If you’re in the market for a new home, one of the first things you’ll need to do is find a Realtor. However, with an abundance of working professionals in the real estate field, you’ll need to be proactive about finding one who’s qualified and dependable. Besides verifying licensing and getting references, one way to evaluate a Realtor is to ask plenty of questions. Here are five things to ask a Realtor: Read more

It’s springtime, and with the longer days and milder weather, the last thing you probably want to do is your tax return. But the deadline for filing returns is just around the corner. If you’ve been putting off the inevitable, or if doing your taxes was a more harried experience than you would have liked, review these tips for getting through tax season. Read more

In December 2017, Congress passed a comprehensive tax overhaul. With several hundred pages of new tax regulations on the books and tax season just around the corner, Bay Area residents and business owners are eager to learn what the revised code will mean for them. We spoke with Russell Barnett, EA, CTC to help make sense of these new rules.

Businesses Will Be Most Affected by the Tax Overhaul

“The biggest changes to the tax code affect how business income is taxed,” says Mr. Barnett. Read more

As the year comes to a close, many of us have money on our minds. Maybe you’re mulling how much to spend on gifts or how much to donate to your favorite charity. As you draw up your end-of-year accounts, one thing to consider is your health insurance benefits. If you’ve been putting off seeing your physician, optometrist, dentist or chiropractor, you may want to make an appointment before January. There are two reasons why December is a crucial time to plan for health care costs: 1) deductibles will reset in January and 2) it’s your last chance to use any money you’ve put in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Read more

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, close to 25 percent of all employed Americans work from home at least some of the time. This is hardly surprising given increasingly longer commutes and the growth of the gig economy. If you’re part of this trend of telecommuters, you probably already know that working from home has its upsides and downsides. The key to staying on task while surrounded by the distractions of home is to create a home office where you can be your most productive. Let’s go through the steps.

Step 1: Establish Your Work Station

If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated room for a home office, Read more

While part of preparing a rental property for market is getting the physical space move-in ready, the other part is addressing non-physical details such as tenant screening. Due to the potential consequences of oversights or poor decisions in this area, it’s important to take a meticulous, preventative approach. To learn a few critical steps, read the following tip sheet by Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Sam LaPlaca of CM Property Management Inc.:

1. Verify income. Accepting a tenant who can’t afford the rent is a mistake that can cost you a lot of time, money and frustration. That’s why, in addition to asking for pay stubs and bank statements, Read more

With Roy Nickolai of All About Parking

When using a valet service, it’s not always easy to tell its level of professionalism. One indicator that you’re dealing with a professional company is if the valet attendant walks around your vehicle and performs a damage control inspection prior to issuing you a ticket. The purpose of this inspection is to document any scratches, dents or other damage already on the vehicle, which the attendant will typically make note of on the valet ticket. This simple step will help you avoid any controversy about whether damage occurred while the vehicle was in the valet service’s care.

While it should be part of standard procedure, Read more