Choosing the right community is so important. How you can you really love where you live unless you love the neighborhood? In the frenzy of finding a home and scheduling moving day, many people forget that researching the neighborhood is one of the most important ways to insure happiness at your new home. Before making your final decision on a home, don’t forget to:

* “Profile” the neighborhood. Ask yourself these questions: Is the quality of the school system important? Is the commute do-able for you? Do you like to be within walking distance to shops and restaurants? Do you like quiet?
* Once you zero in on a neighborhood you like you must research all school information, crime statistics, parks and recreation, neighborhood association fees and tourist attractions. Armed with this information it will be easy to make a wise decision for you.
* Take the time to visit. Don’t downplay your first impression. Take note of the community’s rush hour patterns, it’s social ability factor, it’s streetlights at night. Drive by the schools. Shop in the local grocery store. Try to meet some of your potential neighbors. All of these visual clues can be very revealing.

For more interesting ways to figure out if a neighborhood is right for you click here.

Homeowners having financial difficulties and in fear of losing their homes to foreclosure could be helped by the newest addition to the government’s housing-rescue plan. It entails a standard process and incentives for a short sale. It will simplify the process for borrowers to transfer ownership of their home to the mortgage company through a “deed in lieu” of foreclosure. This will benefit the buyer because they avoid “foreclosure” and it will benefit the lender because they will avoid the high foreclosure expenses and large amount of time it takes to complete the process. This year, short sales have increased to 20% of all home sales. Compared to foreclosure, a short sale is less costly to the lender, but for the buyer it must be approved and can take up to four months to complete. The government plans to pay mortgage-servicing companies up to $1,000 and borrowers up to $1,500 for completed short sales and “deed in lieu” of foreclosure.  These incentives will help make the process go faster.

For more information on the government housing-rescue plan see USA Today for common questions.

Since the kids will be out of school soon and many people will be planning vacations, it is time to start thinking about the best ways to protect your home from a possible burglary while you are away. The most obvious things most people do are stop the mail, stop the newspaper delivery, lock the house up tight and leave a light on. The following ideas go a step beyond these old stand-bys:

• If you happen to be going away on an extended trip, you may be better off asking a neighbor to pick up your mail and newspaper and bring it into your home each day.
• Invest in  a couple of timers. You can set them to turn a light on and then off at the same time each day. You can also use a timer on a radio or stereo.
• Hire a house sitter in the form of your neighbor’s responsible teen, or work out a system with your neighbor where you can cover their house when they go away and they look after yours when you are away.
• If your neighborhood does not already have a “neighborhood watch” program, be the one to start it. That way you will always have someone to tell your travel plans to.
• Consider purchasing a home security system. Your home will be regularly monitored and many companies offer a neighborhood patrol.

Whether you rent your house or own it, your possessions are still a collection of your life.  Keep it safe while enjoying your summer.

For more information about home security tips go to HowStuffWorks for additional ideas

It can be terribly expensive just to maintain the most important thing most people will ever own: their home. Keeping this fact in mind, here is a list of ways to improve your house’s value without emptying the bank.

• Hiring an inspector could be the most cost-effective thing a home owner ever does. This is especially true if the inspector finds a small problem that could become something much bigger down the line, such as a termite infestation, a water leak or a roofing problem.
• Amazing value is added only by painting a room.
• Energy efficient homes that feature items such as special or vinyl windows and/or programmable thermostats, save you money and are a marketable asset if you do intend to sell.
• Landscaping improvements in the form of large shade trees make houses more desirable. They can also cut your cooling costs up to 40%.
• Improve your house’s air quality by replacing old carpeting, or removing it entirely if you are lucky enough to have hardwood flooring underneath.
• By adding a small luxury item such as a water filtration system, you are adding value to your house and saving yourself money since you will no longer need bottled water.
• Replace old fixtures such as an old ceiling fan for a newer, more updated-looking model. It will make your home more pleasant on hot days, and will appeal to buyers when you need to sell.

In December of 2007 Congress signed into law the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. Under regular circumstances, when a lender chooses to forgive all or part of a borrower’s debt, the forgiven amount is considered income and the borrower is liable to be taxed. This law offers relief to the homeowner in that it extends relief for three years, covering debts discharged through calendar year 2012. Amendments have been made to remove tax liability and allow the borrower and lender to work together to find a common and beneficial solution for both parties. This debt relief is limited to primary residences only and the amount of forgiven mortgage debt allowed to be excluded from income tax is $2 million per year.

For more information about the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act go to the I.R.S. website.

Anybody who lives with a pet knows that when you share the house you rent with one of these beloved friends, you give up the word “spotless” as a way to describe your home…forever.  Here are some tips to keep the house you are renting as clean and fresh-smelling as possible, and your landlord happy, despite your pet’s, let’s just say, “untidiness”.

• Animal hair has an aroma. Usually, it’s not a good one. Vacuum regularly, even if the pet hair matches your furniture and you cannot see it. I promise you, your guests can smell it. Dyson makes a vacuum especially for picking up animal hair.
• This is obvious, but a regularly washed pet makes for a clean house. Think of how happy they are when it’s all over! Keeping pet’s nails trimmed down also limits scratches on floors and fabrics.
• Look into Crypton. It’s a stain-resistant fabric that includes suedes and twills. As always, leather and Ultrasuede are great choices for animal owners.
• Stick to rubber toys if you have a mad chewer. Pig’s ears and rawhide bones are not only terrible for your pet’s health, but if they make it inside your home, they will stain your floor and furniture.
  

To learn about more interesting things for your home with pets go to http://www.everydaystudio.com and http://www.animalhousestyle.com.