When You Can't Vacation, Make It A Staycation!

With July quickly approaching, and still so much uncertainty surrounding popular summer destinations, many of us are left wondering if we should vacation this year. 
According to Tripit.com, the experts agree, taking some time off, even at home, is good for your mental health! We agree, so we've included some fun ways that you can turn your vacation into a staycation. We know it's not the same thing as the cruise you had planned, but who knows, you may find that vacationing at home is more fun than you thought!

Backyard Camping
Pull out your tent and plan some backyard fun under the stars. Cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows on your fire pit. Chase lightening bugs and play flashlight tag. Be creative and have fun!

The Great Outdoors
Have you visited all of the parks and outdoor recreation areas where you live? Now is a great time to check them out! Go for a hike, ride your bike, walk with the dogs. Explore!

Dinner With A Theme
You might not be in Jamaica right now, but why not try the cuisine anyway? Find some recipes that sound good and try your hand at something new. Love Japanese food? Have a Hibatchi night at home. And it definitely doesn't have to be a Tuesday for us plan a a taco bar for dinner!

Movie Night
Take your movie night at home a step further and serve a menu of all of your favorite movie theater munchies. Popcorn (with extra butter of course), nachos, candy and chocolate. Serve drinks with crazy straws, turn down the lights and enjoy!

The Walmart Water Park
Don't have a pool? Me either! Desperate times, desperate measures...so get creative! Grab a blow up pool or two, any size will do. Flamingo and pineapple floating drink holders, check! Set up a beach umbrella, throw in a few lounge chairs and your're ready to go!

Happy National Best Friend's Day!

It's June 8th, so you know what that means...it's National Best Friend's Day, and we're all about celebrating the friendships that are so important to us! After all, who do you call when you need to know if the amazing lime green curtains you've fallen in love will really make your kitchen "pop"? And who helps you organize your closet into sections of "jeans that still fit", "jeans that used to fit" and "jeans that I want to fit into so stop letting me eat ice cream at midnight!" Yep, that's definitely your bestie!

Scientists even agree that friendships are very important to our overall mental health. Research shows that by building close friendships we are enriching our lives, boosting self confidence and providing a needed sense of belonging. But we don't need science to know that having close friends that love and support us, just makes life a little sweeter! We sure are grateful for all of the people in our life that we are lucky enough to call our friends!

Buyers Are Ready To Buy!!

Home buyers seem to be taking "the glass is half full" approach to the pandemic and using it as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Lenders are seeing the number of mortgage applications on a steady increase and it there's no slow down in sight. 

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that applications for home purchases rose 9% last week compared to the week before making this the sixth consecutive weekly gain and a 54% increase since the beginning of April.

2020 began with a strong demand for housing and low numbers of available inventory. Though there was initially a dip in the market as the COVID-19 crisis set in, it has quickly rebounded and home prices are continuing to hold strong. With record low mortgage rates, buyers are finding this to be an excellent time to find their dream home!

If you're in the market to buy or sell a home, give us call, we LOVE homework!!