Travis A. Martinez

We all know that driving to and from work every day is costly, but exactly how much of a toll does each mile of commuting take on your finances? This True Cost of Commuting graphic breaks it down.

Taking stats and calculations previously mentioned by Mr. Money Mustache, the infographic illustrates just how expensive commuting is. Each mile you live from work costs $795 in commuting expenses per year (assuming a driving cost of 34 cents per mile and factoring time lost with a salary of $25 per hour). $795 a year for just one mile! You could buy a house worth $15,900 more with that, as Mr. Money Mustache pointed out in his article, since $795 would cover the interest on a 5% mortgage rate.

via infographic – Lifehacker.

…..  getting your finances in order.  Whether you use Mint.com, Quickbooks, Microsoft Money. or Learn Vest; it is more inportant than even to count on having a down payment.  The days of 100% financing are almost gone.  You better count on having atleast 3.5% down.  This is in addition to paying for your home inspection, appraisal, and any other inspectiosn your mortage company may require.

How to Get a Personalized Financial Plan Without Spending a Fortune.

You can ask for seller concessions to offset some of your cost to buying a home, but many seller just don’t have the equity to put anything in their pocket.  They are walking away from from their home salvaging only their credit score.  But, it never hurts to ask.

This is an interesting article.  Many renters might be spending a premium for the flexibility.

Renters Spending 5% More Than Home Owners | Realtor Magazine.

Real Estate news seems to be everywhere.  It seems that most agree, it’s time to buy a home.

Wall Street Journal & Forbes: It’s Time to Buy A Home.

Should Government Stay Out of Foreclosure Crisis? – Fox News Video – Fox News.

Bottom Line – Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose.

Invest in Stock Market, or Real Estate? – CBS MoneyWatch.com.

Existing-Home Sales Off in September but Higher Than a Year Ago.
Upside: It’s Time to Buy That House – WSJ.com.

Candidates Duck Housing Debate in Las Vegas – Developments – WSJ.

Today I read a blog post on Trulia.com.  It was entitled “4 Buyer Incentives that Sell Homes.”  I was rather displeased with this article.  As the title suggests they have four different incentives that Sellers can offer to Buyers to get their home sold.  The four that were suggested are:

Those little online widgets can be very helpful when making the decision to buy or rent, or to determine what your payment on a home might be.  But be careful.  Those calculators are little programs that log what numbers you put in.  This information is used to figure out if you can actually afford the home you are looking at.  This information might even be used to send you targeted emails that seem to speak to you personally.

Not all websites track this kind of information.  However, the websites that do are virtually indistinguishable from the websites that don’t.  So if you are debating on whether to use one remember that what you do online is not always private.  The best option is to call an agent or mortgage broker who can do the calculations offline and keep your information private.

1. Mow the yard (if it is winter, shovel the snow)
2. Sweep the entry
3. Vacuum
4. Do the dishes (or at lease put them in the dishwasher where they cant be seen, or smelled)
5. Make the beds
6. Keep the house cool if it is in the summer, or warm if it is in the winter
7. Only have the bare essentials on the kitchen counter
8. Do not have anything (except flowers) on the kitchen table
9. Put flowers on the kitchen table (even in winter)
10. You can have music playing, but don’t make it too loud that people cant talk over the music
11. Remove any fixtures that you don’t want to go with the sale
12. Lock you animals up 
13. Make the home smell nice, but don’t go overboard like your trying to hide something (a drop of vanilla extract on a light bulb makes it smell like you are making cookies)
14. Open all the blinds / curtains
15. Close the toilet lid
16. Close the shower curtain
17. Put away clean laundry
18. Clean dirty laundry
19. Pack collections and nicknacks away
20. Leave.  You hired your agent to sell you home, let you agent do their job

We don’t live in the desert.  However, if the fire season’s of years past have told us anything, it’s that it can get dry here.  Here are some great tips to keep your yard looking good during the hot summer months from “This Old House”.

http://ebm.cheetahmail.com/c/tag/hBOFDmOBCY-h1B8cNlzAAAAAA5n/doc.html?RAF_TRACK

Now that you got your yard green you want to know some awesome grilling tips, how to not get sunburned, and other outdoor projects.
Visit Lifehackers Top 10 Outdoor Tips for a more Pleasant Summer.   http://lifehacker.com/5808533/top-10-outdoor-tips-for-a-more-pleasant-summer?tag=lifehacker-top-10

If you don’t have a lot of space for a lawn let alone a garden then you need to check out the following link form Lifehacker.
http://lifehacker.com/5811295/make-a-lego+style-customizable-garden-out-of-cinder-blocks?tag=diy
You can have a garden in a minimal amount of space while reliving your lego filled youth.

Contest time!!!  Have you seen my print advertising?  Let me know where you have seen my PRINT advertising and enter to win a patriotic Scentsy full size warmer ($30.00 value).  Comment below, email me, or comment on my Facebook Page with where you have seen my print advertising and what was advertised.  Winner will be chosen at random by a third party.

Scentsy warmer courtesy of Kristyn.  Visit her website here.