  • Additional cardholder fees can add up quickly
  • Not an option for smaller companies
  • Tough application process
  • Employees can’t earn their own rewards by using a personal card and getting reimbursed

See related: Managing employee cards on your credit card account

How corporate cards differ from small business credit cards

Both corporate and small business cards offer conveniences such as the ability to set limits on employees’ spending and to restrict spending to certain categories. Most also offer features that make it possible to track expenses easily.

However, corporate cards come with certain benefits that small business cards don’t offer – and vice versa.

Availability

Unlike corporate credit cards, business cards are available to any-sized business – even entrepreneurs just getting started on their own. The application process is much less intensive and usually doesn’t require an audit of company finances.

Responsibility for the debt

Business cards are issued to an individual and the company (unless it is a sole proprietor), and even if additional cards are added for employees, the business owner is responsible for managing payments.

Typically, a small business owner must personally guarantee a small business card, though some small business cards come with joint and several liability, where the owner shares liability with the business. With joint and several liability, a creditor can pursue either the business or the owner for a debt.

With most corporate cards, the company is generally liable for the debt on employees’ cards, which is a big advantage in many owners’ eyes. When the company guarantees the debt, the owner is not held responsible if, for instance, the company fails without paying its bills.

Some corporate cards also offer what’s known as individual liability. That means the employee must stay current on paying the bill in the short term and request reimbursement upon filing an expense report. This is less common than it used to be. It’s not necessarily ideal for employees, who may not have the cash available to pay for large charges until their expense report is processed.

Credit CARD Act doesn’t apply to business or corporate accounts. But many card issuers grant those CARD Act protections anyway, as a matter of practice. Nevertheless, don’t take anything for granted. Before using your corporate or business card, familiarize yourself with its rules.

Credit impact

While corporate cards are typically used for work-related travel and accommodation, business cards can be used to make all sorts of work purchases, including supplies or merchandise. This allows even small businesses to build a great credit profile. By using a business card to make larger payments, business owners can avoid racking up charges on their personal credit cards while steadily building their business credit.

With small business cards, employees are considered authorized users. As a result, their card activity may be reported to credit bureaus.

For some employees, this is a drawback. For instance, if they have put expenses from a costly business trip on their card, they may find their credit utilization is high enough to affect their personal credit. That could be a problem if, for instance, they are applying for a mortgage.

In contrast, with a corporate card, card usage does not affect employees’ personal credit. That is a big plus from an employee’s point of view.

See related: Should I wait until my business is more established to get a credit card?

Cost

Small business credit cards tend to have fewer fees, including no additional charge for employee cards with cards such as Capital One Spark Cash for Business the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card from Chase.

Corporate cards generally charge for this and may charge as much as $100 a year or more. This is because they often offer more robust features, like access to a specific sales rep or access to enterprise software for filing expense reports.

Of course, if you run a larger small business, the extra benefits may be worth it. It all depends on the needs of your business.

Should you get a corporate card for your business?

While corporate cards offer a wide range of great benefits such as easy expense tracking, dedicated customer service representatives and no liability for individual employees, they are typically only available to large corporations with millions in annual revenue.

If you own a small business, a business credit card can help steadily build a credit history for your company. Business cards can also help you make large purchases to pay off over time.

Source: creditcards.com

In Crime and Safety, Making Money

What Is New-House Smell? A Reality Check on the Risks, and How To Get Rid of It

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

new house smellMaría Garrido / EyeEm / Getty Images

While most of us are familiar with new-car smell—that distinct scent of a brand-new automobile—home buyers might have caught a whiff of another scent entirely during their home-shopping spree: new-house smell.

What exactly is new-house smell? Also known as new-construction smell, it’s essentially a combination of smells given off by the many materials that go into building a house—things like fresh paint, carpet, wood, and adhesives. If there’s any new furniture in the home, that could be contributing to the smell as well.

But is new-house smell unhealthy to breathe in, day after day? Here’s a closer look at what new-house smell is made of, and how to get rid of it, too.

What is new-house smell?

Before we dive deep into new-house smell, let’s take a step back—way back—and look at what causes anything to smell in the first place.

Bill Carroll Jr., an adjunct professor of chemistry at Indiana University, says all smells come from molecules in the air that your nose can detect. The molecules must evaporate to get into the air, and the more likely they are to evaporate, the more volatile they are and the easier they are to inhale and detect as odors.

“If you can smell it, it’s because of a molecule in the air,” Carroll says. “The fact that it’s in the air means that it is a volatile compound at least to some extent.”

As scary as “volatile” sounds, it doesn’t necessarily mean a substance is dangerous or explosive. Carroll says it simply means that something can easily evaporate into the atmosphere, thus releasing an odor. For example, he says metals aren’t very volatile, which is why you probably don’t smell much (hopefully) if you sniff your stainless-steel refrigerator. Other materials like paints, adhesives, and plastics, however, are more highly volatile.

Are VOCs dangerous?

While new-house smells aren’t necessarily dangerous, there is some concern about certain types of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that exist in some building materials (e.g., paint, carpet, and furniture). Some have been linked to health issues, including cancer and central nervous system damage in people (e.g., construction workers who don’t wear face masks) exposed to high quantities of such materials.

“When you talk about VOCs that raise health concerns, that goes more to a substance’s inherent toxicity or reactivity,” Carroll says. “It’s the difference between smelling a banana and smelling paint stripper, for example. They’re both volatile, but they have very different toxicities.”

“Regardless of odor, the ability of some of the VOCs emitted from any of [building] products and materials to cause health impacts or create other dangerous conditions varies greatly, depending on several factors,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “These factors may include the type and amount of VOCs emitted, the toxicity of the individual and combined VOCs, the ventilation rate in the space, the type and amount of other materials in the space, occupant level of exposure and length of time exposed, and the health of the exposed occupants.”

However, this is definitely not to say that a new-house smell will make you sick.

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Watch: Get Smoker’s Smell Out of Your House for Good—Here’s How

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The good news is that because of concerns raised over certain dangerous VOCs in the past 40 to 50 years, there’s a been a strong movement to reduce them. Carroll says that’s most apparent in regard to paint. While oil-based paints used to emit high levels of VOCs and the odor would linger for a long time, today’s paints contain virtually no VOCs and their odor dissipates more quickly.

In general, that means new houses today have much less of a pronounced smell than they did a years ago—and are less hazardous. For the overwhelming majority of the population, the odor is at worst a nuisance.

To reduce any potential indoor air–related health impacts from VOCs, the EPA recommends using low-emitting products and building materials and increasing ventilation. The agency also offers further information on VOCs and indoor air auality.

How to get rid of new-house smell

“If you like new-house smell, that’s OK,” Carroll says. “If you don’t, it’s important to remember that the solution is dilution.”

He says for an empty house, that means opening the windows to air things out, and usually in a matter of days that new-house smell will disappear. Another solution is to “bake” a new home. Since some VOCs evaporate more quickly at higher heats, this technique has a homeowner turn up the heat in the unoccupied house for a few days while running fans to push them out the windows. Running exhaust fans and using an air purifier may speed things up, too.

Carroll says what’s more concerning than new-house smell, however, is what you bring into your place on your own.

“The greatest source of VOCs is the stuff you bring into your house,” Carroll says. Items such as furniture, cleaners, waxes, and fragrances expose people to far more VOCs over the course of a lifetime.

Know this: If you’re moving into a new home and get a whiff of that telltale new-house smell, it will eventually wear off, even if you do nothing. Promise.

The post What Is New-House Smell? A Reality Check on the Risks, and How To Get Rid of It appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Source: realtor.com

In Crime and Safety

Homie’s Utah Housing Market Update November 2020

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

Utah’s real estate market has been hot nearly the whole year. How did it perform in November? Homie has your update!

Data from Utah MLS from November 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020.

Monthly Sales

According to data from the Utah MLS, Utah had 4,335 sales from November 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020. Of those sales, 75.6% were single-family homes, while 24.4% were multi-family residences.

The sales this month are slightly lower than the 5,602 sales in October of this year, but it’s a +18% increase from November 2019, which is an even larger percentage increase than the year-over-year comparison we saw in October. This means the market is following the usual end-of-year slowdown, but the market is still quite strong compared to a year ago.

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Sale Price

Even though monthly sales saw the usual end-of-year slow-down, sale prices continued to rise. At $379K, Utah’s median sale price rose +2.4% from October of this year and 16.8% from November 2019.

Monthly Sale Price Graph

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

List Price (Per Square Foot)

List prices in Utah rose during November along with sales prices. November’s median list price per square foot was $175.92, which is up from the previous months’ median of $170.25 per square foot.

November List Price Per Sq. Foot

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Days on Market (DOM)

Homes in Utah continue to sell quickly. The Average Cumulative Days on Market (DOM) during November was 9. This is a 72% decrease from November of last year. Prospective Utah homeowners will need to act quickly to get the homes they’re interested in.

Average Days on Market Graph

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Number of Homes Listed With Homie

A total of 182 homies listed their homes with Homie during the month of November. This number is up from 154 during the same time period last year.

182 homes listed with homie

Data retrieved from Utah Real Estate .

Turn to a Homie

Homie’s local real estate agents can help you navigate Utah’s hot housing market and find your ideal home. Work with a Homie to get an amazing deal whether you’re buying or selling. Click the links to get in touch with your dedicated agent.

The post Homie’s Utah Housing Market Update November 2020 appeared first on Homie Blog.

Source: homie.com

In Apartment DIY, Mortgage

Mortgage Escrow Account: Pros and Cons

Author Cathy WilsonPosted on

If you own a home and are making monthly payments, you have probably read over the breakdown of your monthly mortgage charges once or twice. Your mortgage payment likely breaks out your monthly payment into three parts: principal, interest and funds that go to your escrow account. While you likely know that the principal is […]

The post Mortgage Escrow Account: Pros and Cons appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source: thesimpledollar.com