Downsizing is not just moving to a smaller home—it is a chance for a fresh start while keeping what matters most.

According to designer Debbie Mathews LeRoy, founder and principal designer of Debbie Mathews Antiques and Designs in Nashville, Tennessee, the key is to focus on items that serve a purpose, tell your story, and help your new home feel personal.

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Sometimes it takes a new job to give you that income boost you need to buy your first home, but a new job can actually complicate the mortgage approval process.

Here are some things you should know:

1. Don't start the home buying process and then start a new job in the middle of it. Get the new job first plus a few months (and pay stubs) under your belt and then start your home search.
   
   
2. A new job with a higher income is a good...

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If you're questioning whether or not to sell your home, there are several things to consider to pinpoint when the time is right.

Here are four ways to tell if it's the right time to list your home on the local real estate market.

1. Changes in your housing needs
   A lot has to do with you. If your current place is too small now that you have kids or a relative has come to live with you, it would make sense to find a home that better suits your space requirements. Also, your reason for the move could be that your property is in an inconvenient location or the neighborhood no longer fi...

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Planned communities often come across as perfect when you compare them to traditional neighborhoods. Homeowners Associations (HOAs) are one reason for the dramatic difference. The 2016 Community Association Statistical Review documented 342,000 of these common-interest communities. 

26.3 million planned home developments, condominium communities, and HOAs or similar community systems govern cooperatives. Residents agree to written guidelines and pay assessments to fund amenities and common maintenance expenses. It's a popular concept but is HOA living right for you? Â...

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As a new homeowner, you realize that you've taken on a big financial responsibility. At some point, home repairs will increase that financial obligation. Fortunately, if you plan, you can make sure you have the funds to cover the biggest repairs. Here are a few tips to consider to keep you from being overwhelmed when the repair bills come in.  

1. Get to Know Your Home
   Your home inspection report is a tool for looking at your home piece-by-piece and figuring out what might go wrong in the future. It...

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