Eric Mitchell Real Estate

5 Financial Tips for First-Time Parents So a babe is on the way? Congrats! Along with the chaos of, well, everything that is to come, your finances are about to experience an upheaval, as well. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it will cost upwards of $245,000 to raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18—and this does not include college. Feeling that bank account burn already? Below are five tips for rocking your budget as a new mom or dad. 1. Tweak the budget.  Your new little one is going to cost a pretty penny. From hospital costs to diapers and child care, budgetary stress is an added strain on you as a new mom or dad. Look for any unnecessaries you can slash to make room for more baby dollars. The more prepared you are, the better. 2. Track your spending.  Don’t just make that budget and set it aside. Set a monthly meeting with your spouse to look over your spending, make sure you’re on track, and identify any problem areas or potential saving pockets. 3...

  Ending Small Talk: Tips for More Meaningful Conversations Having more meaningful relationships with friends both new and old is a great goal, and it can start with your conversations. Below are five tips for those of us frustrated with small talk. Skip the weather.  As tempting as it may be to springboard off the weather, this can lead you down the empty-conversation rabbit hole and into a twenty-minute dialogue about rain. Asking about almost anything else should yield more interesting results. Think of base questions.  So, what should you talk about, if not the weather? Come up with a short list of base questions you can turn to in a flash. If you’re talking to a stranger or new acquaintance, try “have you done any traveling lately?” or “are you reading any good books?” These more personal questions show genuine interest and will actually reveal something about your conversation partner. Make eye contact.  Regardless of what you’re discussing, work to maintain or...

Kitchen Upgrades Worth Their Weight in Resale Value If a kitchen renovation is on your radar screen, and you plan to stay in your home long-term, you can figure on spending $20,000 or more – especially if you plan to rip out counters and re-configure your space. But if you’re thinking of upgrades that increase your home’s resale value, as well as your own enjoyment, there’s a lot you can do at minimal cost to bring your kitchen up to date. Designers advise putting your money into six specific areas to get the most bang for your update buck: Appliances  – Replace basic white or black appliances with stainless steel, which will not only update the look of your kitchen but will likely be more energy efficient. Cabinets  – It’s amazing what a coat of white paint will do to make your kitchen pop. But if tired, old cabinets are beyond painting, re-facing them will save you big bucks over replacing them. Hardware  – Replacing standard cabinet hardware with fres...

Dos and Don'ts of Starting a Home Remodel Whether you’re remodeling your bathroom, kitchen or whole house, proper planning is essential to project success. HomeAdvisor offers the following tips to help keep your remodeling project on track and avoid common mistakes: Don’t be impulsive. Do your research. It might be hard to imagine, but one of the biggest mistakes you can make is rushing headlong into a remodel without proper planning. You might be itching to get started, but beginning a project before you have every detail finalized could be a recipe for disaster. While the planning process varies, consider spending between one and two months planning your remodel. Don’t be blindsided by costs. Do stick to a budget. Going into a remodel without a clear spending limit will guarantee that you go over budget. HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide could help you get a better idea of how much you can expect your remodel to cost. Having your budget finalized before you meet with ...

How to Choose a Qualified Contractor We’ve all seen news reports about fly-by-night contractors who took thousands of dollars for home improvement projects and disappeared without completing the work. And you might have friends or neighbors who thought they had hired a competent contractor, but the company ended up doing a shoddy job or going way over budget. These types of horror stories understandably make some homeowners nervous when it comes time to hire someone to remodel their bathrooms or build an addition. Rest assured that most contractors are reliable workers ready to take on your project in a professional, trustworthy manner. To help you avoid scams and find a qualified contractor, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) offers the following six tips: 1. Stay Local Local contractors are compelled to perform quality work that satisfies their customers in order for their business to survive. Local firms can be checked through references,...

Raising Caring Kids Most parents start by encouraging children to share—and that’s a good start, agrees Harvard psychologist Richard Weissbourd. Weissbourd’s recent study, however, found that 80 percent of children believe their parents care more about their grades than whether they care about others. If we want children to grow up caring and respectful, says Weissbourd, we need to raise them that way. He and his staff provide five strategies for raising kinder, more ethical children: 1. Make Kindness a Priority –  Children need to balance their needs with the needs of others. Parents should encourage them to honor their commitments, try to work out disagreements, and address others respectively even when they are angry or tired. 2. Provide Opportunities to Practice –  Pitching in around the house, helping a friend with homework, or sharing a favorite toy with a sibling are good ways to make caring second nature. You don’t need to reward them for doing routine cho...

House Hunting Mistakes to Avoid Buying a house is a serious thing and if you’re on the hunt for a new home, it’s important to make smart decisions. One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying a home they can’t afford. It’s important that you consider what the mortgage payment is of course, but you also need to factor in insurance, taxes, upkeep, monthly bills and any renovations that will need to be done. Sure, you might have enough to buy the home, but you don’t want to be spending every last dollar once you move in. Another mistake people make is buying a home too quickly, even when it doesn’t meet the hopes and dreams on their “wish” checklist. Now, this doesn’t mean you are definitely going to get everything you want in a home, but don’t be discouraged after one day of looking. By not doing your due diligence, you could see your dream home become available soon after and by then, it will be too late. Try to make a list ahead of time of what you really desire and ...

Solutions to Common Basement Problems If you have a basement, whether finished or unfinished, you’ll likely encounter problems at some point. Basements are notorious for water-related issues that can affect the condition of the house, damage the basement’s contents and even affect residents’ health. Problems Caused by Excessive Humidity Humidity is a frequent source of major problems in a basement. Moisture can accumulate in an area that is poorly ventilated and can lead to mold and mildew. Those issues can result in poor air quality, not just in the basement, but also on the first floor of the house, which likely includes living areas where family members spend a significant amount of their time. Mold and mildew can cause a variety of health problems, ranging from headaches to respiratory issues to allergic reactions. The effects can be particularly serious in children and the elderly. If the basement does not have windows, a dehumidifier can control the level of moisture in...