PARKER  REALTY ASSOCIATES

When Mom told you to turn out the lights, she was thinking of saving energy dollars, not rolling blackouts and bankrupt utility companies. Rarely have Moms words of wisdom been as fitting as they are now and not just in California. Electricity rates are going up everywhere. Besides switching off lights, there are several other painless methods to conserve energy and save money on your electric bills. Plug Ins Look for those electronic devices, especially those with digital ti

Your Goal: To Sell your house quickly and obtain the Best Possible Price. Now that you’re going to sell your home, you’ll want to look at it differently. Look at is as a “house for sale” through a “buyer’s eyes.” That vantage point will help you package it to sell more quickly. You don’t have to spend a lot of time or money preparing your house for sale. You may be able to simply borrow or rent the “extras” like decorative houseplants or lawn furniture to make your home memor

Important real estate questions can often be asked quickly —"What's the right sale price?" or "What's the right list price?"— however, the answers may take a while. A question may be simple to ask, but the answer is usually complex because real estate is complicated. Even when the person answering is very familiar with the subject, arriving at the "right"— best fit, complete, and accurate — answer may first require asking questions of the quick-question asker, because: Contex

Congratulations on your new vacation property! If you bought it as an investment, and are planning to use rental income to pay your mortgage, you probably want to be sure the house stays rented, and your tenants stay happy. We bet you can’t wait to use those owner weeks and relax in your own place. But to really relax, you need to know that the house is cared for when you aren’t around. Also? If you’ve been getting weekly (or daily!) phone calls from your tenants about everyt

If you’re like most people, a lot of the work you do on your home is meant for you to enjoy--at least for a little while. But you also want to make sure you get some of that money back when it’s time to sell or refinance. So which improvements are also smart investments? Here’s what the numbers say for 2014. Stay away from... Home offices: Having your own kid/pet/clutter-free space to telecommute from seems like a no brainer, right? But what happens when your potential buyers

401k Plan Loans - An Overview Allowing loans within a 401k plan is allowed by law, but an employer is not required to do so. Many small business just can't afford the high cost of adding this feature to their plan. Even so, loans are a feature of most 401k plans. If offered, an employer must adhere to some very strict and detailed guidelines on making and administering them. The statutes governing plan loans place no specific restrictions on what the need or use will be for l

Your DVR is full of home improvement shows, you’ve got the soul of Bob Villa, and a masters degree from YouTube University. Now that you finally ready to buy that fixer upper home, you have an outlet for your DIY ambitions. But there’s one more checklist you need to go through before you get started. The bones and guts Have a professional check the structural integrity, electric wiring, and plumbing before you buy. You should also check to see if there’s any lead paint or asb

When you start thinking about selling your first home, you may look around the rooms you love so much and see them in a different light. You already know the rules about keeping your closets half empty when you show the house, making sure the kitchen and bathroom counters are free of clutter, hiding pet bowls and beds, and keeping the house spotless, ready at any moment for potential buyers. But there are some things that need to be fixed or updated before you sell. First hom

Often, people sell a home and buy another, rolling profits from the sale of the first home into the down payment for the new house. But if you make enough of a profit on the sale of your house, you may have to pay capital gains tax. Read on to find out what you might have to pay. Homeowners benefit from all kinds of tax exemptions, including a big one when it comes time to sell. The capital gains tax exemption allows a homeowner to make $250,000 from the sale of a house witho

The school year is winding down, and before you know it college students across the county will be looking for a place to live in the next year. Having a quality rental property in a college town can be a big money maker, but is it worth the hassle? We asked Steve Taylor from Wolfe and Taylor for the rundown for our latest Ask the Expert post. Wolfe and Taylor's property management division acts on behalf of many homeowners renting to University of South Carolina, Benedict Co