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The Holidays are looking a little different this year, due to the Coronavirus that stole Christmas, but that doesn’t mean we have to cancel. Here are some DIY projects to do from inside the house during a stay-at-home order…

1.) Make Holiday Popsicles

These Kiwi Popscicles are super easy to make. You need a red fruit (frozen strawberries work well), white yogurt (we used vanilla), a green fruit (kiwis are great), a little blendery thing, and a popsicle mold. Whir up your fruit (about 3 kiwis to about 10 medium-sized strawberries) to make a puree. Add sweetener if you’d like and fill up your popsicle molds using layers of each color.  The consistency of the three ingredients is very different, so they won’t mix together in the mold. Put the mold in the freezer for several hours, and then you have a healthy holiday treat that you won’t feel guilty about! Recipe by Paper & Glue (visit the website for more photos and info)

2.) Show Off the Holiday Sweater (in a virtual meeting)

Everybody is on Zoom nowadays. Why not have a Family Zoom Party, Friend Zoom Party, or even a Drinking Zoom Party. Have someone dress up as Santa or an elf, and everyone else can wear Christmas Sweaters and do something together like make hot cocoa, watch a movie, or play Charades, Pictionary, or a fun drinking game. If you have little ones, there are now “Zoom Calls with Santa” available this year.

3.) Create a Fun Family Photoshoot

A great excuse for putting the whole family in matching outfits! Family photos are a fun way to make memories that will laugh a lifetime. Don’t be afraid to get goofy with it. Take at least 2 or 3 “fun poses” that show off your family’s silly side. If you’re home alone for the holidays, you can take Zoom meeting photos. They won’t seem like much now, but later we can all look back at that time we spent Christmas looking like the opening of the credits of the Brady Bunch.

4.) Build a Gingerbread House

You put it off every year, just seems like so much work! Well this year, we’ve been blessed with more time inside and its the perfect time to finally make it work. Nothing beats a craft that you can eat when you’re finished! Many supermarkets will sell a gingerbread house kit around the holidays. The kit will usually include the bare essentials to build four walls and a roof. Head to the candy aisle of the supermarket and select a few custom treats that will add to your child’s design of the gingerbread house. Here are a few ideas on how some popular candies may be incorporated (Source minted.com) :

• Plain or peanut butter M&M’s – can be used for colored roof tiling.
• Gumdrops – can be used for colored roof tiling.
• Small candy canes – can be used for wall decorations or fence posts.
• Shredded coconut – can be used for snow on the roof, or dyed green for grass.
• Pretzel sticks – can be used for fence posts or logs for a log cabin.
• Red vines – can easily be bent and wrapped around corners and edges.
• Marshmallows – can be used to make snowmen or little snow bundles.

5.) Go for a Christmas Lights Drive

And if you’re feeling extra festive, decorate the car you’re in! Make some hot cocoa, pour a cup for each member of the family, and head out in the car in search of the best Christmas light displays for some memorable family bonding. Some cities and towns even have a professionally made light display or experience that charges admission. If you are lucky, you will come across a light display that is synched up with music.

6.) Make and Send Christmas Cards

The COVID-19 pandemic has really transformed our traditional social practices in 2020. Many of us have canceled travel plans and missed out on deep engagements with friends and family. Take special advantage of this holiday season and send a personal update to let all those you care about know you have been thinking of them. Browse through pinterest to find thousands of holiday card ideas created by independent artists from around the world. Ensure that your Christmas card leaves a lasting impression this year!

Whatever you decide to do this year, try not to be discouraged (COVID seasonal depression is a real thing, yikes). Remember that Christmas is about the love and memories you make!

With Love,

Joanna

To get the best mortgage rate, decide what type of loan to get, how much to put down and whether to pay points, and then comparison shop multiple lenders.

Buying a home is an adventure. After figuring out how much house you can actually afford, next comes the mortgage. Knowing how to get the best mortgage rate starts with knowing the answers to these six questions:

1. Get a fixed rate or ARM?

Mortgages have either fixed interest rates or adjustable rates. Fixed-rate mortgages lock you into a consistent interest rate that you’ll pay over the life of the loan. The part of your mortgage payment that goes toward principal plus interest remains constant throughout the loan term, though insurance, property taxes and other costs may fluctuate.

The interest rate on an adjustable-rate mortgage can change over time. An ARM usually begins with an introductory period of 10, seven, five or three years (or even one year), during which your interest rate holds steady. After that, the rate may change periodically.

Note: ARMs usually offer lower introductory rates. But your ARM rate can rise after the introductory period ends, causing monthly mortgage payments to go up — substantially, in some cases.

2. Should I pay points?

Discount points are fees borrowers pay to reduce the interest rate on their mortgages. One point is 1% of the loan amount, which typically reduces the mortgage rate by 0.25%, although the reduction can vary. If you take out a loan at 4.5% interest, you might be able to pay a $2,000 fee to reduce the rate to 4.25%.

When you pay discount points, you typically shell out thousands of dollars up front to save a few dollars every month. It takes several years for the monthly savings to add up to where they exceed the initial amount paid. This break-even period varies depending on loan amount, the cost of the points and the interest rate. It’s often seven to nine years. If you don’t plan to have the loan for that long, it’s a good idea to skip the discount points.

3. What are the closing costs?

Closing costs are fees charged by the lender and third parties. Closing costs don’t affect the mortgage rate (unless you pay discount points). But they do have an impact on your pocketbook. Closing costs usually amount to about 3% of the purchase price of your home and are paid at the time you close, or finalize, the purchase. Closing costs comprise various fees, including the lender’s underwriting and processing charges, and title insurance and appraisal fees, among others.

You’re allowed to shop around for lower fees in some cases, and the Loan Estimate form will tell you which services you may shop for so you can reduce closing costs.

4. Any first-time home buyer programs?

Before you settle on a mortgage, find out if you’re eligible for any special programs that make homebuying less costly. Many states offer help to first-time buyers as well as repeat buyers.

Each state offers its own mix of programs for home buyers. Many states offer down payment assistance often combined with favorable interest rates and tax breaks. Some programs are targeted geographically and others offer help to home buyers in certain professions, such as teachers, first responders and veterans.

5. Down payment size?

Veterans and rural borrowers may qualify for loans that allow 100% financing, requiring no down payment. Other borrowers may qualify for mortgages that allow down payments as small as 3% or 3.5%. Here’s a summary:

• VA loans: If you (or your spouse) are active military or a veteran, you might qualify for a mortgage guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• USDA loans: If you live in a rural area, the Department of Agriculture might guarantee a low- or no-down-payment mortgage and help cover closing costs.
• FHA loans: Mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration allow down payments as low as 3.5%. FHA-insured loans are more forgiving of low credit scores, but you pay for mortgage insurance for the life of the loan.
• Conventional loans with 3% down: Some borrowers may qualify for conventional loans, which aren’t insured by the government, that allow down payments as low as 3%. The mortgages generally are for first-time or low- to moderate-income borrowers. These loans charge for private mortgage insurance, or PMI, which can be canceled after you have 20% or more in equity.

6. How do I compare?

Here are tips for comparing loan offers:

• The more you shop, the more you save. A borrower who compares five lenders could save more than $400 in interest in the loan’s first 12 months. And consider applying with different types of lenders, such as banks, credit unions and online lenders.
• Shop for loans within a set window of time. The three big credit bureaus encourage you to shop around. You have 14 to 45 days, depending on the scoring model, to apply for as many mortgages as you want with the same effect on your credit scores as applying for one loan.
• Compare closing costs using the Loan Estimates. Each lender is required to provide a Loan Estimate form with details of each loan’s terms and fees. The Loan Estimate is designed to simplify the task of comparing mortgage offers