Buying a home that needs some love can be overwhelming. It can also be a smart investment. If you're thinking about buying a fixer-upper, you already know that it's going to take a little elbow grease to make it livable. You probably also know that these types of homes can often be snatched up at bargain prices and in neighborhoods where you want to live. And once it's yours, you can paint, remodel and refresh the property to make it your own. Gourmet kitchen, movie room, home office, party deck  - the possibilities are endless. 

Is it time for you to get out of the rent race and buy a home of your own? There are plenty of advantages to homeownership. And while buying isn’t right for every person or for every life stage or circumstance, there are several perks of homeownership that tend to stay stable over time. These include building long-term equity, the comfort and pride that can be associated with owning your own home and, of course, lower overall monthly cost.

Life is busy. Kids, work, meals, appointments - the list goes on. And no matter where you live, you also have to spend time keeping your home safe and running smoothly. We've put together a Yearly Homeowner's Checklist, with tasks for each month, to help remind you of common home maintenance chores to make your life just a little bit easier. 

This is an article submitted by a guest author. Not all views expressed are those of Amerifirst Home Mortgage or its employees. 

If your mailbox could talk, what would it say? “Hey Susan, here’s more coupons for your favorite Moose Tracks ice cream you can't get enough of, an overdue bill for your monthly $50 gym membership, and two new pre-approved loan offers from financial institutions you never requested.”

We live in an instant-gratification society. We want what we want, and we want it now. Some of this is simply human nature. Some of the fault for this lies at the feet of our mass media. We're trained to think a complicated murder investigation can be solved and prosecuted in an hour TV show. Such is the case when it comes to all things home related.   Thanks to networks like the DIY Network and HGTV, we have become accustomed to seeing home renovations wrapped up in a single episode, by homeowners just like you and me. However, that's not how real life works. In real life, remodeling projects take time and a lot of work. Sometimes, they even take the work of a professional!