Totally agree with shopping around periodically—loyalty discounts are pretty much a myth these days. A couple more things I've noticed from experience...

I've thought about tapping equity myself, but every time I get close, I hear another story that makes me pause. A friend of mine refinanced to pay off...

You're spot on about that fine line between pressure being helpful or harmful. I've seen it firsthand in investment decisions—and it's not always pret...

Exactly this. Learned the hard way myself...thought replacing my old deck boards was clearly a repair, but my accountant said it leaned toward improve...

Good points about taxes and assessments—those can definitely sneak up on you. A couple other things I'd add from experience: - Keep an eye on local m...

Yep, been there. I bought a lot a few years back, and the old survey markers were off by nearly 5 feet—didn't seem like much at first, but it turned i...