George L. Duarte

Mortgage Loans Fremont California Horizon Financial Associates

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Horizon Financial Associates

We are a full-service mortgage brokerage serving the San Francisco East Bay Area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We are pleased to be your comprehensive source for all of your home financing needs – from a first home, to investment property, construction loans, cash out refinances, equity lines of credit and reverse mortgages.

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How to Plan for a Smooth Move-in

July 22, 2021 by George Duarte

How to Plan for a Smooth Move-inWith all of the rigmarole that goes into packing up your old home and moving into the new one, there are a lot of details that can get lost in the mix. From cleaning up the old house to handing over the keys, there’s no shortage of small tasks that need to be completed. If you’ll soon be prepping for the exciting move into your next home, here are some ways to prepare yourself for this busy time.

Do A Spring Clean, Even When It’s Not Spring!

Spring cleaning may be something that people only do once a year, but it’s actually a great way to prep for the move you’re about to make. Instead of thinking on a smaller-scale though, you’ll want to hit every room in your house so there’s less to pack up come moving time. While no actual cleaning will be necessary until you’re moving out, this pre-clean is the perfect opportunity to discard unwanted items, shred old papers and drop off any old and unworn clothes in the donation bins.

Write And Review Your To-Do List

Whether there are supplies you need to buy before the big moving day or a few minor touch-ups that you’d like to complete on your house, start compiling a list of all the things you need to do before and on the day you’re scheduled to move. While these small details can add up to a lot of work, a list will mean that nothing is left behind or forgotten that can create extra headaches when there’s no time to deal with them.

Keep A Separate Box For Essentials

Many homebuyers get so excited about the premise of packing that they stick a lot of important items in a box and send them along on the moving truck, but a few boxes with the much needed essentials should be brought along with you. Whether its cosmetics or available food items, having the things you’ll need is the only way to ensure a bit of added comfort on your first night in your new home.

Packing up your stuff and moving into your new home is a considerable task, but by being prepared and doing a little cleaning in advance, you can make the process a little bit easier for you and your family. If you’re currently on the market for a home, you may want to contact one of our local real estate professionals for more information.

Filed Under: Home Buyer Tips Tagged With: Home Buyer Tips, Move In Tips

Why An Emergency Fund Is Important

July 21, 2021 by George Duarte

Why An Emergency Fund Is Important

There’s almost a guarantee that at some point in the future you’re going to face an emergency. Like most things in life, that emergency is going to require money to solve. You can’t assume that you’ll have the funds to face the emergency when it happens. You can’t even assume that you’ll have enough on your credit cards to pay for it. The only safe way to plan is to have an emergency fund.

What Is An Emergency Fund?

An emergency fund is a reserve of cash set aside for emergencies only. It’s not a savings account, because you’re not saving up for anything in particular like a new sofa or a dining set. It’s strictly money on hand to be used in an emergency.

What Constitutes An Emergency

As a homeowner, you could face any number of emergencies regarding your property. An emergency is something unexpected and urgent. In other words, you couldn’t foresee it happening, yet it needs to be taken care of right away. Examples of homeownership emergencies are:

  • Basement floods and needs to be drained and contents cleaned
  • Tree falls on roof, and you can’t wait for insurance check
  • Furnace dies in the middle of winter
  • Central air system dies and there’s a high deductible on your insurance policy
  • Water tank gives out a week before your big family holiday

How To Manage an Emergency Fund

The key thing about an emergency fund is that it needs to be instantly accessible. Instantly accessible means you should only have to use your debit card or write a check to use it. You shouldn’t have to sell stock or transfer money out of your retirement IRA. It should also be kept separate from other funds, so it doesn’t get confused with the Christmas gift fund or the college fund.

Why Have An Emergency Fund?

Emergencies shouldn’t cause catastrophic damage to your finances. With consistent, small saving habits, you can build up an emergency fund so you can easily and readily take care of maintaining and repairing your home. This is part of good homeownership. When you have an emergency fund, you know that you can always keep your home in tip-top shape.

Filed Under: Mortgage Tagged With: Emergency Funds, Repairs, Savings

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George L. Duarte

MBA, CMC, CMHS
Call 510.377.9059
Fremont, CA

California DRE Corp Lic no. 01032295
DRE Personal Brokers Lic. No. 00943635
NMLS Corporate Lic. No. 302358
Personal Lic. No. 302219

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