Gulf Life Now
Home maintenance, buying and selling your home, personal finance, and other lifestyle topics. Personal experience is the key to topics on Gulf Life Now. You need not live on the Gulf Coast to benefit from this podcast. Topics including taxes and how they affect your decision to buy real estate. Retirement planning and buying or selling a home after retirement.
Visit our website and read some of our many articles some of which are about topics on this podcast. GulfCoastalRealtors.com
Episodes
95 episodes
Your income tax rate will go up in January 2025
That great 2017 tax bill which gave us all a big tax break is going away. Elected officials can't seem to get it reauthorized before the end of the year. It is getting in the way of at least one campaign that wants to scrap it becau...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 6
•
11:35
Your house is listed for sale and someone wants to deal outside of the contract
There is always someone who wants to skirt the law. People contact property owners who have listed their property with real estate agents under contract. They don't care that the real estate agent and the property owner have an agre...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 5
•
13:38
Where are mortgage rates going?
No one knows where mortgage interest rates are headed. There are some indicators that we discuss in this podcast. Interest rates are not the only factor in your decision to refinance or buy a new home. You need to balance the ...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 4
•
16:46
Buying or Selling a house? Major changes will affect you now!
Everything is changing in the Real Estate industry. After August 17, 2024, if you want representation in buying a house, you will have to agree to pay your agent for their efforts if the agent is not being compensated by the seller. ...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 3
•
52:57
Government backed second mortgage loans something new
Apparently, some bureaucrats in DC have not learned their lesson from the massive real estate market failures of 2008-2010. Freddy Mac a government buyer of mortgage paper is starting a new pilot program to buy second mortgages. Th...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 2
•
21:58
Homeowners Insurance Costs are Exploding
On average homeowners insurance rates have gone up 20% from 2021-2023 with a further 6% increase forecasted for 2024. You know the drill, inflation, government spending, etc. have caused insur...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 1
•
44:21
Real Estate Commissions Part One: Who Pays
Real estate commissions are often misunderstood. We discuss the concept, of who gets what and when plus who actually pays. This is the first part of a longer discussion on how real estate is sold in the United States. Our pro...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 11
•
27:48
School ratings can affect property values
When you bought your house, it is very likely that the rating of the school district had an effect on the price you paid for your house. Many people with school-age children shop for a new home based on school ratings. But how does ...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 10
•
18:03
What to look for when buying an older house
New houses come with warranties. Older homes should be evaluated not just on their selling price but on the quality of the entire property. Look at the useful life of the air conditioner, heater, water heater and more. What ab...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 9
•
27:22
Buy a second home as a family investment
Many people love the idea of owning an escape from the day to day in the form of a second home. Listen as we discuss the concept of a second home, how and where to buy it and the process involved with financing and owning.Yo...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 8
•
39:58
Don't buy that RV or Boat without Listening to this
Before you decide to buy that RV or boat, you should listen to our suggestions and recommendations on the topic. There is nothing better than to listen to the voice of experience before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on an RV.
•
Season 4
•
Episode 7
•
35:17
Financial side of starting a small business
Considering starting a small business? You need to listen to this podcast. We cover the essentials of the financial side of starting your small business in some detail. You will probably not hear this topic presented elsewhere...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 6
•
27:04
Tax Time Create a business for your second home as a Vacation Rental
Lots of people have a second home which was partly purchased for tax deductions. Changes in the tax code starting in 2018 have eliminated much of the property tax and interest deductions available to second-home buyers.The very la...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 6
•
23:51
Why is everyone moving to Florida for retirement
Is it ok to follow the herd to Florida for retirement? Did you come up with the idea of going to Florida because your friends are moving there? Did you see it on TV? Have you considered any place that is not at the end of a lo...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 5
•
24:12
Time to set up your small business accounting system
Stop using your checking account for your small business. Use an accounting system to track all income and expenses plus allow people to pay you by credit card. And do it for free.We recommend a free online accounting syste...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 4
•
21:21
Government Spending the Root Cause of Inflation and Reduced Standard of Living
You have a magic wand. Every time your checking account or credit card is tapped out, you wave the wand and there is more money to spend. So how do you get one of those? Unfortun...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 3
•
25:18
How the 10 year treasury bond affects mortgage interest rates
Most people do not understand what impacts mortgage interest rates. The typical response is the FED rate affects mortgage rates. While there is some truth to this, it's the 10-year treasury bond that most lenders use to determine lo...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 2
•
23:27
Solutions to smart lock battery issues
Smart door locks are great until you can't get into your house because of dead batteries. Listen to our podcast as we go into some solutions that can help you select the best batteries, and lock, and understand what you can do to extend b...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 1
•
21:21
Should you pay off your house?
It is a nice feeling to pay off your house. Not everyone should pay off their house even if they can afford it. Consider the interest rate you are paying. If it's 2-5% or even 6%, you could be going backward financially....
•
Season 3
•
Episode 34
•
10:53
Should I buy a house at age 60+?
One of the most popular questions I answer on Quora. Listen to this podcast about buying a house as a senior. Should you buy a house at age 60 or greater? If you are considering what to do preparing for retirement or in later ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 32
•
16:31
Book your 2024 Beach Vacation Rental Now
Prices are lower now than they have been for the past few years at many vacation rental properties. Fewer people have taken vacations which has caused many owners and managers to reduce their rates. There is a good possibility with the pe...
•
12:51
Mardi Gras 2024 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
You thought that Mardi Gras was only in New Orleans. Wrong. The official Mardi Gras celebrations started in Mobile Alabama and spread to Louisiana after it had already started along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.Most of the cit...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 31
•
16:53
How casino slot machines work which pay more
Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast means access to 12 casinos. Learning more about how slot machines work can help you understand things such as the return-to-player calculations. Listen to this at your own risk. If ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 30
•
28:23
Before you refinance out of that low interest loan listen to this
That 3% loan is a once in a lifetime gift. Mortgage companies are trying to get you to refinance with them to get them out of that loan which is not making any money for them. They want you into a 7%+ loan that does. Plus they...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 29
•
17:27
Time for Gen X and Boomers to declutter their lives
It's past time for you to take an inventory of your "stuff". Dispose of anything you do not need, not want but need. The garage is full along with the basement and attic. What about that storage facility?Boomers and X...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 28
•
17:17