How to - Destin King Team

Building a budget

Natalie Lee — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:17:06 +0000

January is a great time to gather past expenses and plan a budget for the year. Most people are already collecting documents for taxes, so add a little detail to this task by creating a list of monthly expenses.

Put spending patterns on paper to reveal areas that can be tightened up, like grocery store spending and entertainment costs. Seeing charts and graphs that show ratio of income to spending is a great way to inspire spending adjustments.

Are you looking to buy a home in Destin or Santa Rosa Beach?

Let our Destin and Santa Rosa Beach real estate agents guide you through the home buying process. Whether you are looking to buy or sell a vacation rental property, move to the Destin or Northwest Florida panhandle area full-time, or make a PCS military move to cities near Eglin AFB or Hurlburt Field, we are here to help.

Give us a call or submit our online contact form.

Home Reno Tax Credit

Natalie Lee — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 20:01:52 +0000

Did you take on renovation projects while working from home in 2020? The dramatic shift many workers experienced during COVID-19 meant more time for that honey-do list to be completed. And since travel to and from work was eliminated, there were more funds to make it happen.

Does your home reno qualify?

Do you know if your home reno qualifies as a tax deduction or credit? If you set aside money in your mortgage when you purchased the home (and made the renovations), you can deduct the interest amount you paid on those designated funds.

Medically necessary renovations like wheelchair ramps, bathroom modifications, lowering countertops, and widening of doors and hallways can be deducted as medical expenses as long as they don't increase the value of your home.

CONTACT US TODAY

Let our Santa Rosa Beach and Destin FL real estate agents guide you through the home buying process. Whether you are looking to buy or sell a Destin vacation rental property, move to the Santa Rosa Beach area full-time, or make a PCS military move to Emerald Coast cities near Eglin Air Force Base or Hurlburt Field, we are here to help.

Give us a call or submit our online contact form.

Want to sell your home?

Natalie Lee — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 20:51:03 +0000

Check out the newly released mortgage rates this month. The market is hot! Interested in selling your home? We have buyers who are just waiting to utilize these historically low mortgage rates. Click here to get info about one of our agents.

Credit Card Utilization

Natalie Lee — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:10:00 +0000

Most people don't know it takes more time and effort to rebuild damaged credit than it does to build credit from scratch. People are often met with credit hurtles to jump over when they decide to begin the home buying process. Here is a tip to prevent credit issues from the start.

Keep credit card utilization low. What does that mean? Let's say two people owe $10,000 in credit card debt. "Person A" has enough credit cards to potentially rack up $30,000 in credit card debt which means their credit card utilization is 33%. While "Person B" has a total credit limit of $11,000, bringing their credit card utilization to 90% "Person A" has lower credit card utilization. Each person owes the same amount of debt, but "Person B" will have a harder time maintaining a good credit score if the utilization rate stays so high.

Boost Curb Appeal

Natalie Lee — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 15:42:04 +0000

A cost effective way to increase the value and salability of your home is to enhance curb appeal. Many people take on extensive home renovations, with the intent to raise the appraised value of their home, only to discover what they felt was valuable to their daily life was not seen as so by prospective buyers. Replace worn door knobs, turn the front door into a focal point with bold color, even add a porch swing. Spending a few hundred dollars on the exterior of a home can propel interested buyers to make an offer.

Your Hurricane Preparedness Kit

Natalie Lee — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 17:42:32 +0000

Don't wait until a hurricane is approaching to gather supplies and fill the gas tank of your car. Be sure to have enough water, food, and daily medications for yourself and your family. Weathering a hurricane is something many of us are familiar with, but don't let that get in the way of being prepared for anything. We know from experience that a "routine" storm can become serious overnight. Check on your neighbors and don't forget to charge your phone and have flashlights on hand.