10 Christmas Light Tips to Save Time, Money, and (Possibly) Your Life

 

Christmas lights can be modest displays to show good cheer, or million-bulb light-apaloozas that draw gawkers from near and far. Here are some tips on how to get the most from — and spend the least on — your holiday display.

1.  Safety first. Emergency rooms are filled with homeowners who lose fights with their holiday lights and fall off ladders or suffer electric shocks. To avoid the holiday black and blues, never hang lights solo; instead, work with a partner who holds the ladder. Also, avoid climbing on roofs after rain or snow.

2.  Unpack carefully. Lights break and glass cuts. So unpack your lights gingerly, looking for and replacing broken bulbs along the way.

3.  Extension cords are your friends. Splurge on heavy-duty extension cords that are UL-listed for outdoor use. To avoid overloading, only link five strings of lights together before plugging into an extension cord.

4.  LEDs cost less to light. LED Christmas lights use roughly 70% to 90% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. You can safely connect many more LED light strings than incandescents. Downside: Some think they don’t burn as brightly as incandescent bulbs.

5.  Solar lights cost nothing to run. Solar Christmas lights are roughly four times more expensive to buy than LEDs, but they cost zero to run. They’re a bright-burning, green alternative. Downside: If there’s no sun during the day, there’s no light at night. The jury’s also still out on how long they last; they’re too new on the market for results.

6.  Dismantle lights sooner than later. Sun, wind, rain, and snow all take their toll on Christmas lights. To extend the life of lights, take them down immediately after the holidays. The longer you leave the up, the sooner you’ll have to replace them.

7.  Plan next year’s display on Dec. 26. Shop the after-Christmas sales to get the best prices on lights and blowups that you can proudly display next year. Stock up on your favorite lights so you’ll have spares when you need them (and after they’re discontinued).

8.  Permanent attachments save time. If you know you’ll always hang lights from eaves, install permanent light clips ($13 for 75 clips) that will save you hanging time each year. You’ll get a couple/three years out of the clips before sun eats the plastic.

9.  Find those blueprints. Instead of guessing how many light strings you’ll need, or measuring with a tape, dig up your house blueprints or house location drawings (probably with your closing papers) and use those measurements as a guide.

10.  Store them in a ball. It sounds counterintuitive, but the best way to store lights is to ball them up. Wrap five times in one direction, then turn the ball 90 degrees and repeat. Store your light balls in cardboard boxes, rather than in plastic bags: Cardboard absorbs residual moisture and extends the life of your lights.

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Homeowners trump renters in wealth

NEW YORK – Oct. 20, 2015 – Homeowners' net worth is significantly higher than renters. A typical homeowner's net worth is $195,400 compared to a renter's $5,400, according to the Federal Reserve's last data from 2013.

The Fed's next survey of household finances, which is conducted every three years, is due out in 2016 and the renter to homeowner gap is expected to widen further due to price increases.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors^®, predicts that the median net worth of homeowners will jump to $225,000 to $230,000 in 2016, but it will be around $5,000 for renters.

If that proves correct, the typical homeowner will be ahead of a typical renter by a multiple of 45 on a lifetime financial achievement scale.

"Though there will always be discussion about whether to buy or rent, or whether the stock market offers a bigger return than real estate, the reality is that homeowners steadily build wealth," Yun writes in his latest column for Forbes.com.

"The simplest math shouldn't be overlooked. A vast majority of homebuyers take out a 30-year fixed rate mortgage to make a home purchase," Yun says. "After 30 years, there is no mortgage payment (nor rent payment). So the home price growth over that time period would be the equity that the home buyer would have accumulated."

The majority of Americans aspire to be homeowners and the homeownership rate increases significantly through age. The homeownership rate among households under the age of 35 is 35 percent, for example, but by the time people reach their prime-earning years of 45 to 55, nearly three-fourths are homeowners. By retirement, nearly 80 percent are homeowners, Yun notes.

Source: "How Do Home Owners Accumulate Wealth?" Forbes (Oct. 14, 2015)

Move-In Ready Home Close to MacDill Air Force Base!

 

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Located on the cusp of Brandon and Riverview, this move-in ready Taylor Morrison home awaits its new owners. This home features four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, 2,825 square feet, three car garages, and a large lot with over 1/3 of an acre.

From the moment you pull into the driveway one is greeted by a contemporary home with a Travertine Walkway, large front porch and an appealing landscape. As you open the door, you are welcomed by 18’X18’ Spanish Tile at the Foyer and dark maple wood flooring leading to the updated living spaces on both sides of the staircase. From the entrance one can also admire the voluminous ceilings, crown molding, modern light fixtures, neutral paint colors, and the many windows that illuminate the space with natural lighting. The living room is equipped with built-in surround sound speakers and media outlets for entertaining. The gourmet kitchen boasts an eat-in kitchen space, dark cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances, Granite Countertops, Spanish tile flooring, Noce tile Back Splash, and Noce tile at the Breakfast Bar. Also located on the first floor are the formal dining, great room, large laundry room, powder room, and under stairway storage.

Four bedrooms and two full bathrooms can be located on the second level. The massive master suite features a Tray Ceiling with fan, large windows emitting natural lighting, two large walk-in closets and a spa-like En Suite. This respite offers dual vanity space, a water closet, garden tub, and standalone shower with a rain-shower head. The three remaining rooms are spacious with complimenting closet space.

The backyard is also adorned with Travertine Tile, covered lanai, outside speakers, and ceiling fan for a wonderful outside entertaining area. The 0.31-acre home allows plenty of room for future home additions including a pool. With only 60 homes in this community, it’s centrally located and offers a short commute to MacDill Air force base, local river and boat docks, Lithia Springs, Camp Christina, Ellenton Mall, Brandon Mall, Local Hospital and many more shopping areas and points of interest.

Please call 813-419-7009 or email info@gloriawalters.com to schedule your private viewing today!

Average 30-Year Mortgage Drops Below 4%

 

30 year loan plans to hit their lowest numbers since June of last year (2013). Yields from Treasury Bonds marked new lows. Now it is much more affordable to borrow the funds necessary to buy a home.

 

• Freddie Mac says nationwide average for 30 year loan is 3.97%, down from 4.12 while 15 year loans are at 3.18% from 3.3%
  
• 10 year notes now trade at 2.1% which is down from 2.34%. The bond yields are rising, because of the falling prices on bonds.
  
• Treasury yields have dropped, and the federal reserve may force the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate increases.
  
• Down Jones Industrial Average is down 460 points and all three US Stock indexes were in negatives for the year. Fear Index rose sharply.
  
• Mortgage rates are down, despite the Federal Reserve's ending of monthly bond purchases. This is to keep long term borrowing rates low. Shorter term loan rates will be kept at near zero levels until inflation shows signs of rising.
  
• Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the US to calculate average mortgage rates. This average DOES NOT include extra fees, which most borrowers pay to get lower rates. A POINT IS 1% OF THE LOAN AMOUNT.
  
• Average fee for a 30 and 15 year mortgage is .5 points. For a one-year ARM, the average rate fell to 2.38 percent from 2.42 percent. The fee held at 0.4 point.

Foreclosed Owners Gets A Second Chance Sooner

Those who lost their home due to financial hardships may get another shot at being homeowners again soon. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently announced that it would shorten the waiting period for qualified borrowers who’ve had a bankruptcy, foreclosure, deed in lieu of foreclosure or short sale if they wish to buy a home again.

Under FHA’s Back-to-Work Program, homeowners must show that they have their finances in order, and they must receive counseling from a HUD-approved agency.

Those who meet the requirements can apply to buy a property in as little as a year. “The Back to Work Program is a great opportunity for us to help those impacted by the recent housing crisis,” Heather Shanahan, a representative with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency called Springboard, told HousingWire. “Our goal in our counseling sessions is to enable the borrower to better understand their loan options and the obligations.”

Counselors provide borrowers with a customized action plan that reflects household budgets and shows borrowers how they can meet their financial obligations to prevent default again in the future.

Source: “Springboard helps formerly distressed borrowers get back on track,” HousingWire (Nov. 19, 2013)
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