Various recurring costs are involved in homeownership—before and after buying your dream home. These costs could make your purchase expensive and might keep you from buying a property. Luckily, you can reduce some of the expenses. Here is how:

Cut Home Maintenance Expenses

It is advisable to set 1% of your home’s value for maintenance. These expenses vary, depending on your house’s condition. If your house is old and has several improvements, try easy DIY projects instead of hiring a professional. Activities that require limited knowledge include landscaping, basic floor installation, cabinet installation, painting, drywall repair, and drain cleaning. Additionally, get a house inspection to establish costly repairs. Use the inspection report to renegotiate with your seller and address substantial improvements.

For new houses, there might be few maintenance costs during the first years. Make sure your constructor guarantees a warranty for structural defects. You can also do simple fixes without hiring a contractor.

Deal With Your Credit Score on Time

You need to address your credit score if you intend to buy your home on loan. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, reducing your mortgage interest rate by even a small percentage could save you thousands of dollars.

Having a credit score of 740 or higher lets you enjoy the best interest rates. Thus, it’s advisable to check your credit reports at least months or even years before buying a home. This approach saves you the hassle of addressing credit reports while you’re actively seeking a home to buy or mortgage approval. So, think and act ahead to get the best deal on your house purchase.

Check Out if Uncle Sam Could Help

Don’t forget that Uncle Sam could help you scale down the cost of owning a house. The US Department of Housing (HUD) offers several homeownership programs for buyers meeting specific income or location requirements. The Department may assist you in settling your down payment and closing costs.

HUD also gives some professionals special discounts. For instance, you qualify for these discounts if you are a law enforcer or firefighter buying in a “revitalization area.”

Do Thorough Home Inspection

You can save yourself ownership costs by thoroughly inspecting the home before buying it. It opens your eyes to bigger hidden problems in the home that could cost you more money. For instance, some hidden problems require costly structural overhauls to fix. Therefore, inspect the home before paying for it.

Moreover, use refinancing to swap an existing loan for a new one. For instance, you can do an Mt. Pleasant refinance plan for a $200,000 loan at a 5% interest rate with a 4% interest rate to save $120 monthly.

Manage Mortgage Payments

A significant amount of homeownership is mortgage payments. Your monthly expenses depend on the sale price, amount of down payment, and mortgage interest rate. You can reduce this recurring expense by negotiating for a low-interest rate and making a higher upfront payment.

Moreover, use refinancing to swap an existing loan for a new one. For instance, you can refinance a $200,000 loan at a 5% interest rate with a 4% interest rate to save $120 monthly.

Remember Unexpected Costs and Repairs

Emergency expenses are almost unavoidable. A storm might blow up your roof, appliances might reach the end of a product life cycle, or fire might damage your structure. Your mortgage company should have insurance cover for your house. However, you might need a supplemental policy for damages caused by natural disasters.

You can also handle easy DIY projects to reduce contractor expenses. Utilize internet resources for tutorials.

Reduce Utility Costs

The American Housing Survey estimates average utility costs at $202 per month. Reduce these costs by cutting down on electricity, water, and gas. Turning off the tap, switching off unnecessary lights, and reducing fuel can save you money.

Consider investing in smart lighting and LED bulbs to minimize electricity bills. Additionally, replace old air filters with high energy requirements.

Invest in the modern kitchen and bath fixtures that reduce water usage. For instance, new water faucets and showerheads save nearly half the water old ones use. 

Smart thermostats are better than manual or programmable ones. They heat individual rooms rather than the whole house. You can also program them to go on and off whenever necessary.

Secure Your Home

Vandalism and fires are a threat to any home. So, install smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to alert you of fire accidents. Also, consider smart locks and a video door opener. These devices help you monitor your house from anywhere and help to keep off intruders.

Home buying costs do not stop when you make upfront payments. The recurring fees can drain your savings or thwart your homeownership dreams. Cut the expenses with these smart tips.

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From gathering packing supplies to loading up your belongings, there is never a dull moment when it comes to moving—especially if you’re planning on doing it without professional movers. However, while it is true that a DIY move requires more planning and elbow grease, that doesn’t mean it has to be filled with unexpected mishaps and stress.

If you want the perfect DIY move, don’t skip these 7 tips. 

Get the Right Boxes

While all cardboard boxes may look the same, the truth is they differ and it is essential to know which moving boxes you need for your move. A book box can hold up to 50 pounds and is suitable for the majority of items. Though, for dishes, you are better off going with a double corrugated china box. There are also boxes for wardrobes, televisions, mirrors, art, and linens. What about used boxes? While used boxes are fine for lighter items, skip them for anything heavy and fragile—even after one use, they lose some of their strength. 

Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with a sea of cardboard, you can always rent environmentally-friendly, reusable totes. Unlike their cardboard counterparts, they won’t get soggy in the rain or snow and can be used hundreds of times before needing to be recycled. Better yet, many companies manufacture these boxes from recycled plastic in the first place. These sustainable and durable totes are available from Frogbox, U-Haul, and other moving companies. 

Declutter Your Old Home

From junk drawers packed with odds and ends to kitchen accessories that never get used, every home can benefit from a decluttering session before a move. Not only will this cut down on the amount of stuff you have to transport, but it can help your new home look cleaner and more organized from the get-go. 

If you don’t know where to start, look at tossing old and expired items from the pantry, medicine cabinet, and bathroom. From there, go through the rest of your home room by room and take stock of everything. If you don’t need it and haven’t used it in the past 2 years, you are probably safe to donate, toss, or sell.  

Make a Packing Plan

You’ve got your boxes and you’ve pared down your possessions, but don’t start packing just yet! First plan which orders you are going to box up your home. An ideal system to follow is FILO (First In, Last Out). Therefore, start packing areas in your home rarely used and finish with rooms used daily. For example, you may want to start packing the storage room with all your holiday decorations first and pack the kitchen last. Then, once you are in your new home, start unpacking in reverse order. 

The priority of rooms will change from home to home, but generally, the top 3 places to unpack first are kitchen, bathroom, and nursery. It is also highly recommended to pack an essentials box. This box has everything you need for the first few days in the new home, such as changes of clothes, medications, chargers, snacks, toiletries, etc. By bundling these items together, you can avoid the stress of digging in multiple boxes to find what you need. 

Label Boxes Diligently

Speaking of searching in boxes, you can avoid a lot of frustration when it comes to locating items in your new home with detailed labels. Most people label boxes with the name of a room but try going one step further by taking inventory. There are two easy ways to do this.

Use a Number System: Assign each box a number and scrawl it directly on the box. Then on a master inventory list write down what each numbered box contains. Just be sure to make multiple copies of the list.

Write Key Items on Boxes: Write key items the box contains directly on the cardboard or a piece of paper taped to the box. Even if you don’t write down everything, adding at least 5 items should jog your memory as to what the rest of the contents are. 

Rent a Moving Container

Most people consider moving trucks for DIY moves, but they often skip over moving containers. Moving containers an especially suitable method for those wanting a DIY move but who don’t want to drive a moving truck. Here’s how it works: The container gets dropped off by a company such as U-Haul, U-Pack, or PODS, and you load it with your belongings. Once you’re done, it is picked back up and towed to your new location. From there, you empty it and it gets hauled off once again. 

Thinking of making multiple car trips instead? You may want to reconsider if the reason is to save money. Multiple car trips will not only take more time, but they will also consume much more gas. Often renting a moving container or truck is more economical and easier on the environment. 

Involve Your Kids

Trying to wrangle up childcare for a move can be stressful, so instead, why not involve the kids? By giving them tasks to do on moving day, you can help ease their stress and create a fun and memorable day for the whole family. 

If you want the kids out of the house, consider having them deliver cookies or handmade goodbye cards to well-known neighbors while the truck gets loaded. Alternatively, you can also make them an “official moving day photographer”. Just hand them an old phone or disposable camera and let them capture the experience. You may also want them to take photos of cables behind the TV if you think you’ll forget where everything gets plugged in.

Call in Reinforcements

You may be forgoing professional movers, but that doesn’t mean you have to power through the entire move yourself. Ask friends and family if they are willing to lend a hand for either packing or unpacking. A few helpers will go a long way in making your move faster and less taxing. 

Have large items like a grand piano or hot tub? You may want to hire movers just for those items. Professionals have the equipment and experience to lug heavy and bulky items to their destination safely and efficiently. 

Conclusion

With a little bit of planning, some know-how, and patience, your DIY move can be a huge success. But if you hit a few bumps along the way, don’t fret. Remember, moving is temporary and it will be over before you know it. Plus, moving mishaps make for some pretty funny stories down the road. Happy trails!

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It is frustrating if warm/cool air escapes from your house even though you keep all the doors and windows tightly shut all the time. What you need to know is the importance of weather stripping your new home.

• Is it useful?
• What’s the best way to do it?
• How expensive is it?

These are some of the questions that come to your mind when someone suggests you to get it done in your newly built house.

Let’s have a look at the answers 

The Importance of Weather Stripping Your New Home – Cozy and Comfortable

Essentially weatherstripping is a technique to prevent the inside air – whether it is warm or cold – from escaping out. Even when you keep your windows and doors shut all the time, there is a chance that air is still flowing out. 

This sounds crazy, isn’t it?

It leaks through the movable parts of these doors and windows, even when they are closed. Thus, you might be losing out on all the treated air without knowing.

You can check it all by yourself:

Simply close the door on a piece of paper. Then try pulling the paper out, without opening it. If the paper slips out easily, then you need new weather stripping for your door.

Another way to check is if you can see light from the bottom of the corners of the door. Or, if you feel a draft when standing close to it, then your door surely needs to be sealed.

Furthermore, there is a simple way to check your windows too. Run a wet hand on the movable area of your closed window. If it is not sealed properly, you will feel a draft on your moist hand.

You Need It – for All the Right Reasons:

The benefits of weather stripping outweigh the costs by a huge margin. 

You might be wondering how:

Saves You Big Bucks

Every month you spend a good sum of your hard-earned money paying those utility bills. A major chunk of this amount comes from running the HVAC system which is a prerequisite in maintaining the indoor temperature.

It keeps your house comfortably cooler or warmer compared to the weather outside. 

So, if you let the warm air leave your house through these leaks, you are not only wasting money but also wasting energy and compromising your comfort too.

And there is more to lose!

When warm air escapes, it leaves moisture on the pipes and can damage the insulation. You will end up paying a lot more in fixing these than what you would pay for weather-stripping. It would keep your house strong and steady in the long run. 

No Budget Constraints

Even though it sounds like it would cost you a fortune to seal all those doors and windows around the house, it doesn’t. It is quite inexpensive. Also, you do not always need to hire professionals for this. Most of the weather-stripping tasks are DIY and can be completed on a low budget too. 

So how do you go about it?

• Start with identifying the doors and windows that need to be stripped.
• Measure the boundaries of each of these to calculate the total length of stripping that you need to buy. Add a few extra feet or inches to this to allow for wastage.
• Opt for the right material
• Pick the best option according to the location 

Material – the Real Deal Maker

Choosing the correct material is critical. The most common ones are:

1. Reinforced foam – not very expensive, but installation is difficult
2. Plain Felt – low priced, but not resistant to moisture and friction
3. Vinyl or Metal – reasonably priced and scores high on durability and effectiveness; but not suitable for corners

This is not an exhaustive list of weatherstripping types. You can see the complete list, along with their uses and benefits.

It Is All About Location

The type of material you choose is directly related to the place where you want to use it. 

Keep in mind:

• Exposure to moisture
• Exposure to temperature
• Friction and abrasion
• Wearing off due to location

Door bottoms, for instance, are exposed to considerable wear and tear. Thus, you should pick a more resistant material for these. 

Windowpanes need to be stripped with a water-resistant material as these are prone to get affected by moisture. Thus, you need to carefully analyze these factors to ensure that it works for your house in the best way.

Not to miss!

Definitely, you need to do weather stripping on your front door as this is one of the major points where air can leak from. And this is most prone to wear and tear too. The bottom rubs off the carpet and gets eroded by feet too. 

Again, many options to choose from – Door sweep, vinyl, or V strip. You pick what meets your requirements and fits your budget.

Tips and Tricks

To ensure your weather-stripping efforts pay off, here are a few pointers to remember:

• Clean and dry the place where you plan to apply the weather stripping
• The temperature should be greater than 20 degrees Celsius 
• In order to avoid wasting your stripping material, make exact measurements
• It should be applied in such a way that it seals the opening but allows a smooth opening and closing of the window or the door
• Keep it tight on the corners
• Do not make joints in the strip. It should be a single strip covering the entire gap.

Conclusion

No one can deny the importance of weather stripping your new home.  Its benefits last for years, and you save a lot more than you spend. Hence it should be a definite part of your home improvement list.

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Living in a home without water is quite difficult and may affect almost all of your daily activities. No water or any problem with your plumbing system means that you will need to call Essex local plumbers. But before that, you may wonder how to prevent common plumbing problems? It’s easy. We invite you to keep reading.

Plumbing repairs are the most widespread complaint from a homeowner. Sometimes there is a plumbing repair that you can do yourself, however, the question is when to call in a professional plumber? For example, if you have a clogged sink or toilet, a plunger usually helps. After using the plunger, flush the toilet and pay close attention to how the toilet works.

You never want to keep blushing. Instead, remove the tank cap and push the tank ball down to close the dump valve. If the water overflows into the container, this indicates that there is a blockage in the toilet or in the drain line.

Watch the bathroom sink; because if you don’t back out, the blockage is definitely on the toilet or very close. If your sink starts to recede, that means the clog is lower down the drain line and it could be your sewer line. This means you need to call your emergency 5 Star Plumbing.

Most major lines, like water and sewer, are always a job that requires a professional plumber. This is something that a typical homeowner should never attempt because there may be tree roots in the pipe or the pipe may have a large break or leak.

Pipes Checking

Examine all exposed pipes in your home like those behind toilets and under sinks for any indicators of corrosion on brass and moisture. Humid days lead to condensation on cold metal pipes, so if you spot any dampness during hot days on metal pipes, be sure to check once again when your home is cooler. Metals are subject to corrosion in humid conditions, and it furthermore leads to a slow leak. Slow leaks can be usually fixed simply by replacing fixture seals, valves, and showerheads.

Faucets and Water Pressure Testing

Inspect your faucets and turn on the cold and hot water interchangeably to track the water pressure. Different faucet models will produce slightly different pressure. You can judge by testing each source of water. They should all have an interrupted, steady flow without any fluctuation, even when opening/closing the tap.

Buildup Cleaning

Try to take off aerators on showerheads and faucets to completely remove the hard water deposit buildup that can distort and slow water flow. You can do that by letting these parts sit in a bowl of vinegar or lime remover.

Stop Flushing Everything Down the Toilet

One of the most common issues in a household with children. Flushing the wrong things down the toilet may cause a total blockage that cannot be solved without the plumber services.

Washing Inappropriate Materials Down Your Drain

People often use bathtubs and sinks for waste disposal.

Water Heater Issues

This type of issue is usually easy to spot. You jump in to take a nice warm shower but instead get shocked by cold freezing water. Noises coming from the water heater, dripping water, discolored water, and so on. are just some signs of a water heater problem. In some cases, it is an easy DIY task, but often water heater issues require professional repairs due to the danger and complexity.

Low Water Pressure

Another common plumbing problem that often appears in old houses. However, this problem can happen even in new homes as well. Low water pressure can get worse over time, depending on the culprit that causes it. Whatever the reason, it makes it difficult to rinse dishes, things, and showers, so resolving is usually a priority number one among homeowners.

Plumbing Problems for the Professionals

It can be tempting to DIY plumbing issues at home, but there are problems that are best left to the professionals. Some plumbing issues become disasters because someone at home without proper training and knowledge tried to deal with the complicated problem. 

Here are some issues you may encounter for which you’ll need to call a plumbing company.

Electricity and Water Connection Problems:

Problems that are related to water and electricity connections are best done by qualified and trained professionals. If you have zero knowledge about hooking up appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters, it’s best to consider a professional to do the job. 

Pipe, Sink, or Tub Installation:

If you need to install these things into your home or a fixture needs re-plumbing, a plumbing professional should keep you on the safe side. They should know not just the proper installation and connections, but should also determine any problem before it becomes more complicated. They also have the right tools and equipment to do the job. 

Sewer and Septic Problems:

If a line was cut or if it may need to be resealed or reinstalled, a professional should do this. Having poisonous gases inside your home due to improper plumbing is a safety hazard that shouldn’t be done by someone who doesn’t have training.

Bottom Line

To prevent common plumbing problems and maintain a smoothly functioning household, it’s crucial to adopt proactive measures. Regularly inspecting and maintaining your plumbing system is key to avoiding issues such as leaks, clogs, and pipe damage. Ensure that you promptly address any minor leaks or drips, as they can escalate into more significant problems over time. Regularly clean drains to prevent clogs and be mindful of what goes down the garbage disposal.

Additionally, consider scheduling routine septic service to ensure your septic system operates efficiently. This preventative maintenance can extend the life of your plumbing infrastructure, save you from costly repairs, and contribute to a hassle-free living environment. If you do not have too much experience in this, it is best to contact some of the local plumbers so as not to cause even greater damage.

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