Tag Archives: Homeowners

Family Home, Health & Safety, Home Design, Homeowners

How to Make Home a Safer Place When Living with Kids

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A family with two young children happy and safe in the home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 9.2 million children have to visit the emergency department for an unintentional injury each year. Unfortunately, the CDC also states that injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the US and Canada, too.

Children are curious, easily distracted, and more prone to injury than adults are. So, it’s important to take extra precautions to keep them safe, even in the home.

Thankfully, most of the accidents mentioned in the CDC’s research are preventable with the right approaches to safety. Here’s what you need to know to minimize risks and make your home a safe and hazard-free space for kids.

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Family Home, Home Buyers, Homeowners

How to Resuscitate Your Bank Account After Buying a Home

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A piggy bank symbolizing the need to boost your bank account after buying a home.

Buying property is a huge investment, and it often comes with additional, unplanned expenses. If you’re not careful, you can find yourself in a less than desirable financial position. Before you realize it, your budget is forgotten, you’ve spent money on all sorts of things you’d never imagined needing, and you’re feeling somewhat out of pocket. For this reason, it’s important to know how to balance homeownership and breathe new life into your bank balance. To help you out, we’ve compiled eight handy tips to boost your bank account.

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Family Home, Home Buyers, Home Sellers

Home Warranty Plans: Reasons You Should Have One

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A red pen ready to sign a home warranty plan.

When buying an old home, it is common to check that all appliances and systems still work as intended. Having one or a few of them broken simply will not do. But what if there is concern that these aging appliances and systems will break down in the near future? You can maintain, repair, and replace, but the costs are not cheap. You should have a home warranty plan.

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Family Home, Home Buyers, Homeowners, Insurance

8 Mistakes to avoid when purchasing a home insurance policy

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a home insurance policy form with a small house symbolizing protection for the home.

Getting a home insurance policy is essential when you are buying your dream home. However, just any homeowner’s insurance policy is not enough; you need to have adequate coverage to financially protect yourself against any unexpected circumstances.

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Home Design

How to Create a Functional Balcony

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Balconies are a great way to incorporate outdoor fun with indoor living. They add space to the home, and they have been found to increase the value of your home. A balcony that has been beautifully constructed will impact the home’s style and atmosphere, but to get to that point, there’s a lot you need to consider. 

To start, you need to take into account the purpose and function, the location and views, materials you’re using to create the balcony, and the style you’re after. The following tips will help you to create a balcony that is functional and inviting.

Define the purpose of the balcony

Think about why you want the balcony and what you’re planning to do with it. Do you want to sit there during the day to rest? Or will you invite your friends over and have drinks and dance there at night? By defining what you want it for, you’ll be able to come up with a quality design and size to suit. 

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Homeowners

How to Organize Your Garage

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Your garage can seem like a catch-all for your things that don’t quite fit right inside the home. Seasonal decor, outdoor furniture and all types of storage containers can fill up the garage space fast. In order to make the most of your garage and to not be tripping over containers every time you go out to look for something, it’s important to have a system. Here are some tips to help you get your garage looking neat and organized.

Out With the Old

Just like when you are trying to declutter or organize your interior, you need to go through your belongings to see what you want to keep and what you can get rid of. For example, you may have kept tubs of old baby clothes or toys because they are sentimental, but they take up a lot of room and often don’t get used or looked at. Try picking out a few things and then donating the rest to a good cause.

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Homeowners

Preparing Your Home For a Winter Storm

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Do you live somewhere where blizzards are a regular part of your winter life? Many homeowners struggle with having to get ready for a harsh season and harsh conditions hitting their home. Let’s go through a checklist of what you can do to get your home ready for winter.

Stock Up

Now let’s not go toilet paper crazy like we saw in the early months of COVID-19, but it may be a good idea to get a few essential items before being trapped inside because of a blizzard. De-icing salt, shovels, flashlights and batteries are all great items to pick up.  You’ll want flashlights and batteries, just in case the power goes out. The salt is a necessity for many homeowners since oftentimes driveways and walkways get very slick during winter, while the shovel will come in handy once snow starts to build up and you have to dig your doorway or garage out. If you live in an apartment or rented property, the chances are your landlord has hired a service to salt and plow these areas, so you luck out!

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Homeowners

Common Questions About Property Taxes

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The journey in buying a new home is what many individuals dream of but, buying a home is not always easy and many long time homeowners can attest to that feeling. Owning your own home does come with extra duties and responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is property tax.

How much do you know about property taxes? What does it do, and what do you need to know about it when buying a home? If you’re a first-time homebuyer, budgeting the property tax cost is an important first step in knowing what you can afford. 

So, let’s cut to the chase, clarify some things about property taxes and answer some common questions.

What Is a Property Tax? 

Let’s identify first what a property tax is. A property tax is one of the long lists of government-issued tax to all its constituents who own a property, whether it be a house, a rental property or a building. Individuals and other legal entities, such as corporations, are charged with property tax. 

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Home Design

Is a Smart Home Worth it?

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Smart homes are becoming increasingly popular, as more people are willing to invest in automatic home appliances and systems to make their lives easier and their homes sustainable and more convenient. However, as one might assume, smart homes do come with a set of downsides along with the perks. So, before you introduce any changes, study our list of advantages and disadvantages of turning your home into a smart home first.

Advantages 

Great convenience

Automatic home appliances and systems can be programmed to fully meet all your specific needs. They also enable you to control and check on your home no matter where you are.  In a few simple clicks, you can turn on the heating or turn off the lighting whenever you want. This is why investing in these devices becomes one of the money moves buyers make after purchasing their first home.

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Homeowners

Creating Your At Home Gym

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With COVID-19 shutting down workout facilities around the country, you may be looking for ways to work on your health and fitness inside the safety of your own home. Check out these five tips below to create the perfect gym for you that will make sure you won’t slow down on your goals- open gym or not!

Decide on the Essentials

The first part of creating the perfect at home gym is finding the right equipment. Most of us won’t have the equipment just lying around since you are used to it being provided by your gym, but you only need a few things to make the most of your workout. A floor mat, resistance bands, dumbbells and a jump rope are a great place to start. The floor mat can be used for several different workouts, core strengthening, yoga and more, depending on what you like. Resistance bands or dumbbells can be used for lower and upper body weightlifting. A jump rope is a challenging but fun way to get cardio in.

Of course, if you are just starting our fitness journey and are wanting to start a little easier, don’t be afraid to just use your body weight! This is still an effective way to get yourself moving and stay active without the need for different equipment.

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