Latest news with #Homes
Tom's Guide
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
What is the 'ex rule'? Meet the new cleaning hack that could help you break up with clutter
I'm always on the search for a good decluttering hack, but I thought I'd heard it all when the gross 'poop rule' arrived. Now I'm not so sure. After watching a home organization show, I discovered the 'ex rule'. No pun intended, but it's split our home team down the middle. It made me chuckle when I first heard how the decluttering tip works, but then I gave it some more thought, and I realized that it's an excellent way of parting with old clutter — but maybe too effective. Depending on how you and your ex parted ways, this decluttering hack could leave you with an empty house! The idea behind the 'ex rule' was shared by decluttering genie Dilly Cater, founder of Declutter Dollies and presenter on 'Sort Your Life Out', a decluttering show broadcast by the BBC. During the show, Carter explains, 'When you look at an item, think about how much you want to keep it.' She goes on to explain that you have to imagine your ex, who you never want to see again, still has the item. In that scenario, she says you need to ask yourself, 'Would I go through the embarrassment of calling them to get it back?' Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Carter adds, 'Because if you would, you really want it. If you wouldn't, then it goes.' But rather than take my word for it, I asked around the Tom's Guide team for their thoughts on the 'ex rule'. Millie Fender, Managing Editor for Homes, shares my exact thoughts. 'I'm all for a good decluttering hack, but I'm struggling to think of anything — literally a single thing — that would make it worthwhile to contact my ex,' she says. 'But, if your ex is less of a [redacted] than mine, I can see the benefit of weighing up the value of a pair of shoes, or your favorite sweater, against the embarrassment of having to contact someone you'd really rather not speak to,' she adds. "Sure, you can clean poop out of your things, but God, I wouldn't put myself through the torture of actually speaking to one of my exes' Considering the decluttering method, Fender says, 'This hack definitely sparks an interesting way of evaluating how much you really want or need something, but if I used it, I think it'd leave me sitting in an empty apartment.' Nikita Achanta, Staff Writer, would freak out if she had to ask an ex for her stuff back, as she believes 'exes can't be friends'. Although she says, 'I actually prefer this decluttering method over the 'poop rule'. Sure, you can clean poop out of your things, but God, I wouldn't put myself through the torture of actually speaking to one of my exes' At the other extreme, Erin Bashford, staff writer, would go for it. 'Honestly, I'd get anything back from an ex because I am petty, and they don't deserve to hoard my beloved belongings,' she says. 'Joking aside, I would almost certainly fight any man if he tried to keep hold of my MacBook Pro, Patagonia puffer jacket (that keeps me warm in 1°F weather), vintage horse-patterned fleece, and any of my houseplants. So, it looks like I'd cut down on 90% of my belongings if I tried this decluttering hack — oops.' "Joking aside, I would almost certainly fight any man if he tried to keep hold of my MacBook Pro" There's definitely a clear divide among the team, but I'm curious to know how this hack will go down with our readers. So, next time you're ready for a declutter, will you try the 'ex rule', or is it one step too far?
Scottish Sun
09-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Mortgage scheme helping first-time buyers with small deposits to end in WEEKS – five other ways to get on the ladder
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MORTGAGE scheme that is helping first-time buyers get on the ladder is set to end within weeks. The mortgage guarantee scheme enables buyers to get a home with just a 5% deposit. 1 The mortgage guarantee scheme has helped 53,000 home buyers get on the ladder Credit: Alamy It can be used to buy any type of home as long as you don't pay more than £600,000 for it. The scheme provides a guarantee that the Government will cover some of a lender's losses if a borrower can't afford to repay their mortgage and the home is repossessed. It's been available for buyers since April 2021 but it's scheduled to end on June 30, and there is no word yet on if or when a replacement will be launched. The Government said in February it would launch a "new, permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme" that would "open the door to home ownership for more young families and hard-working renters". Brokers say it's possible the scheme won't be replaced - but don't be too disappointed just yet. Between the scheme's launch and the end of December last year, more than 53,000 mortgages were completed using it. Data released last week shows the total value of mortgages supported by the scheme was £10.7billion. But not every lender offering 95% mortgages has used the scheme, and many are still offering small or no deposit mortgages outside of the scheme. Justin Moy, managing director at EHF Mortgages, said the scheme may not be replaced because of renewed confidence in the mortgage market. The Sun's James Flanders explains how to find the best deal on your mortgage "This was originally designed to help lenders stretch to 90-95% Loan to Value at a time when confidence within the market was low, so this looks to be a positive step without causing too many ripples with lenders," he said. Pete Mugleston, mortgage adviser and managing director at Online Mortgage Advisor, said losing the scheme would be "mixed news" for first-time buyers. "On the one hand, the mortgage guarantee scheme was a useful way of helping first-time buyers get on the property ladder if they didn't have a large deposit," he said. "But, given that a lot of lenders are now offering mortgages with a 5% deposit and lower, losing it isn't as big an issue as it could have been. "As the government has not given any further details about the scheme it promised in February, we could be waiting a while before we hear anything." The Sun contacted the Treasury for comment. What other schemes are available? Even if the mortgage guarantee scheme is replaced, there are other Government schemes available for first-time buyers. You should look into each option thoroughly before going ahead with it and consider any disadvantages to the schemes. These are some of the options available... First Homes First-time buyers can get a home for between 30 to 50% less than its market value through the First Homes scheme. You can buy a new build home from a developer or a property from someone who's used the scheme before and is now selling. The scheme is only available in England and you'll have to be 18 or older to qualify. Your total household income must be £80,000 or less, or £90,000 in London. You'll also need to be able to get a mortgage for at least half the price of the home. Shared ownership If you can't afford all of the deposit and mortgage payments for a home that meets your needs, you could consider shared ownership. This is when you buy a share of the property and pay rent to a landlord on the rest. You'll also likely need to pay a service charge to maintain common areas shared between you and your neighbours. Buyers can usually get a share of between 10 and 75% of the home's full value. You can buy more of the home later on in a process called staircasing. However, some people who have used shared ownership have struggled to buy bigger portions of their homes due to being forced to pay increasing rents and service charges. Lifetime ISA People struggling to save for a deposit can get extra help from the Government by saving into a Lifetime ISA (LISA). You can save up to £4,000 a year into it and the Government will give you a free bonus worth 25% of whatever you save. You have to be between 18 and 39 to open a LISA and you can pay in and get the bonus until you're 50. It's worth knowing that if you withdraw your money before you're 60, it must be spent on buying your first home. If you withdraw it for any other reason you'll lose your bonus and also effectively pay a 6.25% penalty - so you'll end up with less than you put in. You should also be aware that you can only use a LISA on homes worth up to £450,000. Right to Buy This scheme was brought in during the 1980s and allows most council tenants the right to buy their council house at a discount. There are different rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can make a joint application with up to three family members who have lived with you for the past 12 months. If you rent from a Housing Association you may also have the right to buy it at a discount under the Government's Right to Acquire Scheme. Deposit Unlock This lets you buy a new build home from any developer registered with the scheme as long as you have a 5% deposit. The scheme is available to both first-time buyers and home movers. It's available on new-build homes up to the price of £833,250. Deposit Unlock is currently available with participating lenders including Nationwide, Accord Mortgages and Newcastle Building Society. What do lenders offer? As well as Government schemes, some mortgage lenders have also been offering incentives for first-time buyers. For example, Skipton Building Society offers a 100% mortgage deal that allows you to buy a home without a deposit. A similar mortgage deal was recently launched by April Mortgages too. Accord offers a £5,000 deposit mortgage while other lenders have been slashing their affordability rules.
Chicago Tribune
06-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Property tax exemption issue could put disabled vet's Fox Valley home at risk
Few homeowners look forward to getting that property tax bill in the mail every spring, especially when the bottom line contains a number higher than the previous year. But no one could have been more surprised — and discouraged — than Kyle Moser, who saw that amount go from zero to $7,049. Moser is a double amputee U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was awarded two Purple Hearts for injuries sustained in November of 2011 during combat operations in Afghanistan. After suffering a concussion from a bomb hitting his vehicle, 10 days later while leading his squad on foot patrol, the young corporal from Oswego stepped on an IED and lost both legs above the knee, while also permanently injuring his right hand and arm. All of which resulted in a more than three-year rehabilitation stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. But here's where another big hit comes, this one financial and more local: Under Illinois state law, veterans with at least 70% service-connected disability have not been required to pay property taxes on homes up to $750,000. But as inflation upped values on homes, more veterans were being excluded from that exemption, and so the law was amended last year to allow eligible veterans to only have to pay taxes on the difference between $750,000 and their assessed valuations. Which would not have impacted Moser because his ranch house in an unincorporated area near Batavia, a specially-adapted home built for him six years ago by former NFL player Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors, had been appraised in 2023 at $720,258. With inflated real estate values, however, the Batavia Township Assessor's Office last year raised that assessed valuation to $1,042,175, which requires Moser to pay taxes on the almost $300,000 difference past the exemption cap of $750,000. Moser was shocked when he received a bill for $7,064.98 this spring, a financial whammy that hit particularly hard as he's also going through a divorce that, he says, is taking a third of his disability pay for alimony and child support. In fact, the money situation became so dire that last year Moser started a GoFundMe account because, as he wrote on the crowdfunding website, 'mathematically this is putting me on a path of bankruptcy.' Moser insists he never received any information about changes in the Veterans with Disabilities Homestead Exemption, nor does he recall receiving notification last September of an assessment adjustment, which gives taxpayers 30 days to file an appeal. The updated statute is based on the notion that disabled veterans owning more expensive homes should be able to pay the difference, say officials. Which makes some sense. But that reasoning does not apply to Moser, whose home was given to him for the sacrifices he made in defense of this country, points out state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, a Marine veteran herself who serves as vice-chair of the Illinois Veterans Affairs Committee. Plus, the fact the ranch house is modified for his needs does not make it as marketable, and if anything, she said, 'that should mean a lower appraisal.' Batavia Township Assessor Tammy Kavanaugh is aware of Moser's unique and unfortunate situation, but insists his home was 'brought up to fair market value' and that there is little she can do because there was no appeal and she's obliged to follow state statute. But Kifowit isn't buying the first part of that argument, pointing to comparisons of other homes in Moser's neighborhood, including a large executive-style house that has a square-foot appraisal far below Moser's home but is twice as large. 'It's as if Kyle himself is being discriminated against because his home is modified,' she said. There are of course factual errors that can be made on property value assessments, officials say. 'As I understand their concern, I will review the value for these properties,' said Kavanaugh, also pointing out that Moser's ranch home must be compared to other ranch styles. That aside, the Batavia Township assessor, expressing empathy for Moser and a willingness to help wherever she can, told me 'I do believe legislation should be changed. … Your disability should not be tied to a tax bill beyond what you can afford.' While the 2024 changes have given some tax relief to more disabled veterans, increased property values the last five years means more are falling into similar situations, according to Kane County Supervisor of Assessments Mark Armstrong, particularly in less-populated Illinois counties that tend to have a higher percentage go into the military and return home after service. The good news is that Moser's predicament has made officials more aware of the flaws in the current law, and Kifowit, who is clearly upset with the situation, says she will 'push for a legislative fix,' if possible. At the very least, she told me, there should be more than a 30-day window to appeal an assessment notice, which would be beneficial even for 'average people who don't understand the process and how it can impact their property bill. 'Imagine how hard it could be for a disabled veteran with a lot going on,' she said. More positive news, at least short term, is that when notified of Moser's tax obligation, the Allen J. Lynch Medal of Honor Veterans Foundation sent a check for $3,600 to pay for the first installment of this wounded warrior's bill, with Medal of Honor recipient Lynch noting 'we hope that this can be corrected as soon as possible so Kyle does not have to fear' losing the home that was custom-built for his needs. 'We are grateful for partners like the Lynch Foundation for supporting our veterans,' said Jake Zimmerman, supervisor of the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission who has been working to resolve this issue. 'I don't know how a property like Kyle's can increase in value by more than $300,000 in a single year, but I do know Kyle has given enough for our country,' Zimmerman said. 'And we're going to make sure he is taken care of.'
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
How do I know what to offer for a house
RNZ's money correspondent answers your questions about buying a house. Photo: RNZ We're trying to buy a first home and lots of places we look at are "price by negotiation" or deadline sales. How do we know what to offer? I think there are a few things you can do to help give you a guide to what sort of offer might be appropriate. It can help to look at other recent sales in the area, and work out how they compare. You can find these on sites like - if you see a place that looks a similar size and condition and in the same sort of area, it might give you a guide as to what might be reasonable. This is where going to a few open homes before you start looking seriously can really help, because you'll get a sense of what represents good value. Sometimes you see data going around about a certain suburb selling at a percentage above or below CV - this can give you a general guide but won't account for the specific features of the particular house you're looking at. But Steve Goodey, who does a lot of this in his work as a property investor and investment coach said those sorts of data sites would not help for some of the factors that can make all the difference when you're buying a house to live in. He said while an offer for a rental property was usually about making the numbers work, when it was an owner-occupied deal other facts were more important, like the vendor's motivation, how badly the buyer wanted a particular property, how soon they needed a house and how "special" a place was. The price that a vendor might be willing to accept will also be influenced to a degree by their circumstances - someone who is just testing the market to see if they can sell will be less likely to take a lower offer than someone who needs to move. If someone bought recently, they might also have less room to accept a lower price than someone who bought a long time ago. Real estate salespeople should give you a guide as to what sort of price range the property might be in, but remember they are acting for the vendor. You'll need to do your own research and offer a price that feels right for you. It's then up to the salesperson to present that offer to the vendor, and you can negotiate from there if it's appropriate. I'm thinking about buying an investment property but how does it work to use the equity from my existing house? It's quite common for property investors to get started by using the equity in their own homes. It works like this. If you bought your house a while ago, and you've paid down your home loan, you might have built up extra equity in your property. Say for example you bought your house 10 years ago for $500,000 and it's now worth $1 million. If you had a home loan initially for $400,000, and you've paid off a bit of the loan over time, so you now owe $350,000, you've gone from having $100,000 equity to having $650,000. The bank may let you increase your loan to $800,000, giving you $450,000 that can be used to purchase an investment property. You can use that equity as a deposit and then get a loan for up to 70 percent of the investment property's value to complete the deal. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Want to buy a Rock the Block season 6 home? All properties to hit the market in Utah this month
The luxury homes from HGTV's Rock the Block Season 6 are going up for sale in Grantsville, Utah. Built by Hamlet Homes, these one-of-a-kind properties will be available after a special Block Party event on May 30 and 31. Each home sits on a one-acre lot with 360-degree views The four HGTV Rock the Block Season 6 homes in Grantsville, Utah, are officially going up for sale, offering fans a chance to own a luxury property featured on the hit renovation series Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The four homes featured in HGTV's Rock the Block Season 6 are officially heading to the Utah real estate market. Built by Hamlet Homes in Grantsville, just outside Salt Lake City, the luxurious properties will be available for purchase at the end of May, Homes is hosting a public Block Party on May 30 and 31 where HGTV fans can tour each of the Rock the Block houses, shop for show merchandise, and place bids on select items used during filming. Proceeds from the event will benefit HomeAid read: Handmaid's Tale season 6 episode 6 release date: Check full schedule of all 10 episodes In a video shared on Hamlet Homes' official Instagram page, owner and vice president of marketing Tami Ostmark said, "Have you ever dreamed of owning a Rock the Block home? Well now's your chance. That's right, all four of the Rock the Block homes from season 6 are officially hitting the market at the end of this month. We're talking large, luxurious, one-of-a-kind homes, each sitting on a one-acre lot, with 360-degree views that are just unreal."Season 6 of Rock the Block has showcased fierce competition among top HGTV designers. While the winning team gets their names on the street sign and a donation made in their name to No Kid Hungry, the real prize may now be for Utah homebuyers."Tucked in the heart of beautiful Grantsville, Utah, these homes aren't just stunning—they're truly special. There's no better location, and no homes like these, anywhere," Ostmark of the four Rock the Block homes was evaluated for final appraisal and will now be listed for sale. Although they appeared fully furnished on the show with pieces from Wayfair, a spokesperson confirmed the houses will be sold homes are expected to draw significant attention from fans of the show, prospective buyers, and luxury real estate enthusiasts read: Yellowstone Season 6 is finally confirmed? Here's why fans think the US series is not ending The exact listing prices for the Rock the Block properties have yet to be revealed. However, given the show's popularity and the scale of the renovations, the homes are likely to make a splash in the Utah real estate market.
