The closing date has been set, you are boxing up your belongings and a move is about to happen! It’s an exciting time, but some practical things should be addressed before you move in. Find out what you need to do and what you don’t need to do in your new home. 

Do’s 

• Paint–doing this before having to work around furniture and boxes makes the job go faster. 
• Clean everything, including carpets if you plan on keeping them. 

• Add storage to closets or utility rooms. 
• If you’re planning on upgrading the floors, do it before you get everything in the house. 
• Check the attic to make sure it’s adequately insulated.   
• Change the locks!  Every door should get a new lock, including the garage door. 
• Clean the ductwork and vents of the heating and cooling system.  If you’d like a deep clean, call a pro who specializes in cleaning HVAC ductwork. 
• If there’s a fireplace, have it inspected to be sure it’s safe and that the chimney is clean. 
• Find the circuit breaker box, and familiarize yourself with the switches.  If you can’t read the labels, turn each switch off and on to see what areas they control, and label them.  This is also a good time to locate your water main shut-off, so you’ll know where that is. 

Do Not’s 

• Making major changes too soon isn’t a good idea, unless necessary.  Live in your new home for a while and get a feel for what you love and what you don’t love. Waiting to remodel will allow your finances recover from the down payment and closing costs, as well. 

• You need to know everything that your homeowner’s insurance will cover, and what it won’t.  Make an appointment with your insurance agent to go over your information with them. 
• Taking a large tree down isn’t a good DIY project; this should be left to a professional, so call an arborist or neighborhood committee member to find out what you need to do if the tree is diseased or is a safety hazard. 
• Drilling or nailing into the walls of your new home is better done with a stud finder and make sure there isn’t any old wiring lurking behind the sheetrock.  There should be a setting on the stud finder for electric wires. 
• If your home is brand new, maintaining it is key.  But if you live in an older home, don’t neglect a monthly walk-around and make sure everything is okay.  You don’t want a small fix to turn into a major repair. 
• Saving money shouldn’t stop once you’ve bought your home!  Do your best to cut corners where you can, and continue the saving habits you got into while stocking away that down payment.   
• Throwing away receipts, new appliance user guides and paper work is a mistake.  Keep everything together in a folder labeled “Home Receipts,” so you can find them when you need them. 
• Don’t be a stranger!  Meet your neighbors before you move in; once you’re there permanently, it will be easier to invite them over for a casual get-together. 

Better Home and Gardens offers an extensive maintenance checklist for everything the new homeowner should know and keep track of. There are many resources for new homeowners available online, and ask your realtor for any ideas they may have to help get your new beginning off to a great start! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: www.localrecordsoffices.net

Your dream closet comes complete with drawers, shoe shelves, a complete vanity and a hefty price tag. Other organizational organizing gadgets and pieces can cost quite a bit as well, but there are a multitude of ways to get organized without spending a lot.  

Closets 

• A chain plant hanger is perfect for hanging shirts and blouses to save valuable room.  Chains also come in a variety of sizes and finishes, and is available year-round at most hardware stores. 
• Mount a short curtain rod on the inside of the closet door to hang scarves, and use clip-style curtain rings to hang hats and gloves in the Winter. 
• Tension rods placed at top and bottom of your closet can extend your hanging space for lighter items, like blouses and shirts. Or add shower curtain hooks to keep purses, scarves or ties handy.  
• This use of tension rods for shoe storage is awesome and easy! 
• A large piece of sturdy wire mesh from a hardware or farm supply store, and even pegboard cut to fit any spare wall space in your closet can be installed virtually flat. S-hooks make perfect hangers awkward-shaped items, and ties and scarves can be stored flat. 
• Closet space can vary, and if you’ve already utilized every inch, consider a wardrobe.  Scan online yard sale groups, flea markets and auctions for inexpensive pieces, add some paint to compliment your decor, and you have a custom wardrobe! 

In the Kitchen 

• A clean egg carton or small muffin tin is perfect for keeping things organized in the catch-all drawer. 
• If your cabinets make it hard to find pots and pans that you need, consider hanging them! Pot racks can be made from many things, and if you’re feeling a project coming on, here’s a great DIY pallet rack to try! 
• Use inexpensive dollar store baskets in your pantry for pull-out organization of cans, spices and baking items.  The baskets keep them neat, and easy to get to. 
• An unused cookie jar is perfect for keeping cooking utensils handy and out of a junky drawer. 
• A wall file-holder attached to the inside of a cabinet door is transformed into a plastic container lid holder. 
• Mount a long piece of magnetic tape to your backsplash to hold knives and other often-used utensils for easy access. (Make sure the kids can’t reach them, though!) 

Bedrooms 

• Use a bookshelf as a headboard to create space for books, (obviously), remotes, glasses, morning medicines or display items. 
• Under-the-bed storage is essential for seasonal clothes, shoes, toys, old photos–anything you don’t use daily.  Suitcases, old dresser drawers (with adhesive felt or wheels on the bottom), inexpensive plastic storage containers, and vacuum-sealed storage bags make the most of this space. 
• Is your makeup kept in a jumbled drawer or cosmetic bag? This DIY magnetic makeup board is a great way to keep it handy and easy to find. 
• The kids’ toys can stay better organized by using baskets in bookshelves, open shelving on their level, and benches with storage.  

Getting organized is on many New Year resolution lists, and if you’re serious about it, start by decluttering, and using what you can afford or DIY to make it happen.  Putting the home in order can be pretty, practical, and even cheap! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: https://articles.bplans.com

February 1, 2018 – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Orlando Museum of Art
2416 North Mills Ave.
Orlando, FL 32803

Admission: $15

Phone: 407-896-4231

Windows are the visual bridge between the inside and outside. Doors are symbolic of new opportunities. This show will allow artists to create what is meaningful to them, whether it’s repurposing a piece or incorporating the theme into their works. Media such as painting, photography, and sculpture are accepted, and need to incorporate window and/or door symbolism.

Event Website

Buy Tickets

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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It can be shocking to hear how many people spend more time planning their vacation or next mobile phone purchase than planning for retirement. It is hard to imagine that they are expecting Social Security will take them through their golden years. A person who has paid in the maximum each year to social security can assume to receive about $30,000 a year.

Every adult in the work force, should go to SSA.gov to find out what they can expect based on their planned retirement age. Since it probably won’t be the amount you need to retire comfortably, at least you’ll know how much you’ll be short so that you can devise an investment plan.

There’s an easy rule of thumb used to estimate the investable assets needed by the time they retire to generate a certain income. The target annual income is divided by a safe, conservative yield to determine the investable assets needed.

A person who wants $80,000 annual income generated from a 4% investment would need investable assets of $2,000,000. If a person had $500,000 now, they would need to accumulate $1.5 million more by the time they retire. They would need to save about $100,000 a year to be ready for retirement in 15 years.

If saving that amount does seem possible, an IDEAL alternative could be to invest in rental homes. The familiarity of rental homes like owning a personal residence can reduce some of the risk. Rentals also enjoy other characteristics like income from the operation, depreciation in the form of tax shelter, equity buildup from the amortization of the loan, appreciation and leverage from the borrowed funds controlling a larger asset.

Some investors explain the strategy by buying good rentals with mortgages and having the tenant to retire the debt for you. Single family homes offer the investor an opportunity to meet their retirement and financial goals with an investment that is easily understood and controlled.

A Retirement Projection calculator can give you an idea of how many rental homes you’ll need to supplement your social security and other investments.

By: PatZaby.com

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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• January 26, 2018 – January 28, 2018
• Location:Historic Robert Hungerford High School Campus
• Address: 100 East Kennedy Boulevard, Eatonville, FL 32751
• Time:  26: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Jan. 27: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Jan. 28: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Event Website

The ZORA! Festival celebrates the works and influences of Zora Neale Hurston, a prominent voice and writer of the Harlem Renaissance. This celebration highlights her contributions to African American culture and her hometown of Eatonville by combining excitement with activities emphasizing the importance of education and the arts. Explore “Zora’s Village,” featuring a variety of arts, culture, heritage and STEM offerings.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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The benefit of insurance is to transfer the risk of loss to a company in exchange for a premium. The deductible is an amount the insured pays out of pocket before the insurance starts covering the cost of the loss. The challenge is to balance the risk an insured can accept with the premium being charged.

To manage insurance premiums, policy holders often consider adjusting their deductibles. Lower deductibles result in less money out of pocket if a loss occurs in return for higher premiums. Higher deductibles will lower premiums but require that the insured bear a larger amount of the first part of the loss.

Insurance companies offer deductibles as a specific dollar amount or as a percentage of the total amount of insurance policy. The amount is usually shown on the declaration page of homeowner and auto policies.

A small fire in a $300,000 home that resulted in $5,000 of damage might not be covered because it is less than the 2% deductible which would be $6,000. If the homeowner can afford the cost of repairs in exchange for lower premiums, it might be worth it. On the other hand, if that loss would be difficult for the homeowner, a change in the deductible for higher premiums could be considered.

Raising deductibles can save money in the present when paying the premium but could cause problems later if a claim occurs. Homeowners should review deductibles with their property insurance agent to be familiar with the amounts and make any changes that would be appropriate.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Your children have flown from the nest, or maybe retirement is not so far away.  Do you still need all of the space your current home has? Or maybe the idea of selling and buying a smaller home and save the profit for a boost to your retirement income.  Whatever the reason, many empty nesters and retirees are downsizing. Let’s look at these things to consider: 

• Downsizing can be a huge change for most, and planning for it is the key.  Talk with your partner, your family and friends, tell them of your thoughts, and have some of them help you start a Downsize Plan.  
• Think practically when you’re thinking about what sort of house you’d like to buy.  You don’t want to go so much smaller that you don’t feel at home.    
• Do you want to stay in the general area you are currently in, or do you want to move across the country? Maybe you’d like to have an adventure and travel.   

• Look at your budget and go through it very carefully.  Even with a home sale, your new place could be in a more expensive area, with property taxes and higher utility costs.  Choose carefully so you save more of the profit from the old house’s sale. 
• We don’t like to think about aging, but one consideration you should be taking is that if this will be your last home, make sure it will work for you as you get older.  In case of mobility issues later on, a single-story house that will be easier to maneuver around in, or one with a smaller yard for less maintenance is best when house-hunting. 
• The thought of maintaining our landscaping can make us groan as we get older in more ways than one, so consider a condominium or townhouse to relocate to. Be sure to ask if there are extra maintenance fees in these communities. 
• Once you make your decision, contact a realtor in the area with questions about the housing market, as they can assist you with figuring out how much your house would sell for, as well as finding a smaller and affordable home for you to buy or even consider a rental for a while. 
• Once you decide to sell and relocate, start the first step of the moving process of going through your belongings, and deciding what you’ll have room for in a smaller home.  This downsizing article from Sixty&Me.com has some extreme but practical advice to help you start this emotional task. Get the family involved if your children still have belongings stored in your attic or spare room. 
• If the thought of cutting out so many of your belongings is too daunting, find a professional organizer who can help.  Look for one that specializes in downsizing. 
• You have probably acquired a houseful of furniture, and a smaller home means less space to place what you have now.  Talk to family members who may want pieces that you have, sell some furniture, or donate practical items to a shelter or thrift store. 

Preparing for the later years in life can be daunting.  If you’re getting ready for retirement, or dreading the thought of the last child leaving home, downsizing and a new beginning can actually be something to look forward to.  Be sure to share your housing concerns and desires with your real estate agent, who will do all they can to find the perfect home for you to make every moment enjoyable for you for years to come. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: thenubiannews.com

January 18, 2018 – January 21, 2018

Magnolia Park
2929 S Binion Rd, Apopka FL 32703

Saturday – Free and open to the public

Other events require a fee and registration.  See Event Website for details.

Buy Tickets Here

The Lake Apopka Wildlife Festival & Birdapalooza Birding Festival is perfect for nature-lovers visiting Central Florida. Tour the 20,000-acre Lake Apopka North Shore, where 360+ bird species have been sighted. Two full-day trips and nine half-day trips are offered along with three keynotes, two with dinners. For details and event registration, see http://orangeaudubonfl.org/birdapalooza/.

On Saturday January 20th participate in the 6th annual FREE family-oriented Birdapalooza festival at Orange County’s Magnolia Park, 2929 S Binion Rd, Apopka, FL 32703. Enjoy photo walks, bird banding, guided bus tours (limited first-come seating), and guided walking and biking nature tours for children and adults on the Lake Apopka Loop Trail. For the entire family,  there are live animal demonstrations, music, owl pellet dissections, bounce houses, face painting, exhibitors, nature-oriented merchandise vendors and food trucks. For details, see http://www.birdapalooza.com and like us on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/Birdapalooza/.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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With the arrest of a Louisiana man charged with almost three hundred counts of helping scam innocent people out of millions of dollars, email and internet scams are in the forefront.  We must be diligent about protecting ourselves, as well as elderly loved ones against cyber robbery.   

Emails and Websites 

• Avoid opening emails whose sender you don’t know personally, or haven’t signed up to receive. 
• If a sender’s name looks like it’s from a legitimate site, say Google for instance, and the subject matter says that you need to enter your information after clicking a link in the body of the email, don’t.  Google and other reputable email providers, as well as your bank and credit card companies never ask you for information unless you initiate the change. 
• When you aren’t sure of a link in an email, hover over it with your cursor, and read the address that pops up at the bottom left of your screen.  Hover over this link:  www.freecadillacforyou.com. Do you see that the actual link says that it will take you to google’s homepage?  That’s how those links work.  Make sure what you’re clicking on goes to where it says it will. 
• Anyone that you don’t know that sends you an email telling you they will give you money in exchange for helping them obtain part of it is lying to you.  They are scammers and will clean out your bank account. 
• Most web browsers will let you know with a symbol or a pop-up message if a site is secure or not.  If you are trying to go to your bank’s website, but the padlock symbol on your computer is open, then you’re at the wrong place.  Don’t type any personal information–including username and password. 

Social Media 

• Many times, scammers will hijack someone’s account and create a new profile with copied photos and start sending friend requests. As soon as people accept, the imposter sends personal messages claiming to need money because they lost their wallet or debit card. Do not reply to any more messages, and report the scammer to the fraud department.   
• “What Character from The Simpsons Are You?” types of quizzes and other questionnaires that request your name and cell phone number in order for you to share with your friends will likely add a charge to your cell phone bill. 
• Be careful about complaining in a public tweet or post about your cable company going up on your rates, or your high cell phone bill.  There are scammers who comb social media for posts like that, then, posing as a customer service rep for that company, send you a direct message, offering you a discount if you’ll provide your account number and verify your credit card. You’ll see bogus charges on your next card statement.  
• Don’t click on the link for the local news story that Johnny Depp or George Clooney had a flat tire in your town and fell in love with the location, and decided to purchase a home there.  Those fake news websites will install malicious software onto your computer and gather personal information. 

Not only do you need to protect yourself, but talk with your teens and elderly family and friends so they will be aware of these online scams.  The FTC offers some other tips on how to avoid being scammed.  As technology gets “smarter,” so do hackers and scammers, and we have to keep diligent watch over our personal information.  

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: FBI.gov

The new tax law that was signed into effect at the end of 2017 will affect all taxpayers. Homeowners should familiarize themselves with the areas that could affect them which may require some planning to maximize the benefits.

Some of the things that will affect most homeowners are the following:

• Reduces the limit on deductible mortgage debt to $750,000 for loans made after 12/14/17. Existing loans of up to $1 million are grandfathered and are not subject to the new $750,000 cap.
• Homeowners may refinance mortgage debts existing on 12/14/17 up to $1 million and still deduct the interest, so long as the new loan does not exceed the amount of the existing mortgage being refinanced.
• Repeals the deduction for interest on home equity debt through 12/31/25 unless the proceeds are used to substantially improve the residence.
• The standard deduction is now $12,000 for single individuals and $24,000 for joint returns. It is estimated that over 90% of taxpayers will elect to take the standard deduction.
• Property taxes and other state and local taxes are limited to $10,000 as itemized deductions.
• Moving expenses are repealed except for members of the Armed Forces.
• Casualty losses are only allowed provided the loss is attributable to a presidentially-declared disaster.

The capital gains exclusion applying to principal residences remains unchanged. Single taxpayers are entitled to $250,000 and married taxpayers filing jointly up to $500,000 of capital gain for homes that they owned and occupied as principal residences for two out of the previous five years.

Not addressed in the new tax law, the Mortgage Forgiveness Relief Act of 2007 expired on 12/31/16. This temporary law limited exclusion of income for discharged home mortgage debt for principal homeowners who went through foreclosure, short sale or other mortgage forgiveness. Debt forgiven is considered income and even though the taxpayer may not be obligated for the debt, they would have to recognize the forgiven debt as income.

These changes could affect a taxpayers’ position and should be discussed with their tax advisor.

By: PatZaby.com

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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