Keep Insects from Destroying One of Your Biggest Investments

Insects can be very destructive to your home if not eliminated. You don't want your largest investment destroyed by these little creatures.  Bugs that can destroy your home without notice leaving you with thousands in repairs: carpenter ants, termites, and carpenter bees.  Mostly everyone is familiar with termites and the extreme damage they can cause. You should have a local professional bug company spray the exterior of your home twice a year to insure termites are not taking over or travel to your local hardware store and purchase some termite reducing products to make sure they are not prevalent.  Most buyers add a termite inspection with their home inspection to insure there is no unforeseen damage.  If damage is found the seller is typically responsible for the costs of eliminating the creatures.  To reduce the occurrences of these destructive insects you can do the following:

 

-Seal all exterior doors

-Add screens to windows and exterior doors

-Maintain your yard- spray your yard for bugs and reduce pooling of water

-Repair any exterior cracks where bugs might enter

-Store your trash in a can with a lid

-Seal around exterior utility vents

-Prune trees and shrubs that might be touching or close to your house

-Make sure firewood is not stacked near your home if you store extra for winter

-Reduce clutter in and around your home

 

It is definitely better to eliminate the insects with minimal cost then to have them cost you money in repairs down the road.

Curb Appeal- First Impression​s

Your homes curb appeal is like the first impression when you meet someone new.  People judge your home by their first impression: the manicured lawn, over grown shrubberies, blooming flowers, siding type, window age, driveway surface, roof age and overall condition. Good curb appeal is typically defined as a well-kept home with minimal exterior deferred maintenance, a good mix of tasteful trees and flowers/bushes. One of the new trends is painting the door a vibrant color to stand out- might not want to go to crazy or obnoxious. You don’t want your house to stand out for the wrong reasons. Another popular update is adding shutters to the sides of your windows- this is not for every house but could help dress up your home.  Adding a water feature out front not only adds function but can also be art. Its dual purpose of providing calming sounds, also acts as a bath for birds. Using decorative rock for planters brings elegance and conformity to the yard, it can be pricey but the end result is stunning. A great way to make a great impression at night is to add outdoor lighting along the side walk or in the flower beds, along with exterior lighting highlighting your home’s exterior.  If you are not able to go all out on the exterior of your home, you should simply upkeep the lawn, plant some flowers or buy inexpensive pots to plant flowers, touch up your exterior paint if you are able and pick any weeds on a weekly basis(during the summer).

 

How does your curb appeal compare to your neighbors? Does your home stand out for the right reasons?

It's A Small World - Tiny Houses

In this economy most people are down sizing if they have the chance.  The world is leading towards becoming more green, check out some of these tiny homes, probably a lot smaller than most people would be willing to live in permanently. They are typically cheap to maintain and upkeep.  Think of all the money you will save on utilities. You definitely cant collect anything with the minimal space.  Could you live full time in a house this small without feeling claustrophobic?

Tiny homes are considered homes under 500 square foot. The above are far less, mostly 100-300 square foot. I think it would definitely be a challenge. They might be good vacation type places to stay! These are the size of some peoples living room. For more tiny houses visit http://tinyhouseblog.com/.  They have plans and tons of photos of other tiny houses.

How much do you need to save a month to have 1 Million dollars?

How can I save a million dollars?

This calculator tells you how much you need to save each month to accumulate a million dollars.

	Starting balance
	How long will you save	MonthsYears
	Rate of return
	Income tax rate

Show amortization schedule

You would need to save $1,666.67 each month for 50 years to save a million dollars.

Plug your numbers in to the calculator below to find out how much you need to save!

http://www.timevalue.com/products/tcalc-financial-calculators/millionaire-calculator.aspx