Nothing can rejuvenate the exterior of a home quite like a fresh new coat of paint. A good paint job can make even the oldest home look like new Cheap Larry Nance Jr. Jersey , but it is important to make sure that the color you choose matches not only your sense of style but the surrounding landscape as well.
It is important to pay careful attention to the exterior landscape of your home when choosing the right color. It is also important to assess how you feel about the current color of your home. If you like the color of your home as it is, perhaps all you need to do is brighten it up a bit with a fresh coat of paint or a lighter shade.
If, however, you have always hated the exterior color of your home and wondered what the previous owners were thinking, it may be best to make a radical change. We have all seen those houses where everything is attractive except the color, and a radical departure may be in order. After all Cheap Tristan Thompson Jersey , if purple and pink is not your style it may be best to make a complete change, from the paint to the exterior landscape.
As you search for the perfect color for your home, it is a good idea to bring along a picture of your home and its current color scheme. Doing so will help you match your new exterior color to your existing landscape. For instance, if you have a dramatic landscape element like a red rosebush, you may want to accent that feature by using a contrasting color like yellow or white.
Likewise, if the exterior elements of your home are light Cheap J.R. Smith Jersey , you may want to use a dramatic and dark color like brick red when remaking the exterior of your home. Either way, it is important to take the landscape elements of your home into account.
It is also important to shop carefully when buying your paint. It is important to buy the best quality paint you can afford. After all, no one wants to repaint their home every few years. If you skimp on the quality of the paint, you will end up repainting your home more quickly than you want. In addition, the color of poor quality paint will not hold up to sunlight, so your dramatic red house could end up looking somewhat pink in years to come.
Buying the best quality paint you can afford Cheap Rodney Hood Jersey , and taking care to paint well, is the best way to improve both the beauty and the value of your home. Few home repairs are as effective, and as inexpensive, as a fresh new coat of paint.
For more information on home improvement and help with kitchen remodeling, take a look at our comprehensive home improvement guide at . You can also chat with an expert contractor in our forum at Mortgage rates are rising and it's becoming more difficult for a prospective buyer to save up for the necessary down payment. Fortunately, there are ways around this hurdle.
Although homebuyers were once required to put down 20% of the purchase price Cheap Brad Daugherty Jersey , those times are long gone. Generally, lenders now require 3 to 5 percent down. The problem then becomes how to save up for that 3 percent.
What many don't know is that they have several options for coming up with the money.
RETIREMENT SAVINGS
Most 401 (k) or Individual Retirement Accounts will allow people to borrow or withdraw money early. Doing so can be a good strategy for the home buyer. With a 401 (K), one can borrow up to $50,000 or 50 percent of the balance, whichever is less, and then repay a loan over five or more years Cheap Shaquille O'Neal Jersey , with interest. The added advantage is that this type of borrowing won't count as debt when a lender is assessing a person's qualifications for a loan. And there is also the possibility of getting better appreciation on money invested in real estate.
But, are there drawbacks from borrowing from a 401 K? There can be. For one thing, if the borrower quits or gets laid off from the job, he must repay the loan within 90 days or be subjected to penalties and taxes on the early disbursement.
GIFT MONEY
While borrowing against retirement savings is possible for people who were able to set money aside, there are many people who have little or no savings.
What many don't know is that some loan programs allow borrowers to use gift money to make down payments. This gift money must generally come from family members, spouses Cheap Terrell Brandon Jersey , domestic partners, or even nonprofits.
NONPROFITS
There are many nonprofit organizations, such as the Home Solution program, that help first-time borrowers. Sometimes the seller will pay 3 percent of the sale of the home, plus a fee, to the nonprofit. The organization then loans the buyer that 3 percent at closing time for use as the down payment. And the Federal Housing Administration generally insures both Gift and Non Profit Loans.
There are also programs run by nonprofits to help low-to-moderate-income people purchase homes. One such program is the Habitat for Humanity Cheap Jordan Clarkson Jersey , which requires buyers to contribute by working on their own home as well as the homes of others.
Additionally, housing finance agencies in many states offer special loan programs for low- to moderate-income buyers. Fannie Mae, the biggest buyer of mortgages, offers loans through housing finance agencies that require down payments of as little as 1 percent or $500, whichever is less.
NO-DOWN and LOW-DOWN
Another option available is the no- and low-down payment loans. These types of loans, however Cheap George Hill Jersey , have the disadvantage of requiring costly mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance benefits the lender in cases where a borrower defaults on the loan.
But, there are ways around this hurdle. A person can avoid mortgage insurance by getting a "piggyback loan." A piggyback is a home equity loan borrowed on top of a primary mortgage. For example, one could put 5 percent down, get a primary mortgage for 80 percent of the home's price, and a higher-interest home equity loan for 15 percent of the price.