Category: Home Maintenance

Hello from Accent Realtors! We hope your year is off to a great start. Spring is here and now is the perfect time to start your big spring clean. To help you get a head start, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most important spring cleaning details.

New Paint, New Decor, New Look

Painting interior walls or even your home’s exterior can make all the difference. Whether you choose a whole new color or just choose to add a new coat to your current one, your house will look and feel like new. In addition to painting, sprucing up your home’s interior design can give it a fresh feel for spring, too. There are a ton of inexpensive, DIY ideas on Pinterest to get your interior decorating creativity flowing.

Take Care of Walls and Floors

Give your painted walls a light clean by wiping them down with a damp cloth. For dirtier walls, try dampening the cloth with both water and dish soap. Deep clean your carpet, steam those hardwood floors, and scrub that tile; it makes all the difference.

Fix the yards

Whether it’s clearing the weeds out of the flower beds, mowing the lawn, or cleaning the lawn furniture, your outdoor space is just as important as the indoor space! With summer right around the corner, fixing up your yard now will make outdoor entertaining easier and less stressful later.

Clean the Kitchen

There are many elements of the kitchen that are often neglected. Your stove, counters, sink, and refrigerator may not be getting the love they need during your daily or weekly quick cleans. At least once a year, it’s a good idea to give these areas a thorough deep clean. When cleaning your stove, start by soaking the drip pans, stove burners, and dirty knobs in warm, soapy water. By the time you finish cleaning the stove counter, it will be easier to clean them.

Disinfect your disposal by tossing in a combo of cut up lemon, a small handful of salt, and a couple ice cubes. Or try baking soda and vinegar for an extra strong scent-buster and disinfectant.

When it comes to the fridge, it’s best to start by taking everything out. Separate what you have into categories such as veggies, lunch meat, etc. Wipe down any messy bottles or jars, throw away what you don’t use, and toss out anything that has expired. Then take out any drawers or shelves and soak them in soapy water. Finally, wipe out the entire fridge with a towel dipped in warm, soapy water. It’s also helpful to keep foods categorized as you place them back into the fridge.

In The Bathroom

Make your own scum-busting shower cleaner by using ¾ cup vinegar mixed with ¾ cup of Dawn dish detergent. It works great and can save you lots of money on expensive cleaners. Making your own toilet cleaner is easy and inexpensive too. Simply add 1 cup of vinegar and ¼ cup of baking soda to the bowl, let it sit for 15 minutes or more, scrub the bowl, flush, and you’re done!

Clear out the Closet

Get rid of any clothing in your closet that you bought last year and have never worn. Donate it or give it as a hand me down, just don’t let it continue to clutter your space. After you’ve removed all your unworn and unwanted clothes, place them back in the closet with the hanger facing the wrong way. After wearing that item place the hanger the right way. At the end of the year, get rid of all the items whose hangers never turned.

What are your go-to strategies for keeping everything clean and in order in your home? Tell us in the comments below!

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that summer air-conditioning accounts for more than 16% of annual energy spending in the average home. The low-cost tips that follow will help you keep your home comfortable while lowering your energy bills:

1. Have your air-conditioner checked by a qualified professional. Servicing typically includes a check on refrigerant levels, the compressor, hoses, ductwork, and the thermostat.

2. Set your thermostat at 78°F when you are at home and turn it up to 85°F when you are away. A programmable thermostat is an excellent way to save energy and maintain year-around comfort.

3. Make sure your thermostat is not located near lamps or electronic appliances. It can sense heat from these devices, causing your air-conditioner to run longer.

4. Replace air conditioner filters at least once per month; dirty filters restrict airflow, causing your system to run longer.

5. Weather-strip, seal, and caulk leaks around doors and windows, and install foam gaskets behind outlet covers.

6. On warm, sunny days, keep window coverings closed to prevent solar heat gain.

7. Use ceiling or room fans in occupied areas to keep air moving and help to reduce the temperature.

8. Install window tinting to prevent the sun’s rays from reflecting through the windows.

9. Install a whole house fan. These devices circulate cool air throughout your house and exhaust hot air out of the attic.

10. If your air conditioning unit is more than 15 years old, consider replacing it with a newer, more efficient model. Purchase a unit that is ENERGY STAR rated for high efficiency performance.

Homeowners insurance exists because a home is a huge investment, often one of the largest purchases many people make in their lifetimes. Naturally, people want to protect the value of their precious property. Homeowners insurance is a contract between a homeowner and an insurance company. As long as the owner pays the required premiums and meets the other policy requirements, the insurance company guarantees to reimburse the owner for any losses incurred due to natural disasters or human-caused damage.

What Does It Cover?

A basic homeowner’s insurance policy protects the owner against any property damage that results from things like fire, lightning, wind or hail storms. It will also provide for motel and food costs if you are forced to leave your home while such damages are repaired.

A typical policy, however, does not cover flood or earthquake damage. Because these issues are usually specific to certain regions of the country and can cause extreme damage, these can be purchased as separate policies. If you live in a flood zone or near an earthquake fault line you may be required by your mortgage company to carry these protections.

A basic policy will also cover homeowners against loss from theft or vandalism as well as reimbursement for personal property destroyed in natural disasters. It will also provide for something that many people may not normally associate with home protection – liability coverage for lawsuits brought against the owner by people who were injured on the property. This includes the cost of legal defense up to the allowed policy limit. Additionally, most policies will have a provision that will cover the basic medical expenses for the parties.

Is It Required?

Homeowners insurance is almost universally required by mortgage companies with the purchase of a home. This is because the investment is almost as big for them as it is for you. They want to make sure the property is protected from major damages so that if you are ever unable to keep up with your payments, the lender can then reclaim ownership and be able to sell it fairly easily. And even if you own your home outright, a good insurance policy is still the best way to protect the value of your home in the face of the unexpected.

The Mechanics’ Lien law provides special protection to contractors, subcontractors, laborers and suppliers who furnish labor or materials to repair, remodel or build your home.

If any of these people are not paid for the services or materials they have provided, your home may be subject to a mechanics’ lien and eventual sale in a legal proceeding to enforce the lien. This result can occur even where full payment for the work of improvement has been made by the homeowner.

The mechanics’ lien is a right that a state gives to workers and suppliers to record a lien to ensure payment. This lien may be recorded where the property owner has paid the contractor in full and the contractor then fails to pay the subcontractors, suppliers, or laborers. Thus, in the worst case, a homeowner may actually end up paying twice for the same work.

The theory is that the value of the property upon which the labor or materials have been bestowed has been increased by virtue of these efforts and the homeowner who has reaped this benefit is required in return to act as the ultimate guarantor of full payment to the persons responsible for this increase in value. In practice, a homeowner faced with a valid mechanics’ lien may be compelled to pay the lien claimant and then pursue conventional legal remedies against the contractor or subcontractor who initially failed to pay the lien claimant but who himself was paid by the homeowner. Another justification for this result relates to the relative financial strengths of the parties to a work of improvement. The law views the property owner as being in a better situation to absorb the financial setback occasioned by having to pay the amount of a valid mechanics’ lien, as opposed to a laborer or material man who is viewed as being less able to absorb the financial burdens occasioned by not being paid for services or materials provided in connection with a work of improvement.

The best protection against these claims is for the homeowner to employ reputable firms with sufficient experience and capital and/or require completion and payment bonding of the construction work. The issuance of checks payable jointly to the contractor, material men and suppliers is another protective measure, as is the careful disbursement of funds in phases based upon the percentage of completion of the project at a given point in the construction process. The protection offered by mechanics’ lien releases can also be helpful.

Even if a mechanics’ lien is recorded against your property you may be able to resolve the problem without further payment to the lien claimant. This possibility exists where the proper procedure for establishing the lien was not followed. While it is true that mechanics’ liens may be recorded by persons who have provided labor, services, or materials to a job site, each is required to strictly adhere to a well-established procedure in order to create a valid mechanics’ lien.

Needless to say, this is one area of the law that is very complex, thus it may be worthwhile to consult an attorney if you become aware that a mechanics’s lien has been recorded against your property. In the event you discover that a lien has been recorded but no effort has been made to enforce the lien, a title company may decide to ignore the lien. However, be prepared to be presented with a positive plan to eliminate the title problems created by this type of lien. This may be accomplished by means of a recorded mechanics’ lien release from the person who created the lien, or other measures acceptable to the title company.

As in all areas of the real estate field, the best advice is to investigate the quality, integrity, and business reputation of the firm with whom you are dealing. Once you are satisfied you are dealing with a reputable company and before you begin your construction project, discuss your concerns about possible mechanics’ lien problems and work out, in advance, a method of ensuring that they will not occur.

EPA New Rule “Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program”

Beginning this month, April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

The EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices on April 22, 2008 which is aimed at preventing lead poisoning from risks including common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition which can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint that can be harmful to adults and children.

After April 22, 2010, federal law will require you to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. To become certified, renovation contractors must submit an application and fee payment to EPA. Contractors will need to take training with a provider that has been accredited by EPA to provide training for renovators under EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Program.