Wendy Reyes-Realtor

Six remodeling projects that are a must to help elderly family members remain in their homes.

Home Renovations Key to Aging in Place As people age, routine movement around the home may become a challenge. If seniors choose to age in place, what can be done to ensure comfort and safety when simply moving about the house? Let’s take a look. A ramp makes a house more accessible to those using wheelchairs or walkers. Eliminating a ...

Faithful home maintenance preserves your home’s value and minimizes repair costs. Here’s a handy timetable to guide your tasks.

Attention to Home Maintenance Now Will Avoid Big Repair Bills Later As a homeowner, it’s far better to keep up with routine maintenance than spend big bucks down the road on repairs and replacements. Here’s a handy guide to key maintenance issues and how often they should be completed. Monthly maintenance. Change the filters to your heating and air intake ducts,...

Friend or foe? What does the HOA mean to you as a homeowner?

Homeowners Associations: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em? Homeowners associations provoke strong emotions. Depending on who you ask, they are viewed as either the neighborhood’s protector of home values or, in some cases, a small group of residents who take community rule enforcement to the extreme. What is an HOA and why do they exist? Simply put, an HO...

Follow these rules of real estate etiquette for a smooth home buying transaction.

How to Be a Good Buyer When shopping for a home, potential buyers can make things easier on themselves — and sellers — by following certain rules of real estate etiquette. Take a look. Have your money in order. Make sure your finances are in tip-top shape. Resolve any unpaid bills that could be dinging your credit. Se...

Retirement communities offer seniors a wide range of services and amenities. Check out the pros, the cons and the price tag for senior living.

The Pluses and Minuses of Senior Living Retirement communities, marketed to the 55-plus crowd, are often loaded with recreational amenities such as swimming pools, golf courses, clubhouses and gyms. Do these developments live up to their advertising brochures? Here’s a look at the pros and cons. Pros. Most senior-living residents enjoy ...

Looking for estimates on property violations and lawlessness in your community? Check out these sites for a quick and easy online search.

How to Find Crime Statistics for Your Neighborhood Thanks to the internet, finding crime statistics is easier than ever. That’s good news for wary homebuyers who want to make sure they’re moving to a relatively safe area. It’s also a comfort to current homeowners who want to keep tabs on what’s going on in their neighborhood. Here’s a quic...

Put your house to work for you. Here’s what you need to know to rent out your home on a short-term basis.

How to Use Your Home to Make Money Thanks to today’s online and cell phone technology, pretty much everyone has the opportunity to be a landlord. Using services such as Airbnb and HomeAway, you can rent out your home to travelers visiting your community. Interested? Let’s take a look. Ask questions. Do you live in a neighborhood ...

Need a little help in the world of finance? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by Congress to protect your interests.

Free Help for Consumers: ‘Know Before You Owe’ In the often-confusing world of finance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a valuable source of free information for homebuyers and others making a major purchase or investment.

Caring for aging parents typically means remodeling. Here are ten ways to improve accessibility in the hub of the home.

Key Kitchen Renovations to Help the Elderly Aging in place can be a great comfort to senior adults, especially when necessary renovations make familiar surroundings more accessible. That’s particularly true in the kitchen, which is a bustling place during meal preparation and the center of family life. For starters, an open kitchen floorpla...

Rolling out improvements in home insulation - find out what’s new and eco-friendly.

New Technology Improves Home Insulation Keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer depends on a whole system of comfort engineering. Chief among the components is insulation, the blanket of material in the walls and attic that resists the flow of heat transference from outside to inside and vice versa. Technology and the move tow...

Is a second home in your future? Here’s the lowdown on mortgage approval and tax implications.

‘Taxing’ Questions on Second Homes Are you in the market for buying a second home? You probably have lots of questions — what’s it like to qualify for a mortgage on a second home, and are there still tax advantages? Let’s take a look. Mortgage risk. Since lenders view second homes as being a higher risk for default than first [...

One of the basic legal documents in a real estate transaction is the deed. What is it and why is it so important?

Real Estate 101: What is a Property Deed? One of the documents central to the purchase of real estate is the deed, the legal instrument by which title or ownership is transferred. You don’t necessarily need to know all the legal fine points, but it’s important to have a basic understanding of what a deed does. Always consult an attorney...