Home Maintenance Checklist

May/31/2010 11:15 AM Filed in: HomeownerResource Guide

Keep Your Home in Good Health with a Home Maintenance Checklist

Keep this home maintenance checklist handy to maintain your home’s value and to provide a comfortable and safe living environment for yourself and your family.

Just as you need regular maintenance—in the form of healthy eating, exercise and regular check-ups—to remain in good health, so does your home.

Regular home maintenance could help prevent time-consuming and expensive projects down the road. Protect your largest financial investment by setting aside one weekend a month to check off some of these items. For an even more complete checklist of routine home maintenance, hire a professional inspector to visit your home and talk with you about areas you should regularly check.

Read More to Keep Your Home in Good Health with: The Complete Home Maintenance Checklist

Related Articles:

The Value of Home Maintenance

May/24/2010 09:14 AM Filed in: HomeownerResource Guide

The Value of Home Maintenance

Regular maintenance of your home is an important part of maintaining its value. With proper maintenance your home will not only provide a pleasant and safe living environment but will also help keep small fixes from turning into expensive problems.

Your home is likely the largest financial investment you’ll ever make. Protect that investment by regularly performing routine home maintenance.

Regular maintenance helps prevent small issues from turning into major problems and helps maintain the value of your home. Don’t know where to begin? Follow these steps to realize the value of home maintenance.

Set aside a home maintenance fund
That old saying “it takes money to make money” holds true with your home’s value as well. According to the U.S. Census, annual home maintenance costs average more than $3,000 over time.

To be prepared for larger expenses down the road, or even for those weekend to-do list projects, plan to set aside 1 percent to 3 percent of your home’s initial purchase price for ongoing upkeep and repairs.

Read More About: The Value of Home Maintenance

Related Articles:

Featured Community: Bloomingdale, Washington, DC

May/20/2010 05:04 PM Filed in: Featured

The Bloomingdale Civic Association, Inc. in Washington, DC

The Bloomingdale Civic Association is a historic civic association established in June 1921 in Washington, DC. Over the years, Bloomingdale Civic Association has been a leader in revitalizing and improving the quality of life for residents of Bloomingdale.

Today, in 2010 the Bloomingdale Civic Association seeks to maintain and continue its presence and ability to enhance the quality of life for all residents of the community. Learn more and visit The Bloomingdale Civic Association

Homeowners Insurance: What You Need to Know

May/17/2010 11:51 AM Filed in: HomeownerResource Guide

Homeowners Insurance: What You Need to Know

How much homeowners insurance coverage do you need? What type of policy should you consider buying? Learn more about homeowners insurance and what you need to know to best insure your home, your possessions and your finances.

If you own a home, you need to have homeowner’s insurance. But how much, what type of coverage and whether you need extra coverage depends on your home, your possessions, your assets, and your location. Here’s what you need to know about homeowners insurance before you sign on for that policy.

How much homeowners insurance coverage do you need?
You will need enough to cover the structure of your home should you need to rebuild, to replace your personal possessions, to pay for living expenses if you need to live elsewhere while your home is repaired, and to pay for any damages brought against you by someone injured on your property.

Read More About: Homeowners Insurance: What You Need to Know

Related Articles:

Reverse Mortgage: The Pros and Cons

May/10/2010 07:42 AM Filed in: HomeownerResource Guide

Reverse mortgage: The Pros and Cons

Reverse mortgages can offer extra cash for seniors, but there are drawbacks. Learn what you should take into consideration before taking out a reverse mortgage.

Seniors are feeling just as cash-strapped as the rest of Americans right now. Many have lost a good portion of their retirement fund in the stock market collapse, some have lost their jobs, and others are feeling the pinch of rising health-care costs.

The idea of tapping into your home equity through a reverse mortgage can sound appealing, but it isn't right for everyone.

Read More About: The Pros and Cons of Reverse Mortgages

Related Articles:

Should you refinance your home mortgage?

May/03/2010 10:32 AM Filed in: HomeownerResource Guide

Should you refinance your home mortgage?

Learn about the mortgage refinance process, if you qualify to refinance your home loan, and whether or not refinancing might benefit you.

The recession may be over, but most Americans wouldn’t know it. Unemployment and foreclosures remain high while the general outlook on the economy is low. Many are looking to refinance their home loan as a way to free up some dollars and possibly stay in their homes. While refinancing your home mortgage is always better than foreclosure, you should take the time to determine if refinancing is right for you.

The mortgage refinance process
When you refinance your home mortgage, you are simply restructuring your debt—not eliminating it. Your new refinanced loan pays off your original home loan. You now begin to make payments towards your refinanced mortgage, which typically has some type of advantage over your previous loan—whether it be a lower interest rate, longer repayment period, or a switch from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage.

While these are all great reasons to move forward with a mortgage refinance, there are costs to consider. Expect to pay around 2 percent to 3 percent of the total loan amount in refinance-related costs, including appraisal and closing costs. You may be able to negotiate away some of these costs if you stick with your current lender, but it’s worth shopping around to determine where you can get the best deal. (If you do fill out multiple applications for refinancing, be sure to do so within a 30-day period; your credit score won’t be dinged if you submit your applications during this time period.) Costs can be paid upfront if you have the cash, through a higher interest rate on your loan, or by rolling the fees into the principal of your mortgage.

Find Out Who Qualifies and If: You Should Refinance Your Mortgage?

Related Articles:

Neighborhood Link Blog

Providing Free Neighborhood and HOA Websites......