I am a Jerusalem-centric Jew. It started 30 years ago when I spent two years learning in yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Old City, and it continues to this day, as I visit Jerusalem a few times a week for work.

Never in our great grandparents’ wildest dreams could they have imagined that we

Seasoning is an underwriting time frame that must pass before you can be eligible for mortgage financing. When you experience a financial hardship, typically your credit scores decline. It takes years to navigate around certain events and to bring your credit scores back up. If you are looking to buy or refinance a property, lenders will

(StatePoint) Looking to sell your home? Then improve its curb appeal. That’s the advice of realtors who say that many home buyers won’t even get out of their cars unless they like the way the house looks from the street.

“Today, buyers can be choosy. Overgrown bushes, peeling paint or

(StatePoint) Not all home upgrades require a ton of research. But for more complicated repairs and replacements, being informed can help you make better decisions.

For example, replacing your home’s HVAC system is one thing you want to get right, as a good decision can benefit both your

One of the many laws of Shemitah deals with the release of financial obligations at the conclusion of the seventh year. Theoretically, this means that any debts owed are discharged. There are obviously many challenges to such policy. Who’s going to lend money knowing the debt will be forgiven? As we exit the Shemitah year, this issue is

My mother is 92 and has lived in her house for 60 years. The time to move to assisted living is now. What can I do to help her?

S.C.S. Finding the right place for your mother to move is the primary decision to make. This will take time and a major life change can be difficult for many people at

An established mortgage lender to lead you home.

First Meridian Mortgage, established in 1991, has been helping borrowers realize their home owning dreams for almost 25 years. During that time, we have refined our goals and values as a company, cultivating who we are and what we

What is OPRA?

OPRA is the “Open Public Records Act” which was enacted to provide the public greater access to governmental agency records. OPRA can be used to obtain information on properties from the building department in every township. This is a great way to find out

Things were much simpler years ago. When my husband and I bought our home 43 years ago, we put down a hundred dollar binder. There were no inspections and we didn’t need a Certificate of Occupancy. Our lawyer wrote up a contract, and buyers and sellers signed it. There were no riders involved. We then went to the bank, got a

Not just yet. But as we watch summer slip away, it is hard to believe it’s almost over. Nobody wants to think about snow and ice when we are sitting outside enjoying fresh mountain air and swimming at the beach. It often seems that when we are enjoying good times, we forget about the challenging moments, acting as if good times

Sorting through mortgages involves making a lot of critical choices. One of those choices may be deciding between between a fixed or variable interest-rate mortgage financing. Fixed-rate mortgage payments are fixed throughout the life of the loan whereas adjustable-rate mortgages a/k/a variable-rate mortgages a/k/a ARMs can have rate and

Featuring Annekee Brahver-Keely, Broker Sales-Associate, Russo Real Estate

ASK THE REALTOR®: What should I do to prepare my house for sale?

ABK: More often than not, sellers are focusing on the wrong things.