Posts made by author 'Jay Mattlin'

If you're old enough to remember the 1980s, you remember when everyone had that friend, family member, or acquaintance who tried their hand at becoming a real estate agent. Somewhere along the line, real estate became perceived as a glamorous, easy job that anyone could do. But if you're seriously considering getting into real estate, you should know that it isn't glamorous or easy. It definitely attracts a certain personality type — strong, independent, and willing to take responsibility for their own success. That's why not everybody makes their real estate career last! Read on to discover 5 real confessions of successful real estate agents and decide if you have what it takes.

1. You can't snap your fingers and get your real estate license.

Yes, it's true that in most states, it only takes a few months to become a licensed agent. That's why so many people are drawn to the ide...

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1. The makers of "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" had to downsize their makeovers due to families not being able to afford utility bills.

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A lot of people feel that once Labor Day comes along, the real estate market changes.

It's true… to a degree.

For instance, families who have to make decisions based upon where their children go to school are more likely to have tried to move before the school year begins. So, people with kids in school may very well decide not to sell or buy a house until the school year is done.

But otherwise, who's really directly affected by Labor Day, when it comes to buying or selling a house?

Think about it…

There's constantly:

People moving in and out of the area for job transfers. (Even if they have kids in school.)
People who are retiring and moving out of the area, or downsizing.
Newlyweds buying their first house.
Single people buying their first house.
Sadly, there are deaths, divorces, and desperate times that lead to people selling homes.
That list could go on for pages.

The point is, the real estate market m...

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Recently, Lancaster Sanitation and City Council passed a resolution for the Sanitation Department to purchase large trash bins or toters for each residential household in the City and new trash trucks to accommodate the new toters. The toters began showing up at citizens' houses this week and they have generated some questions and confusion.

Q: I generate a lot of trash. What if all of my trash does not fit into the new trash cart?
A: The trash cart is 95 gallons. It is much larger than you think it is. It will hold a lot of trash. However, should you need another trash cart, you may call the Sanitation Department and request another. An additional cart is $25 for the cart and then an additional $3 per month for the trash. You could also save trash for the following week or schedule a bulk pickup for an extra $25.

 

Q: How much extra is this going to cost me?
A: Those currently paying $13.50 on their Lancaster Utility bill will...

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After the housing crisis of 2008, many homeowners found themselves "upside down" on their properties, with their mortgage balances significantly higher than the value of their home. According to Zillow, negative equity in the US peaked 31.4% in Q1 of 2012, meaning nearly one-third of all mortgage holders in the US owed more on their homes than it was valued.

But luckily, the housing market has rebounded from the housing crisis, and homeowners have almost completely regained equity in their homes. According to CoreLogic's most recent Home Equity Insights report, in Q4 of 2017 only 4.9% of all mortgaged properties had negative equity, with the number of homes with negative equity dropping 21% year-over-year (from...

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