Team Hochberg Blog
Your House Is Part of Your Retirement Plan, So Treat It Like One
When people talk about retirement planning, the conversation usually starts with a 401(k), IRA, Social Security, pension, or investment account. Those things matter. But for a lot of homeowners, the biggest asset they have isn’t sitting in a retirement account. It’s the house. You may have spent 20, 30, or 40 years paying down the…
Read MoreIf You Want to Stay in Your Home, Start Planning Before You Need To
A lot of homeowners tell me they want to stay in their house as long as possible. That makes sense. You know the neighborhood. You know the house. You may have spent decades paying down the mortgage and building equity. Moving isn’t necessarily something you want to do just because you’re getting older. But staying…
Read MoreThe Small Home Problems You Ignore in Fall Get Expensive in Winter
Fall is the season when your house starts giving you warnings. The furnace makes a noise you don’t remember hearing last year. You notice the garage door doesn’t quite seal at the bottom. There’s a crack in the driveway that seems a little wider than it was in June. The upstairs rooms feel colder than…
Read MoreWhen the Housing Market Changes, Your Strategy Has to Change With It
For the last several years, a lot of buyers and sellers got used to a housing market that forgave mistakes. A seller could put a house on the market without doing much preparation and still get multiple offers. A buyer might have to decide almost immediately because somebody else was waiting behind them. A house…
Read MoreA Financial Roadblock Doesn’t Always Mean Your Home Plans Are Over
One of the biggest mistakes I see homeowners and buyers make is assuming that a problem automatically means the entire plan has to change. Your windows are drafty, so you think you need to replace every window in the house. Your student loan payment is killing your mortgage qualification, so you assume you can’t buy…
Read MoreThe Best Time to Prepare Your Home for the Future Is Before You Have To
Most homeowners are pretty good at reacting to problems. The driveway cracks badly enough, so they replace it. A parent falls, so the family starts talking about grab bars and ramps. Mom or Dad moves into assisted living, and suddenly somebody has to figure out what to do with 50 years of furniture, clothing, tools,…
Read MoreDon’t Make a $50,000 Home Decision Based on an Assumption
Some of the most expensive homeowner mistakes start with a sentence that sounds perfectly reasonable. “I thought FHA loans were only for people with bad credit.” “I figured I should refinance because I need some cash.” “I assumed a better roof would automatically lower my insurance.” “I thought solar would require $40,000 out of pocket.”…
Read MoreYour Home Equity Can Help You, but It Can’t Fix Every Financial Problem
Owning a home with a lot of equity feels reassuring. You may have lived there for decades. You may owe very little on the mortgage. Zillow may tell you the property is worth $500,000, $600,000, or more. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re financially comfortable. I’m talking to more homeowners who are sitting on hundreds of…
Read MoreThe Biggest Homeowner Mistakes Usually Start With “I Thought I Was Covered”
Most homeowners don’t ignore major risks on purpose. They assume the backup sump pump will work because it worked the last time they checked it. They assume the water heater will make it another few years because it hasn’t leaked yet. They assume their condo will be easy to finance when it’s time to sell.…
Read MoreBefore You Replace It, Make Sure It Actually Needs Replacing
Homeowners spend a lot of money fixing problems that may not require the solution they’re being sold. An air conditioner stops working and suddenly someone wants to replace the entire system. A door feels drafty and the assumption is that the whole thing has to go. A homeowner wants to improve the house and immediately…
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