Make Your 4th of July Unforgettable with These 10 Activities
Independence Day is right around the corner! If you’re not sure how to celebrate this year, don’t worry — we have a complete list of fun activities that are guaranteed to make this 4th of July the best one yet. From camping to barbecues to fireworks, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. It wouldn’t be an American holiday without a backyard barbecue, would it? Invite some friends or neighbors over and start up the grill to enjoy an American classic: hot dogs and hamburgers. Don’t forget to grab a speaker to play some music and get grilling! Take advantage of the holiday falling over a weekend this year, and plan a road trip to celebrate! Visit some places you’ve never been to and stop at some of America’s historic landmarks. What could be more fun than a road trip while learning more about American history? A few notable landmarks include the Lincoln Memorial and National Mall in Washington DC, Freedom Trail in Boston, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York City, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu (which may be a bit further than a road trip), just to name a few. For a complete list of America’s historic landmarks, click here. Sleep under the stars, sit around the campfire, and make s’mores! If there isn’t a campsite near you, setting up camp in your own backyard is just as fun. As long as you have some fun music, good food, and a campfire set up to make food, you’ll have a great time. Just don’t forget the bug spray! It wouldn’t be a holiday without enjoying some delicious food and tasty drinks, would it? Make a flag cake, a traditional apple pie, or a patriotic-themed cocktail if you're over 21. This refreshing watermelon sangria is perfect for the 4th of July. Cheers! Get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful nature that America has to offer. Grab some friends, a cooler of snacks and refreshments, and head over to spend a day on the water. Rent some tubes or a boat if you’re looking for some extra fun on the lake. Bring a pop of color into your Fourth of July by attending a firework show. A simple google search of your local area will help you find where your town is putting on a show in the sky! If that doesn’t yield any results, then this is the perfect excuse to buy a bunch of fireworks and put on a private show for your friends and family. You can find fireworks at most big shops. But you can also shop locally by stopping at an outdoor stand if there is one near you. Of course, follow instructions and be safe! Here is our roundup of firework shows around the United States to give you an idea of how big some cities do it! An activity that will add extra fun to your Fourth of July party incorporates a historical theme. This will help your guest get into that extra patriotic spirit. A great suggestion for your theme is to have everyone dress up as historical figures. Imagine grilling hot dogs with Harriet Tubman and Benjamin Franklin! You can also test your knowledge of your county by playing American history games. Amazon has some American Trivia games available for ages 14 and up. For some of us, shopping is a celebration within itself. That’s why we suggest taking advantage of all the sales available on the Fourth of July. Think ahead by making a list of what you may need in the coming year ahead. Buying matching Christmas Pjs for the family in July (on sale!) never hurt anybody! Here are some favorites: Gap Home Depot Best Buy Old Navy If you’re still hungry for more, Reader Digest breaks down 30+ Best 4th of July Sales You Won’t Want to Miss. Learning something new about our country's history and reading stories about the past can be a great way to celebrate such a historical holiday. This Fourth of July make an activity out of learning by consciously searching up a part of history you’re not entirely familiar with. There is a lot of history that gets overlooked, so this can be a way to enlighten yourself and those around you about everything that happened for us to get to where we are now. Remember field day from elementary school? Of course, you do! And If you never had the chance to experience it, imagine all your friends gathered specially for the opportunity to compete and subsequently earn bragging rights. Made up of several physical and mental challenges - Winning field day requires both teamwork and performance. For a successful field day, there are a couple of things you want to do in advance: Decide How to Measure the Competition - This includes how many members can be on one team, how many points to win, and the prize. Find the Right Challenge Level - the same as measuring the competition, this is going to depend on the age group and competitive level of your friends and family. This will help you decided which games to choose and how hard you will make winning them. Keep the weather in mind - make sure to have a backup plan in the event of bad weather. This could be an indoor space that fits your group or overhead covering outside that will allow you to continue the event. Plan your games and the order in advance - this is for the sake of keeping the stress of the host and the attendees down. There will be no guessing the day of, and everyone will know what members to choose for challenges in advance. Here are 52 Field Day Game ideas on Pinterest. Whether you decide to do some shopping or go all out and plan a family field day, these 10 activities will make your Fourth of July celebration unforgettable!
Four Ways To Know If You Are Ready To Buy A House
The Wild Wild West housing market had many people in panic mode — worrying that if they didn't act now, they may never be able to buy a house amid record-high housing prices and increasing interest rates. With the changing market conditions of today, hopeful homebuyers may be in a better position to act. It’s important to remember, though, that no matter what the market is doing, buying a home is something you shouldn't rush into. A mortgage is one of the biggest — and most important — responsibilities you’ll have in your life. Entering into home ownership before you’re ready could have negative impacts on your financial wellbeing. In this post, we’ll take you through some steps to help you decide whether or not you’re actually ready to purchase a home. Ready or Not? How To Determine if You’re Ready To Buy a Home In today’s changing market conditions, homebuyers must ensure they are in a good financial position before buying a home. Here are a few top things to consider. You Have Little to No Debt While there’s no hard rule that you have to be out of debt to buy a house, the lower your debt, the higher your pre-approval and the lower your interest rate — a homebuyer’s dream formula. In addition to these perks of having little to no debt, you should have the more dispensable income to spend on your mortgage payment, repairs, furnishings, and anything else your heart desires. Your Savings Account Is Robust When buying a home and going into owning a home, expenses are plenty and seem to pop out of nowhere — any homeowner knows this. From the down payment to closing costs to real estate taxes — and that’s before you even move in! Then, you have to be prepared for furnishing your home, replacing appliances, the AC going out, and any other emergencies that come up. It’s imperative — especially amid today’s changing market conditions and potential looming recession — to give yourself a healthy safety net when it comes to all of the bills and expenses that come with home ownership. Some experts recommend having six months of expenses set aside in your savings account, while others recommend having up to a year’s worth. One thing’s for sure, the more money you have in your savings account, the less stressful all of the expenses that come with homeownership will be. So, make sure your savings account is up to par before you sign on the dotted line for your new home. You Have a Steady Job Of course, no job comes with a 100% guarantee of permanent employment. But, the longer you’ve held a position, the more likely your job will be viewed as steady enough to get your mortgage approved. One big no-no during the home buying process is switching jobs, or, God forbid, up and quitting your job. Changing jobs can impact your loan approval, which means you may lose the approval on your dream, or your monthly payment could increase to something that’s out of your ability to pay comfortably. Also, having a steady job will ease the burden of making your mortgage payment because you’ll have an idea of what you can expect on each paycheck and whether you can realistically afford your mortgage. You Can Realistically Afford the Monthly Payment We’ve all been there, scrolling through Zillow, and we find the perfect house — and it even has a pool! We use the website’s payment calculator, and much to our surprise, the monthly payment seems completely manageable! Not so fast. It’s important to remember these online payment calculators often don’t consider all of the expenses associated with a mortgage payment. They also default to you providing a full 20% down payment. In reality, there are many more factors that will go into your house payment, including: Property taxes — which can increase each year (sometimes pretty significantly). Homeowner’s insurance. Homeowner’s association fees. City taxes and fees. Water, sewage, and garbage. Private mortgage insurance (PMI) if you’re unable to provide the full down payment. These added charges will likely add hundreds of dollars to your monthly payment, so it’s critically important that you don’t forget to factor these in to get a full picture of what you’ll be paying each month. Then you can ask yourself whether or not you can realistically afford it.
Top 10 Real Estate Terms Sellers Should Know
Real estate terminology can be confusing—but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re selling your home soon, here are the top ten terms you should know to feel confident during the process. 1. Buyer’s agent vs. listing agent Let’s start with an easy one! Typically, buyers and sellers have different real estate agents. A real estate agent who works with the home shopper or buyer is called the buyer’s agent. A real estate agent who works with the home seller is called the listing agent because they are listing your home for sale. It’s possible to have one agent representing both sides, which is called “dual agency,” but it’s not very common. Why? There is a potential conflict of interest in the case of dual agency, because real estate agents should always negotiate in their client’s best interest—which is hard to do when you’re representing both parties. For this reason, dual agency is actually illegal in some states. 2. Contingency A contingency is a clause in a real estate contract that allows one or both parties to back out of the deal if certain conditions are not met. Some common contingencies include: Appraisal contingency: allows the buyer to back out of the deal if the property appraises for less than the agreed-upon purchase price. Home inspection contingency: allows the buyer to back out of the deal if the home inspection reveals major problems. Mortgage contingency: allows either party out of the deal if the buyer is unable to obtain financing. Home sale contingency: allows the buyer to back out of the deal if they are unable to sell their current home. Seller's purchase of replacement property contingency: allows the seller to back out of the deal if they are unable to find a suitable replacement property in time. Contingency clauses can be a valuable tool for both buyers and sellers, but they can also slow down your real estate transaction. By their nature, contingencies make it easier for either party to leave the deal—which can leave you back at square one. But that doesn’t mean you should turn down all offers that include a contingency. Instead, talk to your real estate agent about the offer, and they can offer expert advice based on your market and your specific situation. 3. Due diligence period This is the period between when you accept an offer and when the deal closes. During this time, the buyer is to do their “due diligence” and investigate the property thoroughly. This includes the home inspections, appraisal, title search, and property survey—and it’s also a good time for buyers to start comparing homeowners insurance quotes. This period is meant to allow the buyer to find out everything they need to know about the property to make an educated decision about the purchase. 4. Equity Equity is the difference between your property’s current market value and how much you still owe on the mortgage. For example, if your property is worth $500,000 and you owe $300,000, then you have $200,000 in equity. Typically, the more equity you have, the better, because this is the amount of cash you’ll make from your sale (minus any transaction fees). More equity will make it easier to purchase your next home, or you can use it for saving, investing, retirement, education, and more. Did you know? A report from CoreLogic shows that the equity homeowners have in the U.S. recently hit a record high—making it a great time to sell your home. 5. Seller concession A seller concession is something offered by the home seller to the buyer to incentivize the purchase. These can encompass a variety of closing costs typically paid by the buyer, including appraisal fees, origination fees, interest rate buydowns or points, real estate tax service fees, and more—but they can’t include other purchase costs like the buyer’s downpayment. Should you make a seller concession? That depends on your market. In a seller’s market where houses move quickly and receive multiple offers, seller concessions are usually unnecessary. But in a buyer’s market where available homes outnumber buyers and take a while to sell, a seller concession is a good way to stand above the competition and attract attention. Ask your real estate agent for their advice on your specific situation. 6. Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) A purchase and sale agreement (otherwise known as a PSA) is a document that is written after a buyer and seller have finished negotiations. It includes details like the agreed-upon sale price, closing date, earnest money, and both parties’ contingencies. This is the official agreement on the terms of the real estate transaction, and when it’s signed, it moves the process forward toward closing. It’s different from the purchase agreement, which is the document you sign at closing that finalizes the transaction after the contingencies have been met. 7. Covenants, conditions & restrictions (CC&Rs) CC&Rs are a set of rules that govern what you can do with a certain piece of property in a given area. You may be familiar with Homeowner’s Association (HOA) rules in your neighborhood, which are a type of CC&R, but they’re also common in planned communities, condominium buildings, and industrial parks. What are the purpose of CC&Rs and what types of things can they govern? These rules can apply the following: Home maintenance like keeping your flower beds weed free, your lawn mowed, and your home in good repair Home appearance like the color of your exterior paint or the type of trash can or mailbox you can have Parking such as where you’re allowed to park or whether you can add a sunshade or carport for your vehicle Pets such as breed and species restriction And more! Usually, the idea behind these rules is to keep an area aesthetically pleasing, safe, and to improve and maintain home values. Why is it important for you, a home seller, to understand the CC&Rs in your area? Buyers typically want to know this information before making an offer, and if you live somewhere with HOA rules and fees, you’ll have to disclose those in advance. 8. MLS The Multiple Listing Service or MLS is the database in which all real estate listing information is stored. There are separate MLSs for states, regions, and even individual cities—and they don’t all have the same rules. MLS organizations in different areas require different information to be disclosed in a listing before it can go live in the database. Some basic information required by most MLSs include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the square footage, the price, and the name of the listing agent—but there’s a lot more! 9. Rent-back A rent-back is an agreement between a buyer and a seller that allows the seller to stay living in the home after closing in exchange for making rent payments. Why would a seller want a rent-back? In very competitive markets, it can be difficult to find a new home after you’ve sold the old one. In this case, if the buyer is able, they can offer a rent-back to the seller in a written agreement that gives you more time before you have to move out. 10. Closing Closing is when the home sale has been finalized. When does this happen? A sale is considered closed when the contingencies have been met, all the paperwork has been signed, and all the money has exchanged hands—and in some areas, when the deed has been recorded with the county clerk’s office. When these steps are completed, you’ll hand over the keys, and the buyer will be the new homeowner. At that point, you’ll be on to your next big dream!
Categories
Recent Posts
