A large part of the cost of buying a home is the amount of funds it will take to close the sale. The good news is that the amount of your closing costs can be negotiable. Since closing costs on a loan can total 3-6% of your loan amount, it would be beneficial to try and get them reduced.

When you apply for a mortgage, the lender will provide a loan estimate outlining what your approximate closing costs will be. The loan fees will include everything from the loan origination fee to homeowner's insurance and your down payment.

You can lower your down payment to reduce your closing costs, but keep in mind that a lower down payment can result in having to pay mortgage insurance. Paying a higher interest rate may allow the lender to rebate some of your closing fees. The trade-off is that it will cost you more over the life of your loan.

If you choose to negotiate to pay fewer discount points for your loan, your closing costs could be significantly less. Your interest rate will be higher as a result.

You can't make closing costs go away, but having an open conversation with your lender may help you in reducing the cost to buy a home. Additionally, some sellers may adjust the sale price of their home to you in exchange for paying some of your closing costs.

Call or email me, and we can go over these possibilities in more detail and help reduce your closing costs.

What’s going on with the world’s climate is such an enormous and complex issue that it can sometimes feel like we, as individuals, are helpless in the face of such a grave situation. However, a newly published research paper may help change that thinking.

The joint report from independent groups The Jump, ARUP and C40 Cities has found that everyday individuals can directly influence 25 to 27 percent of the emission reduction required by 2030 to avoid an ecological catastrophe. We clearly have much more control than we realize. According to the research, here are a few things you can do to do your bit.

Eat plant-based. Switching to a plant-based diet can contribute towards 12 percent of the emission savings required by North America and Europe.

More vintage, less fast fashion. Shifting towards retro fashion from vintage clothing stores rather than always buying the new trends can help cut six percent of emissions.

Holidays by train. Taking the train when possible instead of flying to your vacation destination can help reduce emissions by two percent.

Keep and repair electronics. Using your electronics for the full duration of their usable life spans rather than upgrading every time a new model is out makes an enormous environmental difference.

Use your voice. The remaining 73 percent of emissions are in the hands of industry, government and corporations, but we as citizens can take action to speak up, encourage and support them shifting towards a greener, more sustainable future.

In large skillet, saute zucchini, green pepper and onion in oil until softened.

Add garlic. Cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.

Simmer, uncovered, until excess liquid is evaporated.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve.

To turn this into a main dish: add mozzarella and bread crumbs, broil until golden brown or add linguine (6 ounces) cooked al dente then stir through.

Yard improvement doesn't have to be complicated for you to get the benefit of up to $4 in increased value for every dollar you spend, according to the Remodeling Impact Report from the National Association of Realtors. Here are a few ideas to help increase the value of your home.

If you are comfortable with DIY projects, make and install flower boxes. Prefab boxes will be just as successful when filled with colorful plants. The curb appeal of your home will immediately liven up.

Trim out your mulched flower beds with rock borders to help contain the mulch. Adding rock and mulch around your foundation will help divert water away from your home's perimeter. This DIY project can be taken further by creating rock stream beds. Trench the ground and fill the spaces with rock to take water where it won't be destructive. Done properly, the result will also enhance the overall look of your landscaping.

To visually tie together the different areas of your yard, install pavers or stepping stones to get from one area to another. Lighting these pathways will bring you the best return on dollars spent and give your home personality at night.

Be sure to care for all of your plants because they add more value to your home as they mature. The return on your investment in a yard full of healthy flowers, plants and trees will never be in question. You also get to enjoy the color, fresh air and shade that vegetation brings.

If creative DIY landscaping projects are not your thing, then be sure you at least fill your outdoor space with a well-maintained lawn. Bags of fertilizer can be purchased for between $30-60, depending on the size needed.

Contact me for other simple yard improvement ideas that will increase the value of your home.

Any form of losing out on something can be demoralizing. Whether it's on a large scale, such as a sporting cup final, or on a smaller one, like when you're beaten to the last cookie in the jar, no one really likes being the loser. But there's one surefire way to completely avoid ever being a loser: changing your mindset around losing.

As children, we were much more open with our feelings of disappointment, whether that meant bursting into tears or running to a parent for comfort. But as adults, through social conditioning, we've attached shame to open shows of disappointment; things like openly weeping in a public space or having a time-out in the corner of the office are not always seen as socially acceptable.

As a result, we don't allow ourselves to process disappointment, which can lead to us failing to take ownership of our shortcomings. Allowing yourself the emotional space to feel disappointment after a failure can help you to comfort yourself, recognize where you went wrong and, in turn, stop you from shifting blame to someone else.

Another important mindset to get into is one of growth. If you've had a loss or failure on a large scale, the natural human instinct is very often to focus on what you lost rather than everything you had achieved up to that point. Focusing solely on your failure can stop you from noticing what you might actually have gained from the situation.

So treating each loss as just another step on the path of life helps you to use your experience to build towards something even better next time around while appreciating things you might otherwise have taken for granted.