In 2013, the housing recovery was a welcome bright spot for the economy: prices were shooting up, fewer homeowners were underwater, and builder confidence was finally on the upswing. It’s looking like 2014 should be another good year for housing–mostly. Here are some things housing experts expect to see in 2014:
1. More Homes Will Be Available
Short supply drove rapid price increases at the beginning of 2013, but watch for that to change next year. Realtor.com notes that the inventory (homes available for purchase) shortage began to soften in February. New construction and rising prices should bring more homes, both new and old, on to the market in 2014, helping inventory return to traditional levels.
Smart Tax Moves Homeowners Should Make Before 2013 Ends Erin Carlyle Erin Carlyle Forbes Staff
2. Mortgages Will Be Easier To Get
“The silver lining to rising interest rates is that getting a loan will be easier,” says Lantz. “Rising rates means lenders’ refinance business will dwindle, forcing them to compete for buyers by potentially loosening their lending standards.”
3. Fewer Homeowners Will Be Underwater
Rising prices helped 2.5 million homeowners with underwater mortgages regain positive equity status during the second quarter of 2013, according to Realtor.com. By Q3, a CoreLogic report found that about 6.4 million homes were still in negative equity at the end of Q3. Watch for that number to shrink in 2014.
4. Foreclosures Will Fade
The once booming foreclosure market has slowed, with September 2013 the 36th straight month of year-over-year decreases in foreclosure activity, nearly 33% down from the end of 2012. The declines should continue with the overall housing recovery.
5. Home Buying Process Less Crazed
During the bust, investors bought as many as one out of every five homes in America, according to Redfin. The perfect storm of increased inventory, higher prices, and fewer foreclosures means that investors are stepping out of the buying market, giving way for regular folks. Add to that the loosening credit rules, and the housing buy market begins to look more normal. “All in all, more inventory, less competition from investors, and more mortgage credit should all make the buying process less frenzied than in 2013,” says Kolko of Trulia.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Home Construction on the Rise!
Construction on new U.S. homes soared last month to the fastest pace since early 2008, signaling that the housing market’s recovery is shaking off rising mortgage rates, according to government data released this week. Housing starts leaped 22.7% in November, backed by surges for both single-family homes and apartments, the U.S. Department of Commerce said.
Builders, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly perky, with a gauge of their views on present sales of single-family homes recently hitting the highest level since 2005, according to the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. In fact, builder confidence is climbing so quickly that it is outpacing actual construction rates for single-family homes.
Even the Federal Reserve’s announcement this week that it is tapering the asset purchases that have exerted downward pressure on long-term rates didn’t shake home-builder stocks.
What’s behind the cheery outlook among builders and their investors? Perhaps, like our central bankers, they are increasingly confident in the economy’s strength. If healthy jobs growth continues, homeownership should also pick up, benefitting new construction.
Builders also have a lot of room to expand: Housing starts hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in November, far below the 1.7 million starts per year that economists say are needed to maintain current stock and meet demand for replacement and second homes. Indeed, there’s enough demand that builders have been able to raise prices, though recent data signal that this trend is curbing sales.
Builders, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly perky, with a gauge of their views on present sales of single-family homes recently hitting the highest level since 2005, according to the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. In fact, builder confidence is climbing so quickly that it is outpacing actual construction rates for single-family homes.
Even the Federal Reserve’s announcement this week that it is tapering the asset purchases that have exerted downward pressure on long-term rates didn’t shake home-builder stocks.
What’s behind the cheery outlook among builders and their investors? Perhaps, like our central bankers, they are increasingly confident in the economy’s strength. If healthy jobs growth continues, homeownership should also pick up, benefitting new construction.
Builders also have a lot of room to expand: Housing starts hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in November, far below the 1.7 million starts per year that economists say are needed to maintain current stock and meet demand for replacement and second homes. Indeed, there’s enough demand that builders have been able to raise prices, though recent data signal that this trend is curbing sales.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tax Benefits of Owning a Home
They say there are only two things you can count on
in this world: death and taxes. But when it comes to owning a home, it appears
there may be a third. And that is the favorable treatment of home ownership
by the Internal Revenue Service.
1. The purchase
When buying your own home, most of the expenses are not tax deductible. But there is one exception that is worth finding.
The IRS says you can deduct interest in the year that it is paid, and that is usually part of each monthly loan payment. In addition, if the day you purchase is on any day other than the first of the month, you will likely pay a charge for "daily interest" between the day of closing and the end of the month. Look on line 901 of your HUD settlement statement.
Much more importantly, the IRS says that, in most cases, loan discount points and origination fees are tax deductible to the buyer, regardless of who pays them. Look at lines 801 and 802 of your settlement statement and see if you hit the jackpot. This is a particularly unusual deduction because you get the benefit even if the seller paid your closing costs. And because origination fees of 1% and more are common, this can amount to a lot of cash.
2. Mortgage interest
In general, you can deduct interest charged on a loan used to acquire or improve your principal residence in the year that it is paid. In the early years of a loan, most of your monthly payment is interest, so this can really add up. If you are in a 28% federal tax bracket, this can have the effect of lowering your borrowing costs by almost a third, depending on which state you live in. This is truly nothing more than a subsidy to home owners, and it's a very popular deduction.
In addition, you can always deduct interest on an additional $100,000 of mortgage debt, which can be used for any purpose. This is called the "Home Equity Loan" exception, and it allows you to tap into your home equity for any purpose. This gives home owners the ability to do what is called "debt-shifting." For example, if you live in an apartment and have a credit card balance of $10,000 at 18% interest, none of that interest would be deductible. But if you bought a house, obtained a home equity loan for $10,000 and paid off the credit card, then ALL of the interest expense becomes automatically deductible. Furthermore, the rate on the home equity loan is likely to be around prime plus one or two, usually much lower than credit card rates. This same technique works with any and all personal debt, from car loans to consolidation loans - with only one hitch. In every home equity loan, you have pledged your house as collateral for the loan. If you fail to pay the payments as agreed, you could lose your house to foreclosure. So be careful in using this technique.
3. The sale
This is the best. In fact, I can hardly believe this myself. Here's how it works:
If you have owned and occupied your principal residence for at least two of the past five years, you can earn up to $500,000 on the sale of that house and pay no federal income tax whatsoever. That's assuming you are married - singles get up to $250,000 tax free. And here comes the kicker: You can do this as often as every two years for the rest of your life.
This is as good an excuse for getting married as I have ever heard. Buy a fixer-upper in an up and coming neighborhood, work on it nights and weekends for two years, then sell it at a nice profit and pocket the cash, totally free of federal taxes. And most states recognize the federal exclusion, so you put the cash away totally tax free. You don't have to re-invest, you don't have to be age 55, and you can do this every two years forever. No, I'm not kidding.
The one restriction is that you MUST own and occupy the house as your principal residence, so don't try this on a rental property by pretending you live there when you don't. And there are some unclear rules about how you can take a partial exclusion if you live there less than two years, but we don't really know what they mean yet, so I recommend you stay there two years.
Many of these benefits came into being with the 1997 tax law, but lots of folks are just finding out about them now, so buy and sell to your heart's content. Just don't plan on staying forever!
1. The purchase
When buying your own home, most of the expenses are not tax deductible. But there is one exception that is worth finding.
The IRS says you can deduct interest in the year that it is paid, and that is usually part of each monthly loan payment. In addition, if the day you purchase is on any day other than the first of the month, you will likely pay a charge for "daily interest" between the day of closing and the end of the month. Look on line 901 of your HUD settlement statement.
Much more importantly, the IRS says that, in most cases, loan discount points and origination fees are tax deductible to the buyer, regardless of who pays them. Look at lines 801 and 802 of your settlement statement and see if you hit the jackpot. This is a particularly unusual deduction because you get the benefit even if the seller paid your closing costs. And because origination fees of 1% and more are common, this can amount to a lot of cash.
2. Mortgage interest
In general, you can deduct interest charged on a loan used to acquire or improve your principal residence in the year that it is paid. In the early years of a loan, most of your monthly payment is interest, so this can really add up. If you are in a 28% federal tax bracket, this can have the effect of lowering your borrowing costs by almost a third, depending on which state you live in. This is truly nothing more than a subsidy to home owners, and it's a very popular deduction.
In addition, you can always deduct interest on an additional $100,000 of mortgage debt, which can be used for any purpose. This is called the "Home Equity Loan" exception, and it allows you to tap into your home equity for any purpose. This gives home owners the ability to do what is called "debt-shifting." For example, if you live in an apartment and have a credit card balance of $10,000 at 18% interest, none of that interest would be deductible. But if you bought a house, obtained a home equity loan for $10,000 and paid off the credit card, then ALL of the interest expense becomes automatically deductible. Furthermore, the rate on the home equity loan is likely to be around prime plus one or two, usually much lower than credit card rates. This same technique works with any and all personal debt, from car loans to consolidation loans - with only one hitch. In every home equity loan, you have pledged your house as collateral for the loan. If you fail to pay the payments as agreed, you could lose your house to foreclosure. So be careful in using this technique.
3. The sale
This is the best. In fact, I can hardly believe this myself. Here's how it works:
If you have owned and occupied your principal residence for at least two of the past five years, you can earn up to $500,000 on the sale of that house and pay no federal income tax whatsoever. That's assuming you are married - singles get up to $250,000 tax free. And here comes the kicker: You can do this as often as every two years for the rest of your life.
This is as good an excuse for getting married as I have ever heard. Buy a fixer-upper in an up and coming neighborhood, work on it nights and weekends for two years, then sell it at a nice profit and pocket the cash, totally free of federal taxes. And most states recognize the federal exclusion, so you put the cash away totally tax free. You don't have to re-invest, you don't have to be age 55, and you can do this every two years forever. No, I'm not kidding.
The one restriction is that you MUST own and occupy the house as your principal residence, so don't try this on a rental property by pretending you live there when you don't. And there are some unclear rules about how you can take a partial exclusion if you live there less than two years, but we don't really know what they mean yet, so I recommend you stay there two years.
Many of these benefits came into being with the 1997 tax law, but lots of folks are just finding out about them now, so buy and sell to your heart's content. Just don't plan on staying forever!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Home Security Tips
You can make your home a whole lot more secure for little to no money. That’s because most of the best home protection simply involves smart thinking and good habits.
1. Pick your location carefully.
Location is a huge factor in home security, so buy in the best neighborhood you can afford. Real-estate agents can help point you in the right direction but they can’t — at the risk of committing housing discrimination — offer detailed guidance, so you must do your own research before you move:
· For the big picture, find statistics online (start with BestPlaces.net or Wikipedia). Make sure you’re looking at recent data.
· City police departments are the source for neighborhood-level crime statistics. The question is, will they share their data with you? Some cities — Portland, Ore., is one — post neighborhood crime stats online. Others will give the data if you phone the police department or the office of the mayor or city council members. You can also check with local newspapers.
· Finally, do your own sleuthing by spending time in the neighborhoods that interest you. Look for bars on doors and windows and alarm company signs in front of homes, giveaways to a troubled neighborhood. Chat with business owners. Knock on doors to ask neighbors about crime. If you’re renting, pick an upper-floor unit (ground-floor apartments can be attacked more easily). Look for on-site management and inspect the complex carefully, watching for damaged doors that signal previous break-ins. Best is an apartment with kick-proof metal door jambs rather than wood or a steel door.
2. Get smart.
“First of all, use the door locks that you already have,” advises Sgt. Dan Ryan, of the Palo Alto, Calif., Police Department. People in friendly communities that are generally safe may think they don’t need to lock their doors. That’s a big mistake, Ryan says. Here are more strategies:
Make it a nightly routine to check the locks. Involve children, too, says Chris McGoey, a security expert and consultant who calls himself “The Crime Doctor.”
Don’t open the door — and don’t let kids open the door — to uninvited strangers.
Use your automatic garage opener to close the garage door when you get home before exiting your car.
Stick around when people are working in your home. Notice what they’re doing. Check after they’ve left to ensure that nothing’s missing and that no one has left a window or door unlocked as a way to break in later.
Door mats, flowerpots and fake rocks are the first places burglars look for your spare key. Instead, give it to a trusted neighbor. Train children (especially teens) to keep key locations, alarm codes and other family security information private from their friends.
Check in with family as you come and go. When you get home, phone to say that you’re getting out of the car and are almost at the door; require kids to check in when they arrive home or leave.
Have a family discussion to plan what you’ll do in case of a break-in or home invasion. Whoever can escape should, McGoey says. Although the first instinct of many men may be to stay and defend their family, it’s better to get reinforcements than to get hurt.
Check out Schlage’s security checklists for movers, seniors, renters and homeowners.
3. Call the police.
Many departments have a home-security inspection program. A designated officer walks through your home looking for weaknesses and advises you on alarm systems, locks and lighting within a modest budget. For example, here’s the program for the city of Euless, Texas.
View more MSN videos
4. Join a Neighborhood Watch program. Or start one.
Ask your police department for details. These programs build cohesive neighborhoods, and that helps reduce crime and reinforce property values. (Read “How potlucks help home values.”) Make friends with the folks on every side of your place. Suggest keeping an eye on each other’s homes every day and trading favors — feeding the cat or watering plants — when you leave town.
5. Get a dog (or pretend to).
A dog won’t make your home impregnable, but it can make it look less approachable. You don’t want a pooch? That’s OK. Post a “beware of dog” sign anyway. McGoey, who doesn’t have a dog, has a sign and makes a point of asking service people to wait before entering his property so he can “put the dog in the house.” “The sign is cheap,” he says. “It makes people think twice.”
6. Upgrade your house number.
You want your home’s street number easily seen in the dark from across the street so police and firefighters can find you pronto in an emergency. Many fire departments or city or county governments sell inexpensive (around $5) reflective street numbers (see the Amherst, Mass., Police Department’s house number program). Whatever type you use, place it where it can be easily seen. Keep plants around the number well-trimmed.
7. Cultivate the lived-in look.
When you’re gone, don’t let stuff like newspapers, real-estate cards and pizza fliers accumulate in front of your door. “Make it look lived-in, even if you’re just gone for the weekend,” McGoey says. Before you leave, consider how your home will appear on the outside and avoid these classic mistakes that are like waving a red flag to invite burglars:
Leaving the porch light on 24 hours a day.
Leaving the trash out on Friday for pickup on Monday.
8. Other ways to fake it while you're gone.
Hold the mail delivery. Do this by visiting the post office to fill out a form or go online here, to the USPS.com Web site.
Set a few lights and appliances to switch on and off. Digital timers (around $9 to $15) let you set a schedule. You plug the timer into a wall receptacle and plug the radio, TV or lamp into the timer.
Leave a vehicle in your carport or in front of the house if possible. Ask a neighbor or friend to help you out by parking there.
Get friends to pick up newspapers, cut the grass, water plants, feed pets and open and close curtains, varying their routine to add a note of unpredictability if possible.
Most burglaries take place between 2 and 5 p.m. midweek, while residents are at work, McGoey says. These daylight jobs require a burglar to be quick, typically spending around 45 minutes selecting a home to target and just three minutes actually doing the job. For a small investment, you can further secure your home. The idea, Ryan says, is to make your place look difficult enough that a burglar moves on to an easier target:
9. Doors.
Thieves prefer the easy route, which is usually a door. Creeping out a window is hard, and it’s far more difficult when carting out a load of loot. Thieves typically test a house by first ringing the bell to ensure no one’s home, then trying the door handle and perhaps putting a shoulder to the door to see how solid and how firmly attached it is. To enter, the usual tool is a pry bar or a strong kick of the boot. Sadly, many doors fly open easily.
Upgrade the lock. For $25 to $150, you can buy a good Grade 1 (commercial grade) or Grade 2 deadbolt. No need for a locksmith; you can install it yourself;
Reinforce the strike plate. The strike plate is the metal plate in the door jamb into which the bolt slides. Strike plates, typically held in place by two half-inch wood screws, pull easily from the jamb, especially in older homes. Replace yours with a heavy-duty brass strike plate ($3 and up) that accepts up to six screws. Use 3-inch screws that screw into the door frame. “Now you can kick on the door and your foot will fall off before it gives in,” McGoey says. Reinforce all doors leading outside, including the door between the garage and house;
Get a better door. Replace your hollow-core door (easily kicked in) with a solid wood (around $300 on up) or metal-clad (starting at around $35) door. A new steel door (roughly $1,172) brought a return of $1,470, on average — a 129% return on the investment, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2008-09 Cost vs. Value report.
10. Windows.
Keep your windows from opening more than 6 inches. Install replacement windows that include this as a built-in feature or cut a wooden dowel 6 inches shorter than the height of each window and drop the dowel into the metal gutter of each window frame so the window can’t be opened fully.
Burglars know that older sliding windows can be lifted right out of their frames. If yours is the type that pops out, install sheet-metal screws into the upper window track, screwing them in only halfway. The protruding screw fills the gap between window and frame, keeping the window in place. Window and glass laminate films (prices available through dealers) can toughen glass, making it more difficult to break. One advantage is that the product slows down intruders and forces them to create a racket trying to smash the glass.
11. Secure the perimeter.
Outdoor lights. Replacing porch lights and other outdoor lights with motion-sensor lights is cheap ($50 and up) and easy. “They don’t know for sure if you’re home or (if it’s) a sensor light,” McGoey says. “Burglars are all about taking the easiest path of resistance,” so most will flee. Program it to turn off in 30 seconds. Put sensor-triggered lights all around the perimeter of your home.
Erect a fence. Even a 3-foot fence helps create a psychological boundary that helps in deterring intruders, McGoey says. “It says, ‘This is my house, my property.’ People are going to be reluctant to step over that fence.” Higher fences may be appropriate in high-threat neighborhoods. Before building a fence, check with your city or county planning office. Most require a permit and many restrict the height and even building materials.
Eliminate hiding spots: Trim the trees and shrubs. A pruned and maintained landscape robs intruders of hiding places. It also signals to outsiders that your home is cared for and probably more secure. Put sensor-triggered lights all around the perimeter of your home.
12. Alarms.
What alarm is best? The one that makes the worst, most god-awful noise, Ryan says. (Renters can buy portable wireless alarm systems to take along when they move.)
What's your home worth?
Many people spend thousands of dollars buying, leasing and installing electronic alarms, and then they sign contracts requiring them to shell out thousands more to a company that monitors the alarm. Don’t, McGoey says. He says the most effective part of these systems is the warning sticker on your window or the sign in your yard. Otherwise, except for elderly residents and second homes with absent owners, there’s no need for expensive monitoring. A 30-second alarm blast should scare away intruders. Also, newer alarms can be programmed to do what monitoring companies do first anyway: phone you (or text you) when the alarm has been tripped.
1. Pick your location carefully.
Location is a huge factor in home security, so buy in the best neighborhood you can afford. Real-estate agents can help point you in the right direction but they can’t — at the risk of committing housing discrimination — offer detailed guidance, so you must do your own research before you move:
· For the big picture, find statistics online (start with BestPlaces.net or Wikipedia). Make sure you’re looking at recent data.
· City police departments are the source for neighborhood-level crime statistics. The question is, will they share their data with you? Some cities — Portland, Ore., is one — post neighborhood crime stats online. Others will give the data if you phone the police department or the office of the mayor or city council members. You can also check with local newspapers.
· Finally, do your own sleuthing by spending time in the neighborhoods that interest you. Look for bars on doors and windows and alarm company signs in front of homes, giveaways to a troubled neighborhood. Chat with business owners. Knock on doors to ask neighbors about crime. If you’re renting, pick an upper-floor unit (ground-floor apartments can be attacked more easily). Look for on-site management and inspect the complex carefully, watching for damaged doors that signal previous break-ins. Best is an apartment with kick-proof metal door jambs rather than wood or a steel door.
2. Get smart.
“First of all, use the door locks that you already have,” advises Sgt. Dan Ryan, of the Palo Alto, Calif., Police Department. People in friendly communities that are generally safe may think they don’t need to lock their doors. That’s a big mistake, Ryan says. Here are more strategies:
Make it a nightly routine to check the locks. Involve children, too, says Chris McGoey, a security expert and consultant who calls himself “The Crime Doctor.”
Don’t open the door — and don’t let kids open the door — to uninvited strangers.
Use your automatic garage opener to close the garage door when you get home before exiting your car.
Stick around when people are working in your home. Notice what they’re doing. Check after they’ve left to ensure that nothing’s missing and that no one has left a window or door unlocked as a way to break in later.
Door mats, flowerpots and fake rocks are the first places burglars look for your spare key. Instead, give it to a trusted neighbor. Train children (especially teens) to keep key locations, alarm codes and other family security information private from their friends.
Check in with family as you come and go. When you get home, phone to say that you’re getting out of the car and are almost at the door; require kids to check in when they arrive home or leave.
Have a family discussion to plan what you’ll do in case of a break-in or home invasion. Whoever can escape should, McGoey says. Although the first instinct of many men may be to stay and defend their family, it’s better to get reinforcements than to get hurt.
Check out Schlage’s security checklists for movers, seniors, renters and homeowners.
3. Call the police.
Many departments have a home-security inspection program. A designated officer walks through your home looking for weaknesses and advises you on alarm systems, locks and lighting within a modest budget. For example, here’s the program for the city of Euless, Texas.
View more MSN videos
4. Join a Neighborhood Watch program. Or start one.
Ask your police department for details. These programs build cohesive neighborhoods, and that helps reduce crime and reinforce property values. (Read “How potlucks help home values.”) Make friends with the folks on every side of your place. Suggest keeping an eye on each other’s homes every day and trading favors — feeding the cat or watering plants — when you leave town.
5. Get a dog (or pretend to).
A dog won’t make your home impregnable, but it can make it look less approachable. You don’t want a pooch? That’s OK. Post a “beware of dog” sign anyway. McGoey, who doesn’t have a dog, has a sign and makes a point of asking service people to wait before entering his property so he can “put the dog in the house.” “The sign is cheap,” he says. “It makes people think twice.”
6. Upgrade your house number.
You want your home’s street number easily seen in the dark from across the street so police and firefighters can find you pronto in an emergency. Many fire departments or city or county governments sell inexpensive (around $5) reflective street numbers (see the Amherst, Mass., Police Department’s house number program). Whatever type you use, place it where it can be easily seen. Keep plants around the number well-trimmed.
7. Cultivate the lived-in look.
When you’re gone, don’t let stuff like newspapers, real-estate cards and pizza fliers accumulate in front of your door. “Make it look lived-in, even if you’re just gone for the weekend,” McGoey says. Before you leave, consider how your home will appear on the outside and avoid these classic mistakes that are like waving a red flag to invite burglars:
Leaving the porch light on 24 hours a day.
Leaving the trash out on Friday for pickup on Monday.
8. Other ways to fake it while you're gone.
Hold the mail delivery. Do this by visiting the post office to fill out a form or go online here, to the USPS.com Web site.
Set a few lights and appliances to switch on and off. Digital timers (around $9 to $15) let you set a schedule. You plug the timer into a wall receptacle and plug the radio, TV or lamp into the timer.
Leave a vehicle in your carport or in front of the house if possible. Ask a neighbor or friend to help you out by parking there.
Get friends to pick up newspapers, cut the grass, water plants, feed pets and open and close curtains, varying their routine to add a note of unpredictability if possible.
Most burglaries take place between 2 and 5 p.m. midweek, while residents are at work, McGoey says. These daylight jobs require a burglar to be quick, typically spending around 45 minutes selecting a home to target and just three minutes actually doing the job. For a small investment, you can further secure your home. The idea, Ryan says, is to make your place look difficult enough that a burglar moves on to an easier target:
9. Doors.
Thieves prefer the easy route, which is usually a door. Creeping out a window is hard, and it’s far more difficult when carting out a load of loot. Thieves typically test a house by first ringing the bell to ensure no one’s home, then trying the door handle and perhaps putting a shoulder to the door to see how solid and how firmly attached it is. To enter, the usual tool is a pry bar or a strong kick of the boot. Sadly, many doors fly open easily.
Upgrade the lock. For $25 to $150, you can buy a good Grade 1 (commercial grade) or Grade 2 deadbolt. No need for a locksmith; you can install it yourself;
Reinforce the strike plate. The strike plate is the metal plate in the door jamb into which the bolt slides. Strike plates, typically held in place by two half-inch wood screws, pull easily from the jamb, especially in older homes. Replace yours with a heavy-duty brass strike plate ($3 and up) that accepts up to six screws. Use 3-inch screws that screw into the door frame. “Now you can kick on the door and your foot will fall off before it gives in,” McGoey says. Reinforce all doors leading outside, including the door between the garage and house;
Get a better door. Replace your hollow-core door (easily kicked in) with a solid wood (around $300 on up) or metal-clad (starting at around $35) door. A new steel door (roughly $1,172) brought a return of $1,470, on average — a 129% return on the investment, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2008-09 Cost vs. Value report.
10. Windows.
Keep your windows from opening more than 6 inches. Install replacement windows that include this as a built-in feature or cut a wooden dowel 6 inches shorter than the height of each window and drop the dowel into the metal gutter of each window frame so the window can’t be opened fully.
Burglars know that older sliding windows can be lifted right out of their frames. If yours is the type that pops out, install sheet-metal screws into the upper window track, screwing them in only halfway. The protruding screw fills the gap between window and frame, keeping the window in place. Window and glass laminate films (prices available through dealers) can toughen glass, making it more difficult to break. One advantage is that the product slows down intruders and forces them to create a racket trying to smash the glass.
11. Secure the perimeter.
Outdoor lights. Replacing porch lights and other outdoor lights with motion-sensor lights is cheap ($50 and up) and easy. “They don’t know for sure if you’re home or (if it’s) a sensor light,” McGoey says. “Burglars are all about taking the easiest path of resistance,” so most will flee. Program it to turn off in 30 seconds. Put sensor-triggered lights all around the perimeter of your home.
Erect a fence. Even a 3-foot fence helps create a psychological boundary that helps in deterring intruders, McGoey says. “It says, ‘This is my house, my property.’ People are going to be reluctant to step over that fence.” Higher fences may be appropriate in high-threat neighborhoods. Before building a fence, check with your city or county planning office. Most require a permit and many restrict the height and even building materials.
Eliminate hiding spots: Trim the trees and shrubs. A pruned and maintained landscape robs intruders of hiding places. It also signals to outsiders that your home is cared for and probably more secure. Put sensor-triggered lights all around the perimeter of your home.
12. Alarms.
What alarm is best? The one that makes the worst, most god-awful noise, Ryan says. (Renters can buy portable wireless alarm systems to take along when they move.)
What's your home worth?
Many people spend thousands of dollars buying, leasing and installing electronic alarms, and then they sign contracts requiring them to shell out thousands more to a company that monitors the alarm. Don’t, McGoey says. He says the most effective part of these systems is the warning sticker on your window or the sign in your yard. Otherwise, except for elderly residents and second homes with absent owners, there’s no need for expensive monitoring. A 30-second alarm blast should scare away intruders. Also, newer alarms can be programmed to do what monitoring companies do first anyway: phone you (or text you) when the alarm has been tripped.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Selling Your Home for Full Value
The market is moving and homes are selling much faster then they have in years.
Want to get the most for your home? There are plenty of things that you can do
to spruce up your home and property in time for the big selling effort.
Tiny details that may not have occurred to you can make a big difference in how your home fares on the market, which is absolutely critical in a market that is overwhelmed by families trying to move. In order to shine through the housing pool, you need to make sure that your property is as attractive as it can be for someone looking for their next home.
Give your home an honest appraisal and start racking your brain for ways to improve its overall appearance and value. Obviously, you’ll want to start the process by addressing large issues that may be serious deal-breakers for potential buyers. If there is trouble with important elements of the home, there is no way that a scrupulous buyer will go forward with their consideration. Make the necessary investments, or it could take a lot longer to sell your house.
If you feel as though you could benefit from a second opinion, contact a real estate agent. These professionals are very well equipped to make the kinds of judgment calls that you need. After seeing so many properties themselves, agents are well-versed in the different ways sellers can go about making their properties more appealing to customers. Once you take care of any structural improvements that are high-priority, expand the scope of what you might work on next. If you are at a loss as to how you might proceed, the tips below can help you:
1. You’ll want to begin with what the buyer will see first, the exterior of your home. This is the first impression that your potential buyer will have of the property and you need to make sure that it is a sound one. Consider doing some work on the exterior of your home by replacing any damaged shingles, shutters, or ornamentation.
2. Your yard can be either a huge selling point or an absolute downer for potential buyers. Make sure that you are cutting and watering you grass, as well as keeping other landscaping in check.
3. As far as the interior of your home goes, there are some surprising things you might not be considering. Make sure that your carpets and flooring are not aged or worn-out, consider repainting in more popular and fashionable colors, and make sure to replace any broken lighting or bathroom fixtures.
Ultimately, you want to make sure that your home is as vibrant as it can be, so that someone looking for the new homes Tulsa has to offer will be impressed.
Tiny details that may not have occurred to you can make a big difference in how your home fares on the market, which is absolutely critical in a market that is overwhelmed by families trying to move. In order to shine through the housing pool, you need to make sure that your property is as attractive as it can be for someone looking for their next home.
Give your home an honest appraisal and start racking your brain for ways to improve its overall appearance and value. Obviously, you’ll want to start the process by addressing large issues that may be serious deal-breakers for potential buyers. If there is trouble with important elements of the home, there is no way that a scrupulous buyer will go forward with their consideration. Make the necessary investments, or it could take a lot longer to sell your house.
If you feel as though you could benefit from a second opinion, contact a real estate agent. These professionals are very well equipped to make the kinds of judgment calls that you need. After seeing so many properties themselves, agents are well-versed in the different ways sellers can go about making their properties more appealing to customers. Once you take care of any structural improvements that are high-priority, expand the scope of what you might work on next. If you are at a loss as to how you might proceed, the tips below can help you:
1. You’ll want to begin with what the buyer will see first, the exterior of your home. This is the first impression that your potential buyer will have of the property and you need to make sure that it is a sound one. Consider doing some work on the exterior of your home by replacing any damaged shingles, shutters, or ornamentation.
2. Your yard can be either a huge selling point or an absolute downer for potential buyers. Make sure that you are cutting and watering you grass, as well as keeping other landscaping in check.
3. As far as the interior of your home goes, there are some surprising things you might not be considering. Make sure that your carpets and flooring are not aged or worn-out, consider repainting in more popular and fashionable colors, and make sure to replace any broken lighting or bathroom fixtures.
Ultimately, you want to make sure that your home is as vibrant as it can be, so that someone looking for the new homes Tulsa has to offer will be impressed.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Save Energy This Winter!
Energy prices are on the rise across the nation. As a result, heating costs will consume an increasingly larger portion of a household's energy budget. That's why it's important to check your home to insure that your heating dollars aren't being wasted.
When cold weather approaches, use this checklist of simple ways to make your home more comfortable and keep those escalating energy bills at bay.
Check for Leaks
Weatherstripping and caulking is probably the least expensive, simplest, most effective way to cut down on energy waste in the winter. Improperly sealed homes can waste 10 to 15 percent of the homeowner's heating dollars. Take these steps:
Check around doors and windows for leaks and drafts. Add weather-stripping and caulk any holes you see that allow heat to escape. Make sure doors seal properly.
If your windows leak really badly, consider replacing them with newer, more efficient ones. Keep in mind, however, that replacing windows can be expensive - it could take you quite awhile to recover your costs from the energy savings alone. But new windows also provide other benefits, such as improved appearance and comfort.
Every duct, wire or pipe that penetrates the wall or ceiling or floor has the potential to waste energy. Plumbing vents can be especially bad, since they begin below the floor and go all the way through the roof. Seal them all with caulking or weather-stripping.
Electric wall plugs and switches can allow cold air in. Purchase simple-to-install, pre-cut foam gaskets that fit behind the switch plate and effectively prevent leaks.
Don't forget to close the damper on your fireplace. Of course the damper needs to be open if a fire is burning; but if the damper is open when you're not using the fireplace, your chimney functions as a large open window that draws warm air out of the room and creates a draft. Close that damper - it's an effective energy-saving tip that costs you nothing!
Examine your house's heating ducts for leaks. Think of your ductwork as huge hoses, bringing hot air instead of water into your house. Mostly out of sight, ducts can leak for years without you knowing it. They can become torn or crushed and flattened. Old duct tape - the worse thing to use to seal ductwork, by the way - will dry up and fall away over time, allowing junctions and splices to open, spilling heated air into your attic or under the house. It's wasteful. According to field research performed by the California Energy Commission, you can save roughly 10 percent of your heating bill by preventing leaky ducts.
Check Your Insulation
Insulate your attic. In an older home, that can be the most cost-efficient way to cut home heating costs. Before energy efficiency standards, homes were often built with little or no insulation. As a result, large amounts of heat can be lost through walls, floors and - since heat rises - especially ceilings.
How much insulation should you install? Typical framed homes now being built in California's Central Valley must meet insulation requirements of R-38 insulation in ceilings and R-19 for walls and floors.
Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door to prevent warm air from escaping out the top of your house.
Seal holes in the attic that lead down into the house, such as open wall tops and duct, plumbing, or electrical runs. Any hole that leads from a basement or crawlspace to an attic is a big energy waster. Cover and seal them with spray foam and rigid foam board if necessary.
Check Your Heating System
Get a routine maintenance and inspection of your heating system each autumn to make sure it is in good working order.
Replace your heater's air filter monthly. Your heating system will work less hard, use less energy and last longer as a result. Most homeowners can replace filters and do such simple tasks as cleaning and removing dust from vents or along baseboard heaters.
If your heating system is old, you might consider updating it. A pre-1977 gas furnace is probably 50 percent to 60 percent efficient today. That means only half of the fuel used by the furnace actually reaches your home as heat. Modern gas furnaces, on the other hand, achieve efficiency ratings as high as 97 percent. By replacing an old heating system with one of the most efficient models, you can cut your natural gas use nearly in half!
Use your set-back thermostat. California houses built today must have them. If you have an older home, consider installing one. A set-back thermostat allows you to automatically turn down the heat when you're away at work or when you're sleeping at night, and then boost the temperature to a comfortable level when you need it. Remember - it takes less energy to warm a cool home than to maintain a warm temperature all day long. Properly using your set-back thermostat could cut your heating costs from 20 to 75 percent.
Reverse the switch on your ceiling fans so they blow upward, toward the ceiling. Ceiling fans are a great idea in the summer, when air blowing downward can improve circulation and make a room feel four degrees cooler. A cooling draft is a poor idea when it's cold, however. By reversing the fan's direction, the blades move air upward in winter. This is especially valuable in high ceiling rooms, where heat that naturally rises is forced back down into the room.
Make sure all hearing vents are opened and unblocked by furniture or other items. This will ensure that the air is evenly distributed through the home.
Change a Light Bulb
Lighting our homes can represent 20 percent of home electricity bills and is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. If every household changed a light to an ENERGY STAR® one, together we'd save enough energy to light 7 million homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 1 million cars.
When cold weather approaches, use this checklist of simple ways to make your home more comfortable and keep those escalating energy bills at bay.
Check for Leaks
Weatherstripping and caulking is probably the least expensive, simplest, most effective way to cut down on energy waste in the winter. Improperly sealed homes can waste 10 to 15 percent of the homeowner's heating dollars. Take these steps:
Check around doors and windows for leaks and drafts. Add weather-stripping and caulk any holes you see that allow heat to escape. Make sure doors seal properly.
If your windows leak really badly, consider replacing them with newer, more efficient ones. Keep in mind, however, that replacing windows can be expensive - it could take you quite awhile to recover your costs from the energy savings alone. But new windows also provide other benefits, such as improved appearance and comfort.
Every duct, wire or pipe that penetrates the wall or ceiling or floor has the potential to waste energy. Plumbing vents can be especially bad, since they begin below the floor and go all the way through the roof. Seal them all with caulking or weather-stripping.
Electric wall plugs and switches can allow cold air in. Purchase simple-to-install, pre-cut foam gaskets that fit behind the switch plate and effectively prevent leaks.
Don't forget to close the damper on your fireplace. Of course the damper needs to be open if a fire is burning; but if the damper is open when you're not using the fireplace, your chimney functions as a large open window that draws warm air out of the room and creates a draft. Close that damper - it's an effective energy-saving tip that costs you nothing!
Examine your house's heating ducts for leaks. Think of your ductwork as huge hoses, bringing hot air instead of water into your house. Mostly out of sight, ducts can leak for years without you knowing it. They can become torn or crushed and flattened. Old duct tape - the worse thing to use to seal ductwork, by the way - will dry up and fall away over time, allowing junctions and splices to open, spilling heated air into your attic or under the house. It's wasteful. According to field research performed by the California Energy Commission, you can save roughly 10 percent of your heating bill by preventing leaky ducts.
Check Your Insulation
Insulate your attic. In an older home, that can be the most cost-efficient way to cut home heating costs. Before energy efficiency standards, homes were often built with little or no insulation. As a result, large amounts of heat can be lost through walls, floors and - since heat rises - especially ceilings.
How much insulation should you install? Typical framed homes now being built in California's Central Valley must meet insulation requirements of R-38 insulation in ceilings and R-19 for walls and floors.
Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door to prevent warm air from escaping out the top of your house.
Seal holes in the attic that lead down into the house, such as open wall tops and duct, plumbing, or electrical runs. Any hole that leads from a basement or crawlspace to an attic is a big energy waster. Cover and seal them with spray foam and rigid foam board if necessary.
Check Your Heating System
Get a routine maintenance and inspection of your heating system each autumn to make sure it is in good working order.
Replace your heater's air filter monthly. Your heating system will work less hard, use less energy and last longer as a result. Most homeowners can replace filters and do such simple tasks as cleaning and removing dust from vents or along baseboard heaters.
If your heating system is old, you might consider updating it. A pre-1977 gas furnace is probably 50 percent to 60 percent efficient today. That means only half of the fuel used by the furnace actually reaches your home as heat. Modern gas furnaces, on the other hand, achieve efficiency ratings as high as 97 percent. By replacing an old heating system with one of the most efficient models, you can cut your natural gas use nearly in half!
Use your set-back thermostat. California houses built today must have them. If you have an older home, consider installing one. A set-back thermostat allows you to automatically turn down the heat when you're away at work or when you're sleeping at night, and then boost the temperature to a comfortable level when you need it. Remember - it takes less energy to warm a cool home than to maintain a warm temperature all day long. Properly using your set-back thermostat could cut your heating costs from 20 to 75 percent.
Reverse the switch on your ceiling fans so they blow upward, toward the ceiling. Ceiling fans are a great idea in the summer, when air blowing downward can improve circulation and make a room feel four degrees cooler. A cooling draft is a poor idea when it's cold, however. By reversing the fan's direction, the blades move air upward in winter. This is especially valuable in high ceiling rooms, where heat that naturally rises is forced back down into the room.
Make sure all hearing vents are opened and unblocked by furniture or other items. This will ensure that the air is evenly distributed through the home.
Change a Light Bulb
Lighting our homes can represent 20 percent of home electricity bills and is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. If every household changed a light to an ENERGY STAR® one, together we'd save enough energy to light 7 million homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 1 million cars.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Get Your Home Winter Ready!
So you've pulled your sweaters out of mothballs and found your mittens at the bottom of the coat closet. But what about your house -- is it prepared for the cold months ahead?
You'll be a lot less comfortable in the coming months if you haven't girded Home Sweet Home for Old Man Winter.
With the help of several experts, we've boiled down your autumn to-do list to 10 easy tips:
1. Clean those gutters
Once the leaves fall, remove them and other debris from your home's gutters -- by hand, by scraper or spatula, and finally by a good hose rinse -- so that winter's rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house, the Insurance Information Institute says.
As you're hosing out your gutters, look for leaks and misaligned pipes. Also, make sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the house's foundation, where it could cause flooding or other water damage.
"The rule of thumb is that water should be at least 10 feet away from the house," says Michael Broili, the director of the Well Home Program for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, a nationally recognized neighborhood group in Seattle.
2. Block those leaks
One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out, experts say. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall, according to EarthWorks Group.
Professional Services
Find local plumbers, electricians, contractors and more.
First, find the leaks: On a breezy day, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.
Then, buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk or apply tacky rope caulk to those drafty spots, says Danny Lipford, host of the nationally syndicated TV show "Today's Homeowner." Outlet gaskets can easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home's outer walls, where cold air often enters.
Outside, seal leaks with weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better stand up to freezing and thawing. "Even if it's a small crack, it's worth sealing up," Lipford says. "It also discourages any insects from entering your home."
3. Insulate yourself
"Another thing that does cost a little money -- but boy, you do get the money back quick -- is adding insulation to the existing insulation in the attic," says Lipford. "Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, in the (U.S.) you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic."
Don't clutter your brain with R-values or measuring tape, though. Here's Lipford's rule of thumb on whether you need to add insulation: "If you go into the attic and you can see the ceiling joists you know you don't have enough, because a ceiling joist is at most 10 or 11 inches."
A related tip: If you're layering insulation atop other insulation, don't use the kind that has "kraft face" finish (i.e., a paper backing). It acts as a vapor barrier, Lipford explains, and therefore can cause moisture problems in the insulation.
4. Check the furnace
First, turn your furnace on now, to make sure it's even working, before the coldest weather descends. A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace in the autumn; simply open windows to dissipate it. But if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.
It's a good idea to have furnaces cleaned and tuned annually. Costs will often run about $100-$125. An inspector should do the following, among other things:
Throughout the winter you should change the furnace filters regularly (check them monthly). A dirty filter impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme case. Toss out the dirty fiberglass filters; reusable electrostatic or electronic filters can be washed.
5. Get your ducts in a row
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces. That's a huge amount of wasted money, not to mention a chilly house. (Check out this audit tool for other ideas on how to save on your energy bills this winter.)
What's your home worth?
Ducts aren't always easy to see, but you can often find them exposed in the attic, the basement and crawlspaces. Repair places where pipes are pinched, which impedes flow of heated air to the house, and fix gaps with a metal-backed tape (duct tape actually doesn't stand up to the job over time).
Ducts also should be vacuumed once every few years, to clean out the abundant dust, animal hair and other gunk that can gather in them and cause respiratory problems.
6. Face your windows
Now, of course, is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home. Storm windows are particularly helpful if you have old, single-pane glass windows. But if you don't have storm windows, and your windows are leaky or drafty, "They need to be updated to a more efficient window," says Lipford.
Of course, windows are pricey. Budget to replace them a few at a time, and in the meantime, buy a window insulator kit, Lipford and Broili recommend. Basically, the kit is plastic sheeting that's affixed to a window’s interior with double-stick tape. A hair dryer is then used to shrink-wrap the sheeting onto the window. (It can be removed in the spring.) "It's temporary and it's not pretty, but it's inexpensive (about $4 a window) and it's extremely effective," says Lipford.
7. Don't forget the chimney
Ideally, spring is the time to think about your chimney, because "chimney sweeps are going crazy right now, as you might have guessed," says Ashley Eldridge, director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America.
That said, don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace, Eldridge advises. "A common myth is that a chimney needs to be swept every year," says Eldridge. Not true. But a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year, he adds. "I've seen tennis balls and ducks in chimneys," he says.
Ask for a Level 1 inspection, in which the professional examines the readily accessible portions of the chimney, Eldridge says. "Most certified chimney sweeps include a Level 1 service with a sweep," he adds.
Woodstoves are a different beast, however, cautions Eldridge. They should be swept more than once a year. A general rule of thumb is that a cleaning should be performed for every ¼ inch of creosote, "anywhere that it's found." Why? "If it's ash, then it's primarily lye -- the same stuff that was once used to make soap, and it's very acidic." It can cause mortar and the metal damper to rot, Eldridge says.
Another tip: Buy a protective cap for your chimney, with a screen, advises Eldridge. "It's probably the single easiest protection" because it keeps out foreign objects (birds, tennis balls) as well as rain that can mix with the ash and eat away at the fireplace's walls. He advises buying based on durability, not appearance.
One other reminder: To keep out cold air, fireplace owners should keep their chimney's damper closed when the fireplace isn't in use. And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn't in use.
Check out CSIA'S Web site for a list of certified chimney sweeps in your area.
8. Reverse that fan
"Reversing your ceiling fan is a small tip that people don't often think of," says Lipford. By reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable. (Here's how you know the fan is ready for winter: As you look up, the blades should be turning clockwise, says Lipford.)
9. Wrap those pipes
A burst pipe caused by a winter freeze is a nightmare. Prevent it before Jack Frost sets his grip: Before freezing nights hit, make certain that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house (via a turnoff valve), and that the lines are drained, says Broili. In climes such as Portland, Ore., or Seattle, where freezing nights aren't commonplace, you can install Styrofoam cups with a screw attachment to help insulate spigots, says Broili.
Next, go looking for other pipes that aren't insulated, or that pass through unheated spaces -- pipes that run through crawlspaces, basements or garages. Wrap them with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores. If you're really worried about a pipe freezing, you can first wrap it with heating tape, which is basically an electrical cord that emits heat.
10. Finally, check those alarms
This is a great time to check the operation -- and change the batteries -- on your home's smoke detectors. Detectors should be replaced every 10 years, fire officials say. Test them -- older ones in particular -- with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the "test" button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works.
Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide detector; every home should have at least one.
You'll be a lot less comfortable in the coming months if you haven't girded Home Sweet Home for Old Man Winter.
With the help of several experts, we've boiled down your autumn to-do list to 10 easy tips:
1. Clean those gutters
Once the leaves fall, remove them and other debris from your home's gutters -- by hand, by scraper or spatula, and finally by a good hose rinse -- so that winter's rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house, the Insurance Information Institute says.
As you're hosing out your gutters, look for leaks and misaligned pipes. Also, make sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the house's foundation, where it could cause flooding or other water damage.
"The rule of thumb is that water should be at least 10 feet away from the house," says Michael Broili, the director of the Well Home Program for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, a nationally recognized neighborhood group in Seattle.
2. Block those leaks
One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out, experts say. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall, according to EarthWorks Group.
Professional Services
Find local plumbers, electricians, contractors and more.
First, find the leaks: On a breezy day, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.
Then, buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk or apply tacky rope caulk to those drafty spots, says Danny Lipford, host of the nationally syndicated TV show "Today's Homeowner." Outlet gaskets can easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home's outer walls, where cold air often enters.
Outside, seal leaks with weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better stand up to freezing and thawing. "Even if it's a small crack, it's worth sealing up," Lipford says. "It also discourages any insects from entering your home."
3. Insulate yourself
"Another thing that does cost a little money -- but boy, you do get the money back quick -- is adding insulation to the existing insulation in the attic," says Lipford. "Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, in the (U.S.) you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic."
Don't clutter your brain with R-values or measuring tape, though. Here's Lipford's rule of thumb on whether you need to add insulation: "If you go into the attic and you can see the ceiling joists you know you don't have enough, because a ceiling joist is at most 10 or 11 inches."
A related tip: If you're layering insulation atop other insulation, don't use the kind that has "kraft face" finish (i.e., a paper backing). It acts as a vapor barrier, Lipford explains, and therefore can cause moisture problems in the insulation.
4. Check the furnace
First, turn your furnace on now, to make sure it's even working, before the coldest weather descends. A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace in the autumn; simply open windows to dissipate it. But if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.
It's a good idea to have furnaces cleaned and tuned annually. Costs will often run about $100-$125. An inspector should do the following, among other things:
Throughout the winter you should change the furnace filters regularly (check them monthly). A dirty filter impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme case. Toss out the dirty fiberglass filters; reusable electrostatic or electronic filters can be washed.
5. Get your ducts in a row
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces. That's a huge amount of wasted money, not to mention a chilly house. (Check out this audit tool for other ideas on how to save on your energy bills this winter.)
What's your home worth?
Ducts aren't always easy to see, but you can often find them exposed in the attic, the basement and crawlspaces. Repair places where pipes are pinched, which impedes flow of heated air to the house, and fix gaps with a metal-backed tape (duct tape actually doesn't stand up to the job over time).
Ducts also should be vacuumed once every few years, to clean out the abundant dust, animal hair and other gunk that can gather in them and cause respiratory problems.
6. Face your windows
Now, of course, is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home. Storm windows are particularly helpful if you have old, single-pane glass windows. But if you don't have storm windows, and your windows are leaky or drafty, "They need to be updated to a more efficient window," says Lipford.
Of course, windows are pricey. Budget to replace them a few at a time, and in the meantime, buy a window insulator kit, Lipford and Broili recommend. Basically, the kit is plastic sheeting that's affixed to a window’s interior with double-stick tape. A hair dryer is then used to shrink-wrap the sheeting onto the window. (It can be removed in the spring.) "It's temporary and it's not pretty, but it's inexpensive (about $4 a window) and it's extremely effective," says Lipford.
7. Don't forget the chimney
Ideally, spring is the time to think about your chimney, because "chimney sweeps are going crazy right now, as you might have guessed," says Ashley Eldridge, director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America.
That said, don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace, Eldridge advises. "A common myth is that a chimney needs to be swept every year," says Eldridge. Not true. But a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year, he adds. "I've seen tennis balls and ducks in chimneys," he says.
Ask for a Level 1 inspection, in which the professional examines the readily accessible portions of the chimney, Eldridge says. "Most certified chimney sweeps include a Level 1 service with a sweep," he adds.
Woodstoves are a different beast, however, cautions Eldridge. They should be swept more than once a year. A general rule of thumb is that a cleaning should be performed for every ¼ inch of creosote, "anywhere that it's found." Why? "If it's ash, then it's primarily lye -- the same stuff that was once used to make soap, and it's very acidic." It can cause mortar and the metal damper to rot, Eldridge says.
Another tip: Buy a protective cap for your chimney, with a screen, advises Eldridge. "It's probably the single easiest protection" because it keeps out foreign objects (birds, tennis balls) as well as rain that can mix with the ash and eat away at the fireplace's walls. He advises buying based on durability, not appearance.
One other reminder: To keep out cold air, fireplace owners should keep their chimney's damper closed when the fireplace isn't in use. And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn't in use.
Check out CSIA'S Web site for a list of certified chimney sweeps in your area.
8. Reverse that fan
"Reversing your ceiling fan is a small tip that people don't often think of," says Lipford. By reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable. (Here's how you know the fan is ready for winter: As you look up, the blades should be turning clockwise, says Lipford.)
9. Wrap those pipes
A burst pipe caused by a winter freeze is a nightmare. Prevent it before Jack Frost sets his grip: Before freezing nights hit, make certain that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house (via a turnoff valve), and that the lines are drained, says Broili. In climes such as Portland, Ore., or Seattle, where freezing nights aren't commonplace, you can install Styrofoam cups with a screw attachment to help insulate spigots, says Broili.
Next, go looking for other pipes that aren't insulated, or that pass through unheated spaces -- pipes that run through crawlspaces, basements or garages. Wrap them with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores. If you're really worried about a pipe freezing, you can first wrap it with heating tape, which is basically an electrical cord that emits heat.
10. Finally, check those alarms
This is a great time to check the operation -- and change the batteries -- on your home's smoke detectors. Detectors should be replaced every 10 years, fire officials say. Test them -- older ones in particular -- with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the "test" button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works.
Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide detector; every home should have at least one.
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