Using Your 2023 Tax Refund For Your Next Outer Banks Home

Are you thinking of buying a home in 2023? For some, tax season could be the best time to buy on the Outer Banks! If you receive a tax return, this could help achieve your goals. From down payments to closing costs- there can be a lot of expenses involved. Here are a few tips if you are planning on utilizing your tax refund check:

Pay your down payment.

Depending on your refund, this could be used towards your down payment.

Pay for closing costs.

Costs associated with home buying include; fees to your lender, your Outer Banks real estate agent, closing attorney, various surveys and inspections.

Use Your 2023 tax refund towards your OBX property.

Buy down your interest rate.

Ask your lender about lowering your interest rate by paying more upfront with your tax refund.

Find an Outer Bank Real Estate Agent

Your tax refund could help you reach your home buying goals. Hiring a qualified Outer Banks realtor can help you make this process less over-whelming. Your agent can assist you in finding the perfect OBX home for you and work with you to make it happen.

Spruce Up Your Garden for Spring

Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to head outdoors, clean out and prepare your garden to start growing the season off right. Our resident “master gardeners” have some ideas on ways to help you bring new life to your home garden:

Out with the old, in with the new. Grab a notebook and head out to your garden and evaluate what happened in the garden while you were indoors this winter. Things to look for:

• Cold, or below freezing temps damage to plants
• Beds that will need to be cleaned out
• Hardscaping elements to be washed—walls, fences, benches, sheds, trellises—that have shifted, bowed or rotted.

Rediscover Your Garden. Perhaps it’s time to scrap what you usually do and start something new? Find some inspiration and also, get creative! Repurpose old pots, add some outdoor seating or try some new flowers you have never grown before.

Get some advice. The Dare County Master Gardeners is the local chapter of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension for trained gardeners. This group of volunteers completes a two-part training process to gain insight and understanding into the area’s botany, soils, insects, diseases, landscape plants, vegetables, fruits, lawns, flowers and landscape design, and then they use their expertise to give back to the community. Learn more.