Need to Sell Your Home for Cash? How to Find the Right Buyer

When dealing with the sale of your home, a cash sale is the best. Cash sales come in handy, especially when you want to sell your property faster. 

However, finding a cash buyer isn’t a straightforward task. In this article, we will discuss factors to consider while finding the right cash buyer for your house.

Reasonable Pricing and Closing Date Terms

The key to selling your home faster is finding a cash buyer with reasonable price offers and closer closing dates. You need to find a new cash buyer if the current buyer wants to take advantage of the situation.

Most home buying companies will offer low-price offers, especially when you really want to sell your home fast. A good cash home buyer will have free and quick closing terms to make sure you move forward easily, and this company buys houses for cash so it will care for your interests as much as they care for their investment.

Are There Extra Charges?

In normal situations, you’d expect to receive a cash payout while the buyer caters for the up-front and other fees. However, not all cash home buyers offer this kind of payment term. 

Some will include extra charges like administrative and closing fees with vague names. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t know much about the fess and fall prey to rogue cash buyers. If a cash buying company includes extra hidden fees, it’s time to find another one. 

A genuine cash home buyer will be open and upfront about the fees for their services. It would be best if you didn’t have to worry about hidden fees that will affect your total cash payout.

Does the Home Buyer Demand Improvements or Accept the Property as-Is?

In your pursuit to find cash buyers, you will find those that will ask you to repair, clean, or remodel your home before selling it. Some cash buying companies will demand you to make these improvements immediately after making the cash offer and won’t complete the transaction until you clean or upgrade your home. It’s time to find a new cash buyer if you detect they won’t allow you to sell your home as is.

How Fast Is the Process?

If your current cash buyer expects lengthy paperwork and other details to complete the transaction, you might not have a quick sale as you may have wished. A quick home sale takes a straightforward process that will take a week, if not a few days.

With the tips discussed above, you have all it takes to find the right buyer for your home. Do you want to sell your home as fast? Contact us today to get unbeatable offers with no commissions or fees.

Fund Your Luxury Vacation with the Fullerton India Travel Loans

Long luxury vacations have a soothing effect on one's mind. Indian travelers rarely think about budget options anymore, as the pandemic has taught them one thing very clearly - life is transient. 

They do not mind booking the best hotels or dining at the choicest restaurants. However, luxury vacations have become a costly affair, and the last thing you should do is break your savings or term deposits to sponsor an expedition. 

Getting an instant personal loan for travel might be the best option in such cases. But, is a personal loan better than other types of travel loans, such as credit cards? Read on to discover the facts before deciding which one to avail.

Which Travel Loans are Better - Personal Loans or Credit Cards?

You may choose two options for traveling the world: either you can take a personal loan or either you can travel with the expenses of your credit card. 

Hence, consider applying for a credit card or using the one you already possess to sponsor a luxury vacation. However, getting an instant personal loan online might be a better decision because of the following reasons:

1. Save Yourself From Overspending - Unlike a credit card, getting an instant personal loan enables you to limit your spendings and keep your debt under control. You can spend as much as you want on a credit card, and there is the risk of overspending, as the credit limit is often higher than the cardholder's monthly income. In contrast, lenders approve personal loans for travel based on the borrower's repayment capability. Hence, the repayment amount never exceeds your repayment capability, and you can keep your spendings under control with a personal loan. Various lenders offer personal loans of up to INR 25 lacs for travel purposes.
2. Discounted Interest Rate - Credit cards are never the best travel loans since they come with a high interest rate. For instance, credit cards may charge up to 3% interest per month after the due date. Hence, a personal loan offers you higher savings, making the repayments as seamless as your luxury vacation.
3. Extended Repayment Term - Getting an instant personal loan for travel is always a better option when you want to get an extended term for repayment. For example, a credit card usually comes with a due date that is only 30 to 45 days away from the credit date. The extended repayment term helps you spread out the repayment amount evenly for an extended period, thereby taking away the pain of repaying the whole amount in one go.
4. No Shortage of Funds - There may be a disparity between your credit limit and travel costs. Generally, a luxury vacation may cost you anywhere between INR 50,000 to 1,00,000, depending on the place and duration of the stay. However, credit cards usually come with a credit limit of up to INR 50,000. Therefore, personal loans for travel ensure that money never causes a roadblock in your travel dreams.

Other Features of Travel Loan:

Besides the features mentioned above, other features for personal loans for travel also offer the following features:

• End-Use Flexibility - Getting an instant personal loan is beneficial for two reasons - it gives you enough money to sponsor a luxury vacation, and you can spend the remaining amount on other essential activities, such as home renovation, motor vehicle purchase, hospital bills, etc. There is no restriction on the end-use of personal loans for travel.
• Online Access - Lenders offers a customized portal and app for accessing and managing personal loans for travel on the go. You can apply for a loan, pay EMI, modify the amount, contact customer service, and do many more things from within the platform or app.
• Instant Approval - Securing a personal loan approval is as simple as A-B-C. You can open a website or app, check your eligibility using the personal loan eligibility calculator, fill the application form online, upload documents, and submit. The lender usually verifies the application quickly and transfers the loan amount within 72 hours.
• Simple Eligibility - Personal loans for travel to any salaried or self-employed Indian citizen between 21 and 60 years ago. The minimum income criterion is INR 25,000 a month for residents of Delhi and Mumbai and INR 20,000 for residents of other places.

Conclusion

Luxury vacations are grand events that test your financial capacity. Sacrificing your dreams for the lack of money is perhaps the last thing you can afford. Getting instant personal loans for travel is considered the safest option to sponsor your travel vacation without burning a hole in your wallet.

 

From Coal to Diamond: How to Turn Unused Junk Into Cash

If your place looks like clutter, in your wardrobes, basement, and attic, you have a lot of unneeded items hiding. Based on the goods concerned, how much you want to receive, and how much effort you are ready to invest into the project, there are several methods you may use to make money. 

You may transform your mess into cash if you know of the many sites paying cash for old things, the sorts of stuff, and the pricing.

Thankfully, more people are finding ways to get involved in the second-hand market and are investing their time and value into buying and selling these goods. 

This means that these markets are liquid and provide a great deal of opportunity. If you are interested in turning your junk into cash, here is what you must know.

Sell Your Junk Cars

Were you ever an unwanted car buyer? Don't worry. By tapping into the recycling sector, Junkyards make their money. If you join your underused and even an old car, you can feel good about how you contribute to a recycling program, but what you think is the better part of the bargain with real cash. 

You may accomplish this by sending it to a junkyard if you want to sell your automobile for cash.

Sell to Secondhand Shops

There are many various places to buy goods when you go shopping second-hand. If you sell this to a store that you would sell to a buyer directly, you would likely not get as much for your things. A store takes a greater share of its ultimate selling price than running a website.

Try an Online Store

Consider internet options when you don't want your junk to haul across the place to get away from it. An excellent demonstration is the eBay online auction house. 

There are various internet ways to get the message you are selling items. It could be your aesthetic digital auctioning. That is all right. That's all right. Make sure you go where the right buyers are.

To market your unwanted goods locally is your wisest option if you want to sell them as much cash as possible. If you want a reasonable price for your products but do not want to sell them online, it's a great bargain to list them online. If you have goods you think you'll need one day again, renting makes good sense.

Home Care or Assisted Living? How to Best Help Aging Parents

One of the toughest things to see as an adult is seeing your parents age. At some point or another, they are simply not going to be able to take care of themselves, and that's a reality. 

As much as you may want to, the fact is that you won't have the time nor experience to be there for them. This is why so many choose to either place their parents into home care or assisted living, but what's the best route?

When it comes to finding an assisted living community or a home care agency in Philadelphia (or one wherever necessary), it's essential to take the time to explore your options and select a provider that aligns with your loved one's needs and preferences.

By conducting thorough research and considering factors such as the agency's reputation, services offered, and caregiver qualifications, you can make an informed decision about the best fit for your family. 

With a variety of reputable agencies dedicated to providing personalized care and support, you can rest assured that your loved ones will receive the assistance they need to maintain their independence and quality of life in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

Determine What They Need

To choose the proper route, you first need to make a list of all their needs. This includes everything from moving around the home to making their food. Remember, simply because they can do something doesn't mean they should. 

For example, they may be able to gather ingredients for a meal, but handling large and heavy pots may be out of the realm of possibility. However, if they can do almost everything else on their own, your parents may simply need home care from time to time. 

Home care companies such as Quality First Health Care Services offer a wide array of services to help seniors live safe and fulfilling life. These services include but are not limited to personal care and companionship, skilled nursing, and medication administration, to name a few.

Consider Health Issues

One of the most common causes of injury and death amongst seniors is falling down within their own homes. It's an unfortunate situation that happens way too often, and because seniors are often living alone, they may not have someone there to call an ambulance. 

Therefore, if your parent(s) are dealing with a health issue that prevents them from properly walking, you may want to think about including them in an assisted living program. 

Assisted living usually involves placing your parents into a caring community that often takes the form of an apartment building. 

However, the staff who run these assisted living communities are much more hands-on with their residents while allowing them to live independent lives. Many adult children like the concept because they know that their parents are surrounded by medical professionals and staff 24/7.

It's never an easy thing to place your parent's life in the hands of others. That is why it is so important to carefully research each and every option that you are presented with during the process. You must also communicate with your parents to see what they would prefer.

Protecting Your Retirement Savings During a Recession

As you know, the year 2020 was difficult. During a turbulent economy, you might have questioned whether you were doing everything possible to keep your retirement savings safe. Perhaps that sparked something inside of you about how you would protect your money during a bona fide recession.

Fortunately, you can do five specific things to stay on track with your financial or retirement plan even when economic times are tough.

Don’t Leave the Market

During a recession, you might feel prompted to avoid the stock market. After all, there are always risks involved, especially during an economic downturn. However, a recession isn’t going to last forever. So, by staying in the market, you are very likely to reap the rewards later on when the market recovers.

Considering that people live longer today, that means they need income longer. To overcome inflation and benefit from financial growth, you want to keep investing your assets. As long as you have a solid financial plan in place, you’ll come out ahead.

A younger person might just ride out a recession while waiting for their portfolio to recover. In comparison, an older person who withdraws money regularly from savings will need a mix of assets and investments to stay untethered from the market.

Be Sure to Rebalance

While working, you can benefit from financial growth and safer assets that provide stability by having a mix of riskier assets in your portfolio. However, as you get closer to retiring, you’ll need to go with less risky options.

Not only do you want to set your asset allocation, but as you get closer to retiring, make sure to also regularly rebalance your investment portfolio. This is important since a long period of stock market returns can put you at greater risk.

For example, if your asset allocation is 80 percent stocks and 20 percent safe assets, years of growing in the stock market could turn that into a 90/10 scenario. In other words, if you have stocks that outgrow bonds, this would likely happen. 

By rebalancing, you can maintain the healthier 80/20 asset allocation. It’s simply not wise to take more risk than you need to when it comes to your financial plan.

Run Recession Scenarios On Your Plan

Everybody should understand the risk that their retirement portfolio contains. How will your portfolio do if we have another recession that is like the recession in 2008? 

What about the 2001 recession? Fortunately, there is a really comprehensive retirement tool made for consumers that allows you to do just that. The WealthTrace Planner is a retirement and financial planning application that allows you to choose which recession you want to mimic. 

You can run your entire retirement plan using a recession scenario to see how much you are impacted. It’s a great way to flesh out the risks you might be taking and if you are diversified enough.

Guarantee Some Retirement Income

Here’s another great way to come out of a recession unscathed. Utilize guaranteed income sources not affected by stock market volatility and accumulate a cash reserve. 

While you might experience a slight loss, it wouldn’t be anything near what you could lose by not taking the appropriate steps.

Stable sources of retirement income include things like pensions, Social Security benefits, and annuities. If you’re close to retiring, keep enough cash in a safe place like in a savings account at a reputable bank. 

You might also consider the cash value associated with a life insurance policy. If necessary, you could use that money as a reserve.

Don’t Forget to Diversify

An excellent way to reduce the risk of your portfolio caused by a recession is to diversify. That way, you can keep your investment portfolio from crashing no matter what’s going on with the economy. Now, if the market fluctuates, a portion of your portfolio could respond in a way that offsets any negative impacts. 

For example, bonds usually do well during recessions while stocks do not. This is what investment professionals call negative correlation and it is key to diversification.

You always want to have checks and balances built into your portfolio, especially during a recession. The key is to have a mix of investments, including stocks, bonds, and cash, as well as a mix within different sectors.

Potentially Rely on a Financial Advisor

When it comes to protecting your money, there’s no room for pride. Instead of assuming you have all the right answers, it might be better to talk to a financial advisor. 

Again, during a recession, you need expert advice and guidance. Based on your specific goals, an advisor will provide you with innovative strategies to achieve them.

The Bottom Line

Last year was a huge eye-opener for millions of people as to the importance of protecting their money and other assets. Although the pandemic was devastating and continues to cause problems, you can use it to understand why it’s so important to get help from your own retirement planning software or a financial advisor. 

With the right information, you’ll make sound decisions regardless of where you are in life or when you want to retire.

At Your 50s? Follow These Strategies to Save for Retirement

It is possible to build your retirement savings by following some proven strategies, even if you’re 50 or older. If you are worried about your financial future, it’s never too late to put together a solid financial strategy that aligns with your goals.

According to a 2019 survey of 2000 participants performed by GOBankingRates.com, 64% of those Americans expected to retire with less than $10,000 in their retirement savings account.

Don’t worry if you’re a part of this group. It’s never too late to start saving, even if you’re approaching retirement. According to retired certified financial planner Dick Bellmer, a former president of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, people should regularly review their retirement plan a minimum of every three years.

Let’s assume you’re reaching 50 and have yet to put anything aside for retirement. So, what are your options?

Here’s how you can begin your retirement savings plan.

Set up automated savings and improve budgeting strategy

First, evaluate your budget and remove any overspending costs to free up cash. According to Nadine Marie Burns, a CFP in Ann Arbor, Michigan, food is one area where many people waste money.

By creating meal plans, you may save over $100 each month from wasted or unused food.

Come up with a realistic savings goal and how much you can save automatically. If that’s too much to take in at once, focus on tiny modifications to your retirement plans over time.

George Gagliardi, a certified financial planner in Lexington, Massachusetts, suggested that you plan to live a long life and adjust your retirement income projections accordingly.

You have no influence over how long you live, but according to the Social Security Administration, the average 50-year-old man may expect to live another 30 years to 80.

On the other hand, a 50-year-old woman can expect to live for 33 years, to 83.

Maintain your investments

Set up automatic investments if you have a non-retirement portfolio or if you’re self-employed, managing your retirement fund. You will enjoy the benefits of dollar-cost averaging.

Regular investments can help you acquire more shares when stock prices fall and get fewer stocks when they are high.

As a bonus, you won’t have to remember to write a check each month.

According to Sandra Adams, a CFP in Southfield, Michigan, you also need a mix of different investments. Having investments of at least 60% in stocks will help you attain your objective over time.

However, don’t take too much of a chance when the market falls. Hopping in and out of the investment market might create severe problems in your plan, and you can’t manage those obstacles if you’re already behind schedule.

Pay off your debts

Do you have credit card debt, medical debt, or any other unsecured debts?

Pay them off as early as possible to free up money for savings. If you have a mortgage, create a plan to pay it off before you retire. Malcolm Ethridge, a CFP in Rockville, Maryland, suggested that removing housing expenses such as mortgage payments can lower the amount of annual expenses.

As a result, it will also reduce the amount of annual income you actually need to save for retirement.

Natalie Pine, a CFP in College Station, Texas, recommends avoiding future debt such as car loan debt. Instead, she recommends putting your income into a new account for buying a new car.

This will help you pay for a car in cash and spend less overall. Avoid taking out high-interest loans such as payday loans

Save for emergencies

Also, keep an emergency fund separate from your retirement savings to handle unexpected needs.

You can build one by putting money into it from bonuses or job promotions.

Consider insurance, especially disability insurance. It will be challenging to recover from any financial crisis if you can’t work anymore at 50 and haven’t saved.

Make absolutely sure you have sufficient home, auto, and umbrella coverage. Make sure you’re covered by health insurance.

Maximize your contributions if possible

According to James Shagawat, a CFP in Paramus, New Jersey, if your company offers a retirement plan, make sure you invest enough to receive the full match. If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute up to $26,000 annually.

You should also ask for any other retirement savings plans offered by your organization.

If your employer matches your contribution with offering corporate stocks, you may face “concentration risk.”

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute research, 401(k) participants who receive corporate stocks as their employer match might end up investing more than half of their entire account balances in those stocks.

If this happens, if your organization performs poorly, it may impact your returns.

Contributions to a Roth IRA with diversified investments might help offset this issue.

Since Roth contributions are deposited with after-tax dollars, your withdrawals can’t be taxed once you reach retirement age.

If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute up to $7,000 every year. In 2021, if you’re single, eligibility will be phased out between $125,000 and $140,000 of your MAGI [modified adjusted gross income], and if you are married and filing jointly with your spouse, it will be $198,000 to $208,000.

Justin Meinhart, a CFP in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, suggests making these investments early in the tax year rather than waiting until the April 15 tax-filing deadline.

Work as long as possible

According to Sean Pearson, a CFP in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, those days are gone when people used to retire at 60 or 62.

Now, people are working beyond the age of 60 or 65. They prefer investing their time in something less stressful than a high-stress job, which involves 40-to-50-hour work per week.

Following this strategy, people can continue to contribute to traditional IRAs even when they reach the 70s, as per the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act of 2019.

Work on side hustles or search for 'found money'

Do you still need more retirement income? Then look for a part-time job you’ll enjoy or sell items you don’t need at an auction.

According to CFP Benjamin Offit of Towson, Maryland, you might consider selling your property and downsizing or moving to a smaller area with lower housing rates.

Downsizing can result in significant savings that can be used for retirement.

Finally, Sarah Carlson, a CFP in Spokane, Washington, recommends checking your state’s lost asset site for any old accounts. If you’ve worked for other companies, you may have accounts that have been turned over to the state.

Look for these accounts and reconnect with them to collect the money you forgot to withdraw or have lost track of.

Open a Health Savings Account (HSA)

Before you retire, you need to consider how you will manage unforeseen medical bills. Large medical expenses can suddenly exhaust a lifetime’s worth of money.

According to a 2019 Fidelity Investments estimate, a couple in their mid-60s will need $285,000 in retirement to meet health care costs.

Apart from that, people reaching their 50s can’t ignore the exorbitant cost of long-term care in nursing homes. According to a Genworth research, the typical annual cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home in 2018 was $89,292.

Considering these facts, people must plan retirement after including future medical expenses.

Long-term health insurance is one option that covers extended medical care such as nursing and assisted living. If you meet the requirements, you should start a health savings account immediately.

Your taxable income will be reduced once you get this insurance. Your investments will grow tax-free. Once you reach the age of 65, you can withdraw funds without penalty or tax (it will be taxable if used for anything besides qualified medical expenses).

You should do some homework and choose the best features for you, such as low fees and low minimum balance requirements.

Boost your Social Security benefits

The earliest you can begin receiving Social Security benefits is at the age of 62. However, at age 50, it’s a good idea to start thinking about how you’ll collect benefits. You may estimate your benefits using this Social Security calculator.

According to experts, most people claim Social Security benefits too soon.

That’s so unwise. People can earn more from Social Security benefits if they postpone retirement.

According to Elijah Kovar, co-founder of Great Waters Financial in Minneapolis, taking Social Security at 70 instead of 62 increases your monthly payout by around 76%.

Waiting to receive Social Security is also a great idea to make more money if you’re married. The surviving spouse gets the bigger Social Security payout if one spouse outlives the other.

You’ll have a larger pot to draw in retirement if the primary breadwinner waits to claim benefits.

Your tax situation is another crucial factor to consider while taking Social Security benefits. It’s the best source of income we have outside of Roth IRAs, from a tax point of view.

Implementing techniques that reduce taxable income, such as donation, charity, etc., can help you maximize your Social Security income.

Use income from traditional pensions

If you get a defined-benefit pension plan through your current or past employer, you should receive an individual benefit statement once every three years.

Once a year, you can also ask for a copy of the statement from your plan’s administrator. The statement should indicate the advantages you’ve gained as well as when they’ll become fully available to you.

It’s also a good idea to understand how your retirement benefits are calculated. Many programs use formulas depending on your income and years of service.

So, you might be able to make more money by working longer.

Don't ignore taxes

Finally, keep in mind that not all the money you save for retirement is yours to enjoy.

When you take money out of a regular 401(k) or traditional IRA, the IRS taxes you at your ordinary income rate.

So, if you’re in the 22 percent tax bracket, each $1,000 you take will only bring you $780.

So you must plan ahead to keep as much of your retirement money as possible. Relocating to a tax-friendly state might be a wise option.

Author Bio: Lyle David Solomon is a licensed attorney in California. He has been affiliated with law firms in California, Nevada, and Arizona since 1991. As the principal attorney of Oak View Law Group, he gives advice and writes articles to help people solve their debt problems.