HouseLogic: Have A Question About Home Ownership? Get Answers.
A piece of the home ownership puzzle.
Home ownership can often bring up a lot of questions. Before, during, and after the home buying process you’ll need answers. Enter HouseLogic. Whether this is your first home or your tenth, there’s something here for everyone.
As more and more consumers turn to the internet for answers to their questions, the need for more quality information increases. The National Association of Realtors® recognized that need and built HouseLogic. Divided into six main categories, HouseLogic compiles facts, figures, and how-to information in one convenient place for home owners. I’ve been toying with the site since I first heard about it and I have to say, I’m impressed. Back when I bought my first home in Los Angeles, real estate blogging hadn’t really taken off and although I was a complete internet-geek, all I could really do was go online and look at houses and occasionally stumble across an article or two about home ownership. As many home owners begin their research online before ever contacting a real estate agent, HouseLogic should be added to their list of reference websites.
Putting the pieces in place.
Let’s take a look at what HouseLogic provides by looking at each of the six main categories:
Improve – This category covers exactly what you might guess it does. Home Improvement. The best part of this section of the site is your ability to look at various projects, get the know how to do them yourself, and see the potential value added to your home versus the project’s cost. If you’re a registered user, you can actually save projects in your “binder” and build a personalized home improvement guide.
Maintain – Home ownership brings with it the need to update and maintain the various systems and appliances in your house. If you’re a first time home owner, it can seem a bit daunting at first, but the longer you own a home, the more you get comfortable and capable. This section of the site covers many of your questions about home repair and maintenance and contains a lot of great suggestions for getting more out of your home, whether prolonging your appliances life expectancy through proper maintenance or simple projects to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Engage – I was pleasantly surprised to find this category at HouseLogic. This section covers community and neighborhoods. In a world where we love our gated communities, fences around our yards, and caller ID to keep people out of our lives, I think we’re beginning to move back to a sense of community amongst our neighbors. Sure, not every neighbor is your idea of the perfect person to live next door to, but getting involved in your area can bring safety, friendliness, and a sense of community to your neighborhood. I applaud the National Association of Realtors® for including this section, I hope all neighborhoods become more tightly knit in the future.
Taxes & Incentives – Obviously one of the incentives that is discussed is the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, but that’s not all that’s out there. Tax credits for making your home more energy efficient, tax deductions for vacation properties, as well as deductions based on mortgage interest are all covered. As always, you should speak with a qualified tax professional when dealing with these matters, but knowing what’s out there first can be a great help.
Finances & Insurance – I find that the world of finance (as it applies to mortgages) is one of the most confusing subjects for home owners. Even some of the seasoned veterans of home ownership can be lost in this topic and have more questions than you can imagine. Part of that comes from the fact that mortgages are ever evolving. Remember the sub-prime loans that helped cause the market to crash? Gone. Ever heard of a no-doc loan (no documentation or verification of income was necessary to get the loan)? Gone. Just when you think you have mortgage finance figured out, changes come along. Lucky for us, the basics usually stay the same. Topics such as refinancing, foreclosure, hazard insurance, and loan modification are discussed within this section of HouseLogic.
News & Activity – Housing market news from around the country, stories that affect both national and local real estate markets, and the latest in building technology and information are all covered by HouseLogic in this section. Since I become a real estate agent (and thereby immersed myself in real estate news) I have found I have become a better home owner through all the news I read on a daily basis. Of course, you probably won’t read quite as much (it is my job to stay on top of the news after all), but I do find that the more my clients read up on real estate news, the more they are prepared for the different challenges we might face in the home buying process.
The puzzle is never finished.
As HouseLogic grows in size and gathers more content, look for it to become an excellent resource for anyone with a home. The National Association of Realtors® is really taking the issue of home owner education head on and I think this is a good first step. With that said, I don’t think it will ever beat out hands on experience of home owners as they learn by doing while living in their home (when a toilet overflows at 3AM, you learn a lot – really quickly). I think the “binder” idea that allows you to build a project guide for your home is a great idea and will probably build myself a file, break out the hammer and drill, and get to work.
photo courtesy of rharrison
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Comments
HouseLogic looks like a really useful resource, particularly for first time buyers as it can be very confusing when you enter the housing market for the first time.
I definitely think it’s a great resource and can help clear up some of the common questions that consumers have on their mind, whether it’s their first time or twentieth time.
So how does an English solicitor wind up reading a blog post about Houselogic? Curious to see what brought you here.
rerockstar´s last blog ..“Why are you a Champion?” – Champions School of Real Estate
Hi,
I actually came across the “Lawsuit Filed Against Pulte” blog article when doing a bit of legal research and ended up reading a few others in your blog too… including this one. A symptom of a wandering mind, I’m afraid!
You need to consider so many things when you have your own house. Things like house maintenance, house insurance, etc. You just need prioritize things.
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