Text-only newsletter stories for Issue 3 Vl. 11

Feel free to use these stories in your own newsletter designs. If you want to use a completed newsletter template, check out the latest issues of Hometalk and Real Estate Advisor. If you want to use a completely editable newsletter template, please see the News & Views template.

Mortgage Interest Deductions 101

Purchasing a home comes with many tangible and intangible benefits. One that is commonly overlooked until the start of the year rolls around is the deductions you get on your taxes. As a homeowner, you’re likely able to deduct most, if not all, of your home mortgage interest resulting in a lower tax bill.

Interest paid on a loan that was used to buy, build, or complete substantial renovations on your primary or secondary home falls into the deductible mortgage interest bucket. The property can be a house, apartment, condominium, mobile home, house trailer, or co-op. The amount of interest you can deduct does cap out at $750,000, although most homeowners do not reach that threshold.

At the end of each tax year, your lender will provide you with a mortgage interest statement, or Form 1098, that states the total amount of interest paid for that year. You are responsible for reporting an accurate total of interest paid when you file. This requires you to itemize your taxes. If you have purchased a home with one or more people, each homeowner can deduct the amount of interest they personally pay.

There are a few others payments that may count as mortgage interest and could be added to your deductible amount. These include mortgage points, late payment charges, prepayment penalties, interest on a home equity loan, and certain mortgage insurance premiums.

By deducting mortgage interest from your taxes, you are reducing your taxable income. As a result, you have less tax liability and reduce the amount of taxes you owe which is more money in your pocket!

Tips to Light Your Home

Lighting is such a crucial aspect of your home and can affect the ambiance, energy, and vibe in each room. However, sifting through the various styles, bulbs, and placement options can feel overwhelming. Here are a few tips to get you started!

  • There are three different types of lighting. Ambient lighting (or general lighting) fills the room, accent lighting is used to highlight something, such as art, and task lighting is used to help you complete various tasks, such as desk lamps and vanity lights. It’s recommended you have at least two types in each room.
  • Start with selecting task and accent lighting in each room. Many times, the combination of these two provide enough light in a room so overhead lighting may not be needed.
  • To ensure lighting fixtures will mesh well together, try placing images of the fixtures on a Word document to see the full picture before purchasing.
  • Light bulb selection is equally important as fixture selection. By choosing incandescent or halogen bulbs, you can add a warm, sunny feel to a room. Fluorescent bulbs can provide warm white, cool white, or daylight color temperatures and radiate light 360 degrees around the bulb. Finally, LED bulbs can range from blue-white to neutral white to yellow-white and are the most energy efficient option.
  • Factor natural lighting into your light design by mapping out where the sun falls and how it moves across the room. Then, place lighting in darker areas.

With the right lighting, you can transform any room in your home and help you create your desired atmosphere for your home.

Take 5: Common Home Issues Inspectors Uncover

Before finalizing your home purchase, one crucial step in the process is the home inspection, during which a licensed inspector looks at the structure, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and more. Here are 5 common home issues inspectors keep an eye out for.

Faulty electrical systems. Out-of-date electrical systems, lack of adequate power supply, faulty circuit breakers, or exposed wiring can spell disaster for a home. Inspectors can sniff these issues out and recommend repairs to ensure the home is wired safely and properly.

Poor drainage. If the home has landscaping that causes water to drain towards the home, it can cause foundation shifts or cracks, wet crawl spaces, mold, and rot. This can be incredibly costly to correct, so it’s important to determine this before going through with the home purchase.

Leaks. Inspectors look for leaks in the roof to ensure there are no damaged shingles, gutters, flashing, or other issues. They also look for any possible causes of plumbing leaks, such as broken seals, corrosion, clogs, damaged pipe joints, and more.

Mold. Showers, tubs, air conditioning and heating vents, attics, and basements are some of the most common places inspectors find mold. This can lead to various health issues for the home’s occupants, like headaches, skin irritation, and respiratory issues.

HVAC issues. During an inspection, the inspector looks for issues that could impact your ability to heat or cool your home. These include blown fuses, pilot and ignition issues, damaged coils, dirty filters, gas leaks, and cracks in the ductwork and pipes.

With the inspector’s report, you can head to the closing table with more confidence and be prepared to negotiate repairs with the seller if necessary.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Real Estate Advisor newsletter template
Hometalk newsletter template
Market Watch E-Newsletter
News & Views newsletter template
Newsletter back issues

breakthroughbroker
Technology, marketing, & strategy your real estate business needs!

Being a Real Estate Professional is challenging. Finding the time and technology to stay top of mind and generate new business is a full-time job. Breakthrough Broker is here to help.

Equipped with features such as:

Workbooks, checklists, playbooks, and workshops to support the growth and management of your business.
Easy-to-use marketing technology to create and customize professional marketing designs.
Direct mail marketing services and engaging social media content.

Create your free account and join over 600,000 other real estate pros.

Create Free Account

A guide to your advanced real estate marketing tool kit.
Click through the menu on that left to see all the incredible perks of your BB Plus membership, as well as tutorials for using them to save more time and sell more homes.
MLS Lookup
Automated Postcard Campaigns
Social Posts
Team Designs
Preset Brand Color
Headshot Library
Other BB Plus Benefits
Using MLS Lookup
Create marketing for your listing in seconds
  1. Find a marketing template you love.
  2. Enter your listing’s MLS number in the left sidebar.
  3. Watch as your listing’s information and photos instantly populate the item.
  1. Double check for accuracy.
  2. Download for free, share on social media, or use our printing and shipping services.
  3. Create marketing for your listing in seconds.
Select a template and try the MLS Lookup!
Using Automated Postcard Campaigns
Take care of your sphere marketing for the year with just a few clicks.
  1. Choose a postcard set.
  2. Customize your postcards with your information and special message.
  3. Upload your contacts’ addresses or purchase a mailing list.
  1. Purchase your direct mail campaign.
  2. Sit back and relax! Each postcard will be automatically sent at the right time throughout the year.
Create your Automated Postcard Campaign!
Setting up team and two-agent branding
Market as a team.
  1. Visit your BB Plus profile using the waffle icon in the top right corner.
  2. Upload your teammate or team’s information, headshot, and logo.
  3. Open your desired marketing template and select two-agent or team in the left sidebar.
  1. Whatch your teammate or team's information instantly populate the item.
Try team branding by editing a template!
Selecting your preset brand color
Say good bye to “Frankenstein” marketing.
  1. Visit your BB Plus profile using the waffle icon in the top right corner.
  2. Click the Edit Primary Brand Color widget.
  3. Select your brand color with the color picker or enter the Hexcode and click Select.
  1. Moving forward, every customizable marketing template you edit will automatically load with your brand color.
Using your headshot and logo library
Put your best look forward.
  1. Visit your BB Plus profile using the waffle icon in the to pright corner.
  2. Upload additional headshots and logos.
  3. Click Update to save changes.
  1. Edit your favorite marketing template and click on the headshot or logo image slot to pull up your library of images and select.
Other BB Plus Benefits
Premium Designs & Content
Eye-catching, exclusive marketing material and print collateral branded for you.
Unlimited Downloads
Every standard & premium content piece downloaded as much as you.
10% Off Print Orders
Receive 10% off all print orders, including our direct mail services.