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New Castle County DE new listings declined 5.03% in April 2016 with 52 homes less homes sold than in April 2015. The average sales price dropped 1.31% in April to $212,000 from $216,495 in April 2015.
Information courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtor Tucker Robbins.
Congratulations! You’ve survived the process of leaving one home and finding another and the onus of packing everything up and then unpacking the same boxes. You’ve found a new bank and a new doctor; you’ve investigated trash pick-up times, licensing requirements, and car registration; and your mail is being forwarded on a regular basis. So far so good, but now that you’re somewhat settled in your home, it’s time to become familiar with your new environment.
The following tips are designed to help you become part of your new community and re-create the sense of belonging you had in your previous location.
Before long you will become familiar with your new environment and be comfortable there. Best of all, you’ll “belong” once again!
Courtesy of Wilmington DE Realtor Tucker Robbins.
The big day is almost here! You and your family are moving out of your old house into a new home! It’s an exciting time, however moving can be a huge headache if you go into it unprepared. Below are a few tips and ideas on how to make your move a success.
If you do your part to make sure you have done all you can do to make the move an easy process, the moving company will be free to do their job and do it right.
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Broker Tucker Robbins.
With the snow gone and the ground thawed, many eager homeowners and landscape professionals across the country are rolling up their sleeves and reaching for their shovels to start projects that require digging this spring.
During the transition into "digging season," Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the association dedicated to protecting underground utilities and the people who dig near them, reminds homeowners and professional diggers that calling 811 is the first step towards protecting you and your community from the risk of unintentionally damaging an underground line.
Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a free call to 811. Installing a mailbox or fence, building a deck and landscaping are all examples of digging projects that should only begin a few days after making a call to 811. Calling this number connects you to your local one call utility notification center.
According to data collected by CGA in a phone survey in late February, more than half (46 percent) of American homeowners said they plan to do DIY projects involving digging this year, but 40 percent of them do not plan to make a free call to 811 before digging. Extrapolated to the full population of U.S. homeowners, approximately 51.8 million people will dig this year without first calling 811.
A utility line is damaged every six minutes in America because someone decided to dig without making a call to 811 to learn the approximate location of buried utilities in their area. Unintentionally striking one of these lines can result in inconvenient outages for entire neighborhoods, harm to yourself or your neighbors and repair costs.
As a result, CGA offers the following tips to make sure you complete your project safely and without any utility service interruptions, so you don't become a statistic.
Here's how the 811 process works:
1. One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for your local one call center to notify all appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Call a few days prior to digging to ensure enough time for the approximate location of utility lines to be marked with flags or paint.
2. When you call 811, a representative from your local one call center will ask for the location and description of your digging project.
3. Your local one-call center will notify affected utility companies, which will then send professional locators to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines.
4. Only once all lines have been accurately marked, roll up those sleeves and carefully dig around the marked areas.
There are nearly 19 million miles of underground utility lines in the United States that your family depends on for everyday needs including electric, gas, water and sewer, cable TV, high-speed Internet and landline telephone. That equals more than a football field's length of utilities for every person in the United States. With that much critical infrastructure underground, it's important to know what's below and call 811 before digging.
To find out more information about 811 or the one call utility notification center in your area, visit Call811.com. (BPT)
Courtesy of Wilmington DE Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.
The average tax refund in 2015 was approximately $2,800 according to the IRS, and similar refunds are expected in 2016. For those getting a refund, there are many options to consider in deciding what to do with this unexpected income. The big question is what is the smartest option?
While you may want to splurge with your refund, careful management for the majority of the funds is a smart financial move. A tax refund or any unexpected income can be used to help reach your financial goals without impacting your current standard of living.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) suggests three things to consider for this year's tax refund:
1. Pay down debt. Take a look at your current debt. Find out which have the highest interest rates and consider paying those down first to help prevent interest from continuing to add up. Another common strategy is to pay off your smallest debt first, then work your way up to the larger ones.
2. Build an emergency fund. Consider using at least a portion of your tax refund to give your emergency fund a boost. Make a goal to stash away three to six months' worth of expenses in cash in an emergency fund you can easily access if you need to, such as a savings account, and use your refund to work toward that goal.
3. Pay the future forward. The positive news is that Americans are living longer. The challenge is that their health may change with aging, and people are now faced with saving for a retirement period of up to 30 years. So if you haven't started to save or want to boost your retirement savings, consider putting your refund in a retirement savings plan. You may also consider taking a portion of your refund for higher education - whether for yourself, a child or grandchild. Or, if you haven't considered life insurance or disability income insurance yet or need to revisit your plans, now's a good time to talk to a financial professional.
A tax refund is money you've worked hard for, and it is OK to do something fun with it. Just make sure you consider committing at least a portion toward your short-term and long-term financial needs and goals. (BPT)
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.
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