Quick Fixes to Save on Heating and Cooling
The average family spends $1500 a year on energy bills, nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A home energy audit and some quick fixes can save some of that hard-earned money.
The EPA estimates that homeowners can typically save up to 20 percent of heating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces and accessible basement rim joints.
Conduct an energy audit to identify spots where energy is lost through gaps and cracks. Start in your basement and move upwards. Look for both visible gaps and cold or hot spots.
HVAC Penetration
Your air-conditioning system set-up could be doing more than just heating and cooling your house. It could be an air-infiltration culprit. Check the HVAC ducts from your attic and basement into the living space. There may be gaps where the ducts go through the floor above into the ceiling below.
Plumbing
While plumbing pipes may be hidden behind or under the sink, it doesn't mean that the pipe penetrations aren't allowing unseen bugs and unwanted air into the house. Check for holes under the sink where the pipes enter from the floor or wall in all rooms that have running water (kitchen, bathroom, utility room, and laundry room).
Electrical Box
Stand in front of the electrical box of your house and look at where the main electrical exits the box and enters the living space (in the basement look upwards). If there is a hole, seal it.
Electrical Outlets
Use a screw driver to remove your outlet cover plates. Homes have holes cut in the walls for the outlets. Check for gaps between the wall and the metal box that houses the electrical socket.
Attic Hatch
Seal around the attic hatch frame to keep the unconditioned attic air from entering your living space.
The EPA recommends sealing these leaks with spray foam, caulk, or weather stripping. Insulating foam sealants, such as GREAT STUFF form an airtight, water-resistant seal. The foam is sandable, paintable, and can be trimmed with a utility knife afterwards and is easy to use for do-it-yourselfers of any skill level.
Other ways to save on energy
* Either installing a timed thermostat or by turning up or down the temperature before heading to work.
* Make sure the fireplace flu is closed and install glass fireplace doors to keep energy from escaping.
* Check to be sure no air vents are being blocked by furniture or drapery.
* Insulate any areas that are not heated and cooled (garage, attic, basement, or crawl space).
For more information on how you can save money by sealing gaps, visit www.dowgreatstuff.com.
... Continue reading Tips for Getting Room Color Right.
Room Makeovers That Won't Break the Budget
So you have a room that needs updating, but you don't have a lot of time or money? Not a problem. These quick-fix ideas will spruce up a room in no time without emptying your wallet.
Bathroom
* If you like old fashioned tin ceilings, try ceiling tile paintable wallpaper. It's textured wallpaper that looks like embossed white plaster, and you can paint it any color you want. Put it up under a chair rail to make a unique wainscoting in a weekend.
* For artwork, frame color copies of prints out of books, magazines or catalogs. If it's a kids' bathroom, frame some of their art.
* A few fresh hand towels and a new toilet seat will freshen things up, as well.
Bedroom
* A new duvet cover or comforter and matching shams will instantly change the look of your bedroom. Reversible covers give you even more design bang for your buck.
* Paint an accent wall to bring a new color into the room. If your other walls are neutral, go with a bolder color on the accent wall. If the other walls are a strong color, pick out a neutral tone.
* Fabric remnants are an inexpensive and easy way to dress up your room. Recover pillows or add a colorful band to your drapes. At about one-third of the regular fabric price, they're a bargain.
Living Room
* One of the easiest - and cheapest - ways to change up a room is to rearrange the furniture. Take everything out and start over with a clean slate. And don't be afraid to poach items from other rooms - the mirror in the hall just might look perfect behind the sofa now.
* Don't forget the floors. If you have wood floors, put the shine back into them with wood cleaner. If you have carpet, add a colorful area rug on top for a splash of color and to help define an area.
* Go green - with plants. Whether it's a single palm leaf in a vase or a pretty silk tree, greenery adds a lot to a room. For the best effect, group plants of varying heights, fullness and color together.
Kitchen
* Replace cabinet hardware with decorative pulls and handles. It's an easy way to add personality to ordinary cabinetry. New switch plates are another affordable change that can make a difference.
* Dress up your windows with a new valance. A fresh color will perk things up in no time. If you have solid curtains or sheers, try a patterned valance. If the curtains are print, compliment them with a solid valance.
* Add a new throw rug and a few fresh kitchen towels and you've got a brand new look for next to nothing.
Some creative thinking and a little elbow grease is all it takes to make a room feel like new.
... Continue reading Room Makeovers That Won't Break the Budget.
Simple Steps to Pricing Your Home
Your home's asking price is one of the first pieces of information that buyers will want to know about your property. Price it too high and you'll scare them away. If it's too low you risk losing money.
In order to price your home correctly, you'll have to become educated about your local real estate market. Doing so will allow you to set an asking price that will compete favorably against other comparable homes. But don't worry, it's easy to do if you just follow these simple steps:
1. Know the Competition: Visit real estate websites and drive through your local area to search for homes for sale that are similar to yours in size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size and square footage. Educate yourself about their asking prices and, especially for condos, calculate the price per square foot. Trulia.com will do most of this work for you and allows you to print out a list of comparable homes, but you'll also want to visit Realtor.com and ForSaleByOwner.com to get a more complete list of available homes on the market.
2. Visit Open Houses: Now that you know what's on the market, visit as many open houses as you can in order to find out how your home compares to others. Your goal is to learn as much about those homes as possible, such as upgrades and renovations to the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.
3. Learn About Recently Sold Properties: Your next step in educating yourself about the local market is learning how much homes have sold for in the recent past. Home sale information is public information and can be found a number of ways. Your county clerk's office and/or local town hall can provide you with this data, but the Internet has made the task even easier. Trulia.com and Zillow.com each have a "Recently Sold" feature that will list all information about properties that have sold near any given address.
4. Get a Starting Point: For a simple, cost-effective way to get a ballpark range of how much your home is worth, consider getting an Automated Valuation Model (AVM). Similar to a real estate agent's Comparative Market Analysis, an AVM will compare your home to similar nearby recently sold properties. The AVM won't know if your home has an upgraded kitchen, finished basement or new roof, etc., but it will give you a suggested range to price your home. The AVM will also provide you with a list of nearby recently sold properties. An AVM tool is available at http://www.forsalebyowner.com/appraisal.
5. Evaluate Your Research: Now that you have information about homes currently on the market, data on recently sold properties and a price range, you have all the data you need to compare your home to others in your neighborhood and local area. Evaluate the information you have learned and ask yourself how your home stacks up with the others. Be honest. What condition is it in and how does in compare in location, features and aspects like a remodeled master bathroom?
6. Live in the Now: One of the biggest mistakes sellers are doing in today's market is pricing their home at price points of one, two or three years ago. The national median home price has dropped more than 15 percent from April 2007 to April 2008 (in markets in CA, FL and AZ the median home price has fallen by more than 20 percent!), and those that price their home too high will just see it sit on the market. The homes that are selling today are those that are priced competitively to other homes are on the market, providing buyers with the sense that they are getting "a good deal."
7. Take Advantage of Being "For Sale By Owner": Owners of homes being sold through a real estate agent will have to fork over expensive commission fees equal to 5-to-6 percent of their home's sale price (or $18,000 for a $300,000 home). Or, in other words, the seller of that $300,000 home will only "pocket" $282,000. As a smart "for sale by owner" home seller, you won't have that expense and -- depending on how quickly you want to sell -- you have the unique ability to price your home anywhere in that $282,000-$300,000 range and still come out ahead financially compared to sellers of similar homes. You'll also be able to get more buyers as well because they'll be attracted to your home's asking price.
8. Set the Price: The time has come. You now have a complete picture of your real estate marketplace. Set the price using all the information you've learned through the above steps.
Congratulations! You have reached a major milestone in your home selling process. Not only have you arrived at an asking price, you have become an expert in your local real estate market. Prospective buyers will be impressed with your sense of knowledge and honest assessment of your home's value, and you'll be able to communicate about its strengths and weaknesses as compared to other homes in your neighborhood, town and area.
For more information, visit http://www.forsalebyowner.com.
... Continue reading Simple Steps to Pricing Your Home.
Social Networking Online: Is it Safe?
With literally millions of people using social networking sites on the Internet, don't be surprised if you find your coworker on MySpace or even your grandma on Facebook. Social networking isn't just for teens, and adults are joining virtual communities in increasing numbers. If the concept still seems a bit foreign to you, don't worry. Here are some tips to get you started and help ensure you stay safe in the fast-paced world of Internet social networking.
MySpace and Facebook are two of the most popular social networking sites where users set up a profile about themselves and connect to friends to share interests and photos and communicate. Other sites you may have heard of include LinkedIn, which is geared more as a business networking tool; YouTube, which focuses on video sharing; and LiveJournal, where users can have their own blog.
Blogs, short for web logs, are personal journals that users post online. Think of them as a public diary that is updated regularly, often daily. Blogs cover just about anything: politics, culture, or whatever's on the mind of the author.
"Internet social networking or blogging can be a really great thing," says Sue LaChance Porter, vice president of EarthLink, an award winning Internet service provider. "People can stay in touch, connect with friends and share their interests. But they also need to be cautious and protect their identity."
LaChance Porter offers these tips when using an Internet social network:
1) Read the privacy policy first.
Review a site's privacy policy and their frequently asked questions section so you can understand the features and privacy controls offered to users. Review different sites before deciding which one to join. Maybe you can use a Facebook account to connect with people about your personal hobbies and a LinkedIn account to keep in contact with work colleagues.
2) Understand who can access your page.
Some sites have options to restrict who can access your page, allowing you to keep your posted information public, private or restricted to a certain group of people. "Consider keeping your page private so strangers can't openly access your information," suggest LaChance Porter.
3) Use anonymous e-mail addresses.
As a precaution, you should consider using different e-mail addresses when setting up social networking accounts.
4) Don't give out personal data.
Never post personal information on your page, such as your Social Security number, address, bank accounts, etc. Many social networking sites are not encrypted. That means when you give someone personal information, such as your phone number, it can be taken and used by unwanted sources, even if communicated via e-mail or posts.
5) Use strong passwords.
Smart social networkers will always use strong passwords, meaning passwords that contain both letters and numbers and aren't immediately associated with the person's identity. That means don't use your daughter's name or your birth date as your password. LaChance Porter advises, "Try to keep passwords to five characters or more and change monthly to avoid password phishing -- when outside sources steal your password and then post messages under your persona."
6) Pick a good user name.
Ever wonder why you see someone's user name as FlowerPower123 or Julias1880? It's because having a pseudo name helps protect your identity. Using your first and last name as your user name might make sense, but it's best to keep this information private.
7) Keep your computer protected.
It's a good idea to make sure your computer has anti-virus and anti-spyware features that help protect it from unwanted spam, viruses and other privacy breaches. Check with your Internet service provider to see what features they offer. For example, EarthLink's Protection Control Center guards against dangerous online viruses, blocks spam and helps stop hackers.
8) Post only what you want others to see.
Many people can potentially see your page, even if you have privacy settings. That means that not-so-subtle picture of you could be seen by future employers, colleagues or even the police. Any information or images you share could be seen by more people than you are comfortable with. Be absolutely sure before posting because even if you delete it later, older versions may still exist on other people's computers and your information could still circulate online.
"When online, trust your instincts," says LaChance Porter. "If you're not sure, it's best to wait. You can always add information and photos later, but once images and data are floating around the Internet, you can't get them back."
For more information visit www.earthlink.net.
... Continue reading Social Networking Online: Is it Safe?.
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