The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average home loses 10,000 gallons of water a YEAR to leaks. That's enough to fill a swimming pool! Bathrooms are common spots for water leaks, so check bathtubs, sinks and toilets to ensure they're not dripping and that pipes aren't leaking. Repairing leaks can also help you save as much as 10 percent on your utility bill.
--Kudzu
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Clear unwanted brush around your home
Raise your hand if you think unkempt yards are attractive. We don't like them either. Not only are they unsightly, but dense brush can be a fire hazard and can attract destructive "creatures" of all kinds. The unmaintained plant growth can also choke out the "good stuff"-your grass and desirable plants. To help keep your yard healthy, take an hour or two this weekend and clear out the brush you've allowed to grow unchecked during the last year. Then decide what you're going to do with that now-bare flat space in your yard. New patio or stone wall, perhaps?
--Kudzu
--Kudzu
Monday, January 31, 2011
Block crawlspace openings
According to the National Pest Management Association, rats, possum and other rodents will invade 21 million homes this winter. Frigid temperatures eliminate natural sources of food and shelter, driving them to warm homes for survival. If your crawlspace is open, you might as well roll out the red carpet for them, so to help keep them out, block any crawlspace vents and openings. This will force these unwanted houseguests to look elsewhere for a winter hideaway.
--Kudzu
--Kudzu
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Should you clean your air ducts?
You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:
* There is substantial visible mold growth inside sheet metal ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
* Ask the service provider to show you any mold. Whether a substance is mold can only be determined by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for confirmation
* You have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy. It cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. Mold will return if the conditions causing its growth are not corrected.
* Ducts are infested with vermin such as rodents or insects.
* Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris.
By Kudzu
* There is substantial visible mold growth inside sheet metal ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
* Ask the service provider to show you any mold. Whether a substance is mold can only be determined by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for confirmation
* You have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy. It cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. Mold will return if the conditions causing its growth are not corrected.
* Ducts are infested with vermin such as rodents or insects.
* Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris.
By Kudzu
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Test your GFCI breakers
Trip circuit breakers and reset ground fault interruptors.
Flickering lights in your bedroom? Persistent burning smell coming from an appliance? No, it's not a poltergeist... but it COULD be a faulty wire or other electrical problem. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, electrical fires annually cause $1 billion in damage, injure over 1,000 and claim more than 350 lives. AND these fires are most common during the winter months when lighting, heating and appliance use is at its peak. So trip your circuit breakers monthly during the winter and don't forget to push the "test" and "reset"buttons on your GFI outlets regularly to make sure they're working as they should be. If you've got any electrical issues at all, don't take a chance. Call a licensed electrician.
-By Kudzus must do
Flickering lights in your bedroom? Persistent burning smell coming from an appliance? No, it's not a poltergeist... but it COULD be a faulty wire or other electrical problem. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, electrical fires annually cause $1 billion in damage, injure over 1,000 and claim more than 350 lives. AND these fires are most common during the winter months when lighting, heating and appliance use is at its peak. So trip your circuit breakers monthly during the winter and don't forget to push the "test" and "reset"buttons on your GFI outlets regularly to make sure they're working as they should be. If you've got any electrical issues at all, don't take a chance. Call a licensed electrician.
-By Kudzus must do
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
7 Ways to Use a Home Inspection Report
7 Ways to Use a Home Inspection Report
Posted on December 22, 2010 by Jim Bushart
In random order, I present to you seven different ways in which a home inspection report can be used by parties to a real estate transaction for mutual advantage and benefit.
1.Buyers can consider the reported conditions of the home’s systems to determine their ability to afford and maintain the property. A home with a 12-year-old water heater, an 18-year-old furnace, and a 25-year-old composite-shingle roof is going to need some costly investments in the near future.
2.Buyers can sometimes use information regarding undisclosed defects to negotiate the seller’s action to repair the defect(s) or adjust the asking price for the home.
3.Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to disclose known defects to potential buyers.
4.Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to identify and correct significant defects that could interfere with a buyer’s desire to submit a contract to buy the property.
5.Buyers can use the inspection report as a punch list (or to-do list) for maintaining the property after purchase.
6.Buyers/Sellers can use the report to communicate to contractors the nature of the defect(s) to obtain estimates for repair or to arrange for repairs or replacements.
7.Buyers can sometimes use the inspection report as a means to withdraw from the contracted agreement to purchase the home when certain types of undisclosed defects are reported.
Buyers and sellers should consider obtaining inspection reports only from professional, full-time home inspectors. Builders and contractors who generate inspection reports often use them as marketing tools and as a means to generate business for maintenance and repairs. Doing so is a conflict of interest, so their reports do not always represent the actual conditions of the property. Always use home inspectors who abide by a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and who continually upgrade their knowledge and skills with regular Continuing Education courses.
Posted on December 22, 2010 by Jim Bushart
In random order, I present to you seven different ways in which a home inspection report can be used by parties to a real estate transaction for mutual advantage and benefit.
1.Buyers can consider the reported conditions of the home’s systems to determine their ability to afford and maintain the property. A home with a 12-year-old water heater, an 18-year-old furnace, and a 25-year-old composite-shingle roof is going to need some costly investments in the near future.
2.Buyers can sometimes use information regarding undisclosed defects to negotiate the seller’s action to repair the defect(s) or adjust the asking price for the home.
3.Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to disclose known defects to potential buyers.
4.Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to identify and correct significant defects that could interfere with a buyer’s desire to submit a contract to buy the property.
5.Buyers can use the inspection report as a punch list (or to-do list) for maintaining the property after purchase.
6.Buyers/Sellers can use the report to communicate to contractors the nature of the defect(s) to obtain estimates for repair or to arrange for repairs or replacements.
7.Buyers can sometimes use the inspection report as a means to withdraw from the contracted agreement to purchase the home when certain types of undisclosed defects are reported.
Buyers and sellers should consider obtaining inspection reports only from professional, full-time home inspectors. Builders and contractors who generate inspection reports often use them as marketing tools and as a means to generate business for maintenance and repairs. Doing so is a conflict of interest, so their reports do not always represent the actual conditions of the property. Always use home inspectors who abide by a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and who continually upgrade their knowledge and skills with regular Continuing Education courses.
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