A new study from insuranceQuotes has identified the top three biggest risks to homes this holiday season: porch pirates, decoration vandals, and house fires. The survey was based on responses of more than 1,000 consumers.“During the holidays, certain crimes and home hazards increase,” says Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst at insuranceQuotes. “Homeowners need to take precautions and make sure they have the right insurance to protect
Hardwood floors can get scratched up, whether by moving furniture or rambunctious kids. But many scratches can be easy to repair.“Surface scratches are caused by everyday use, grit on the bottom of shoes, or running a vacuum cleaner across the floor,” Brett Miller, vice president of education and certification for the National Wood Flooring Association, told realtor.com®. “Anything that can run across the surface of the floor can cause s
Seventy-three percent of home sales closed on time in October, but 25 percent of REALTORS® report a delay in getting to the settlement table, according to the latest REALTORS® Confidence Index, a survey based on responses from more than 3,500 real estate professionals. Only 2 percent say a contract was terminated completely.What are the main problems encountered with delayed settlements? Real estate pros report the following: Issues related to
When painting a room, the time, effort, and money you spend on the materials can make a big difference. Josh Max, a professional painter with 10 years of experience, detailed the “right” way to paint in a recent article in The New York Times.Gather the right supplies. Take the measurements of your wall and ceiling to a hardware store that can help you pinpoint exactly what type of paint and supplies you’ll need. Max recommends a two-and-a
When you and your buyers are touring open houses, tell them to watch for signs of larger issues with the property. Jenna Dougherty and Greta Eoff of the DeMasi Group at Keller Williams Realty in Davis, Calif., shared items that should raise alarms for buyers.Overpowering scent. If sellers are being too heavy-handed with scented candles or other fragrances, it could mean they are trying to cover up the source of more serious odors, such as a must
Many renters say saving for the down payment is a major obstacle that is preventing them from purchasing a home. A new mortgage offering says it wants to help remove some of that burden for renters.Home Partners of America, a rent-to-own firm, is touting its new mortgage product that allows tenants to apply some of the appreciation in their home’s value during the time they live there to reducing the down payment. In some cases, it could reduce
Home buyers and renters can turn up plenty of information about their new home with just a little digging online. Curbed.com offers a few tips on how home shoppers can scour the internet to discover more about a property’s history before making an offer:Look closer at the online listings.Plenty of sites—like realtor.com®—are available to help them search for properties. Many of these sites also track the property’s listing history. Buye
Jan M. Dougherty, author of The Lost Art of House Cleaning: A Clean House Is a Happy Home, shared with HouseLogic several spots that homeowners are likely missing, including:1. Light fixturesLight fixtures can be a magnet for dust and dead bugs. Spritz and wipe them with a cleaning solution to get them shining again.2. The body of the toiletDougherty recommends washing the porcelain thrones all over. Start with the top of the tank and spray al
Among the home improvement projects buyers are most likely to value are those that increase storage space and preserve vintage features. Southern Living magazine recently rounded up some of the renovations that get sellers the most attention for their properties, including:Temperature-controlled square footage: “From the appraiser’s point of view—and really from everyone’s—heated and cooled square footage is the biggest winner” in
It’s that time of year when everyone feels the need to share delicious treats, especially at the office. That’s why Lifehacker recently posed the question to its readers of how to work among junk food without pigging out. They collected a list of helpful habits to consider during a season that can sometimes lead to excess. Plan ahead: If you pack a lunch or healthy snacks, you’re much less likely to be tempted by the Christmas cookie tray a
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