April 19, 2022

Few Things to Consider Before Buying or Owning a House

 
finance, home,home and living, tips in buying house, house buying
Our house before we transfer and live here 14 years ago

I remember 14 years ago before we got married, we already have our house which is payable for ten (10) years. This is one of the biggest decisions we made because we need to consider several factors before closing the deal with the developer.


What are the things to consider before owning a house?


Location of the House

Before we decide to get the house we look for a place that is halfway to both of us since we are working in different locations. With this, there will be some savings on transportation and fuel consumption.


Aside from the distance from work, you should pick a place that is more elevated and flood free.


Schools, markets, convenience stores, and hospitals in the neighborhood can be also a consideration in picking the location.


Size of the House

If you already have kids and planning to have individual rooms for them as they grow must be considered in getting the right size of the house. This also applies to newly-weds or getting married, the size of the family you want to build must take into account.


Monthly Amortization

Once you picked the house of your choice, you should estimate your monthly payment. This will determine if your saving will be enough or if you still need more time to save. 


Your developer will discuss the monthly amortization before signing the contract though.


Have Enough Savings

Even having a stable job, having enough savings is still a must. Although you must have a stable job before buying a house, you should consider your savings. As a rule of thumb, your savings must let you survive when you become jobless for six (6) months. 


The savings will be used as payment for monthly amortization and other bills in case you become jobless for six months.


Furthermore, your savings will also shoulder the expenses if there will be some house modifications or renovations before transferring to your new house.


Hopefully, these tips will help you decide on buying your new house.

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April 2, 2022

The Legality Of Handler-Trained Service Dogs

When you imagine a service dog, you probably think of a dog (likely a golden retriever or lab) that has been through a training program from a young age to prepare for its job of working with a disabled handler (maybe a vision-impaired individual). While getting a service dog through a program is one way to do it, there are other valid ways to acquire a service dog.

Program Training
As mentioned above, program training is one popular method of acquiring a service dog. Dogs in these programs train from a young age to be able to act calmly in public and perform certain tasks. There is typically a period where they bond with their potential handler and learn specifically how to help them. The benefit of such programs is that the handler has to expend minimal effort to train the dog (although regular training is still required to keep the dog's mind sharp). The dog is taken care of in its early years until it is not only housebroken but also able to mitigate the handler's disability. The drawback is the cost, as these dogs can amount to around $20,000.00.

Handler-Training
Mainly due to the cost of a program-trained dog, many handlers have been recently opting to train their own service dogs. This is a perfectly legal and valid option for those who do not have the money to spend on a program dog. Handler-training allows more time to bond with the dog during its earlier life stages. The drawback to this method is that it takes a lot of time and energy to train a dog by yourself, which can be difficult especially when you are already dealing with a disability. Some individuals opt for a middle-ground and hire a professional behaviorist to aid in dog training Miami FL to assist them.

Service dogs are a huge commitment no matter what route you choose. It is important to make sure that the method you pick is going to be beneficial for both you and your new best friend. 
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