Plumbing 101 for the Average Homeowner

Armed with the right tools and techniques, you can easily unplug stopped-up drains without having to call in a pro. Read more

Housing Upgrades That Might NOT Bring Value to your Home

When upgrading, home owners often seek features that aren’t only desirable to them but also what will add value to the home when it comes time for resale. Read more

Spring is Here! Time to clean up your act.

The phrase “spring cleaning” evokes images of turning the house inside out, scouring every corner and banishing every last particle of dust.

But let’s be real: It’s hard to find the time for scouring, much less banishing. And your time is valuable.

Keeping that in mind, we’ve put together the five cleaning tasks with the most impact — the most “bang for your buff,” if you will. (Although, none of them require actual buffing.)

To help you master this lean, mean spring cleaning, we turned to the experts. Read more

Moving With Fido

We love our pets. In some households they’re our “children.” In others they are dear members of the family. How can you make the stressful time of moving an easy transition for your furry friends?

Pets are routined creatures, not unlike their human counterparts. Unlike our independent selves, however, pets look to us to provide them with safety, affection, and nourishment. This means it is our responsibility to plan ahead so that moving time is low stress for our pets. Read more

Tips to Cut the Clutter

Whether you’re prepping your home for sale or have decided that getting organized is one of your New Year’s home improvement resolutions, here are some tips to help curb the clutter in your home.

Start slow
Even if you’re packing up to move and need to get rid of things ASAP, diving in too quickly can leave you overwhelmed and at risk of making choices that you will regret later. Make a list and tackle small areas of your home each day. Perhaps the easiest way is to go room-by-room. This may also get you in the habit of clearing and organizing. Read more

Winterize Your Doors to Save on Heating Bills

    The winter months are fast approaching; soon old man winter will be knocking at your front door. Doors are a huge cause of heat loss. Much is lost just by opening and closing them, but the amount of heat lost when closed can be reduced greatly with the following three maintenance tips.

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Is Your Home Winter-Proof?

Don’t let your home get the winter blues. As the cold weather approaches, home owners can do the following maintenance checks to ensure their properties are ready for the winter months. The real estate Web site Zillow offers some of the following tips:

• Check the weather stripping along your door and door frame to ensure there are no gaps that can let cold air seep into your home. Also, you may want to add weather stripping or caulk to your windows to prevent any drafts and wasting energy. Read more

Stay Away From Interest-Only Mortgages (From DaveRamsey.com)

“Stay Away From Interest-Only Mortgages” taken from DaveRamsey.com. See original article here.

Question: Dale on Twitter wants to know what interest-only mortgage payments are. Are they a good idea?

Answer: It means you’re paying only the interest, and you’re not paying off any of what you owe. Translation: You’ll be in debt the rest of your life. No, that’s not a good idea. Interest-only mortgages are a really bad idea. “I’m going to take out an interest-only mortgage, and then I’m going to really chunk on the principal.” Why not just take out a good 15-year fixed and chunk on the principal? Everybody’s got all these ideas how they’re somehow going to trick the system. The system is big, freaking, hairy payments pay off the debt. That’s the system. That’s what really works. Really, nothing else does.

Interest-only mortgages are a good thing to stay away from completely and permanently. We recommend only a 15-year or less fixed rate—no adjustable rate mortgages—and this is a great time to refinance. Your 15-year fixed rates right now with one point are down under 3%. It is absolutely one of the best times ever to refinance. Get on the phone to Churchill Mortgage. Get rid of adjustable rate mortgages. Get rid of higher fixed rate mortgages. Get rid of mortgages with balloons and mortgages with calls. It’s time to clean up.

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Hear this answer, plus others, at DaveRamsey.com.

How to Get Your Home Hurricane-Ready

This article was taken from USAA.com. You can read the original article here.

We are in the middle of Hurricane season right now (starts June 1 and lasts until November 30). Learn what steps to take now, before a storm hits and after it passes.

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Playing Catchup (From DaveRamsey.com)

“Playing Catchup” taken from DaveRamsey.com. See original article here.

Question: Mike in New York lost his job about three years ago and fell eight months behind on his mortgage payment. He got another job and is trying to catch everything up. He sends full payments along with partial ones to make up for the amount that he’s behind, but the bank has been returning those. Now they are starting the foreclosure process. What should he do?

Answer: I would call them back and have this conversation: You have been trying to work this out and do not want to go through the modification process. You simply want to catch it up. You don’t have the $12,000 you need today. Read more

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