Homeowners need to be proactive in making energy-efficient home renovations. Here is a list of easy check-ups every homeowner can do to optimize the energy efficiency of their home:
Windows and Doors
Holes in windows and doors allow conditioned air to leak from your home and allow outdoor air to infiltrate, which can tax your heating and cooling systems and raise your energy bills. Caulk around windows and doors where there are gaps. Also caulk areas where plumbing lines or electrical wiring extend to the exterior of the home.
Floor and Wall Insulation
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat movement and helps keep any home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter—all while using less energy. Making sure insulation is used at potential gaps such as around an attic stairway or over the attic access door is important as well.
Shedding a Little Light on a Simple Solution
By replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, you can use up to 75% less energy on lighting alone. A wide assortment of CFLs is now available for almost any type fixture found in a home.
Appliances and HVAC Systems
Your major household appliances are a good place to focus on to make your home more eco-friendly. Start by changing the filters of your HVAC systems regularly and consider upgrading older appliances to take advantage of newer, more efficient designs.
Buy a Programmable Thermostat
This energy-saving step can have a positive and noticeable impact right away. Programmable thermostats are fairly easy to install and once they are set up a homeowner can adjust them as the weather changes. For every degree that a thermostat is set back, you may realize a savings between 1-3% on your heating or cooling bills.
Selling a Nashua NH home that is currently occupied by a tenant can be a bit of a challenge, as the tenants don't always share the same motivation as their landlords – consequently, they may fail to keep the home looking neat and attractive to impress potential buyers.
So what can landlords do to prevent problems?
First, landlords should never attempt to deceive tenants in the first place, and so they should make it absolutely clear that they intend to list the home once the local market picks up again.
Landlords can also offer their tenants some kind of concession in return for their cooperation – for example, in return for the tenant keeping the home looking neat tidy (unlike the photo!) while it's listed, they could be given a 10% discount on the rent. However, landlords would need to clearly communicate their expectations regarding cleanliness, like making sure the bed is always made up in the morning, and ensuring dirty dishes aren't left in the sink for prospective buyers to see when they come to see the property.
Setting established hours for buyers to view the property will also do a lot to get tenants on your side.
Landlords need to keep in mind they don't usually get a second chance, and so it pays to keep tenants on their side, especially when a property is first listed for sale.
If you're a Nashua NH landlord and would like more information and tips on what you should do if your property has a tenant and you're wanting to sell, contact us. We'll be happy to give you additional tips.
Home prices have slid more in the past 5 years than during the great depression, so what's up now for home prices going forward? Rich DeSalvo has these thoughts on a Fox News interview…
Questions or comments about this interview? Post your comment or question by clicking the "comment" link below…
If you're a homeowner, you most certainly have a homeowner insurance policy to cover your home. Not only is homeowner insurance a necessity, lending regulations require every homeowner with a mortgage to have some form of homeowner insurance coverage. It is a vital investment you need to make in order to protect your home and everything in it against accidents and hazards like fire, storm, flood, and others. Any accidents which occur in the house or on your property should also be covered, including medical reimbursements in cases of accidents and injuries.
You may have homeowner's insurance, however, the question is, is it the right coverage? Home owners insurance differs depending on the type of coverage included in your policy. Different areas may require different types of coverage. Areas most commonly affected with natural disasters like flood, hurricane, and storms, also have special coverage against these types of natural hazards.
A good example is the homeowners insurance policy in some states where a special section called the wind policy is included. This is especially provided for homes in areas which are often experience hurricanes. This will provide home owners the necessary coverage against a very common hazard in those areas.
Upon signing your homeowners insurance policy, you need to know what is included and not included in the coverage. This will help you decide whether to provide additional homeowners insurance for other specific coverages. Some homeowners insurance policies may not cover your home against earthquake, nuclear exposure, and tsunami. If you feel you live in an area where nuclear exposure is a known hazard or if you are along the ring of fire and may want to provide additional coverage against earthquake, try to talk about this with your insurance provider and get possible coverage for these types of hazards.
Your homeowner insurance may also provide coverage for the belongings you have within your home. However, if you have expensive and valuable items within your home which the standard home insurance policy may not completely cover, you might opt to add another type of insurance — content coverage.
Make sure you have the right homeowners insurance coverage. If you are not sure about it, always seek the help and assistance of your insurance provider.
Slightly over half of all homeowners say their homes are worth more today than they were when they bought them, according to a new national survey conducted just before Christmas.
Most homeowners are confident they know what their home is worth, and a greater number than ever, some 29 percent, believe that they have lost value since they bought it.
An earlier Rasmussen national telephone survey conducted in early November found that just 12 percent of U.S. homeowners now expect the value of their home to go up in 2012.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey also found that homeowners are growing increasingly pessimistic about their home equity position. The survey found that just 44 percent of homeowners believe their home is worth more than the amount they still owe on their mortgage, a decrease from 50 percent of owners in April who believed their home is worth more than the mortgage.
The survey of 690 U.S. Homeowners was conducted December 19th & 20th, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Are you a homeowner? If so, do you think your home is worth more than when you bought it? We'd love to hear how you feel about your home's value. Leave us a comment by clicking the comment link below. Your email address will never be shared on this site.
Last year, a Wall St economist and random people predicted what would happen. Who was right?
Comments or questions? We'd love to hear from you. Just click the "comment" link below to sound off.
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