Planning a summer trip is usually focused on what you’ll do, see and experience. Enjoy it even more by spending a little time before you leave to make sure your home is safe while you're gone.

Consider these suggestions along with your other normal efforts:

• Tell your neighbors you’ll be out of town and to be aware of any unusual activity.
• Notify your alarm company .
• Discontinue your postal delivery.
• Use timers on interior lights to make it appear you’re home as usual.
• Don’t make it easy for burglars by leaving messages on voice mail or posting on social networks.
• Post on social networks about your vacation after you’ve returned.
• Remove the hidden spare keys and give one to a trusted neighbor or friend.
• Lock everything, double-check and set the alarm.
• Take pictures of your belongings in case you need them.
• Disconnect TVs and other equipment in case of unexpected power surges.
• Adjust your thermostat.
• Arrange for lawn care.
• Consider disconnecting the garage door opener.
• Put irreplaceable valuables in a safety deposit box.

It’s nice to go out of town on a well-deserved trip and it’s always nice to get back home…especially when it is just the way you left it.

Most taxpayers know that they will pay a 10% penalty if they withdraw funds from their IRA before they turn 59.5 years old. There is an exception for first-time home buyers that allows a penalty-free withdrawal of up to $10,000 per person if they haven’t owned a home in the previous two years.

This would allow a married couple who each have an IRA to withdraw a lifetime maximum of $10,000 each, penalty-free for a home purchase.

In many cases, the money would be used for a down payment or closing costs. However, some buyers might consider this source to increase their down payment so they could qualify for a loan without mortgage insurance.

If the taxpayer qualifies for the penalty-free withdrawal, there may still be taxes due. Contributions to traditional IRAs are made with before-tax dollars and the tax is paid when the funds are withdrawn. Since Roth IRAs are made with after-tax dollars, there is no tax due when the funds are withdrawn.

Another interesting fact about this provision is that the taxpayer making the withdrawal can help a qualified relative which includes children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents.

Homebuyers who are considering using IRA funds for a home purchase should get expert advice from their tax professional concerning their individual situation.

Serious shoppers wait for a 50% off sale to make the decision because of the bargain factor. Renters who are serious about lowering their monthly cost of housing should consider buying with today’s low mortgage rates. For an example, let’s assume a person buys a $200,000 home with 3.5% down payment on a 4.5% FHA mortgage for 30 years.

The total house payment would be approximately $1,508 per month. However, once you consider the equity build-up due to normal amortization, a monthly appreciation estimated at 2% annually for this example, the tax savings and paying maintenance that a tenant wouldn’t be required to do, the net cost of housing is $772 a month. This is almost half of the full mortgage payment.

If this person was paying $1,750 a month for rent, it would cost him almost $978 more to rent than to own. In the first year alone, it would accumulate to over $11,000 which is more than the down payment required of $7,000.

Owning a home is the largest investment that most people make and the down payment of $7,000 to purchase this home would grow to $58,837 in equity by estimating a 2% appreciation and normal amortization.

To check out what your real housing costs might look like, go to Rent vs. Own or contact your real estate professional.

Statistics show that prospective buyers value bathrooms above almost any other part of the home, making it more important than ever that you don’t overlook this space when it comes time to update your home before listing it in today’s competitive market.

In fact, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, bathrooms have a dramatic affect on selling price, with each full bath adding about 24 percent to the selling price. Additionally, new bathrooms return about 51 percent of their costs at sale time, so the money you spend now will more than likely come back to you.

While a complete bathroom overhaul may not be in the cards, spending a little money updating a tired looking bathroom is one of the best things you can do to increase a home’s resale value.

Here are five tips to make sure your bathroom attracts the masses.

1. Think Big. Most bathrooms don’t take enough advantage of the space available and have small, non-descript bathtubs. If you do the measurements, you may be surprised to find that a large, deep, spa-like bath can be incorporated into the space to help wash people’s stress away. And while you’re at it, look into changing your shower head to one of the massage models or something flashy that will appeal to a wider range of house hunters.

2. Update Fixtures. Fixtures can become outdated quickly and also lose some of their shine over the years. Adding new cabinet handles or faucets made out of brushed nickel or other metals that are polished and elegant is a great way to fancy up the bathroom. Multiple sinks are also in vogue and can be added without too much hassle.

Paying off a mortgage is a long-term commitment—30 years in most cases, and costing hundreds of thousands in interest. But if your goal is early retirement with a paid-off mortgage, you can meet that goal—and save many thousands in interest along the way—by paying down the principal with a few extra bucks here and there.

The caveat, said Moneycrash.com financial advisor David Bakke, is that you specify on these extra payment checks to your lender that the funds are to be used for principal deduction only.

Bakke offers four ideas for paying down your mortgage early while hardly feeling the pinch:

• Lower the interest rate – Stay alert to opportunities to lower your mortgage rate. Dropping 1.5 to 2 percent interest from a 30-year fixed rate mortgage can lower your payment by several hundred dollars per month. That’s money you can put toward retirement savings, vacations, or kids’ college accounts – or toward paying down your mortgage even faster.
• Turn a small luxury into an extra payment habit – Consider the small, perhaps daily luxuries you are willing to forego; the $4 latte every morning…a magazine subscription you don’t need. Stash that money and use it toward principal reduction.
• Turn underperforming investments into equity - Many people have investments that are returning less, as a percentage, than their home mortgage interest rate is costing them. If that's the case, and you have no reason to think that the investment will turn around soon, it might pay to put that money toward paying down the principal on your mortgage.
• Stash those regular or unexpected little windfalls – Got an unexpected tax refund? A larger-than-expected birthday check? Or perhaps you save a few bucks on groceries each week by using those clipped coupons? Stash the money you saved, or any other extra amount, and apply it each month to mortgage principal.

After a weak performance for the economy as a whole during the first quarter, spring is a time for improvements—for homes and the overall housing market.

May is National Home Remodeling Month, and NAHB has useful data for remodelers who want to know why homeowners are undertaking improvements, as well as the most common types. Among remodelers participating in an NAHB industry survey, bathroom remodeling was cited as the most common project, narrowly beating out kitchen remodeling. Window and door replacements, whole housing remodeling and room additions rounded out the top five.

Data from the American Housing Survey indicate that homeowners are most likely to use a professional remodeler for jobs involving HVAC systems and roofing followed by siding, windows/doors, electrical systems, plumbing and floors. According to the NAHB survey, the most common reasons for remodeling included a desire for better amenities, a need to replace or repair old components, and a need for additional space in the home.

Home improvement spending has a direct economic benefit on the economy. New estimates from NAHB indicate that every $1 million in remodeling spending creates 8.9 jobs. These estimates also note that building 100 single-family homes creates 297 jobs, and developing 100 multifamily units generates 113 jobs.

The role of housing investment as a job creator was highlighted by NAHB in testimony before the Senate Economic Policy Subcommittee hearing “Drivers of Job Creation.” That hearing involved a discussion of the transitions in the construction labor market as housing construction continues to recover. March data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS survey reveal 104,000 unfilled construction sector jobs, as firms in some markets report challenges in filling vacant positions.

One of the most common reasons buyers want to deal directly with the seller is because they feel they can save the commission. It’s a valid consideration but interestingly, it’s the same reason the seller isn’t employing an agent; they feel they can save the commission.

Both parties cannot save the commission. The buyer feels they have earned it because they’ve had to find the home, determine its value and negotiate with the seller. They had to arrange their own financing, title and inspections.

The seller equally feels that they have earned the commission because they have incurred all of the marketing expenses and have invested hours upon hours to be available to show the property, hold open houses and answer inquiries. They have had to research value, financing, title work and make decisions.

There is certainly value in all of the things that buyers and sellers are willing to do to save the commission but only one person can save the commission only if the buyer and seller can reach a written agreement.

Consideration associated with a contract is generally thought to be the price and terms but being sympathetic and courteous towards the seller could make a difference in getting the home you want.

Business people, like store owners, expect to deal with customers and even come to expect behavior that might not be accepted in a purely social atmosphere. Homeowners, on the other hand, may not be aware of what to expect. They are opening the sanctity of their home to the public for review and criticism. Buyers may be detached from emotional feelings while the sellers might react unfavorably to comments that are taken personally.

1. Be on time for appointments; cancel if necessary. The sellers may be rearranging their schedules and making an additional effort to make it convenient for you to see the property.

You’ve done the spring cleaning, and you look around your home and suddenly, it looks a bit tired. If you’re longing for a re-do, but the budget is thin, what can you do on a shoestring?

Sara Mendez, a décor consultant at a California thrift store, offers four ideas to spruce up your home and change the look with a minimum outlay of cash:

Organize – start by stashing stuff that’s lying around. A cheap bookcase will hold books and magazines in the living room – or toys or shoes in the bedroom. Look for pre-owned furniture that can double as storage – a coffee table with drawers, for example, or an ottoman that opens up to hold toys, linens, or paperwork.

Rearrange – Changing the location of the couch or the bed is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make a room feel different. Rearranging your space can also open your eyes to the nooks and crannies where a single decorative plant or a few colorful pillows can make all the difference in the world.

Repurpose – Re-using things you already have can make a difference, too. Re-cover a couch or a chair in a new fabric – or add a few colorful pillows. Paint a room, or one wall of the room, for a completely new look – or refinish or paint an old dresser or end table to make it look new and smart. If the budget allows, buy a small, pre-owned table or other accent piece or two and paint them in a jazzy accent color to add interest to a room.

Personalize – Picture frames are cheap at a thrift store, especially if you are willing to change out the pictures inside them for posters or colorful prints that reflects your own taste. Or use the frames to create a family photo montage on one wall, or even samples of your children’s best art work.

Spring has sprung, from the looks of contractors' trucks around the neighborhood to the bustling crowds at the local big box 'DIY-mart'. So to kick off April, we pinged a few top resources to clue consumers in on some of the hottest spring decorating trends.

The experts at details.com say Gray and "greige" will remain popular, but black is the new color darling for 2014. They're even seeing people paint the outside of their house black as a way to modernize an older home.

They report a recent Houzz poll showing 74 percent of homeowners admit to being a fan of black rooms, from bathrooms and kitchens with crisp white fixtures, to interior doors and exterior siding.

While the Houzz poll shows that tile remains the most popular backsplash material - people are increasingly selecting metal tiles and other sheet materials including stainless steel, glass, and stone slab because it looks sleek and makes for easy cleaning.