Green Real Estate Appraiser

How to Caulk Windows

Posted on October 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s a simple fact: To stop cold air from entering your house or warm air from escaping, caulk the windows. It’s one of the best bangs for your buck to conserve energy because it is easy to do and the material and tools are inexpensive. All you need is a cartridge of good quality caulk and a metal caulk gun to apply it.

Once you use a caulk gun a few times, it’s easy to operate, but it can look intimidating at first. You put the cartridge into the gun, puncture the caulk tube with a utility knife or nail, pull the trigger of the gun and caulk squeezes out of the tube nozzle. The flow of caulk stops when you stop squeezing the trigger. You won’t find a better do-it-yourself project for a beginner than this one because you’ll learn an on-the-job skill you’ll use many times in your life as a homeowner.

A handyman will charge $153 to caulk six average size double-hung windows, which includes the labor and material. You can do the job for $65, the cost of a caulk gun and 12 cartridges of caulk. You’ll need a ladder to reach windows on the first floor and an extension ladder for ones on the second floor.

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Simplyifying a Big Move

Posted on October 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

Packing tips

Good packing is crucial for a stress-free move. It’s always better to use small moving boxes for heavier household items.and large moving boxes for lightweight items like linen and pillows.

Pack similar items together so that a delicate crystal vase is not in the same box with a toaster, for example.

Label a box “blue bedroom,” not “Max’s bedroom,” so the movers know where it goes. Use small boxes to be kind to your back. Buy stretch wrap to contain unwieldy furnishings like sofa beds and use unprinted packing paper. Make sure cartons are firmly packed, and provide plenty of cushioning such as bubble wrap to absorb shock.

Keep sentimental items and valuables with you during the move. That includes jewelry, medications, home videos, photo albums, laptop computers and new-home documents.

Prohibited items on professional movers’ lists include hazardous materials like aerosol cans, pesticides, paints, pool chemicals, fire extinguishers, firearms and propane tanks, and perishables such as frozen foods, plants and produce. If you want to move a piano, call a piano mover.

Some busy professionals hire designers like Donna Hall of Savvy Interior Design Inc. in Hinsdale to inventory their belongings, suggest what to toss or donate, direct the movers and arrange furnishings in the new home. The result is a thought-out design instead of a pile of boxes awaiting direction.

Read entire article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/apartments/ct-mre-1013-moving-tips-20131011,0,3194965.story

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Cost of Flood Insurance Rises

Posted on October 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

MIAMI — Sharp increases in federal flood insurance rates are distressing coastal homeowners from Hawaii to New England and are starting to hurt property values and housing sales in areas just beginning to recover from the recession, according to residents and legislators.

In recent weeks, the hefty flood insurance rate increases brought about by a 2012 law have stoked widespread alarm and uncertainty, prompting rallies, petitions and concern among state governors. Mississippi has sued the federal government to try to block the law. The issue has even garnered the attention of lawmakers, otherwise mired in the acrimonious government shutdown. A bipartisan group of senators and House members from Gulf Coast states are pressing for significant adjustments to the law once the Capitol returns to normal.

Have questions about FEMA? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com; their appraisers are certified FEMA inspectors.

The law, officially known as the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, is being rolled out in stages, with a major part having gone into effect on Oct 1. It removes subsidies that keep federal flood insurance premiums artificially low for more than a million policy holders around the country — a discount that was applied to properties that existed before the drawing of flood insurance rate maps.

An estimated 20 percent of the property owners with federal flood insurance received these subsidies as the new law went into effect, and their premiums will rise, in some cases precipitously, either now, over the next several years or whenever they sell their properties. The exact amount of the increase depends on the home’s elevation above flood level.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

How to Caulk Windows

Simplyifying a Big Move

Cost of Flood Insurance Rises

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