In an Emergency, You May Need to Rely on Yourself. Be Prepared.

Floods, earthquakes, and other disasters both natural and man-made, can strike with no warning. The best way to assure the safety of you and your family is to make a plan and prepare now...(More)

Is Your Mortgage Company Paying Its Bills?

While many homeowners are worried about foreclosure, you could face problems even if you have no difficulty meeting your house payments. It depends on if your mortgage company is paying their bills, too...(More)

Thinking About Remodeling? Start Outside.

When it comes to buying a home, many shoppers “judge the book by its cover.” They form a distinct opinion of the home before they ever walk through the door. In fact, according to the 2007 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, exterior improvements accounted for 75% of the remodeling projects that recouped the highest percentage of cost.

While the value of any remodeling project can depend largely on other conditions – ranging from the overall condition of the home to the price and condition of competitive homes in the neighborhood – improvements such as new siding, window replacement, and wood decks, recouped 80% and more of their costs. Of all the interior updates, only kitchen remodels had an investment return at this level.

The report not only weighed the investment value of different exterior updates, it also noted their value differences for various parts of the country. For example, sunroom additions did not provide as high of a return in the sunnier parts of the country, as well as the mountainous regions of Montana and Idaho.

Exterior improvements don’t have to be major in scope to have a positive impact on a home’s selling price. Real estate agents have long offered their clients advice on low cost changes that can be made to enhance a home’s curb appeal. Quick fixes like a bright coat of fresh paint on a door, well-trimmed hedges, and colorful flowers, all help boost a home’s image.

Before leaping into a remodeling project of any kind, it is best to take stock of a home’s overall pluses and minuses, as well as how it compares to other homes in the community. It’s also important to keep in mind how long you intend to stay in a home after making an improvement. It might be helpful to visit open houses in the neighborhood and obtain a record of any variance between asking and selling prices. By comparing those homes strengths and weaknesses to your own, you may be better able to come up with a remodeling project that will deliver the return on investment you want.

Don’t forget to consider improvements that will make a home more energy efficient. With energy costs on the rise, this is of growing concern to many homebuyers. Just be sure to have proof of the change your energy-saving project made in monthly utility bills on-hand for potential buyers to see.

Unless you plan to move right away, the ultimate value of any home improvement project is how it will benefit you and your family’s lifestyle and enjoyment of your home. Only you can judge the fair value of that.

Due to the general nature of the advice in this material, neither AmeriSpec®, nor its individual franchises assumes any responsibility or accepts liability for any loss, damage, or injury which may be incurred as a result of any action inspired by information, advice or suggestions through this material.

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• With today’s busy lives, it’s doubtful that everyone will be in the same place. With family members, decide on meeting places – one near to home or one outside your neighborhood in case of an evacuation. Make sure everyone knows how to reach that spot on foot.

• Plan escape routes from the area. Consider back roads and routes with a minimum of bridges. Keep detailed maps of the surrounding area in your car for emergency reference.

• Select someone in another community as your emergency contact person. Everyone in your family should have this person’s name and phone number, as long distance services are sometimes back on line while local service is still out.

• Maintain an inventory of valuables (consider digital images stored on discs) and copy important documents. One copy of everything should be stored off-site. Store originals in a handy fireproof box.

• Know how to turn off gas mains and other utilities and do so if disaster strikes.

• Make sure each family member has more than one way to exit the home. Make sure they all keep shoes, a flashlight, and any prescriptions glasses at bedside.

• Review standard safety procedures for self-protection during fire, tornado, or other disasters, with your family. Check out www.redcross.org for valuable safety information.

• Keep charged and current fire extinguishers on-hand in several places in the home and make sure everyone knows how to use them.

• Create an emergency kit. Various lists can be found online in greater detail. Consider checking out www.72hours.org for a detailed list and other information. Here are some of the basic elements every kit should include:

o A gallon of water per person per day.
o Three days worth of food that can be eaten as is with minimal water usage.
o Food and water for pets.
o First aid kit.
o Personal hygiene items like toilet paper, soap, toothbrush, etc.
o Blankets and extra clothes.
o Copies of key documents (health insurance, picture I.D. etc.), emergency cash, family photos for identification purposes.
o Vital personal items like prescriptions.
o Battery powered radio, flashlights and extra batteries.

Once you have your kit complete, be sure to store it in an easy-to-access location – preferably not inside the house. Putting everything in a large, clean garbage can with a tight fitting lid and wheels is ideal. Check it over once or twice a year to make sure everything is in good shape, replacing any food items that have passed their expiration date.

Plan for the worst, and whatever happens; your position will be better for it.

Due to the general nature of the advice in this material, neither AmeriSpec®, nor its individual franchises assumes any responsibility or accepts liability for any loss, damage, or injury which may be incurred as a result of any action inspired by information, advice or suggestions through this material.

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If your monthly mortgage payments include your property taxes and/or hazard insurance, the financial health of your mortgage company could be of concern to you.

Mortgage companies have been going out of business due to the number of foreclosures taking place. When they do, their assets may be frozen. This means that the money they have collected from you for taxes and insurance may not be going to the appropriate agencies. It should be held in escrow to make those payments and there are state and federal oversights in place to protect and manage those escrows. However, it is still possible you could lose your insurance or wind up paying penalties on overdue property taxes.

If your mortgage company collects funds to pay for your insurance or taxes, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

First, makes sure you have all the information you need at hand:
• Property tax folio number
• A legal description of your home or property, including parcel number
• Home insurance policy company name, number, and contact information
• Loan amortization schedule

Keep originals and copies of these documents in different places to assure prompt access if you need them.

Also, be sure you know who your current mortgage company is. It’s not uncommon for home mortgages to be sold several times during the course of a loan. Each time this happens, you should receive information about the change, along with information on where to send your mortgage payments in the future. Anytime this happens, be sure to make sure the balance owed on your mortgage matches your original amortization schedule.

If you have the proper documents on-hand, it is usually a simple matter to make sure payments are being made on schedule. Simply go online or make a phone call to your insurance company or taxing authority; they should have all the information you need.

Of course, you can also elect to make insurance and tax payments directly to the appropriate agencies; this is not an uncommon practice. If you decide to follow this route, be sure you keep proof of payment and show it to your mortgage company.

Hopefully, all the appropriate legal safeguards will keep you protected. But it may be worth the small investment in time to protect the substantial investment in your home.

Due to the general nature of the advice in this material, neither AmeriSpec®, nor its individual franchises assumes any responsibility or accepts liability for any loss, damage, or injury which may be incurred as a result of any action inspired by information, advice or suggestions through this material.

Make a Resolution to Volunteer

Making time to volunteer in your community not only gives you a chance to “do good” it can also help you to “do well” in some surprising ways. Of course, volunteering gives you a closer connection to your community, a better understanding of other people, and a greater appreciation for the advantages you enjoy. These reasons in and of themselves are enough to make volunteering a priority, but there are other benefits as well.

Consider what one woman did after Hurricane Katrina severely damaged her New Orleans home: Though she was displaced in an unfamiliar community, she volunteered to build houses through Habitat for Humanity. Not only did she transform herself from feeling like a victim into a hero to others, she gained valuable construction skills that she took back with her to rebuild her own home.

You can pick a volunteer activity that adds new experiences or skills to your life. For example, if you want to understand art or history better, you might consider becoming a docent in a local museum. Not only will you learn more about something of interest, you’ll get to share that knowledge with others.

You could also pick a volunteer opportunity where you share a skill you have. Maybe you were a great softball player and could help a new generation gain those skills through coaching. If you love reading, you’ll probably bring something extra tutoring an adult trying to gain literacy.

Volunteering also allows you to expand your professional and personal connections. You may find new business opportunities as well as life-long friends through your volunteer efforts. You can even use volunteering as a way to transition into a new career.

Volunteering doesn’t have to take a lot of time, either. There is so much need out there that many organizations are glad just to have your help a couple of hours a week. There are even ways to volunteer without leaving your home.

Don’t know how to get started? Many communities have organizations that work to match volunteers with different needs. Or you could check out www.volunteermatch.org.

Need one more benefit to get you motivated to volunteer? According to a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteering improves longevity, lowers depression rates, and even reduces the rate of heart disease.

Due to the general nature of the advice in this material, neither AmeriSpec®, nor its individual franchises assumes any responsibility or accepts liability for any loss, damage, or injury which may be incurred as a result of any action inspired by information, advice or suggestions through this material.

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