How to Save Energy During the Winter Months

There are many ways to save energy during the winter months. I’m going to try to put as many low-cost or free tips in here as I can. Lowering your thermostat at night or when you leave your house will save quite a bit. Replacing the air filter on your furnace will help too.

Keep the outside doors and windows closed as much as possible. Make sure gaskets around all outside doors are air tight. You can install plastic-film storm windows yourself. Foam insulation gaskets can be installed behind light switches and electrical outlets. Keeping doors closed inside will help also, as long as you don’t close off the room where the thermostat is located. Opening curtains to let sun in during the day and closing them to keep the cold out at night is helpful. Make sure all of your windows and doors are sealed properly. Change your ceiling fan’s setting to “up” and put it on the lowest setting, so it will push down all the hot air trapped by the ceiling.

Keeping your water heater turned down around 125 degrees will help. A water heater blanket can be installed. Insulating your pipes also is a good idea. Taking short showers will reduce your bill, as will a low-flow shower head. A leaky faucet can also cost you big in the long run, so get that fixed if it’s an issue. 90% of the energy your washer uses is to heat the water to wash your clothes. Wash as many loads as possible with cold water, and only wash full loads. Clean out your dryers lint trap before every use. You can have your furnace tuned up by a heating/cooling professional. Check your attic insulation. You can also insulate crawl spaces.

Buy LED holiday lights. They can use as little as 1% of the regular incandescent bulbs. Try to have your lights on as little as possible; you can install a timer so they will automatically shut off instead of running all night.

Maintaining or Improving Curb Appeal During Winter

Curb appeal is so important because it’s the first thing seen by the potential home buyer. If they don’t like what they see they may just keep driving. Make sure the outside of your home is clean and in good condition. This goes for the roof, siding, front door, windows, etc.  Painting your door can be very important because there are so few things for a buyer to look for. Pick colors that complement the season. Updating your outside light fixtures can drastically change your home’s look. Make sure your address is easily visible from the street. The addition of plants that can withstand the cold will make your home much more attractive especially potted by your front door. Birdfeeders are another good idea to have some natural wildlife in the cold months.

Your walkway needs to be safe for potential buyers to get into your home. Make sure cracks are fixed, the sidewalks are shoveled, and enough light that you can easily see where you are going.  If there is a sidewalk that runs along the street in front of your house, keep that cleared off as well to keep the property looking tidy. It also shows pride of ownership, which buyers want to see. Putting in new door knobs, and a new mailbox will make it more enticing for buyers.

Keep holiday decorations classy. You want to show off the land that comes with your property. Make sure there are no leaves or twigs that need raked. If you have flowerbeds make sure there are no dead flowers. Clean it up or plant something new that will last. Make sure the fences have been painted recently, once again there is not as much to look at during these months, so everything you can see is very important.  If you have a garden you can frame it in with stones, or something else to give it a cleaner look.

Secure your Home and Lower your Homeowners Insurance

this will also keep costs down.

Adding deadbolts can earn up to a 5% discount on homeowners insurance. I believe every door that leads into your home should at least have a deadbolt (front, back, and garage doors). Steel doors are best for all entrances. Burglar bars can also save up to 5% on your insurance. I had never heard of burglar bars until recently. They can give your home a “jailhouse” feel if you aren’t careful. Not all burglar bars have to look bad though I have seen some designs that enhance the windows. Fire extinguishers can also save you up to 5%.

Security systems can also save you up to 5% on you homeowners insurance, but are actually equally or less likely to save you more than the deadbolts, and burglar bars. A step above the standard security system would be a surveillance system. These types of systems can be vulnerable to criminals. Joining some approved neighborhood watch programs will save you money.There are a few ways you can sleep better at night and save some money on your homeowners insurance. Adding deadbolts, burglar bars, fire extinguishers, security systems and other things will lower your insurance payments. Personally I think it’s worth the money up front to make your home secure even though you may take a long time to recoup that money in saved insurance. If you have good security and don’t have to make claims

How to Find the Crime Rate for your New Neighborhood

There are many websites that are dedicated to helping you find out the crime in an area. With many websites you usually put in your address, and a map will pop up with little balloons on it. You can choose how far back the search goes. You can also see the orientation of the crime by clicking on the balloon to get more information. I highly recommend doing this before you move to a new area. I would even recommend doing this periodically to keep an eye on your surroundings.

My personal experience with websites such as these were shortly after I got robbed while living in a condo outside Charlotte, NC. One of the officers on the scene made the comment that it wasn’t a good area. I decided I would look up my neighborhood and the surrounding areas to see how bad the crime was. As soon as I typed in my address my screen looked like it had chickenpox. I was surprised because it didn’t look or feel like a bad area. I found out the “cameras” in my neighborhood were no more than mere housings. I also didn’t carry renters insurance at the time, so everything that was taken was gone. I highly recommend renter’s insurance, and don’t wait till it’s too late to see what the crime is like in your area.

I will post links to example websites where you can find this information.

CrimeReports

Neighborhood Scout

Spot Crime

 

What is a Home Warranty and How is it Different from Home Insurance

A home warranty is a contract for coverage of the homes systems and appliances. They usually cost somewhere in the range of $250-$400. The warranty is usually for one year, but home warranties can be different. An example would be a warranty for a coverage term of two years. Either the buyer or seller can pay for the home warranty.

Appliances or systems must be in working order before the warranty begins, or it will not be covered. Other things that would keep you from getting the coverage you paid for would be abnormal wear and tear, improper installation, code violations, or improper maintenance.

Should you get a home warranty? It all really depends on you and the home you are purchasing. If the home you are purchasing is 15 years old and none of the appliances have been replaced, or other maintenance kept up on, it’s probably a good idea to get the coverage. If the home you are purchasing is a 2 year old home that has been well maintained, you are probably better off saving the $250-$400.

Homeowners insurance typically covers your home and its contents against damage and theft. It also will protect you if someone injures themselves on your property. If there is some insured reason you cannot live in your home the policy should cover living expenses. There are more specific types of insurance policies such as flood, or earthquake insurance. These are generally separate policies from the average home insurance policy. Homeowners insurance policies can vary quite drastically. Price is greatly impacted by the liability limit, which is the maximum amount the insurance will pay out.

Homeowners insurance is very important. Whatever properties you are responsible for should be insured. I would even highly recommend renters insurance for any tenant.  As far as I am concerned you need to make sure you can afford homeowners insurance because it’s not optional. To not have it would be a huge unnecessary risk. A home warranty is generally a good idea, but it isn’t a necessity.

You might ask yourself: If I have a home warranty do I need to carry homeowners insurance? The answer is yes. A home warranty will not cover nearly as many things as homeowners insurance will. A home warranty is mostly for the systems and appliances in your house. The systems in your house refer to things such as your heat, AC, plumbing, electric, etc.  Homeowners insurance will cover the rest of your house, and any other liabilities. Another advantage of the home warranty is if one of your systems or appliances does fail you shouldn’t have to make a claim on your homeowners insurance; That will definitely save you money should something happen.

What is the Difference between Prequalification and Preapproval

Prequalification is a lender’s estimate of how much you could borrow based on the information you provide. This information would include income, debt, credit score, as well as other things. None of the information you give is verified by the lender. Prequalification is usually free.

Because there is no verification of facts, and the lender is just making an estimate.  I would say that a prequalification doesn’t really hold any weight. Does everybody know that, probably not. You might be able to interest an agent or seller with only being prequalified. Would most people give false information at their prequalification, probably not, but the fact that they could makes these very unreliable in my opinion.

Preapproval means that a lender has evaluated your creditworthiness and has made a commitment to extend you a loan up to a specified amount. There is typically a specified amount of time the preapproval is valid for. Being preapproved however does not mean that the money will definitely be given to you when you decide on your property. The lender will send out an appraiser to make sure you are not overpaying for the property. As long as the home appraises at or above the purchase price the funds should be provided.

Agents and sellers will take you much more seriously if you are preapproved. You have proven you are serious by going to the lender and getting preapproved in advance. The sellers and their agent know that the information they are getting is reliable, who wouldn’t want that? I have another piece on the benefits of being preapproved.

What are the Benefits of Getting Preapproved for your Home Loan in Advance?

Preapproval means that a lender has evaluated your creditworthiness and has made a commitment to extend you a loan up to a specified amount. There is typically a specified amount of time the preapproval is valid for. Being preapproved however does not mean that the money will definitely be given to you when you decide on your property. The lender will send out an appraiser to make sure you are not overpaying for the property. As long as the home appraises at or above the purchase price the funds should be provided.

You will know exactly how much money you have to purchase with. This keeps you from wasting your valuable time, energy, and money by not looking at properties that don’t suit you. This also allows you time to look more in depth at the homes that are in your price range. As soon as you decide you have found the house, you can write the offer immediately. The extra time will help you consider your short and long term plans and choose the right loan for you.

You will know all of your costs such as title, lender closing cost, and escrow fees, etc. Upon preapproval you will provided with an itemized list of these fees. This will also help get a better look at the big picture and make a more informed decision about homes that need repair or updating.

Avoid getting disappointed; Finding your dream home and then having a lender tell you that you can’t get approved can be a very devastating thing for a buyer, especially a first time home buyer.

Being preapproved will give you negotiating advantages. Sellers will know that you are able to perform on your offer it won’t be contingent upon financing. Also if a seller has a lower offer from a preapproved buyer, and a higher offer from someone who’s not preapproved, they might be willing to be more flexible with you and prefer working with you.

If a property gets multiple offers the prequalified and preapproved buyers will be have their offers paid more attention to. It gives the owners piece of mind knowing that you are already working with a lender that is willing to give you “X” amount of dollars.

Getting preapproved saves time when you find the home you are looking for. The lender has to do credit checks, confirm income, and determine borrowing qualifications. It typically takes 30 to 45 days to close on a house. It can be done faster in some cases but not often.

Most agents will be more willing to work with you if you are preapproved. From the agent’s point of view it’s hard to justify showing homes to someone who isn’t preapproved because they simply might not be able to get financing at all. Then it would be a waste of both peoples time to go looking and getting their hopes up for something that just cannot happen.  Also someone who isn’t willing to talk to a lender before they start viewing homes shows that they aren’t very serious about buying (Sellers see it this way also). Another reason is you don’t know how much you can get approved for, so you don’t know what price range to start looking in. We don’t want to work for nothing, who would? It’s not because we don’t want to help you, we just want everything to be done as correctly and efficiently as possible for everyone.

Being preapproved right before you begin your home search is typical, but I recommend starting even earlier. By doing this, the lender will pull your credit and if there are any mistakes or problems you can take care of them. When you fix your credit problem your score isn’t affected right away. It generally takes 90 days to cycle off assuming there are no delays. You can also check all 3 of your credit scores once a year for free without hurting your credit. I know you can get this information from www.AnnualCreditReport.com . A higher credit score will allow you to get a lower interest rate which can save you big money. (I will put together more information on Credit Scores in a later article)

Things you can do to Boost your Equity and Sell your House Quickly

Here is a list of things that you can do to get the most you can out of your home, and get it sold faster. Most of this is basically a checklist to make sure things are clean. Some recommendations do cost a little bit but I only added them if I thought they were worth the investment. I hope this information is helpful.

Start with the lawn; it's the first thing that prospective buyers see. Does it have an overall manicured look? Make sure hoses are removed or coiled up. Rake the yard of leaves if necessary, cut the grass, trim the shrubs. Edging your yard will make it look extra clean. If there are any dead spots, patch with sod; in small quantities it’s not too expensive. If you are on a budget or have extra time seed covered with hay is a good option. If there is any pest problems make sure they get taken care of (inside and out).

Make sure your front walkway is swept and repair any cracks. Make sure there is nothing people have to go around to get into your house. Get any cobwebs out of the corners, and clean out light fixtures.

If you can’t paint the outside of your home then clean it. Power washing the outside of your home can make a very dramatic difference. If you are on a really low budget you can always do it by hand with a bucket, soap, rag, hose, and possibly a ladder.

Your front door welcomes the prospective buyer. Fresh paint is best but making sure it is clean will do. Make sure the knob is functioning properly, do this for the rest of the property too. Also make sure that your doorbell works. Check your outside lights as well.

Make sure your mailbox is attractive and everything works properly. If you have an upgraded mailbox, or if you just want to add something extra, you can use plants such as flowers or vines to make it an attractive feature rather than leaving it average. This will add curb appeal to your home.

Make sure your fence is not missing any boards, and have any cracked ones replaced. A fresh stain or coat of paint can make a dramatic difference when buyers come to see your home. Grey cracked fences are a turnoff. The same would apply to a deck. If you don’t have it in your budget to re-stain or paint power washing can make a big difference as well.

Flowers can add quite a bit of curb appeal to your house. Whether the flowers be in a flowerbed, potted, hanging, or in a planter they will be attractive to buyers. Having some flowers inside the house too is a nice touch, especially in the master bathroom and kitchen.

Take care of any major maintenance or repair issues. Buyers want to be able to just move their things in and start living in the home. The more maintenance a property needs the more apprehensive many buyers are. If your home has many visible maintenance issues, buyers will probably assume you cared for the whole property in the same way, carelessly.

Make sure garage is swept, and organized. This is a good opportunity to have a garage sale. Also have your driveway swept or shoveled.

Has wallpaper been removed, and painted? Beige or white is the way to go. This is what a lot of buyers want to see instead of bright colors. New paint is one of the best things you can do to get your home ready for sale. If you can’t afford paint, wash the walls to get off all smudges or dirt.

Are all nail holes patched, and walls and switch plates clean? When patching nail holes there is a technique called feathering that helps keep the patch from standing out from the rest of the wall dramatically. Basically what you do is sand over the edges of your patch after you feel like you have it smooth with the wall. If done correctly when you paint over it, you would have a hard time finding it again.

Make sure the home is de-cluttered in every way possible from closets, to garages, to knick-knacks, and all the way to furniture. People want to be able to picture their furniture and personal things in the new home. By all means a vacant home doesn’t show nearly as well as a furnished home, just try to find a balance.

Clear off all horizontal surfaces, such as kitchen and bathroom counter-tops. Make sure any leaky faucets, or toilets that run are addressed. Keep personal items out of sight. Ensure bathrooms are well lit.

A clean kitchen is a must, many buyers look very closely at the kitchen. Fresh paint will give it a new look and feel. Make sure to organize all cabinets, refrigerator, and pantry. New hardware can be a somewhat inexpensive way to make what seems like a large change to the kitchen. Make sure appliances are clean; many people look over their refrigerator, make sure to remove all clutter and magnets. Replace the drip trays in your stove, burners also if necessary. Make sure inside the oven is clean, including the racks.

Clean bathrooms will help sell your home. Are shower doors, tile, and grout clean and free of soap film? Are fixtures polished and free of water marks? The toilet should have no stains.

Check to make sure all heating and cooling vents are free of dust and dirt, don’t forget the intake vent. Also dust any ceiling fans. Make sure floorboards are clear of dust also. The last thing you want is a potential buyers allergies to flare up when they enter your home.

Control the smell of your home. Covering up an odor is generally not a good idea. Clean or replace carpets. If someone in the house is a smoker, smoke outside while your home is on the market. Homes that have been smoked in for an extended period of time should be painted or professionally deodorized.  For a smelly garbage disposal you can use bleach or grind up lemon peels to fight the odor. If you have a cat and a litter box remove them during showings and open houses.

Carpet needs to be shampooed, if that doesn’t work and there is still odor or it just looks unpleasant it’s best to replace it. Laminate is an inexpensive way to give your home a look buyers want. Wood or high quality tile laminates are very popular.

Make sure the inside of your home is well lit. A dark house can be uninviting for potential buyers. Open all blinds, and curtains. If the weather is nice, open the windows. All light bulbs should be the correct wattage and in working order. Add lamps or candles if needed. If there is a fireplace and it is cold this can make your home feel cozy.

Clean windows show the bright side of your home, and lets prospective buyers see how cheerful your home can be. If you have any broken seals and have room in your budget to have them fixed it would be a good idea to do so. Don’t forget to make sure all screens are in good condition.

Adding lighting to the outside of your home can be beneficial. Knowledgeable buyers will want to see what the neighborhood is like at night, and will of course look at your property again. Having your property well lit up well will be a great thing for potential buyers to see. Plus you might catch somebody’s eye who has drove past your property during the day, but now notices it at night because it stands apart from other properties nearby.

Attention to details such as these can help you get top dollar for your home. Have someone come into your house pretending to be a buyer so they can point out anything you might’ve missed. If you can follow these instructions you should be able to sell your home quickly beacuse buyers will be attracted to it.