Sometimes, the family home we loved during our younger adult years is not what we need as we age. For various reasons, we may decide to downsize. If you’ve chosen to spend your retirement in a smaller home, here is how you can make that transition as smooth as possible.

There are so many questions that buyers and sellers ask me about the appraisal process and valuing homes that I decided to ask an appraiser directly. Here she answers my frequently heard questions and one that she hears all the time as well.

The first time I heard the word “xeriscaping” as a landscaping philosophy, I thought it was “zeroscaping,” which is my own personal technique. Wow, had my yard gone mainstream? Not so much.

Congratulations! You’re offer was just ratified. You’re now faced with trying to understand the closing process. David Modell of the Law Office David P. Modell in Bethesda, Maryland spells it out for you so you know what is happening behind the scenes from the time you are ratified through to the closing on your new home.

Real estate agents and mortgage lenders will tell you not to buy a car in between the ratification of a purchase contract on a home and the day of settlement. Changing your credit situation during that period of time can have a huge impact on your home financing. So, when is the best time to go car shopping? Fellow consumer advocate, Mike Rabkin of From Car To Finish is the guest blogger here to answer that question.