Blog - Tracey De Simon

Home Owner Education

Lowe’s, AARP Team Up to Help Consumers Age

Lowe’s, AARP Team Up to Help Consumers Age in Place Which flooring is best for minimizing falls? What aging-in-place modifications do I need to do at home? What are the small, steady upgrades I should be making as I age? How can I make my bathroom safer? It’s harder to manage in my kitchen, so […]
Real Estate

5 Steps to Finding Your Next Home

5 Steps to Finding Your Next Home Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, shopping for a new home can feel daunting. In fact, 56% of buyers said that “finding the right property” was the most difficult step in the home buying process.1 Buying a home is a significant commitment of both time […]
Home Owner Education

Winter Pet Safety

Winter Pet Safety Wintertime presents unique challenges for pet owners. Even though most household pets are covered in fur, this doesn’t mean that you can just turn them out for hours or days at a time and let them fend for themselves. Responsible pet owners need to adjust their routines to keep their furry family […]
Real Estate

Where The Real Estate Market Is Really Headed!

5 Factors That Reveal Where The Real Estate Market Is Really Headed It’s the old supply-and-demand predicament: Home sales in the U.S. continue at a torrid pace, but the availability of listings remains limited. Buoyed by historically low mortgage rates, buyers keep shopping for homes, reducing the available inventory and sparking a rise in home […]

Home Owner Education Lowe’s, AARP Team Up to Help Consumers Age Lowe’s, AARP Team Up to Help Consumers Age in Place Which flooring is best for minimizing falls? What aging-in-place modifications do I need to do at home? What are the small, steady upgrades I should be making as I age? How can I make my bathroom safer? It’s harder to manage in my kitchen, so […]

Real Estate 5 Steps to Finding Your Next Home 5 Steps to Finding Your Next Home Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, shopping for a new home can feel daunting. In fact, 56% of buyers said that “finding the right property” was the most difficult step in the home buying process.1 Buying a home is a significant commitment of both time […]

Home Owner Education Winter Pet Safety Winter Pet Safety Wintertime presents unique challenges for pet owners. Even though most household pets are covered in fur, this doesn’t mean that you can just turn them out for hours or days at a time and let them fend for themselves. Responsible pet owners need to adjust their routines to keep their furry family […]

Real Estate Where The Real Estate Market Is Really Headed! 5 Factors That Reveal Where The Real Estate Market Is Really Headed It’s the old supply-and-demand predicament: Home sales in the U.S. continue at a torrid pace, but the availability of listings remains limited. Buoyed by historically low mortgage rates, buyers keep shopping for homes, reducing the available inventory and sparking a rise in home […]

Home Owner Education Shut Down Home Intruders – 7 Safety Strategies Shut Down Home Intruders With These 7 Safety Strategies According to the FBI, more than one million burglaries are committed in the United States each year, with victims suffering an estimated $3 billion in combined property losses.1 Fortunately, there are some proven tactics you can use to decrease your likelihood of a home invasion. Most burglars […]

Home Owner Education Radon Gas and You Radon Gas and You Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. According to the Surgeon General, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. And if you’re a smoker, your chances of contracting lung cancer are even higher if your home has high levels […]

Finance Give Your Kids a Chance Give Your Kids a Chance FACT 1 | “The Haves And The Have-Nots” The gap between the rich and poor is growing rapidly across the United States. The richest 20% of US households receive a greater share of national income than the middle three-fifths combined. The bottom 40% are worse off in inflation-adjusted terms than […]

Home Owner Education Buying and Selling Your Home at the Same Time! Buying and Selling Your Home at the Same Time! Selling your home when you still need to shop for a new one can feel daunting to even the most seasoned homeowner––especially when the demand for new homes keeps rising, but the supply feels like it’s dwindling.¹ You’re not alone either if you’re already feeling drained […]

Home Owner Education Real Home Value Calculator: Assessed Value vs Market Value Real Home Value Calculator: Assessed Value vs Market Value Understanding a home’s true market value is about more than pictures, software assessments and price-per-square-foot. Whether you’re a current homeowner thinking of selling or are house-hunting, it’s crucial you understand what factors affect home valuation. By partnering with a local market expert, sellers will avoid […]

Wellness 20 Unique Home Gifts for Every Person on Your List 20 Unique Home Gifts for Every Person on Your List Every year, it seems the holidays sneak up on us—and every year, that brings with it the dreaded last-minute gift panic. Finding a present that hits all the right notes can be surprisingly stressful, even when it comes to people you’ve known for years. […]

Wellness What to Do About Fatigue What to Do About Fatigue Some reasons for fatigue include: Lack of sleep – Most adults require at least eight hours of sleep per night. Anemia – Talk to your doctor about altering your diet or vitamin/mineral supplements. Stress/anxiety – Constant circulation of the stress hormone cortisol through your system zaps your energy. Infections – Flu, Lyme disease, glandular […]

Home Owner Education Tornado Tips Tornado Tips Tornadoes in the United States occur most often in “Tornado Alley,” a swath of land that bisects the country: southern South Dakota, Nebraska, eastern Colorado, most of Kansas and Oklahoma, and the panhandle area of Texas. Most twisters move from southwest to northeast, or west to east. Most last less than 10 minutes. […]

Home Owner Education Should You Rent Your Home? Should You Rent Your Home? If you, like 68 percent of Americans, own your own home, the thought has probably crossed your mind: if you were to be offered your dream job out of state, should you sell or rent your home? Naturally there are many factors to weigh before making such an important decision. […]

Wellness Outline Your Fitness Plan Outline Your Fitness Plan Many people treat their health like a bingo game—if they hit the numbers, fine. If not, well, that’s the breaks. But you have control over your fitness, and you must outline a program in order to gain maximum benefits. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports website points to lifelong […]

Home Owner Education Lawn Care Lawn care needn’t take up all your time, but you do need to make a commitment to having healthy grass. Why? It not only provides a comfy carpet for kids to play on, but prevents soil erosion, absorbs many air pollutants and filters contaminants from rainwater. Healthy grass also helps clean the air by […]

Real Estate Interest Rate Buy downs Interest Rate Buy downs What is an interest-rate buy down? It’s a tool to help you qualify for a larger loan and purchase a higher-priced house than you could under normal circumstances. A buy down allows you to pay extra points up front in return for a lower interest rate for the first few […]

Home Owner Education Burglar-Proof Your Home Burglar-Proof Your Home Burglars break in to 65,000 American homes per year. That’s a scary statistic, but you don’t have to become part of it if you know how to protect yourself, your family and your valuables. Think that hollow plastic rock out front where you keep your key fools anyone? Never leave keys in […]

Wellness Alleviate Stress Alleviate Stress List the things that cause you stress. Change the way you think about these stressors by putting a positive spin on them. Practice being optimistic. Reframe things in the context of a larger positive plan. Recognize that troubles are temporary. Don’t blame yourself needlessly. Put things into perspective. Let go of what you […]

Home Owner Education How to Increase Your Home’s Value How to Increase Your Home’s Value There is really only one reason to try to increase the value of your home: if you’re trying to sell it. If you’re not, deliberately increasing your home’s value most likely will increase your tax bill as well. There are ways to increase your home’s value for resale that […]

Home Owner Education Home Inspections Home Inspections Atop the long list of items to do when buying or selling a house is the home inspection. But what is involved? How much does it cost? Why is it done in the first place? It’s important to understand what a home inspection entails and how it affects the sale of your home […]