Tag: holidays

15 Tips For An Easy Mortgage Process During The Holidays

‘Twas a crisp, cold, clear night, when we hoped for a house. 
With my hot cocoa stirring, I looked at my spouse. 
We’d mapped out our assets and budget with care, 
In hopes that our offer would not catch a snare. 
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, 
While dreams of new bedrooms danced in their heads. 
My spouse in their slippers, and I in my cap, 
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap. 
When from my cell phone there arose such a clatter, 
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. 
Seeing the name, I answered in a flash;
Our offer was accepted, with a loan, not of cash.
What a gift to receive, our hearts were aflutter — 
In the morning we'll celebrate with hot scones and butter. 
When what to my wondering eyes did appear, 
A little less worry and a little more cheer.
With the offer accepted, I hung up the phone.
Knowing that we were approved for the loan,
What should we do now? We were happy as larks!
The news was like light after uncertain dark,
I feel joy for the mortgage we have with Benchmark!

Your housing timeline may have you moving right in the middle of the holiday season. It can be a crazy time, but that’s no reason not to seize the day and make some holiday memories in a new home.

However, it’s also a season when personal budget planning often gets neglected to make room for extra joy and memories — sometimes with an expensive price tag.

Benchmark is here to help.

As you assess your financial situation, be mindful of your spending. Be aware of your normal budget, and pay careful attention to your holiday expenses.

At Benchmark, we are committed to delivering a smooth and easy mortgage process. Keep these lists handy as you start your home buying process this holiday season:

DO’s:

Keep an eye on your holiday budget — remember not to make big purchases that might affect your credit score.
Keep in mind that interest rates are sometimes lower during holiday months.
Let family and friends know that you have moved addresses so they know where to send your housewarming gifts!

DON’Ts:

Don’t make any large purchases that require credit checks or open new lines of credit. This can affect your credit score and change your loan status.
Don’t wait until the last minute to complete and send the required documents to your loan officer. Doing it in a timely manner will ensure a smooth loan process.
Don’t rush putting an offer on a house just so you can close before the holiday season. Remember, this is a long-term decision.
Don’t use your entire down payment on holiday gifts. Save as much money as you can.
Don’t accept monetary gifts from relatives (e.g., accepting down payment assistance) without consulting your loan officer first.
Don’t open, transfer, or close any asset accounts without first discussing any plans with your loan officer.

This holiday season may look a little different. Maybe you forego large Christmas gifts and stick to a budget to keep your credit score on target and your mortgage process on track. But, your new home will likely be the best gift you receive this season — and we’d say that’s more than worth it.

“Home for the holidays” takes on a whole new meaning!

At Benchmark, we are committed to helping you with your home loan needs and decisions for future success.

Contact your local Benchmark branch. Contact us today for personalized information. Call me yourself or request a call from me. WeI would be honored to provide you with our famous excellent service for your new loan.

Benchmark brings you home.

How To Maintain Your Sanity When Hosting For The Holidays

by lmills

Welcoming your friends and family into your home can be one of the most anticipated events of the holidays. Whether you have family visiting from out of town, or if you’re hosting Christmas dinner this year, the fact that your home is the gathering place for your loved ones is a special privilege.

However, all the stress from cooking, cleaning, and social duties of hosting may get in the way of enjoying the moments and memories with your guests. Following these tips may help you achieve balance and celebrate the joy of your holiday gathering.

Prepare in Advance

Get ahead so you don’t feel like you are falling behind. Do you wait until the last minute to do your shopping, or prepare your home for guests? Of course, doing anything last-minute is a tried and true recipe for anxiety or stress. By making a list of what you need from the store early, you may be able to beat the holiday crowd — if you wait until the day before Christmas, you are giving yourself the gift of a stress filled shopping trip. The best cure for situational stress is preparation. You can do it!

Don’t Overcommit

Promising more than you are able to deliver will run you ragged. While it is sometimes easier to say ‘Yes’ than to risk confrontation, Remember, it is okay to say ‘No.’ If you lack space or patience to host guests from out of town, or if you are uncomfortable cooking a complicated meal, it’s okay to say ‘No.’ Your family most likely loves you as much as you love them, and will understand. Ultimately, you will be more relaxed, leading to happier holidays.

Delegate Tasks

Once you have prepared and decided that you can handle hosting your loved ones, it’s time to distribute the work to those willing to help out. Relying only on yourself to get everything done will make it difficult to enjoy the experience. Ahead of time, take down a list of everything you need to accomplish, and try to delegate at least 50% of the tasks to family members or outside sources. If you have limited help, or limited space, this is where prioritization and balance really come to the rescue.

Consider Catering

If you normally find yourself trapped in the kitchen during your holiday hosting, consider catering a meal for your guests to enjoy. Sure, your grandmother’s family pie recipe is better, but is a ready-to-bake pie from the store good enough? Is the catered green bean casserole better than your old standard? Even outsourcing a portion of the kitchen tasks can give you room to breathe, and even enjoy the tasks you’ve reserved for yourself to brag about. Everyone will likely appreciate mixing up your typical holiday cuisine, and you will gain quality time spent with your friends and family instead of stressing in the kitchen. Joy to the host!

What Are Your Tips?

If you have tried these, or if you have your own tips that we should know about, please leave it in a comment below! We would love to hear from you.

Happy Thanksgiving from Benchmark

by I Am Benchmark

Happy Thanksgiving from Benchmark

5 Simple Ways to Relieve Holiday Stress at Home

by Benchmark

The holidays are here, and with it can come unwanted stress. The good news is that there are simple ways that you can relieve stress from your own home. So when you start feeling overwhelmed from shopping, baking, cleaning and planning holiday parties, remember these tips to help you relieve some stress!

Set a Budget and Stick With It

Nothing stresses people out quicker than money. To be more accurate, it is the lack of money that stresses people. When it comes time to buying gifts this year, be sure to set yourself a reasonable budget. Determine how much you have and how much you are going to spend on the people for whom you need to buy gifts.

After setting a budget, remember to stick with it! After all, a budget is only as good as your ability to follow it.

Understand Your Limits

During the holidays, people love to give 110 percent. That being said, you also have to remember that everyone has limits, and you need to respect yours. By understanding your own limits, you can avoid reaching your breaking point.

When you become overrun by holiday tasks, ask others to lend a hand! It is the time of year for sharing, so share some of those responsibilities with others!

Try to Keep Things Small

At some point, everyone figured that the bigger their holiday party was, the more fun it was. The truth is that, the bigger the party, the more stress you are putting on yourself. Instead of trying to go all out this holiday season, try to keep your gatherings more intimate. Don’t worry about inviting all of your friends and every family member!

One year of not sending cards and spreading Christmas cheer is not going to ruin any of your relationships.

Don’t Become the “Yes” Man

Do not say, “Yes,” to every request that you get. During the holiday season, we tend to find ourselves saying, “Yes,” a lot more often than what we normally do. It is the holiday season, after all. However, saying, “Yes,” to every request that you get puts a lot of pressure on you, which raises your stress level. By turning down some commitments, you may find yourself with a little extra free time this holiday season.

Take Some Time to Listen to Music

There is nothing that is more relaxing than sitting back and listening to some music. It doesn’t have to be holiday music; it can be any kind of music that you find relaxing. Try setting up your own personal radio station on Rdio or Pandora. Listening to music while you are working or setting up a holiday party is a great way to stay relaxed and tension free.

Discover These Unique Holidays During November

by Benchmark

November is considered a big holiday month because of Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving. Many people also look forward to Black Friday sales that signal the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. What you may not realize is that November is chock full of unique celebratory days.

These amusing, thoughtful and wacky days deserve special attention too:

Book Lovers Day – 11/2Celebrate your bookish ways on this day.

Deviled Egg Day – 11/2

Got a hankering for deviled eggs? This is the day to enjoy as many as you can eat.

Look for Circles Day – 11/2

Anyone looking for circles on this day is sure to find plenty!

Housewife Day – 11/3

Celebrate the housewife, or househusband, that makes coming home worthwhile.

Sandwich Day – 11/3

This is the day to enjoy your most favorite sandwiches.

Saxophone Day – 11/6

Listen to music performed by great jazz saxophone players such as John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker.

Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day – 11/7

As if anyone needs an excuse to indulge in chocolate.

USMC Day – 11/10

This is the day the United States Marine Corps was created back in 1775. Thank a Marine for their service.

Young Readers Day – Second Tuesday

Encourage a child to read a book.

World Kindness Day – 11/13

Take a moment to show kindness to someone.

Operating Room Nurse Day – 11/14

This day recognizes the dedication and contributions of hard working nurses.

Clean Your Refrigerator Day – 11/15

Roll up your sleeves and clear out old food, spills and mold.

America Recycles Day – 11/15

Go green and recycle.

Button Day – 11/16

Proudly wear your message button.

Have a Party with Your Bear Day – 11/16

It’s a great day for a Teddy bear party.

Homemade Bread Day – 11/17

Bake or eat fresh homemade bread.

Take a Hike Day – 11/17

Go for a relaxing hike.

World Peace Day – 11/17

Make the world a better place by promoting peace and harmony.

Beautiful Day – 11/20

Find something beautiful to appreciate.

National Parfait Day – 11/25

Spoil yourself with a delicious ice cream treat.

Make Your Own Head Day – 11/28

Draw, paint or sculpt your head.

Buy Nothing Day – 11/29

Blissfully enjoy not spending money.

How to Prepare Your Home For Sale During The Holidays

by bmadmin

I’m all for decorating during the holidays. In fact, I have boxes and boxes in my attic of Halloween and Christmas decorations. However, should I put my home on the market during the holidays, I’d use about a fraction of what I have. There’s a reason behind it. When I decorate, I “add” to what’s already out. In other words, I’m not packing, I’m adding more things.

Now as much as I’d hate to call my holiday decor “clutter”, the simple truth is that it is. And as we all know, clutter eats up real estate. Not good when selling.

My advice – if you bring a holiday decorative item in, replace it with something that is already out.

My second piece of advice – Use accessories that follow the season, as oppose to the holiday.

Here’s an example of the accessories we chose to showcase the living room in a vacant home we staged in Atlanta last week. As you can see, we have used the Autumn colors (brown and orange) and not a single witch or pumpkin.

Atlanta home stager close-up picture

Stores are loaded with fall-like decor so use them to carry you through October and November.

My third piece of advice – use holiday decor sparingly.

In this home, staged for an Atlanta investor who had flipped this property, we added a touch of Christmas by bringing in these metal boxes of presents. These presents were the only holiday decorative item used and can be easily replaced with napkins after Christmas.

Atlanta Home Staging Kitchen Table Christmas Decor

In summary, here are the three tips on how to prepare you home for sale during the holidays:

If you bring a holiday decorative item in, replace it with something that is already out.
Use accessories that follow the season, as oppose to the holiday.
Use holiday decor sparingly

Kathy Nielsen, owner of Georgia Interior Solutions, is considered to be an expert in the field of Atlanta Home Staging. Her design work has been featured in Atlanta Magazine, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and featured on HGTV. Original article HERE.