Tag: home maintenance

Preparing for the Fall Homebuying Season

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement, Homeowner.

Although traditionally the warm weather months of spring and summer have been the best for home sales, many people still like to get out and start house hunting when the weather takes a slight dip during the fall.

The cooler temperatures seem more ideal for visiting and touring homes to (eventually) pack up your belongings and move into a new house. If you have been thinking about buying, but haven’t decided to make that move just yet, remember that you can still take advantage of tax breaks that are given to homeowners so you can claim them on your taxes when you file in 2020.

If you are looking to make a home purchase, here are a few things you should do:

Educate yourself

The first thing you need to do, especially if you’ve never purchased a home before, is to educate yourself. Many of the types of loans, requirements, and terms used by realtors can be quite confusing. You can find many government offices, libraries, and real estate agencies will offer introductory courses to educate homeowners on all of the intricacies of this complicated process.

Get your finances in order

The next thing you will need to do is assess your finances and determine your budget. This means that you need to check your credit score to determine if you have the credit needed to buy a house. (Generally, a score of 740 or higher is necessary to get lower interest loans.)

You should also evaluate your budget by determining just how much you can afford monthly and how much you can place as a down payment on the property. This will help determine “how much house” you can afford and help you narrow down your search later on. Once you determine how much you plan to pay on the house upfront, you need to transfer this money into an account so that you can easily cut a check or transfer the funds.

Get preapproved

Another thing you can do to help make the process even easier is to get preapproved for your home loan. This way, you can make an offer on your dream house as soon as you find it without having to play “wait and see” to show that you will be approved for the loan. If there is a bidding war for the house you are interested in, this preapproval will give you a competitive edge over the other prospective buyers.

Tour the neighborhoods

In order to find your dream home, take the time on weekends to tour neighborhoods you’re interested in. A lot of homeowners who are looking to sell will take advantage of the fall temperatures to host open houses. You can sometimes bounce from open house to open house on a Sunday with several in the same neighborhood. No matter how much you may fall in love with the first house you see, it’s important to shop around and find the one that is perfect for you.

Fall is a great time to get out and start looking at a new home for you and your family. Not only do the cooler temperatures make the house hunt more comfortable, but you can also get your family moved into your perfect home without breaking much of a sweat.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Top 10 Summer Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement.

Yet another summer is upon us, which means now is the perfect time to take charge of a whole slew of maintenance projects around your house. Once the freezing cold temperatures and rainy days of winter are gone, you should have better weather to get lots of these projects completed.

Here are the top ten things you need to work on around the house for summer:

  1. HVAC service—You had to know this would be number one. Right before the summer temperatures start to go through the roof, you really need to get your air conditioning unit serviced. The last thing you want is a 100+ degree day only to have your AC go out on you.
  2. Chimney and fireplace cleaning—Now that you should be done using your fireplace, this is the perfect time to call in a professional and have your chimney professionally cleaned. This will get rid of dangerous soot and grime, which can easily aggravate allergies.
  3. Dust your fans—Use an extendable duster to reach your ceiling fans, but also take apart any portable fans and clean the dust out of the blades. This not only will keep your fans running longer, but also cut down on the spread of dust and allergens when you start cranking them up this summer.
  4. Changer your air filter—This one needs to be done about every 90 days, so now is the perfect time to go ahead and change the filter out.
  5. Check your smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries—Another quarterly project, this is the perfect opportunity to make sure everything is running smoothly to keep your home and family safe.
  6. Pressure wash the house—Another project that works well at this time of year is a pressure washing of your home’s exterior.
  7. Inspect and repair your back porch and deck—If you plan on doing some entertaining outside this year, make sure to inspect your deck and porch for loose boards or protruding nails. If the wood is looking weathered, you may need to stain it and apply a weather seal.
  8. Clean out your gutters and downspouts—After months of winter and spring storms, summer is the right time to clear out the gutters and get rid of any accumulated debris.
  9. Service the lawnmower—Summer is when you are going to be spending a lot of time working on your yard. Take this opportunity to get your lawnmower inspected and serviced so it will run smoothly this season.
  10. Window maintenance—Remove and wash your screens and inspect them to see if any need to be replaced.

This summer get your house in tip-top shape and running smoothly with these maintenance tips. By doing so, you’ll have a more enjoyable vacation season and have lots of fun staying at home.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Top 10 Spring Home Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Spring is here and that means it’s time to break out of the winter doldrums and break out the toolkit for some home maintenance work. Want to know how to keep your house looking spic and span and running smoothly for the rest of the year?

Here are our top 10 tips for getting your home in shape this spring:

  1. Clean gutters—Leaves and debris have a tendency to clog up the gutters so break out the ladder and clear those out. If you don’t, you’ll wind up with damage to your roof.
  2. Check your tiles—Speaking of the roof, now’s also the time to check out the roof and look for any loose tiles. If you really want to have fun with this, break out that drone you bought the kids for Christmas and fly it over and get pictures to see if you’ve got any missing tiles.
  3. Inspect the outside—Now is also the time to do a walk around your property and check to make sure that your fencing is intact and that there isn’t anything else that needs a repair from the winter storms.
  4. Pressure wash the outside—If you really want to spruce up your exterior, then rent a pressure washer and clean off any of the grit and grime that has accumulated over the past few months.
  5. Repair screens—While you’re dealing with the outside, remove and inspect your screens for any holes. If you need to, replace these screens. If they’re still holding up well, then clean them and reset them so you can open the windows this spring and let in some fresh air.
  6. Clean your dryer—It’s important to clean the dryer trap every time you use it. But some of the lint still makes its way into the vent and can clog it up. Use the hose attachment on your vacuum to clean this out.
  7. Clean your fridge—While you have the vacuum out, clean the refrigerator’s coils. Get rid of the extra dust and it will run more efficiently.
  8. Replace your filters—You need to do this about once a quarter, but now’s the perfect time to take care of this.
  9. Replace smoke detector batteries—A good rule of thumb is to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors when the time change occurs. This will make sure you can keep your house safe for another couple of seasons.
  10. Have your HVAC inspected—Now is the perfect time to have your HVAC inspected and maintained. You don’t want the air conditioning going out this summer, so get it checked while it’s still relatively cool.

This spring do a little bit more with your traditional spring cleaning. By taking care of these 10 items, you can ensure that your house will be clean, well maintained, and safe.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Top 10 Home Maintenance Tips for Winter

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Winter is here and in some parts of the country the snow and ice have hit with a vengeance. Your home is taking the brunt of this assault in protecting you from the cold and elements.

In any climate, your house needs attentive maintenance; paying attention to those little issues and repairs will save you a lot of hassle and costly repairs later.

Here are the Top 10 winter maintenance tips for your home that you need to handle this season:

  1. Clean the gutters—Even if you don’t live somewhere with a lot of snow, you are still probably going to get increased rain this winter. Be sure to clean out your gutters early on so that the water does not get backed up and cause structural damage.
  2. Inspect the roof—While you are checking the gutters, also give the roof a good inspection. Look for any loose or missing roof tiles or shingles that could cause leaks during winter storms.
  3. Seal your doors and windows—If you want to save money on heating costs, be sure to apply/replace weather-stripping and sealant around all your doors and windows. This will help keep the cold air out and the hot air in.
  4. Check your pipes—The cold can bring on burst pipes, so this winter make sure to check all your pipes and wrap them with insulating tape. This will keep you from having to make costly plumbing repairs later.
  5. Prepare a winter emergency kit—You never know when bad weather will strike. Make sure that you have an emergency kit including candles and matches in case of a power failure. Also have a battery-powered radio, a supply of canned foods (and a manual can opener), and plenty of bottled water.
  6. Check the portable generator—If you own a portable generator, then you know that it can be a lifesaver during winter storms. Be sure to start it up and make sure that it is running smoothly and make any repairs that you may need. You don’t want to try to crank it up when a storm hits only to find out it’s not working.
  7. Trim your tree limbs—Winter storms can also bring external damage from falling trees and tree limbs. Walk through your property and clear out any limbs that are too close to the house or cars. Also, if you have older trees that may snap easily, you should consider having these removed before the storms take them out – and your house with them.
  8. Clean the chimney—If you have a fireplace, make sure that it is professionally cleaned to remove built-up soot and residue. This can be particularly dangerous to you and your family.
  9. Replace the smoke detectors’ batteries—About every three months, you should check your smoke detectors and replace the batteries so that they’re working properly.
  10. Reverse your fans—If you have a house with high ceilings, flip the directional switch on your ceiling fans. This will help to push warm air down and keep you warmer this winter.

If you take care of your house, then it will take good care of you. Be sure to complete these maintenance tasks early so that you don’t have to make major repairs later this winter.

 

Your Checklist for Buying a Home This Winter

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Real Estate.

Most people don’t think about buying a home during the winter. Spring is always considered the prime time for home buying, but winter does have advantages.

For one, you don’t have to worry about as much competition as most people won’t want to brave the cold to tour a lot of properties.

Because of this downturn in potential buyer traffic, homeowners may be more motivated to sell. And if you can visit the home right after a rain or snow storm, you will get a better idea as to how the house will respond during bad weather.

But if you are serious about buying a home this winter, here are some things to do before you move in.

Finances and Mortgages

Before you start looking at a home, take care of some planning earlier. It will help you focus your home search and save you some heartbreak when you find your dream home only to find out that you can’t afford it.

  • Take a close look at your finances including credit score, savings, and budget. Then use these to determine your ideal price range. You will need to know exactly how much you can put as a down payment and what you can afford comfortably on a monthly payment. It doesn’t make sense to spend so much on a house that you can’t afford to live comfortably in it.
  • Talk to at least three different lenders to see what types of pre-approvals you can get. When lenders know that you are looking at other banks, they will be a bit more competitive with their interest rates and can possibly get you a better deal.
  • Look at the duration of the loan. Obviously, a 30-year loan will have a lower monthly payment than a 20-year loan. But if you can afford to pay the lower duration, you will save a lot on interest in the long run.

Negotiations

Almost no one pays the asking price for a home. Buying a property is like a dance of offers and counter-offers. The following steps may turn negotiations in your favor:

  • Look at other home sales in the area to find what would be a fair, comparable price for your bid.
  • Get the home seller to agree to a warranty. This will help you sleep well at night knowing that your home is protected.
  • If you want any repairs made before moving in, be sure to clearly state these up front before you sign off on anything.
  • Get an appraisal and inspection from people you can trust. Don’t just go with the cheapest person in the phonebook. Instead, choose highly reputable people that will give you a fair assessment of the house and its value. If the inspector finds something wrong with the property, get the item fixed before you buy the home and make sure that the inspector can come back out to reinspect the work to make sure it was done correctly.
  • Do a thorough final walk-through and be sure to check out all the electrical outlets and faucets to see that they are working properly.

Once you get these steps complete, you are ready to sign on the dotted line and move in. This is another time when a winter home purchase is a bonus, because moving companies have less business, and are more willing to cut you a deal. With luck and perseverance, you should be able to move into your dream home and enjoy the next stage of your life.

 

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.