Caring for Your Home – Karen's Perspective

Keeping Your Home Warm this Winter

Baby, it’s cold outside. Time to put a big, cozy warm blanket around your house. Following are some tips to help you stay warm this winter by keeping the heat where you want it, inside!

Heating unit – Hopefully, you had your heating unit serviced last fall so it’s functioning now at optimum level. If not, have it serviced now because we still have several cold months ahead of us.
Pipes – Double-check insulation around exterior pipes that are exposed to freezing weather to be certain they’re insulated and that water cannot seep under the insulation. Tape and repair loose or damaged insulation. Add more anywhere it’s needed.

01 / 05 / 2012
No Comments

Hardwood or Laminate Flooring: Which is Right for Your Home?

One of the many dilemmas for a homeowner doing some remodeling is what type of flooring to install. Hardwood and laminate flooring are two of the popular choices. Each choice has advantages and disadvantages to be considered. Let’s look at what differentiates these two types of flooring so you can make a more informed decision before moving forward with your remodel.

Hardwood or Laminate Flooring: Which is Right for Your Home?

Hardwood Flooring

It’s tough to beat the natural beauty and allure of hardwood flooring in a home. The natural look and feel of real hardwood is something that laminate flooring cannot match. Hardwood flooring can also add considerable value to your home, which may be especially useful if you are remodeling with the intent to eventually sell. Many people shopping for a new home consider hardwood flooring very appealing, whereas laminate flooring is usually not considered a significant bullet point for home shoppers.

12 / 19 / 2011
No Comments

Tips for Reducing Fire Hazards in the Home

Thanks to Phill from Fire Safety Store for this post.

With the approaching holidays and holiday decorations abounding in the home, fire hazards and dangers increase. Here are a few tips to increase fire safety in your home.

  Install a Smoke Detector   -The holidays are a great time of year for decorating and bringing the family together. To avoid fire dangers in your home, install smoke detectors and keep them in good working order. If you do not already have smoke detectors installed in your home, now is a great time to put one in. Smoke detectors are inexpensive and you can find them at any home improvement center or home department retailer. Install a smoke detector in every region of your home, including the living areas and bedroom hallway. If you already have smoke detectors installed, check the batteries to make sure they are in good working condition.

Christmas Tree Safety   -

12 / 07 / 2011
No Comments

Turn Your Underused Attic into the Loft You’ve Always Dreamed Of

Guest Post

Thanks to Christa Blair of Buildables.net for this post.

There are a ton of boxes and memories stored in your attic and, while you cherish them, they just take up too much space. The truth is that you store most memories on the inside and getting rid of some of the clutter can turn into a wonderful and therapeutic experience. It will also give you the space to turn that attic, no matter the size, into a dream loft or hideaway spot in your home.

Cleaning up is just the start; there are many ways to turn that attic into the perfect loft and here are some trusty ways to do it.

• Use light colored paint – It is not the norm for attics to have a lot of space. If your attic is small with little head room, try a light colored paint. This brightens the room to give the illusion that it has more space.

• Try not to section the room – Sectioning your attic gives it too much definition and takes away from the loft feeling. Remember a loft has few partitions and a lot of space. To mimic this in an attic, you must not use furniture or other objects to define specific areas.

11 / 28 / 2011
No Comments

Prepare Your Home for Winter – be safe and save money!

It’s time!

The best way to prevent problems and keep costs low is to be prepared! Just a few pro-active preparations can save you time, problems and tons of money this winter!

Safety and Money Saving Tips:

1. Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency. Pipes can freeze and burst. When they thaw, water will run where the pipe has broken. To protect your home and your valuables, it’s always important to know how to shut off your water anytime a leak in your plumbing may occur.

2. Make sure any exposed pipes are properly insulated or covered. If you have a pipe that freezes regularly, it’s probably not insulated inside the wall or under the flooring of your home. Have the plumber check and insulate pipes to stop water coming into your home from freezing.

11 / 15 / 2011
No Comments

Best / Worst Rehab Choices for the Money

Many of our students ask, “what should I do to this property to get the most return for my investment?”

Great question! And, before you begin any rehab on a property you plan to sell, investigate the return you can expect versus the amount you’ll spend to do the work.

For example, if you plan to spend $40,000 adding a sunroom, would you still do it if it would only raise your property value $15,000?

1. Upkeep. Probably the best advice for the least money is – keep up the property while you live in it. So many sellers go all out fixing broken cabinet doors, cracked windows, exterior paint, replacing blinds, etc. when they plan to move. Really? Why let your house deteriorate in the first place? Keeping your home in top condition allows you to love it while you’re there, keeps upkeep costs low and spread out and, when you decide to sell, it’s practically ready “as is.”

10 / 17 / 2011
No Comments

Getting Ready to Paint? 10 Color Tips..

living room

This was the living room in my last house. As you can see, I love color! The best thing about paint is it’s a cheap and easy way to change your life. Bored? Paint! Change your mind, paint again! Afraid? Start in a closet or laundry room. Color will completely change your mood.

Here are some easy, interesting tips for choosing color:

Afraid of color but bored with white? Pick a neutral that you love but go one shade darker to get away from the blahs.
Use a contrasting color on an accent wall such as behind the television or on the window wall.
Paint the ceiling a color. A couple of shades lighter or darker than the walls is safe and creates an interesting contrast. I suggest a couple shades lighter in a small space so the ceiling feels higher. In our sunroom, the walls are green (obvious choice!) and the ceiling is the same color. I wanted it to feel like you’re outside in the trees!

10 / 03 / 2011
1 Comment

How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home

Guest Post

Thanks to Mark D. Tyrol for this post.

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in — costing you higher heating bills.

Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.

But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes:

09 / 27 / 2011
No Comments

How to Reduce Everyday Bills

Want to save some money pretty easily? Check out this list:

Lower your mortgage rate. Yup. Especially if you have a loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac – this is the perfect time. The Home Affordable Refinance Program has been extended until June 30, 2012. Loans backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are being refinanced at 4%-5% and (best part) with NO closing costs.
Lower your energy bill. Contact your utility company. Find out if they offer free energy audits by inspecting your home for energy effectiveness and recommending inexpensive ways to cut energy costs. Ours does. I had to wait several months because they stay so backed up, but Duke Energy gave me a free energy audit and gifts!
Cut down on drafts. Speaking of lowering your energy bill, this one trick can lower your bill 3% to 18%! Here are some way to stop/reduce drafts:

09 / 20 / 2011
2 Comments

How to Accelerate Your Mortgage Payoff – follow-up

I received a number of responses to my recent post How to Accelerate Your Mortgage Payoff.

Great! I hope, if you’re not already doing it, you will try this technique and see the amazing results for yourself.

I can assure you this works and is really very easy to do. We did it recently for our son and his wife when they bought their new home. They made the first payment and, for their housewarming gift, we made the next 11. Since we were paying principle only and no interest, it was a very wonderful and not-that-expensive gift to give.

By doing that, the 2nd payment they made was the first payment of year 2 on their original amortization schedule. An entire year of interest was saved, and the most expensive year for interest, the first.

As I mentioned in the original article, your online account immediately updates the amortization schedule allowing you to verify that the payments were applied correctly.

Before sending in those extra payments, we contacted the bank and they assured us any extra payments come off the next scheduled principal payment. Just to be sure, we always include a letter of explanation, as we have known instances when the extra was applied to final payments (which have no interest on them and, therefore, no savings to you).

Hope you try this. Let me know how it works for you!