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Fresh Luxury | Source

Interesting read! Check it out!

See How 1 Kitchen Looks With Different Island Lights and Stools (6 photos)

Many homeowners are cautious about going too bold in their kitchen design for things like cabinet color, countertop material and backsplash design. Which makes sense. A kitchen renovation is a big investment, and many people don’t want to regret a big design decision that’s difficult to change later…. read more

Want more Happiness? Take charge of your life. Project Happiness teaches proven habits to increase happiness in individuals and communities worldwide. Join us.

Tax Benefits For Homeowners

Owning a home has its perks, but with those perks also come other costly responsibilities. But if you are dedicated to being a homeowner, there are some benefits you can enjoy as a result – and they come in the form of tax deductions.

Make sure that you are taking advantage of these 4 tax deductions for homeowners this year:

1. The Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction

No homeowner enjoys looking over their mortgage statement. It’s a reminder that most of your paycheck is tied up in paying your monthly mortgage bill. And to make things worse – as if that isn’t already bad enough – for the first couple of years, that money is only covering the interest of your mortgage. But there is some good news! If you are a single filer, you can deduct interest on up to $500,000 and if you are filing jointly, you can deduct interest on up to $1,000,000.

2. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Tax Deduction

There is a way to avoid paying private mortgage insurance (or PMI), but it requires that homeowners are able to make a 20% down payment when they first purchase a home. For people who can’t pay that initial fee up-front, there are some tax deductions that are available to undo a bit of that burden. As long as your household doesn’t go over a certain amount of annual income, you can deduct your premiums on your taxes.

3. Home Improvement Loan Interest Tax Deduction

If a home improvement project is on your to-do list, now might be the time to consider going through with it. If you borrow money with the intent of making improvements to your home, you are eligible to deduct the interest you are paying towards the loan. Note: these improvements can’t be counted as repairs to your home, though.

4. Home Office Tax Deduction

If you work from home, you are encouraged to claim a home office tax deduction. This will require a bit of number-crunching on your end because you will need to calculate how much you spend annually on electricity, water, internet bills, etc. Once you have that number, you deduct it from the amount of space your office takes up, which will give you the final deduction that you can claim on your taxes.

It’s important to do your research on the various tax deductions available to you! Many homeowners don’t spend adequate time investigating, which means that they are paying out more money to the IRS than they are required to. Keep as much of your money as you can by seeing if you are eligible for any of the above tax deductions.

House Hunting On-The-Go: The Top Real Estate Apps

Instead of replying to texts or scrolling through Facebook while waiting in line at the grocery store or during your lunch break, use that time to productively search for your dream home. Now, you can take house hunting on-the-go with an endless surplus of real estate apps that you can download right to your smartphone.

These apps are all free to use, so don’t hesitate to go download-crazy and have as many tools available to you as possible to assist you in finding your new home. The real estate market is becoming more competitive, so having multiple outlets to search through will only benefit you in finding the right home for you before it’s taken off the market and is a missed opportunity.

Zillow

Zillow is one of the most downloaded real estate apps at the moment. It gives homebuyers a customized look into desired homes and locations. In addition to looking through high-quality images, you can also go on a virtual walkthrough of the home to see if it’s worth scheduling an in-person showing. This decreases the amount of time spent wasted at showings where the images don’t tell a true story of the home. You can also research a home’s surrounding area to find information that could affect your decision to buy, like neighborhood crime rates or the quality of the local school districts.

Redfin

One of the major benefits of Redfin, aside from its vast database of listings and detailed search capabilities, is its efficiency. The app updates its listings every fifteen minutes, which means that you won’t be unknowingly scrolling through older properties that may be close to selling. Redfin is also able to predict how fast a home is projected to be sold, so you will be able to prioritize the order of the homes you go to for showings.

Trulia

Trulia is another one of the most popular apps used by homebuyers and professionals. Trulia, like other real estate apps, offers personalized searches with detailed information about the area to help you make the most informed decision. But one of the areas where Trulia surpasses its competitors is with images. Instead of a map, you can browse through packages of photos that will show you different features you are interested in, like new, renovated kitchens or even fixer uppers for those who are interested in having control in the renovation process of their new home.

Homesnap

You are out driving around and a stunning home for sale catches your eye – how will you ever find that listing online? With Homesnap, you can take a picture of the home and learn more about it through the actual app to see if it’s a worthy candidate to schedule a showing!

If you are serious about finding your dream home, take full advantage of all of these tools that are available to you, whether you are at home or out and about.

Originally published on David Taran’s website.

How are cities keeping up with the fastest growing industry in America?

http://davidtaran.co/blog/

Really neat layout here.

Want more Happiness? Take charge of your life. Project Happiness teaches proven habits to increase happiness in individuals and communities worldwide. Join us.