The US has been using low flow shower heads to varying degrees of success since the 1990s when the federal government legislated their use.  The early models did decrease water usage from 5-7 gallons a minute to the mandated 2.5 gallons a minute; however, the problem back then was that decreased water flow also often meant decreased water pressure.  So when it took you longer to rinse off soap residue due to low water pressure, your shower time became longer, in turn bringing water usage back up – kind of self-defeating.

Today’s low flow shower heads not only decrease water consumption, they stabilize water pressure and save you money on your water heating bill since you’re heating less water.  Check out these comparisons of the pre-1990 shower heads to the various incarnations that followed.  How does the shower head work?  There are two kinds of low flow shower heads, aerated and non-aerated.  The first kind uses air to pressurize the water stream, while the second maintains water pressure by pulsating water through separate water jet streams.

Let’s say your family takes a conservative total of three showers a day.  If you switch from a 2.5-gallon-per-minute fixture to a 1.5-gpm fixture, that’s a savings of 21 gallons every day.  And what if your shower head is still one of those pre ’90s water wasters?  You could be saving over 100 gallons a day by replacing it with a low flow unit.  Let’s see, in a thirty-day month that comes to 3,000 gallons of water NOT down the drain!

Whether you’re a first time home buyer or you’ve been through the home buying process many times before, do yourself a favor.  Make speaking to a mortgage lender one of your first priorities when beginning your new house hunt.

Unless you have substantial savings and liquid assets, you’re probably like most people and need to get a mortgage in order to move into that dream house.  There are many reasons for speaking to a mortgage lender or mortgage broker up front.  A professional who deals everyday in these types of loans will know what the current rates are.  They will take into consideration your credit scores, monthly income, available savings for a down payment, and best available interest rate based on all your information to come up with the loan amount you qualify for.

Please understand the primary benefit here: education.  This is a process not to be taken lightly.  The lender’s job is not to put you into the biggest house (and by association the biggest loan) possible.  Their job is to counsel.  Through the interview process they learn about your financial situation and determine your expected ability to repay the loan over the five, fifteen, even thirty year term.  The lender can also let you know whether there are some items on your credit reports that are getting in the way of your getting a better interest rate, or simply getting in the way of your qualifying for the loan altogether.

The mortgage market has changed over the last few years, and it has become more difficult to get that ideal loan.  Today you need more money for the down payment than you may have needed in the past, and guidelines for qualification are stricter than ever.  Speak to a mortgage professional you trust.  If you don’t have one, speak to friends, family and neighbors.  Ask who they have used in the past and what the experience was like.  Ask your friendly neighborhood Realtor® for a list of reputable candidates.  The last thing you want to happen is to find your dream home, write and have your offer accepted by the sellers, then discover you can’t get the mortgage to complete the purchase.  Get pre-qualified first, and house hunt with confidence.

This one is kind of fun: coffee as fertilizer.  Yep, coffee grounds (and tea grounds and tea bags for that matter) provide an excellent source of nitrogen for your indoor and outdoor plants, transplants, lawn, and vegetable gardens.  There are many ways to use it as well.  You can add coffee grounds directly to soil for a slow release effect, or mix them with a bucket of water prior to watering plants as a more fast acting fertilizer.  Coffee grounds can be mixed in with your composting material, as well as utilized for some if its pest deterrent qualities.  The rule of thumb out there is that plants that thrive in acidic soil generally prosper with this kind of additive. 

What’s more, you can get coffee grounds from local restaurants and coffee shops to use at home.  Starbucks has made five pound bags of used grounds available to customers for free through its Grounds for Gardens program since 1995.  If you’re not close enough to a Starbucks (hard to imagine in the world today that anyone isn’t within a ten or fifteen minute drive) call around to your local restaurants and ask if they save coffee grounds for their patrons’ use.  What’s good for the garden is also good for the landfill.

The root of the problem with indoor mold is moisture.  You find mold in your home, you clean it up, right?  But if you don’t find and fix the moisture issue the mold will return.  The source of moisture might be as easy to find as a leaking pipe under the sink or in the basement.  It may be a little more difficult to identify like a leaking pipe inside a wall.  And again, diagnosing the moisture problem is one thing, yet prescribing the correct and complete remedy may be the tricky part as with a cracked foundation wall in your basement or crawlspace.  One thing is certain, if you only treat the symptom (the mold) the illness (moisture) will continue to rear its troublesome head. 

Once you discover mold in your home get to work on mitigating the source of moisture and the clean-up right away.  Don’t ignore it.  Call a plumber with a good reputation in the community if you need to.  Simply closing the cabinet door to the kitchen sink and pretending it’s not there doesn’t work.  The problem won’t just walk away on its own and neither should you.  And don’t simply paint over the stain of a recently cleaned patch or wall without mitigating the moisture.  You’re putting more energy into a problem that will continue to reoccur. 

So the question is, Where to begin?  A great place to start if you’re unsure just how to get started is the Frequently Asked Questions on the http://www.epa.gov/ website.  Stop the moisture, stop the mold.

Houseplants bring a little touch of the outdoors inside, and unlike our house pets they require considerably less attention.  But that doesn’t mean a once a week watering is all it takes to earn your green thumb. 

1. The single most important factor for a plant to survive and thrive is its environment.  Here I’m speaking about sunlight.  Inside the home sunlight becomes all that much more important as your plants spend twenty-four hours a day under your roof and not outside in the great wide open.  Use the handy table at the bottom of this webpage to determine the best locations based on plant type to make sure your plants are getting adequate sun.
2. The size of your plant’s container is another environmental issue.  You want your pot to be large enough to accommodate the soil and roots.  Too small a pot will restrict your growth.  Too large a pot, compared to the plant making its home there, may look a bit unbalanced or awkward in the room.  Here are some creative plant container ideas.
3. Fertilizer, too much or not enough, can cause problems.  Signs that your plant needs fertilizer are dropped leaves, pale leaves, flimsy stems, and little or no new growth.  Likewise, signs that your plant is getting too much fertilizer are leaves with a “burned” appearance or dark spots, odd shaped leaves, and a white residue that accumulates on the surface of your potting soil. 

With a little TLC for your plants, you’ll be greening up indoors and freshening your environment.

Cross country or across town, sometimes it pays to hire a moving company to do the heavy lifting.  Did you know moving companies often offer more services than just hauling your belongings to your new home?  Many have packing and unpacking services.  I’ve even seen some offer a house cleaning service to give the home you’re moving into a good once-over before you arrive.  It’s important not only to know what options you have available to help make your move run smoother, but also to know exactly what you are getting for your money when hiring a mover.

 Tips on hiring a moving company: 

1. Get an in-house quote, then another, and another. A quote is no good if a company’s representative doesn’t come out and take an honest look at each room’s contents and then follow their visit up by putting their price, and what you are actually getting for your money, in writing.  And the first quote isn’t worth the paper it’s written on if you don’t have a second and a third to compare it to.  Get three quotes.
2. Ask friends, neighbors, and family who they have used in the past and had success with.  Get the actual name of the company rep they worked with.  A good referral goes a long way in easing stress during a move.
3. Dig into the quote.  Know if the movers will be assembling furniture like bed frames after delivery.  What’s the delivery window look like?  What about insurance?  You have to know what you’re getting for your money, and you sure don’t want to have any surprises on moving day, or when the bill from the moving company comes in the mail.

If you walk around the perimeter of your home inspecting the roof and spot physical damage or rotting, that’s your sign to call in a repairman and get your roof drainage issue resolved quickly.  Leaking and rotting soffits and fascia can become an expensive repair, and the sooner you address any issues you discover, the lower the final total on your repair bill. 

The problem is, this is one of those home repair issues you often don’t notice until it’s too late.  So I’m going to give you a quick task that can potentially save you a bundle.  And, watch this video to learn more on how to spot the warning signs of gutter, soffit and fascia leakage before it becomes too costly. 

The easiest way to spot a potential problem area along your roof line is to go outside and watch for leaks while it’s raining.  This is not very practical as first, it must be raining outside, and second, you’ll have to remember my little message here and do your inspection when it does.  So here’s the trick, go outside and inspect the perimeter of the roofline RIGHT NOW!  Go ahead, I’ll wait... 

…Oh, and, here’s what you’re looking for: Evidence of leaking.  I’m not talking about soffit and fascia that’s already pealing, cracked, decaying and falling apart, and I’m not talking about gutters that are falling away from the side of the house.  If you have those issues you already know to call a repairman.  I’m talking about finding a little problem before it becomes a BIG problem.  Look along your gutters, and the underlying fascia, trying to spot dark vertical streaks that are residue of dirty water from your roof overflowing the gutters, or working in behind the gutter and soaking the fascia.  I refer you to this website for the sole purpose of giving you a photograph example of what to look for.  This is not a foolproof method for spotting all problems.  There are many little things that can contribute to leaking.  This is, however, a very inexpensive (because it’s free) inspection you can perform yourself that can keep your repair bill in the hundred-dollar range and out of the thousands.  If you find these streaks, and your gutters are not obstructed with leaves, call your handyman and set up an appointment.  The problem might be as simple as installing a drip edge inside your gutters.

Everyone deserves a nice long vacation, and if you’re fortunate enough to be able to take the time off during the holidays then by all means pack up and go!  Yes, sometimes it’s nice just to stay home, watch a movie, complete the little renovation project on the powder room you started last spring, or maybe just catch up on some sleep – whatever suits you.  That’s not what I’m talking about here.  I’m talking about hitting the road, getting away, and in particular traveling during the holidays. 

Whether you’re venturing cross-country or just across the state, one thing to keep in mind when traveling during the holidays is the safety and security of your unoccupied home while you’re gone.  That brings up two main concerns, accidents and burglary. 

Accidents are the easiest to mitigate.  Start with turning off the main water supply valve in your home.  One of the top insurance claims throughout the year is water damage, and a burst pipe while no one is home to take care of it right away is no way to start the new year.  Also, turn off your water heater and its gas supply.  Not only does this prevent potential gas leaks, you’ll save money on your energy bill.  Everyone’s equipment is different, so refer to manufacturer’s directions first when considering any of these practices.  Here’s a complete checklist of things you can do to minimize the chances of an accident occurring while you’re away. 

The best way to deter burglary is to minimize opportunity while making it appear the house is operating just as it would any other day.  Stop newspaper delivery for the time you’re away so papers don’t start to pile up on the front porch.  Put house lights on timers.  Park a car in the driveway.  Remember, Business as usual.  That’s the message you want to broadcast to the outside world.  Even then, burglars are always out during the holidays looking for opportunities.  Don’t make it easy on them.  Hide spare car keys, jewelry, and other valuables in shoeboxes or behind the canned vegetables in the pantry.  Have a trusted neighbor stop by periodically to monitor the house, or consider hiring a house sitter for the week! 

Take a few extra steps for your peace of mind before your vacation and enjoy the holidays!

Okay, so I’ll be the first to say it even though we’re all already thinking it: The holidays are right around the corner.  That’s right, it’s the most wonderful, chaotic, spiritual, emotional, hectic time of the year.  The decorations go up.  The decorations come down.  There’s meal planning, shopping, cooking and baking.  You’ll travel one week and host visitors the next.  You’ll spend time with friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors.  There’s the wrapping up of loose ends at the end of the school semester, and the end of the office quarter.  There’s wrapping gifts, which means more shopping… 

Nowadays people shop online, but surprisingly only a very small percentage of identity theft cases occur as a result of online tampering, such as computer hacking.  More often than not it’s the same old-fashioned, live and in person thief that gets consumers in the most trouble. 

However you spend your energy during the spirit of the season don’t neglect to heed these few tips that will help you keep from spending your January (and undoubtedly many more sad months to follow) cleaning up the fallout from having your identity stolen. 

1. Shred anything with personal information on it before throwing it out, including credit card and mortgage mail solicitations.  Thieves will dig through your garbage to find information they can use to open new credit accounts in your name that can end up costing you big.
2. Keep your social security card, passport, and any credit cards you don’t currently use at home.  This minimizes the amount of information a thief can get if they steal your purse or wallet.
3. Take credit card receipts with you instead of leaving them behind.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the department store receipt for $100 or the coffee shop tab for $10.  If there’s ever a doubt, take it with you.
4. Keep your virus and spyware software up-to-date and running.
5. If you believe your identity has been stolen, don’t wait to get help.  Start here

for information on common questions asked by people who suspect they have become victims of identity theft.

Real estate professionals do many things for their clients.  They research, finding prospective homes for sale that meet as many of your wants and needs as possible in a new home.  They orchestrate appointments for showings, and help you learn what you can get for your money in an ever-changing market.  They run lists of comparables, making sure you have all the data you need prior to making an educated offer.  They do all the paperwork.  They negotiate.  Their job is to help you get the most house, best suited for your family, within your budget, and to make the transaction as error free and stress free as possible. 

There’s some homework you can do up front as well to ensure once the transaction is done and you’re all moved in that your family’s transition continues to go just as smoothly. 

When did you first visit your prospective home?  Was it at night after work?  At the end of a busy day?  Go drive the neighborhood during rush hour, morning and evening.  Drive by on a Saturday or Sunday if you haven’t been there during the weekend.  Have you only seen the home during the day?  Go visit at night.  Imagine yourself starting and ending your day there.  Ask yourself, where’s the nearest gas station?  Morning coffee?  Pizza house?  Where’s the nearest emergency room? 

Talk to neighbors.  You don’t necessarily have to knock on doors, but since you are already driving through (see paragraph above), pull over if you see someone raking leaves or playing catch outside with the kids.  Have a short conversation.  Introduce yourself and let them know you’re considering moving into their wonderful neighborhood.  Ask them if they would help you make up your mind by telling you what they like best about the neighborhood.  Ask them what they like least.  If people are happy where they live they would love nothing better than the opportunity to brag about their neighborhood, the schools, the convenient drive to shopping, or the city, or the bank.  If they have a complaint they’ll let you know that too.

You’ve seen them before.  They don’t have that annoying buzz of the regular house fly, and they don’t do fly-by’s over your dinner plate.  But they are a nuisance, and they always seem to appear out of nowhere. 

Drain flies can take over any drain in the house, but more often than not they show up close to their main food source, slime-covered garbage disposals and the kitchen sink.  They lay their eggs in the gunk coating the grinding mechanism down in the disposals.  The problem is, although hot water and ammonia can get rid of the adult flies it does little to eradicate the eggs.  And simply running the disposal even with a standard disposal cleaner won’t get rid of the gooey stuff.  You need to use an enzyme like DF5000 that will eat away both the slime and the eggs, right down to the metal.  Just keep in mind, the more crud deep down inside the disposal, the more applications you will have to use to completely clean out the drain.  How will you know when the drain is clear when it’s all but impossible to see down into the drain?  When the flies are all gone, you’re done.

Who’s to say what conventional wisdom is nowadays: Take the house off the market before Thanksgiving.  No one buys a house during the holidays.  We’ll re-list right after the New Year, and maybe we’ll reduce the price then. 

Humbug.  I know we’re stepping into November, and the family calendar is starting to fill in for the rest of the year.  There’s Thanksgiving dinner to plan for, and Christmas or Chanukah or other holiday celebrations that involve travel, and shopping, and decorating, and cleaning.  Then there’s the office holiday party, and don’t forget about the kids finishing the semester strong at school… 

There are a million little excuses not to sell your home during the holidays.  Here are a few very compelling reasons to buck the trend and sell your home during the happiest time of the year: 

1. Buyers buy during the holidays.  People who write an offer on a home during the holidays are serious about purchasing.  Businesses relocate people during slow times, and transferees have windows (sometimes small windows) of opportunity to find a home during holiday vacation time.  Remember, January is the busiest month for job transfers.
2. Your house is clean and decorated.  Whether you’re having guests over for dinner, hosting the office holiday gathering, or Grandma and Grandpa are coming to stay for a week, you’re already planning to clean house and decorate for the holidays.  Showings are fewer and less intrusive, but the buyers are serious.  With holiday decorations done right buyers easily picture themselves living in your home creating their very own holiday memories.
3. Less Competition.  Makes sense, huh?  There are still those who will take the home off the market only to come back again in January or February.  Sticking with it during November and December can kick-start a very happy New Year for your family.

Nowadays I’m noticing borrowers tend to be grateful just to be able to qualify for a mortgage.  Any mortgage.  It’s true, getting a loan is more difficult today than it was five years ago.  It’s also true the bank is going to require you to have more money down to complete the transaction.  That’s no reason to skip vetting your lender.  All banks have different fees that show up in the fine print, and you either need a fine-tooth comb to find them OR have someone like a mortgage broker working on your behalf that can explain the pros and cons of going with lender A over lender B.  Get to know your lender.  After all, it’s your money. 

Let’s take a look at the weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for November 17, 2011: 

According to Freddie Mac and the PMMS the 30-year fixed average was 4.00, with an average .7 point, and the 15-year was 3.31 with .7 point. 

5 year ARMs held at 2.97 with .6 point, while 1-year ARMs also remained steady at 2.98 with .6 point. 

The general rule is to plant new trees in the autumn after leaves have already fallen to the ground, or in the early spring prior to tree budding.  Planting during this dormant phase ensures the trees devote their resources toward building a strong root system as opposed to above-ground, vertical growth.  Local weather conditions, especially the available water supply and the condition of the tree being transplanted in your yard, can have a significant effect on your success.  If you’ve relocated from another area, you may be tempted to plant a tree Here are some tips on safety and maximizing your chances for a successful transplant. 

1. Before you dig, call ahead to have all your underground utilities located and marked.  Better to be safe than sorry.  This will not only keep you protected from electric and gas lines, but will allow you to plan a layout for your landscape that will avoid causing problems with utilities in the future.
2. Dig your hole two to three times as wide as the root ball of your tree.  This gives the tree a chance to start establishing its root system without having to burrow first through the heavily compacted surrounding soil just to get started.
3. Mulch.  Mulch serves many purposes.  It helps to protect growing roots from temperature extremes.  It also locks in moisture while suppressing grass and weeds. 

Click this link to learn more tips for successful tree transplanting.

Thinking about doing a large remodel or addition?  Are you justifying the expense with the belief that you’ll get that money right back out of the house when you sell it?  Be careful.  You might just discover you’re losing money – subtraction by adding the addition. 

There are many inexpensive fixes, updates, repairs, etc. you can do to your home and expect to get your money back after selling your house.  The key in today’s economy is fixing what you already have rather than adding.  Of course home buyers love more space, but that sun room addition or garage addition may not equate to the return you are expecting down the road. 

Anytime you add onto a home, increasing the footprint of the structure, you should see dollar signs flashing before your eyes, and I don’t mean money going into your pocket.  Think about your reasoning for the addition.  Is this something your family needs?  Do you only have one bathroom for your family of five?  That expense might be justifiable.  But is a new master suite built off the back of the house a good decision?  How long are you going to be around to enjoy the new space?  Over-improving compared to the rest of the neighborhood is another recipe for diminishing returns. 

Here are a couple resources for cost effective fixes for your home, inside and out.

I have a friend who every year in December does what he calls a “safety sweep” of his home.  What it amounts to is his putting on a pot of coffee on a Sunday morning during one football game or another, running to the store for a bag full of nine-volt cells, then grabbing a step stool and changing out the backup batteries in all the smoke alarms and CO detectors over a hot cup of joe.  Sounds like a great idea, I’m sure you’d agree. 

Last year his family left the state for the holidays and amidst all the hubbub of shopping, and work, and the kids’ school, and trying to make sure everything that needed to get done actually got done before hitting the road…Well you can see where this is going.  My friend never completed his yearly safety sweep on that special Sunday because he and his family left town for the holidays three days prior on a Thursday night… 

No, the house did not burn down.  Nothing bad happened at all.  In fact my friend and his family had a wonderful trip and much deserved vacation.  Here’s what did happen. 

After he finally remembered the safety sweep it was on the fifth frantic stop that my friend found a store that was open for business on the morning of New Year’s Day.  They had just enough batteries so he could drive home and complete the safety sweep that was in his mind – because as of today it was no longer 2010 – already a year late. 

Don’t wait until you’re too busy to check your smoke and CO detectors.  Do it in October, before Thanksgiving, before Christmas, before New Year’s.  And if it helps, go ahead and put on a pot of coffee.

At some point you may find yourself needing to relight your furnace pilot light; if you’re so inclined, you can correct this without having to call a service technician. 

The first thing you need to do is remove the access panel on your furnace.  Once you have the panel removed and set aside, locate the gas control knob.  Have your long fireplace matches ready.  Turn the knob to “pilot.”  Press and hold the “pilot” knob down while you use one of the matches to light the pilot.  Keep the knob depressed for thirty seconds before releasing.  If the pilot stays lit, turn the knob to the “on” position, replace the access panel, and you’re done!  Here’s a helpful video going into much greater depth covering all the furnace components involved, as well as a bonus video on lighting a pilot on a water heater. 

Troubleshooting: 

1. If the pilot won’t light or stay lit, the pilot nozzle (where the gas comes out and the flame lights) is more than likely obstructed and will need to be cleaned.  Be sure the gas is turned off and use a wire brush to clean away accumulated dirt and residue.
2. If the flame is yellow or blue, not enough or too much oxygen, respectively, is reaching the burner.  You will have to adjust the burner control to obtain a flame that is light bluish on the outside and green on the inside.

There’s an interesting survey featured on the Inman News website comparing investors’ opinions on best long-term investments.  Home ownership came out higher (57% of people surveyed thought this the best long-term investment) than socking your money away in a 401K, and almost twice as high as everyone’s hot topic of late, gold. 

The survey, originally conducted by Trulia and occurring twice a year, also indicated 70% of people surveyed said home ownership was part of their long-term investment strategy.  The survey conducted this past January showed the same percentage, 70%, felt the same back then.  It seems the American Dream of home ownership is not only still great, but pretty consistent. 

Of course while lending practices have gotten stricter, it has also become more difficult for many folks to save enough money for the down payment.  87% of renters wanting to purchase a home surveyed said that saving for the down payment or qualifying for the mortgage was the top hurdle between them and home ownership. 

Here are three quick tips for freeing up space in your garage: 

1. Bicycle Racks.  Whether you have a lawn mower or a snow blower (or both), everyone has large, heavy equipment of some sort taking up valuable floor space in the garage.  Bicycles take up a good amount of space as well, but they are much lighter.  Install one of a variety of bicycle racks in your garage to get them up, off the ground, and out of the way.
2. Clear Storage Bins.  Used cardboard boxes have always been a staple of garage and basement storage.  But even when the most detailed of us labels each box with its contents, often it is still difficult to find what we’re looking for when the boxes are stored up high on shelves, in lofts, or up in the attic.  Try using clear bins for storage.  Multiple bins are all of uniform size and easy to stack, AND you’ll make locating that last box of holiday decorations easier because you are able to see the contents of each bin right through the clear plastic.
3. Go vertical!  Use the ceiling of your garage to help maximize space for storage.  There are many companies who sell motorized lifts for the lifting and storage of, among other things, bicycles.  If that’s a little pricey for your taste what about adding ceiling or wall-mounted shelving units to get boxes and bins up, up, and away?

We love our pets.  Too bad they can’t clean up after themselves like the kids.  Unfortunately doing the dirty work for our furry friends has never been pleasant activity.  If it was we would all be doing it, right?  And when our pets get older, well, they simply have less control and need to go more often.  Whether you’re taking care of it yourself, or it’s a part of your children’s chore list, it’s a necessary job that becomes critical if you’re selling your home. 

There’s a distinction right there I’d like to emphasize.  There is a difference between selling your home and merely showing your home.  You may be priced right for the market, have more amenities than any other home for sale in your neighborhood, and be in the best area for schools in town.  But if you’re not committed to the daily grind necessary to keep your home in showing condition none of that may matter.  If you’re not willing to do what it takes to make sure your home stands out in a very crowded marketplace you are not going to sell.  You are merely showing your home, and providing to buyers by negative comparison more reason to make an offer on something else.  Buyers are comparing you to homes that are maintained daily in the best show-shape condition possible. 

Which brings us back to cat boxes and doggie doors.  Keep those cat boxes raked every day, twice a day if necessary.  Doggie doors are a great way to allow Rover to hit the back yard when nature calls without you having to be there to let him out and five minutes later let him back in.  However, they also allow your dog to track mud or worse into the house.  Keep the back yard, or the dog run, or wherever Rover does his business cleaned up.  When visiting, your home buyers like to spend some time outside, picturing themselves having a cookout, playing with the kids on the swing set, or kicking around the soccer ball.  Get rid of the source of all odors at your home, inside and out.  We love our pets.  That doesn’t mean everyone else loves our pets.  The best policy is to eliminate as many negative distractions in your home to maximize its chances of selling.