Daniel Bortz

Get a Good Deal on Car Rentals

April 5, 2021Posted in Kiplinger'sTagged coronavirus, rental car, summer rental, summer travel

Last spring, airport rental counters were eerily quiet as pandemic-wary Americans canceled their vacations and stayed close to home. But as spring turned to summer and fall, customers started returning, looking for vehicles for road trips as well as longer-term rentals at home to avoid using public transportation and ride-hailing apps. Business travelers also increasingly turned to rental cars. This summer, as more people receive a vaccine and the economy reopens, air travel is likely to pick up, too. That means customers will again be lining up at airport rental car counters—and navigating a maze of prices, fees and insurance coverages.

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Tips for Becoming an HR Consultant

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021Posted in HR magazineTagged consulting, HR, human resources, self-employed

Some HR practitioners strike out on their own to follow a long-held dream of becoming their own boss. Others are thrust into self-employment after being laid off or furloughed, as has been the case for some during the pandemic.

No matter what path has led you here, becoming an HR consultant presents both opportunities and challenges. We spoke to HR professionals who have made the transition successfully for advice on how to plot and navigate this big career move.

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A Leap of Faith: How Real Estate Rookies Make it Work

March 10, 2021Posted in REALTOR magazineTagged coronavirus, real estate, real estate agents, realtors

Wendy Wright of Washington, D.C., was ready to take her real estate license exam last March—just as the term “novel coronavirus” was becoming part of the national conversation. After a 20-year career in IT project management, she had recently lost her job at a nonprofit because of funding cuts. Real estate offered an enticing new career path.

But the onset of the pandemic one year ago forced real estate testing centers in her area to close temporarily, requiring Wright to wait two months before she could sit for the test. Instead of just biding her time, Wright joined Katie Wethman’s real estate team at Keller Williams in Washington and began shadowing agents on socially distanced appointments with buyers and sellers. When Wright passed the exam and received her real estate license in June, she was able to hit the ground running at a time when the pandemic was turning many business practices upside down. The result: She closed 10 sales in six months.

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Socially Distant Wedding Activities

March 3, 2021Posted in The New York TimesTagged coronavirus, wedding activities, wedding games, weddings

Weddings with packed dance floors have become a thing of the past because of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as many states continue to limit indoor occupancy. This means couples will need to find some other creative ways to keep their guests safely entertained and engaged.

Looking for some inspiration? Here are 10 fun games and activities you can incorporate into a socially distanced wedding reception.

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The People Who Got Puppies Were in Over Their Heads

February 22, 2021Posted in The New York TimesTagged dogs, pandemic puppy, puppies

Ann Becnel, a dog trainer in New Orleans, is busier than ever these days.

“I am getting so many requests for training that I can barely keep up,” said Ms. Becnel, who got into the business 35 years ago. “It’s overwhelming.”

April Chillari, the owner of Core Canine in Northern Virginia, is in a similar position. “Prior to the pandemic I would book up three to five weeks in advance,” she said. “Now I have a 10-week waiting list.”

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Standard vs. Itemized Deduction: Which One Should You Take?

February 9, 2021Posted in Realtor.comTagged 2020 taxes, tax deductions, tax savings, taxes

Standard versus itemized deduction: Which one should you claim? This question may be weighing heavily on your mind as you prepare to file your taxes—and especially since the standard deduction once again changed in 2020, the final change to the new tax reforms that took effect in 2018. So let this guide help you decide which deduction is better for you.

Itemizing your deductions—particularly if you’ve bought a home recently—could save you major bucks when you file. But, more than ever, you need to understand what you can and can’t do tax-wise. We’ll break it down to help you make the decision on whether to select a standard or an itemized deduction.

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Home Buyers Loving the Suburbs Again

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021Posted in Kiplinger'sTagged home buying, home prices, home selling

For years, buyers have been flocking to cities and close-in suburbs, seeking a boost in quality of life by shortening their commutes and gaining easy access to restaurants and cultural events. The pandemic turned that trend on its head.

Last year, a number of city dwellers migrated to the suburbs and exurbs to get more space, both indoors and outdoors. Gaining the freedom to telecommute gave more buyers the ability to move from urban centers. A survey from the American Institute of CPAs found that 42% of employed Americans worked remotely at some point during the pandemic. Companies such as Twitter, REI and Square have announced plans to let employees work remotely indefinitely.

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Lumber Takes a Fall

January 7, 2021Posted in REALTOR magazineTagged building materials, home building, lumber prices, new construction

Last spring, the coronavirus pandemic ground several large lumber mills in the U.S. to a halt—and homebuilders suffered the consequences.

Take Jesse Fowler, for example. Fowler, the president of Tellus Design + Build, a full-service general contractor based in Southern California, said in an interview with REALTOR® Magazine in November that lumber prices for his company had “gone through the roof.” “It’s tough on our business because we have to play the middleman and negotiate lumber prices for our clients,” Fowler said. In one instance, he said, a framer charged one of his clients who was building a new home $90,000 over what was originally estimated to compensate for rising lumber costs.

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Why This Winter Should Be One of the Best Ever for Home Sales

December 28, 2020Posted in Money magazineTagged home buying, home sales, housing market, winter housing

The temperature may be going down as we inch closer to winter, but home prices in the U.S. are still heating up — and there are few signs of cooling.

Normally, home sales peak in the summer and slow once kids start returning to school. That was not the case this year.

In the third quarter of 2020, median single-family home prices rose in all 181 metropolitan areas tracked by the National Association of Realtors. Of those, 117 saw double-digit price growth from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the median sales price of an existing home sold in October 2020 hit $313,000, up from $271,100 in October 2019 and $310,600 in August, according to NAR.

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