Optima Properties' Blog

Hurricane season has just begun and will last until the end of November; it is important for homeowners to have an awareness of what their insurance policy covers and what their hurricane deductible is.     This is particularly true for first time homebuyers or for homeowners that have relocated ...

Buying a house is a difficult process — there are large sums of money involved, the transaction costs and hassle of moving mean that you can’t just buy another house if you don’t like the one you end up with. The best you can do is to educate yourself in all aspects of the house hunt, keep a clea...

Lots of people these days are following that motto and trying to live a life of less; less junk, less clutter, less stress and less house. So how do you downsize your world when you’ve spent your life accumulating stuff?   Planning your space before you downsize is essential; downsizing requires ...

  If you’ve been thinking about replacing your water heater soon, you will want to read up on how the new water heater efficiency standards, effective April 16, 2015, will affect your options. The U.S. Department of Energy recently mandated sweeping changes in the energy efficiency standards of t...

  49,327 views Kim N. Bregman's Blog     By Kim N. Bregman | Broker in Boca Raton, FL    Spring Cleaning Checklist   Posted under: Home Buying in Asheville, Property Q&A in Asheville, Home Ownership in Asheville  |  March 14, 2014 4:37 AM  |  683 views  |  No comments   Email AlertsSend to a Frie...

  One of the costs of owning a home that buyers need to consider in their  budgeting is the cost of insuring the home. A standard policy will cover exterior and interior damage from incidents like vandalism, fire, wind and lightning. It also covers loss of use expenses, damage to structures like ...

Moving into a new house is exciting, but the list of “to dos” can be overwhelming. You not only have to pack and prep the new house, but you have to tie up all the loose ends at the old place. Here are 10 tasks that are easily overlooked when moving into a new home – if you take care of these, yo...

Chances are, when you think about investing in real estate the first thing that comes to mind is your home. For many people, their home is the single largest investment they will ever make. But have you ever stopped to consider that once you purchase a home it becomes part of your overall portfol...

  There is often a misconception of what a final walk through is and why it’s important.  A final walk through can sometimes be referred to as a pre-closing “inspection.”  Although you are probably excited and anxious to close on your new home, the final walk through is important and many things ...

  The obvious advantages to residing in Florida is the weather and no state income taxes.  Another lesser known, but equally as important, advantage is Florida's homestead laws.   "Homestead" can be a deceptively complex issue in estate and tax planning when individauls finally decide to become F...