Suzanne's Blog

How Your Home Can Shelter You From Taxes

By Suzanne Volkman | Feb 7, 2025

For most Americans, buying a home is the biggest investment they will make. There are ways to make it less taxing. The Internal Revenue Service spells out the details in Publication 530, Tax Information for Homeowners, which it updates each year.  Here are some key things to know about when it comes to taxes and owning […]

Read More

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Sellers Are Making Right Now

By Suzanne Volkman | Feb 7, 2025

If you want to sell your house, having the right strategies and expectations is key. But some sellers haven’t adjusted to where the market is today. They’re not factoring in that there are more homes for sale or that buyers are being more selective with their budgets. And those sellers are making some costly mistakes. […]

Read More

How Home Sellers Can Use Concessions to Get to Closing

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 29, 2025

How can you as the seller use concessions to help you sell your house? Some buyers are looking for better deals to counter higher mortgage rates. As home inventory begins to grow and buyers regain some advantage in the market, sellers may consider offering more in negotiations to make the deal more attractive and get […]

Read More

Real estate trends to watch in 2025

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 29, 2025

According to Ryan Lundquist over at the Sacramento Appraisal Blog, here are THINGS TO WATCH IN 2025:   Sellers will continue to thaw out: Last year we saw more listings come to the market. In fact, we had about 3,500 more new listings than 2023 in the region. But the wild part is we were still […]

Read More

Stage Your Home for a Quick Sale

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 23, 2025

Home staging is a strategic way of preparing your home to spotlight all of its best features while downplaying its shortcomings. This includes decluttering, depersonalizing and making any necessary repairs or improvements to the house. Home staging is not required, but it can make a difference in a tight, competitive selling market. Staged homes tend […]

Read More

Credit Scores: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 23, 2025

Will opening a new store credit card hurt your three-digit FICO credit score? Will closing that credit card account that you haven’t used in 10 years cause your score to drop? Will applying for a home equity loan cause your score to tumble? You may not need to be as worried as you are! Learn […]

Read More

Consumer Guide: The Appraisal Process

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 23, 2025

If you are financing your home purchase, you will likely be required to get a home appraisal as one of the steps between signing and close. Here’s what you should know: What is an appraisal? An appraisal is an opinion on a home’s market value that helps a lender ensure the purchase price is in line […]

Read More

Real Estate After Death

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 23, 2025

When you die, do you want to create chaos and negativity as you pass away? If so, then make sure to do almost zero estate planning! No matter your level of wealth, if you don’t do any planning of your estate, you could easily leave your children or relatives with very few assets, and the […]

Read More

Your Home Sale and Capital Gains

By Suzanne Volkman | Jan 23, 2025

Let’s start with the basics: What is capital gains tax? It is a type of tax on profits earned from the sale of assets like stock or real estate. When these are sold for more than they cost to purchase, the IRS taxes the gain. In real estate, capital gains are calculated by taking the […]

Read More
https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/2025/03/31/paused-your-moving-plans-heres-why-it-might-be-time-to-hit-play-again/