Archives for Housing tips

Your Complete Guide to Pest-Proofing This Fall

Your Complete Guide to Pest-Proofing This Fall

November 29, 2015 | Comments Off on Your Complete Guide to Pest-Proofing This Fall

  To prevent an onslaught of pests from occupying your house as the weather cools, simply  follow the National Pest Management Association guidance presented in this post from Bob Villa. Seal cracks in the exterior envelope, especially where utility pipes enter, with silicone caulking.  Fill larger gaps inside your home with steel wool. Pests avoid the roughness of the steel fibers and rodents cannot gnaw through it. Repair ripped window screens, door sweeps and loose mortar in the basement foundation, screen dryer vents and chimneys and replace weather stripping to seal these ideal entry points. If you suspect an infestation,
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How Google Sunroof is Changing Homeowners’ Costs

How Google Sunroof is Changing Homeowners’ Costs

September 28, 2015 | Comments Off on How Google Sunroof is Changing Homeowners’ Costs

How Google Sunroof Works Employing the high-resolution aerial mapping used by Google Earth, Project Sunroof calculates the amount of sunlight reaching your roof to assess its potential for solar power.  It takes a variety of factors into account including local weather conditions, shade from nearby trees and buildings and sun positions throughout the year.  The tool combines this information with data from your household’s monthly electricity bill, factors in panel orientation and tilt to the roof surface to calculate average monthly and annual solar radiation, recommends the size of solar installation needed and estimates the cost to purchase or lease
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The Inside Scoop on the Best Season to Sell Your Home

The Inside Scoop on the Best Season to Sell Your Home

September 15, 2015 | Comments Off on The Inside Scoop on the Best Season to Sell Your Home

Think you need to wait until Spring to sell your home? You may want to think again if you’re ready to sell now.   In this HGTV.com post, Gavin Chen challenges conventional wisdom that the best time to sell is spring and the best time to buy is fall.  Statistically, spring has the most competing sellers in the market, so you might have to stage your home to get an advantage. Chen suggests it is important to highlight the sellable features of your home in any season.  Although there are fewer buyers in the December – January period (holidays, travel),
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Your Annual Home Maintenance Schedule

Your Annual Home Maintenance Schedule

September 9, 2015 | Comments Off on Your Annual Home Maintenance Schedule

Following an annual maintenance schedule is an essential step in protecting the value of what will probably be the largest investment of your life – your home.  First time home owners, or those lacking experience may struggle with this task and overlook important elements.  Here are some guidelines to help you create a maintenance program that suits your needs. Benefits of Home Maintenance Regular preventive maintenance identifies minor repairs before they become expensive, major repairs.  It also preserves your home’s market value.  One study found that “greater than $5 return for every $1 spent on preventive maintenance is not unusual”. 
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