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Why Home Buyers Should Insist on a Home Warranty
If you’re buying a home, you’re taking on a big investment and a big expense. Most of us try to buy as much home as we can afford, possibly leaving us with little leftover cash for a while. If an appliance or major system in the home has a problem that we didn’t foresee, it can get very expensive. For this reason, many homebuyers look to new construction so that all the appliances and systems are new and under warranty.
However, it’s not necessary to avoid buying older homes. And, in today’s market, it’s easy to get a great deal on an older home. And, if you get a home warranty that covers the home’s major systems and appliances, you don’t have to worry that you’ll have to pay for a major repair in your new home.
Home warranties can be written to cover plumbing, heating and cooling systems, some structural systems like roofs and your major appliances, like the range. Home warranties can be constructed in many different ways to fit your specific needs. You can get the home warranty for the first year, and then renew at the end of the first year if you choose.
Home warranties are not expensive, but as a home buyer, you shouldn’t worry about paying for it at all. Rather, you should request it from your seller when you are negotiating the contract. In today’s market, sellers expect such a request, and are usually more than happy to provide a home warranty as an incentive to get buyers to consider their home for purchase. And, since they are not expensive, sellers are usually willing to allow you to choose the warranty, up to a certain dollar amount, and have them pay for it at closing.
You may even find that some home sellers are offering a home warranty as part of the sale of their home. However, if they are not, you should ask for it when you make an offer.
A home warranty can provide you peace of mind about the major systems you’re purchasing in your new home. With most home warranties, you call one number for any problem that you have and they find the right professional to complete the repair. Some even offer a toll free number that is open seven days a week. So, don’t forget older homes when you’re house hunting, and when you find the right home, don’t forget the home warranty.…
Home Warranty Cost – How Much Should You Pay for Home Warranty Insurance?
So how much does a home warranty cost? That is a question that so many prospective home buyers are faced with when they are considering all of the options that are on their plate while searching for a new home. Coming to terms with having to pay for home warranty insurance could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but they are just not the best decision for everybody and that is where I hope to give you a few pointers.
Appliance repair plans, as this type of service is also called, can range in price from a few hundred to several hundred dollars. It all depends on what type of plan that you need to make sure that all of your appliances and systems are properly covered.
What’s not covered by this type of policy?
In most cases, things like neglect and lack of maintenance are simply not covered. For example, if you have an aging air handler for you HVAC system that has never been serviced, this could be cause for claim denial.
Basically you can purchase a policy that will cover most of your major systems like plumbing, electrical and HVAC system for a few hundred dollars. And likewise, if you only want your major appliances covered like your range, oven and microwave, then that should cost you a few hundred dollars also.
Most first time home buyers are looking for a comprehensive plan that will cover most everything that could cause them problems until they are comfortable in their new home. This type of coverage varies from company to company so you should check with each individual firm to read up on their options. Comprehensive home warranties will cost you from a range of $400 to $600 dollars.…
Great Home Improvement Ideas Everyone Should Know
Are you planning to improve your house for the very first time? You may not know how to start. You are not alone – many times people who start a home improvement project feel overwhelmed. As you continue to read the article, you will run across some great, professional tips that are sure to help you with your next home improvement job.
As you tackle home improvements, be mindful to observe your surroundings, making sure to do just those projects that are sensible. Forgetting things like insulation in the North, or sun-shielding in the South, will seriously lower the value of any renovations you make. Stick with things that are popular, and do not veer from the neighborhood norm.
Think about inserting solar panels on your home. The high initial investment will be offset by years of lower electric bills. This should help you save a lot on your energy bills. This is also a good way to reduce your impact on the environment.
Use wallpaper to create a unique and attractive bookcase. Choose a design that is both interesting and one of a kind. Only put the wallpaper on the back of the bookcase; you will see the wallpaper behind the books. This tip can give an old bookcase a new look and create a visually appealing focal point in any room.
Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. Larger materials can even be stored without problems. You can easily hammer in furring strips across a couple of exposed rafters or floor joists and put in the material that needs to be stored.
Don’t get too carried away demolishing everything in your path when you begin a project. You need to ensure that your structures are not a support to your home before you rip them out. If there is electrical wiring there, it can be a costly mistake to fix.
If your home heating costs are out of control, consider insulating your attic to save money. Because hot air inevitably rises, in the colder months poorly-insulated homes are letting huge amounts of heated air escape wastefully. You can purchase this insulation at a hardware shop and you will be able to install it yourself.
If you have chosen to do your own home improvement project, make it a point to purchase the highest-quality tools and materials. The start up costs will be higher, but in the end, you will save more money this way. High-quality products have longer lives, and stand up to wear better, over time. Tools can be expensive and you don’t want to have to replace them regularly.
As has been shown in this article, making improvements to your home isn’t as daunting as it first seemed. You’ll find it’s easy to maintain your motivation for home improvement too. All you need to do is keep in mind how much of a difference home improvements can make in your quality of life, as well as the money they can save …
Advice All Homeowners Should Know About Home Security
It is critical that each homeowner educates himself on proper home security. It can be overwhelming, however, to wade through reams of information on the topic. The article below is intended to help distill the most important concepts and assist you in developing a home security strategy that really works.
Does your dog like to play in your yard? This pet may be an excellent storing spot for your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This is especially useful if the dog does not take kindly to strangers.
Buy a safe to keep all of your valuables in one place at home. You would hate for your expensive jewelry, personal family belongings, etc. to be stolen in case a burglar breaks into your home. Hide the safe in a very hard to reach place like the attic or a closet in the basement.
See what your local police department offers in terms of home protection programs. There are lots of different programs, like home inspections, that will help you take the proper steps to make sure your home adequately protected. Your police department will be able to help you find out what is available in your town.
Put motion sensor lights around your house. These lights will turn on if anyone walks too closely to your home. These lights will not only let you know when someone gets too close, they will also stop potential burglars from breaking in. After all, burglars don’t want anyone to know they are there. Make sure you regularly change the light bulbs to ensure they continue to work properly.
When it comes to securing your home, start by changing your locks. Not everyone who leaves your house will leave happy, and a fresh set of locks will protect you from both former residents and acquaintances of your own looking to cause mischief. This is a very easy process that you can complete within a day.
Go with your gut when choosing a home security company to install a system. If you don’t feel comfortable with the technician, don’t allow them access to your home. You should not hesitate to ask if you can work with a different representative or find a different company if you are not comfortable. Ultimately, the whole point is for you to have peace of mind.
Those living in rural areas often don’t worry as much about intruders compared to city dwellers. On a different note, some people believe homeowners in more rural areas are more likely to experience robberies because of the lack of nearby neighbors. Then again, others think rural areas are not as much of a target.
A secure hiding place can be created in a wall. Small valuables fit nicely inside walls. Use an old switch plate, outlet or phone jack. If there are no unused plates, you can easily install fake ones.
Every homeowner needs to learn about home security. It will take …
Interior Design Tips You Should Know About
A lot of people today desire to improve their house’s value by making their house stand out. Many people fail to decorate their home properly unfortunately. Fortunately for you, the below article provides some simple tips on interior design that is certain to make your home stand out from others in your neighborhood.
You must know what you want to do with a room before you begin to make changes to it. Moods can vary, depending on how you feel as it can be wild or someplace that is nice and relaxing. Choosing a mood before starting will make your decisions more cohesive and more fluid.
The color scheme you choose can make or break your next interior design project. Your room will look tasteful and well-balanced if you choose colors that go well together. Avoid using a lot of bold colors in a single room.
A great interior design tip is to include different patterns and/or textures into whatever room you are designing. The intricacies of the patterns and textures will draw eyes to the pertinent details of your room. If you aim to give a room a more contemporary look and appeal, you’ll want to include pattern and texture in its design scheme.
Whenever installing wall art, make sure it is being hung at eye level. Hanging your art too low or high can really disrupt the look of a room, and can even give the appearance of a smaller room.
When designing your child’s room, try to see it through their eyes. Think about what they like so that they can appreciate how you redecorate their room. Everything should be easy to reach and easy to store. Look at everything from a child’s point of view and remove potential hazards.
If you are thinking about redecorating your kitchen, come up with ideas that are outside the box, especially with the counter tops. Less traditional materials like wood, cork or concrete can really make a statement. Also, these materials will not break the bank, which allows you to use money on other things.
Get your creative juices flowing with framed pictures. They can have a big impact on the overall look of the space. Do not limit yourself to just hanging them in a straight line. You could hang them at angles or in thought-out patterns. Taking advantage of all of the white space can enhance the mood of the house.
When designing your home, go with your own taste. While it should appear nice for company, you’ll be living in it. With that said, do what you want, even if you are afraid that someone else might not like it. The decision is yours alone. You may not like it further down the road, which means you can always redesign it then.
As you now know, it’s easy to make your home look brand new and exciting. Use everything you learned from this article so that everyone wants to come to your home. This advice will help …