Author: Daniel Bortz

The Tricky Thing About Buying a Tiny Home

Posted in ZillowTagged , ,

Buying a tiny house is a huge 1458593290-timbercraft-tiny-home-2undertaking—particularly from a financing perspective.

Tiny house hunters are typically looking for homes that range from 100 to 500 square feet. Many of these home buyers are millennials, who don’t want the hassle of maintaining a large house, says Matt Parker, a real estate agent in Seattle and author of “Real Estate Smart: The New Home Buying Guide.” “Owning a large home on a large plot of land is a relic of the American dream,” Parker says.

TV shows like FYI’s “Tiny House Nation” and HGTV’s “Tiny House Hunters” have helped the movement gain traction. However, these programs don’t delve into the process of procuring a loan for a tiny home, says Todd Nelson, business development officer at LightStream, a lending division of SunTrust Bank that offers loans for tiny-home buyers. “Many tiny homes are uniquely built and don’t conform to the mortgage requirements for a traditional house,” says Nelson.

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Land an out-of-town job early in your career

Posted in Monster.comTagged , ,

Having trouble finding a dream job fish-jumping-out-of-bowl-change2in your zip code? Why limit your job search to just one town? If you’re a recent grad, chances are you’re still young, with nothing much to tie you down. You have the flexibility to pick up and go, which isn’t so easy when you get older and start to settle down.

Plus, “if you’re willing to relocate, you cast a wider net and have more jobs to choose from,” says Philadelphia career coach Mindy Thomas.

Granted, this won’t be a cakewalk. Many employers are hesitant to hire out-of-town job seekers, since there are a number of expenses involved—and some simply don’t have enough money in their recruiting budget to pay to fly candidates in for interviews, let alone subsidize relocation costs (a rare offer for entry-level hires). But if you show prospective employers you’re worth a second look (and are willing to forfeit relocation expenses), you could find yourself at a new gig in a city you’d never even considered.

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A Rent-Back Agreement Can Protect Your New Home

Posted in Consumer ReportsTagged , , ,

After months of house hunting, rentbackyou’ve finally found your dream home and the seller has accepted your bid. But there’s one problem—the seller isn’t ready to move out.

In such a case, a seller might want to go ahead and close on the home in order to have enough money to buy a new home. But in the interim, the seller needs a place to live. Linda Sanderfoot, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Neenah, Wisconsin says that if you decide to let the seller stay, a rent-back agreement can protect you.

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How to Reach $1 Million

Posted in Money magazineTagged , ,

When you think of millionaires, 160815_MIL_Investwords like “privilege” and “opulence” often come to mind. What about “comfort”? That’s a term more commonly associated with the middle class. But while most American families enjoy creature comforts, they yearn for a more enduring variant—the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have the financial freedom to pursue whatever life you want.

That sense of comfort is more attainable than you might think. The truth is, becoming a millionaire isn’t about living like the 1%. It’s about doing all the little things at work or in your portfolio or in your budget that can move the dial 1% here and 1% there to achieve your financial goals.

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How Two Friends Teamed Up to Sell Robots to Kids

Posted in Money magazineTagged , ,

When Marina Bers and Mitch Rosenberg Kinderlabmet at a 9-year-old’s birthday party in May 2011, they discussed a business idea, fittingly, for children. They arrived with their kids, who went to school together, and Bers buttonholed Rosenberg—who had a background in engineering and marketing—to discuss a prototype she was developing: A robotic toy that teaches problem-solving skills to 4- to 7-year-olds using computer science principles.

Bers, a child study and human development professor at Tufts University, wanted a startup veteran to help build her toy into a viable business. Rosenberg liked the product but wasn’t ready to leave his $190,000 paycheck. The following year, however, Amazon acquired Rosenberg’s company—a robotics manufacturer—and the payout on his equity stake was enough to let him forgo a salary, for a while at least, and take a risk.

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Make Your Home More Appealing to Young Buyers

Posted in Consumer ReportsTagged , , ,

Millennials are powering the housing Milsbuyinghomemarket. For the third year in a row, Generation Y (age 18 to 35) comprised the largest group of homebuyers, making up 35 percent of all buyers, according to a March report by the National Association of Realtors.

If you’re considering putting your home on the market, you may want to think about doing some renovation work so that your home has greater appeal to younger homebuyers. That way, you may be able to sell your home more quickly and at the price that you want.

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Swimming Pool Prices: Know How Much Before You Dive In

Posted in Realtor.comTagged , , ,

A swimming pool can turn your swimming-pool-pricebackyard into a private oasis; however, before you dream of doing cannonballs into clear blue water, take a moment to truly gauge how much this cool amenity will cost you. Don’t focus just on the installation, either—there’s also maintenance, chemicals, and all the trimmings.

Ready to make a splash? Check out these real-world costs.

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7 Terms to Know Before Buying Auto Insurance

Posted in LearnvestTagged , ,

Next to your home and your office,red_car_in_hands your car is probably where you spend the greatest amount of time—and it’s likely one of the things you pour the most money into. Between the costs of routine maintenance, repairs and trips to the pump (is it time to buy an electric car yet?), being a car owner requires an investment—not the least of which is the auto insurance you’re required to buy.

But not all policies are created equal—and, put simply, “Consumers need to understand the terminology of car insurance to shop for and compare policies and coverage,” says Jeff Blyskal, auto insurance expert and senior editor at Consumer Reports.

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How to be the intern everybody wants to hire

Posted in Monster.comTagged , ,

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Aiming to turn your summer internship into a full-time job? Good news: your employer wants that, too!

The primary focus of most companies’ internship programs is to convert college students into entry-level employees, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey. But if you intern for a medium or large company, you’ll likely be working alongside a group of interns who are also gunning for a job offer. And unfortunately, there may be a limited number of full-time jobs available at the company.

So to land one of them, you’ll need to bring your A-game. Take these steps to become the all-star intern.

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7 Smart Ways to Cut Your Moving Costs

Posted in Money magazineTagged , ,

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June to August is peak moving season, since most families want to relocate when their children are out of school. And for many families, a relocation can be expensive. The average professional move costs a whopping $12,230, according Worldwide ERC, an association that tracks mobility costs. (Moving can also be stressful: One study in Europe of 2,000 adults found that moving triggers more anxiety than even bankruptcy or divorce.)

If you’re relocating for a job, you can ask your employer to foot the bill. But if you need to pay your own way, follow these tips to make moving less painful.

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