This Sunday, November 1, we turn our clocks back an hour. ⏰ The extra hour of sleep is nice. The early darkness that comes with it? Not so much. By next week, the sun will set before 5:30 p.m. here in Washtenaw County. If you're 50 or better, this is the perfect week to look at your home with winter in mind. 🏡 Maybe you plan to stay in your home for years to come. Maybe you're also keeping an eye on Mom or Dad's place. Either way, darker evenings, icy mornings, and more time indoors all arrive at once. Here's the good news: most winter safety fixes are simple and affordable, and many can be done in a weekend. Let the time change be your reminder. You're resetting the clocks anyway, so take 20 minutes to walk through the house with fresh eyes. ✅ Here's the checklist I share with clients and their families. ❄️ Why winter raises the stakes Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older. According to the CDC, more than 14 million older adults, about ...
If you've turned on the news lately, you've probably heard that mortgage rates are over 7%, the highest in a long while. Maybe you nodded and thought, Well, that settles it. Now's not the time. I hear that a lot this time of year. And I understand it. When the headlines sound gloomy, staying put feels like the safe choice. But I'd like to offer a gentle thought: those headlines probably aren't about you. 🔑 Who the rate news is really for Mortgage rates matter most to people who need to borrow a lot. Think of a young couple buying their first home, financing almost every dollar. If you've lived in your home for 20 or 30 years, your story is likely different. Your mortgage may be small or paid off. The value you've built up in your home could cover much, or all, of your next one. For many of my clients, the rate on the evening news simply doesn't change their math very much. So if the market isn't really the question, what is? 📦 What we've been...