If you or your spouse are a Military Veteran and you are looking to purchase a home, a Military Relocation Professional (MRP) can help you. Are you tired of paying rent and contributing to another person’s home equity? Talk to an MRP. Home ownership is within your reach, thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ housing benefit, known as VA financing. Consequently, with VA financing you can obtain a mortgage loan and purchase a home with NO money down. It’s time to live the so-called American dream.
A REALTOR® with an MRP certification and/or a Military and Veterans Housing Certification (MVHC) can best assist you with the various steps to obtain VA financing. Dawson’s Way Realty Services LLC has an experienced REALTOR® with both the MRP certification and MVHC ready to help you find your ideal home and get you to the closing table with as little stress as possible.
Eligibility:
The very first step is to determine your eligibility if you are a military veteran, retiree or active duty service member. Your MRP can provide a list of lenders with VA financing experience who can obtain your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The COE will detail your entitlement; that’s the amount the VA will guarantee on your loan. Next, with your COE in hand, the lender will pre-approve you to determine how much house you can afford. With VA financing, lenders may accept lower FICO score requirements and the debt-to-income ratio is less stringent. Although you are purchasing your home with NO down payment, you will still need some funds for certain upfront fees and closing costs.
VA Home Mortgage Loan:
The most exciting step is when your MRP/REALTOR® previews homes with you until you find the one that best fits your requirements. When your offer is presented and accepted by the seller, the sales transaction begins. Your REALTOR® will deliver the sales contract to the closing agent and to your lender. Subsequently, the lender will have you complete a loan application package for submittal to the VA Regional Office for review. The VA requires minimum property standards, meaning the home must be safe, structurally sound and secure. A VA Appraiser will visit the property to substantiate the value of the home.
After all contingencies have been fully satisfied, your VA home mortgage loan will be cleared to close by the lender. Your final step will be a seat at the closing table, eager to receive the keys to your new home.
My mother had a green thumb. Well, not literally. She was very good at gardening and had the ability to make any plant grow. She even grafted plant stems and came up with many variations of new plants in her garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t grasp all of her gardening techniques, but I did successfully learn how to keep my houseplants alive. So, in honor of National Garden Month, I encourage you to do some gardening this Spring, even if it means just sticking with the basics like I do.
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Plants need light! Natural light beaming through a window is perfect for certain plants. If no window space is available, a “grow light” will do. (A quick internet search can show you different options for purchasing a set of grow lights.)
Plants need water! But not too much. Frequent watering for some; for others only water when the potting soil is completely dry. It depends on the type of plant, but after a while you get a good feel for it.
Plants need to be kept clean! Dust the leaves from time to time and prune when necessary.
Those are the basics, though for me, it was easier said than done. Over the years, I tried caring for several different plants and eventually stuck with my favorites, Dieffenbachia and Pothos. Not only are they pleasing to the eye, they thrive with very little effort on my part. Thumbs up to that.
Depending on your home layout and window locations, choosing a houseplant is all about your preference. Large ornamental plants brighten up a room and can enhance the interior design. Smaller plants are easier to handle and can be placed anywhere. Especially out of the reach of small children and pets. Hanging plants are perfect for the patio. A window box filled with vegetable herbs is an excellent choice, if you have a kitchen window. You can have your plant and eat it too.
Research shows that plants in the home and in the work place can help to reduce stress. It is suggested that the color green emits a relaxing and calming effect to the body. We all learned in our early school days that an indoor plant absorbs the carbon dioxide that we breathe out and releases oxygen that we breathe in. Some plants are more beneficial than others. In the late 1980s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s NASA Clean Air Study proved that certain houseplants remove toxins from our air, such as benzene and formaldehyde. A perfect reason to go out and buy a houseplant or two.
The good news about buying indoor plants is that they come with instruction labels. It tells you how to care for the plant, the best location for it and more importantly, its potential growth. The Rubber Tree Plant (Ficus Elastica) can grow to more than 50 feet outdoors but makes a perfect indoor plant. Just pay attention to the instructions and prune, prune, prune.
So, if you have just moved to another home, are renovating, redecorating, or just want to add to your current home decor, consider getting some of the most common indoor air purifying plants. To name a few, try the Spider Plant, Aloe Vera, Ficus Elastica, Pothos, Chrysanthemum, Peace Lily or Bamboo Palm.
Cheers to greener thumbs, less stress and cleaner air. I’ll breathe to that!
What are some of your favorite houseplants? Any tips you’d like to share in honor of National Garden Month? Let us know in the comments below!
Author
Barbara has been a resident of South Florida for over 20 years and is the Qualifying Broker of Dawson’s Way Realty Services LLC. She is certified by the National Association of Realtors® as a Military Relocation Professional and a Pricing Strategy Advisor. Barbara's tenured Florida residency and 14 years of experience in the Real Estate business is what helps her lead customers to the closing table, and ultimately to a new home or in the sale of an existing home.
About Us
Dawson’s Way Realty Services LLC is a licensed Real Estate Brokerage located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. If you are thinking of buying, selling or renting, we are here to serve you. Dawson’s Way helps you home!
