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Barbara Corbett's Central LA Real Estate Lagniappe
Your source for real estate information in Central Louisiana (CenLA). Enjoy home staging tips that are crucial to selling your home, quarterly CenLA market updates, and other miscellaneous "sound-bytes" on real estate. Visit http://www.BarbaraCorbett.com for more information and free listing reports.
Monday, April 6, 2026
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Monday, May 27, 2013
Will the "Good Life" Be Ready When You Are?
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The Life of Riley was a TV show from the 50’s starring William Bendix but the title’s origin came from an expression meaning that a person was living the “good life.” Most people envision themselves living the good life by retirement but don’t really have a plan to get there.
There’s a rough rule of thumb used to estimate how much net worth a person would need by the time they retire to generate a certain income. The target annual income is divided by a safe, conservative yield to determine the investable assets needed.
A person who wanted $100,000 annual income generated from a 5% investment would need investable assets of $2,000,000. If a person had $500,000 now, they would need to accumulate $1.5 million more by the time they retire. If it was estimated to be 15 years away, they would need to save about $100,000 a year, each year until retirement.
It is a sobering example that could be depressing without a plan. It might be easy to say, “I should have started sooner” which may be true but there is still hope.
Gradually, over the next several years, accumulate rental property and allow the tenant to retire the debt for you. The equity in each property will grow from the amortization of the loan each time a payment is made. It also grows as the property increases in value due to appreciation.
Single family homes as rentals offer the investor an opportunity to meet their retirement and financial goals for the following reasons:
- The ability to borrow large loan-to-value mortgages
- At fixed interest rates
- For long terms (easily up to 30 years)
- On appreciating assets
- With significant tax advantages
- And reasonable control not offered by alternative investments.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Maintaining Comfort
Maintaining Comfort
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Some people refer to the heating and air conditioning systems as the "comfort systems." If you've ever had to be without one in the dead of winter or the heat of summer, lack of comfort may be an understatement. Simple maintenance with a HVAC checklist is something that every homeowner can perform.
Periodically
- Change your filter every 90 days; every 30 days if you have shedding pets.
- Maintain at least two feet of clearance around outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps.
- Don't allow leaves, grass clippings, lint or other things to block circulation of coils.
- Inspect insulation on refrigerant lines leading into house monthly and replace if missing or damaged.
Annual, in spring
- Confirm that outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps are on level pads.
- Pour bleach in the air conditioner's condensation drain to clear mold and algae which can cause a clog.
- Avoid closing more than 20% of a home's registers to keep from overworking the system.
- Replace the battery in the home's carbon monoxide detector.
Even with the attention that perfoming this list will provide, it is recommended that you have your units serviced annually by a licensed contractor. Furnaces can be inspected for carbon monoxide leaks and preventative maintenance may help avoid costly repairs. Click Here if you'd like a recommendation.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Terry Bradshaw takes Today In America viewers on a tour of Pineville, LA
City of Pineville on Today in America from City of Pineville, LA on Vimeo.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
When to Sell the Temporary Rental
It's a valid strategy but there are time restrictions that could have serious tax implications for some homeowners.
The section 121 exclusion for gain in a principal residence requires that the home is owned and used as a main home for at least two years during the five year period ending on the date of the sale. This allows a homeowner to rent their home for up to three years and still have some part of the exclusion available.
The sale of a home with a $200,000 gain that qualifies as a principal residence would result in no tax being paid by the owner. Comparably, a rental property with the same gain could have a $30,000 or higher tax liability depending on the length of ownership and tax brackets of the investor.
The housing market has dramatically improved in the last year. If you have a gain in a home that has been your principal residence and it has been rented less than three years, you might want to consider selling it while you qualify for the exclusion.
If you are considering a sale on your principal residence that has been rented, consult with your tax professional for advice on your specific situation. For additional information, see IRS Publication 523.

