It’s no secret that some of the most stressful parts of becoming a homeowner are securing a mortgage, locating your ideal property, placing a competitive offer, and navigating the intricacies of closing paperwork and processes. Of course, you have your agent to take care of you and your interests every step of the way! 

Once you have your keys in hand and the deed in your name, you may experience a whole new wave of thoughts and emotions—hopefully full of pride in your accomplishment and plans for your new home. You may also find yourself wondering: What happens now?

Here are some things to expect when you become a homeowner:

You Will Feel More Security and Freedom

Whether it happens as soon as you have the keys in hand, or a week later

Purchasing real estate is one of the most reliable paths toward building personal wealth, especially in Middle Tennessee, where home values are consistently increasing. However, the amount of your home’s value that should be included in your assessment of your net worth is called equity, and it is our topic today. Whether you’re shopping for your first property, wondering whether equity can help you improve your current home, or are curious whether paying off more of your home loan now is the fastest way to beef up your wealth, we’re here to help. 

Q: What is equity, and how is calculated?

A: Simply put, equity is the dollar amount assigned to the percentage of your home that you independently own.

For simplicity’s sake, let’s use

You sign what feels like hundreds of papers to agree to a thirty-year relationship with a house … it may feel like signing your life away, but that’s just how buying a home feels - it’s not reality! In reality, you can sell. You can rent. You can move. However, what doesn’t change - is that for the time you do own your home, it is your very own. That means the maintenance and upkeep are all on you. Thankfully, you are not alone, and many of the problems new homeowners face are common - which means well-known solutions! Here is a round-up of some of the most common problems and solutions:

HVAC Issues 

If you’re a new homeowner you may think that the HVAC system takes care of itself. After all, it’s expensive, and more or less out of sight.

It’s easy to see why a semi-outside, storage-like area that’s big enough to fit cars in there, DOES in fact, collect things. There are lots of daunting tasks when it comes to homeownership, but cleaning and organizing a garage seems to oftentimes be at the top of that list - and it’s easy to see why. 

Thankfully, as with anything - things get a whole lot easier with a plan. Here are our favorite tips on organizing your garage:

Set Aside a Weekend

To avoid exhaustion by trying to fit everything in within a single day, and to be sure you have time to actually finish the project - set aside a full two days of a weekend to truly dive into organizing your garage - and the right way at that. 

Remove, Sort & Decide

Before you can begin