Personal Finance

Learn more about personal finance and grow your confidence to make prudent financial decisions.

Understanding Probate: A Comprehensive Overview

March 23, 2025

What is Probate? When a deceased leaves behind assets to be distributed to heirs, the legal process whereby this happens is known as probate. The cumulative assets are often referred to as “the estate” and may include bank accounts, real estate, jewelry and a wide variety of investments. Typically, a

Your Guide to Selling a House with a Reverse Mortgage

February 8, 2025

Selling a home with a reverse mortgage can be a bit more complex then selling a home with a traditional mortgage. We’ve created this guide to share what you can expect when selling a house with a reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgages are a fairly popular financial tool for senior homeowners.

Behind on Mortgage | Avoid Foreclosure

January 29, 2025

Are you facing foreclosure because you are behind on your mortgage payments? Perhaps you’re receiving aggressive letters and calls from your lender? If this is a current reality for you, we understand you may be experiencing some amount of stress. Please know you don’t have to lose your house to

A Higher Level Of Care

January 14, 2025

Are you considering a higher level of care for a loved one? For many elderly people, there comes a time when special attention is needed that can be difficult to provide safely from home. If grandma’s gonna get the best care, rest assured prices for accommodations are available well into

Should you buy a house with cash?

February 5, 2024

Should you buy a house with cash? All-cash real estate transactions are on the rise. According to RedFin data, 1 in 3 US homebuyers are paying all cash. Compare that to data published in 2022, the National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers reports 87% of home

CoreMark Homes Remodeling Before Selling

Remodeling Before Selling: Is It a Wise Investment?

January 8, 2024

In 2022, homeowners spent an estimated $433 billion improving and maintaining their homes. Unfortunately, come time to sell, not all renovation projects recoup their cost. This begs the question: Are renovation projects necessary before selling your home? Which improvements yield the highest return on investment (ROI)? Robert Ryczek, a top-selling

Things to Consider Before Moving Out of State

January 13, 2023

Whether you’re moving out of state for a new job opportunity, retirement, or perhaps a lower cost of living, there’s a lot to consider before you relocate to another state. Somewhere near the top of your checklist of priorities before moving out of state is likely a plan for selling

Selling a Home in an Uncertain Market

December 16, 2022

Most people have heard that the real estate game is about location, location, location. Today, the conversation centered around selling a home is dominated by recession, inflation and uncertainty about the future of the market. This post aims to explore some of the uncertainty that’s associated with selling your home

CoreMark Homes Automate Your Real Estate Operation

Real Estate Software | Automate Your Operations

October 15, 2022

Automation tools can improve your real estate operations. Whether you own a few properties as rentals or have in-house management teams and thousands of doors, you probably wear a few hats. This post will explore some simple tools we hope will simplify your business process and allow you to focus

Don’t Get Duped | Identifying Common Scams & Wire Fraud Schemes

May 20, 2022

Real estate scams come in all shapes and sizes. Don’t get duped. We wrote this article to shed light on some of the unsavory situations homeowners can find themselves in and to help identify scams. Seller beware. How can I avoid wire fraud in a real estate transaction? Wire fraud

CoreMark Homes Subject To Existing Mortgage

Structure a Profitable Deal: Purchasing Subject-To Existing Mortgage

February 22, 2022

On average, we pay around 2.5% of the purchase price in closing costs. Many real estate buyers––especially investors––are curious about ways to cut costs without lowering their quality of service. That’s where unconventional deals, such as subject-to, or subto, are growing in popularity. What Does Purchasing “Subject-To” Mean? “Subject-to”, or

Selling a Tenant Occupied Rental

November 22, 2021

When you’re ready to sell your rental property, tenants can complicate the process. While there is nothing illegal about selling a tenant-occupied property, it may narrow the pool of potential buyers. On the contrary, it’s possible you could tap into a network of local investors looking to earn rental income

CoreMark Homes Investing in Real Estate Virtually

Is Virtual Real Estate Investing Right For You?

October 2, 2021

More often then not, we buy properties sight unseen. And were not talking turnkey properties. In fact, the vast majority of our purchases are sight unseen and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say these properties are complete-gut-rehab type properties. I don’t even really think about it anymore. That’s why

Finding Off Market Apartment Deals

April 23, 2021

We couldn’t be more pleased; we just locked up our first 96 Unit apartment complex just outside of Columbus, Ohio!!! There are countless ways to find apartment investment opportunities, from common methods like building relationships with commercial real estate brokers to attending meetup groups. We like to find off market

CoreMark Homes Identify Up and Coming Real Estate Markets

How to Spot Up & Coming Real Estate Markets

April 23, 2021

The value of the location of a rental property involves more than just a flashy zip code. For many renters, proximity to schools, parks, public transit, colleges, grocery stores and retail shopping centers are important considerations. If the rental is in a planned community with neighborhood amenities, it should be

What is the Best Month to Sell a Property?

April 8, 2021

While you can sell your home in any season, is there an ideal time? Experts agree, there is a best month to sell a house. However, there are a myriad of factors that affect your decision to sell a home, so the proper answer may be just below the veil.

How to Sell a House That Needs Work

March 5, 2021

In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how to sell a house that may not be in marketable condition and needs a few repairs. By weighing the pros and cons of listing the house on the market with an agent vs. selling the property as-is to a

How to Sell Your Ugly House CoreMark Homes

How to Sell Your Ugly House When No One is Biting

January 21, 2021

In today’s market, buyers pay a premium for homes that are fully renovated and move-in ready. What if you don’t have the resources, time or bandwidth to fix up your house? A property that is dated, unrenovated and worn around the edges can linger on the market for months and

CoreMark Homes Selling an Inherited House

Selling an Inherited Home in Ohio

January 11, 2021

Losing your parents can be heartbreaking. When selling a home you’ve inherited from your parents, you’ll have a long list of items that require attention. During this difficult process, it’s easy for details to get overlooked. This guide will help shed light on the path forward. Inheritance Tax Once you

CoreMark Homes Calculating Renovation Budget

Estimating Rehab Costs in 5 Simple Steps

November 18, 2020

Looking to sell your property for top dollar? You’ll need to know how to estimate rehab costs accurately to maximize your return on investment. When it comes to buying or selling a property, getting the numbers right and estimating your rehab budget is crucial. For real estate investors interested in

What is Considered a Fair Offer?

August 11, 2020

Compared to what properties sell for on the MLS, a cash offer for your house may appear low. MLS prices do not take into account repairs, closing costs, agent commissions, transaction fees, and holding costs incurred during the time it takes to sell a house on the market. Consider the

How to Deal with Difficult Tenants

July 11, 2020

The wrong tenants can cause expensive repairs, legal trouble and other headaches that make you wish you had never become a landlord. Here’s your guide to dealing with common tenant troubles. 1. Non-Paying Tenants Unpaid rent may be the most frequent problem landlord’s face. When tenants make excuses or try

CoreMark Homes How Much Are Closing Costs Franklin County

Closing Costs for a Seller | FAQ

June 27, 2020

How much are seller closing costs for a home sale? We put together this list of frequently asked questions to shed some light on what you can expect at the closing table, if you sell your house on the market. Be sure to take a look at our closing cost

How To Calculate Net Proceeds From Selling House CoreMark Homes

How to Calculate Net Proceeds from a Home Sale

May 5, 2020

Much to everyone’s dismay, the sales price of your property is not the amount of money you actually walk away with, cash in hand. Net proceeds are the total dollar amount a seller will pocket from the sale of a house after accounting for all expenses, holding costs, commissions and

Probate Inheriting a House in Ohio CoreMark Homes

Inheritance Law in Ohio

April 11, 2020

Does Ohio Have an Inheritance Tax or Estate Tax? Ohio is a hands-off state with no estate or inheritance taxes. This applies to both in-state residents and nonresidents who simply own property in the Buckeye State. While many are happy to hear that Ohio has no estate or inheritance taxes,

Should I Sell or Rent My House?

February 3, 2020

Perhaps you’re moving from an area with high demand and interested in paying down your mortgage while your home appreciates. Or, perhaps you inherited a home and haven’t made up your mind on whether you’d like to sell or rent the property. Should I Sell or Rent My House? Renting

How Much is My House Worth?

July 13, 2019

Selling your home is a big decision. It can feel like a giant mountain of a task, and you may have no idea where to start. Your worst nightmare is selling way below value and losing money. What’s the right price? That is the question. If you don’t know how

What is an iBuyer | Complete Guide

May 18, 2019

Gone are the days when selling your home meant tedious cleaning, home-improvements, staging and marketing—not to mention weeks (or even months) of holding costs while the house sits on the market. Thanks to a new breed of buyers called iBuyers, selling a house is as easy as a few taps

How Much Does It Cost to Sell House with Realtor CoreMark Homes

8 Hidden Costs When Selling Your Home

November 10, 2018

How much does it cost to sell your home? More than you may expect. According to Bankrate.com, selling a home can amount to as much as 10 percent of the sale price, not factoring in holding expenses while the property sits on the market. To avoid sticker shock, here are

Property Management Columbus CoreMark Homes

6 Strategies for Choosing Your Next Property Manager

September 14, 2018

When you are faced with inept property management, suddenly the new multifamily investment you purchased doesn’t shine soo bright. Here’s seven proven strategies for hiring your next property manager to garner peak returns. #1 Make sure the property management team is familiar with your neighborhood. When you choose a property