Blog - Month: November 2022
Month: November 2022
Tips for Saving Money on Your Winter Energy Bill
With the cost of living reaching an all-time high, we’re all looking for ways to save a few bucks here and there. Here are 5 tips on how you can save money on your energy bill this winter: Switch to a smart thermostat If you’re someone who tends to forget to adjust your heating manually, investing in a smart thermostat that adjusts your heating based on the controls you set up will save you a ton of money over the winter months. Find air leaks and seal them Your door frames, window, and chimney may be letting some cold air into your home and/or letting the warm air out, making your heating system work harder to keep the heat. Make it a priority to check these frames yourself and hire a professional to let you know if any air is coming in from your chimney. Swap out your regular bulbs for LED bulbs LED light bulbs are 70% to 90% more efficient than incandescents and last 15 times longer. This means not only do you save money on your energy bill but also from not have to buy replacement bulbs as often. Heat your home naturally While you can’t heat your home to 70 degrees with only the sun, opening up your curtains during the day and letting the sun’s rays hit the inside of your home can help warm up your home by up to 2 degrees. Unplug unused electronics If you’re not actively using an electronic and it can be easily unplugg
5 Things to Help You Prepare Your Home for Winter
While this November may be one of the warmest Novembers we’ve ever experienced, let’s not forget that a couple of inches of snow is just around the corner! That being said, there are a few things you can do to prepare your home for the Winter season once that snow starts falling. Inspect all windows and doors for leaks The first thing you want to do is go around your house and make sure that all windows and doors are properly sealed. If they’re not, then water from the snowfall and cold air can make its way into your house. Failing to seal your doors and windows can cause you a lot of money in repairs due to water damage and a hike in your energy bill. Assess your roof Heavy snowfall means lots of water accumulating on your roof. You want to make sure that you won’t have to climb a ladder to repair a spot on your roof during the cold and icy Winter months. Look out for any shingles that may need special attention. Also, look at the caulking around the chimney and your air vents while you’re at it. Pad exposed pipes in unheated areas When it gets really cold, this can cause your pipes to freeze. And we all know how expensive that can be if those pipes end up bursting! An easy and inexpensive method to avoid this happening is to pad the exposed pipes, even the smallest ones. Look in your attic, basement, and crawl space for pipes that may need
3 Things No One Tells You About Buying a Home
Buying a home is a big step - and many dreams about this big day! But this dream can quickly turn into a nightmare if someone surprisingly shows up at your door claiming you owe them money. Here are three things no one tells you about buying a home that you should be aware of and how purchasing a title insurance policy can protect you from these situations: You might owe someone you don’t know money If you’re moving into a new home, you become the new owner of this property. But you also become the person who is responsible for any liens that are associated with the house! Unfortunately, if the previous owner might have been in a pickle, these debts they have doesn’t magically disappear when they sell you the home. Luckily, this is a situation that can be avoided by purchasing a title insurance policy. The agent would be doing some preliminary research to make sure you don’t have anything of this sort happen in the future. Should something come up that wasn’t discovered by the agent at the time they conducted their initial research, your insurance would cover you. You might have your fence on the neighbor's property Believe it or not, it often happens that someone’s pool or fence oversteps on their neighbor's property because they weren’t properly aware of where the limitations of their property are. Again, if you have title insurance, this
3 Renovations to Increase Your Home's Value
By now, you most likely know that the real estate market is completely different from what it was a mere 6 months ago. If you have a home you are trying to sell, the market we are in right now will most likely resemble the one we knew before the pandemic hit. That being said, most homeowners are looking for things they can do to ensure they can still get the highest amount possible for their homes. While it would be awesome to increase your home’s value simply by wanting it to, it doesn’t work that way. You need to spend some money to make some. Here are 3 different types of renovations you can do to increase your home’s value and get the highest possible price when selling: Remodel your kitchen It’s no secret that your kitchen is the heart of your home. Plus, it’s usually the main deciding factor when it comes to someone putting an offer on a house. It can easily make or break a deal! Whether your cabinets are beaten up and could use a refresh or you’re thinking of changing up your backsplash for a more modern tile, it’s definitely worth the investment. Update your main bathroom Every bathroom is important, but the main one which is usually situated upstairs is THE most important. This may not be as important as the kitchen, but it comes in second place in a buyer’s criteria for a home. Everyone dreams of a spacio