Budgeting for your next home renovation
When you decide to renovate your home — whether to sell or make improvements for you and your family to enjoy — setting a budget can be a challenge. Knowing what you want to accomplish may be the easy part, but avoiding the bad advice out there and determining what you can actually afford takes research and detailed planning. Consider these tips from contractors who are members of... READ MORE
I’m retired. Should I pay off my mortgage?
If you’ve ever tuned in to The Ramsey Show on the radio, you know Dave Ramsey likes to talk about the best ways to pay down debt and why it’s imperative to be debt-free. Then you may come across Ric Edelman, the founder of one of the largest personal finance companies in the country. His advice is just the opposite of Ramsey’s: You should stretch out a big mortgage for as long... READ MORE
Understand taxes on selling your home
If your home’s value has soared, congratulations. If you decide to sell, beware. Financial advisor James Guarino said some clients don’t realize that home sale profits are potentially taxable until their returns are prepared — and by that time, they may have spent the windfall or invested the money in another house. “They’re not happy campers when they find out that Uncle... READ MORE
Three decades providing assisted living
When Veena Alfred was a young girl in India, she first experienced the joy of taking care of others. Raised in her grandparents’ stately home, Alfred and her five siblings grew accustomed to welcoming her grandmother’s friends as if they were bonus grandparents. “When these elderly women came, we were assigned certain chores,” Alfred remembered in an interview with the Beacon.... READ MORE
Keys to finding the perfect place to retire
Three days after Cheryl Gremban retired in 2018, she and her husband Charlie, 67, who had retired 10 years before, sold their home near San Francisco and moved to Carlsbad, California, near San Diego. The move wasn’t impulsive. Carlsbad had been on their radar screen for a few years. Like many retirees, the Grembans wanted to live closer to family. Of their three sons, the nearest one... READ MORE
DC Housing News — October 2022
Balfour Palisades taking reservations A new community offering older adults a continuum of care will soon open in the District of Columbia’s Palisades neighborhood. With a small-town feel, Balfour Palisades will enable residents to stay engaged in the world around them while retreating to a relaxed, cozy setting. The community offers month-to-month lease options without a large... READ MORE
When family caregivers need help, too
Baltimore County resident Joanne (last name withheld for privacy) spent the last few years finding caregivers for her mother-in-law, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. After she passed away in March, Joanne jumped in to organize care for her father-in-law. “I’m not going to say it’s a full-time job, but I spend a tremendous amount of time doing, organizing, dealing with... READ MORE
Easy home fixes with big safety impact
If it ain’t broke, maybe you should fix it anyway. That’s the message consumer advocates and insurance experts want you to hear about your home’s hidden dangers. Too often, they say, people put off relatively inexpensive repairs or improvements that could prevent significant damage, injuries or even death. While you can’t eliminate every potential hazard, some small moves can... READ MORE
Services help you downsize and relocate
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any businesses or services that specialize in helping people downsize and relocate? I need to find some help moving my mother from her four-bedroom home — where she’s lived for nearly 50 years — to an apartment near me. —Overwhelmed Daughter Dear Overwhelmed, The process of downsizing and moving to a new home is a big job for anyone, but ... READ MORE
Talk with neighbors who have dead trees
When a neighbor’s tree falls on your property, guess who has to file the insurance claim, pay the deductible and hope that their premiums won’t rise? That would be you. Unless you can establish that the neighbors had knowledge of the dangerous condition and ignored remedying it. “Often homeowners do not understand the importance of maintaining vegetation — primarily trees — and ... READ MORE
