Ask The Proper Home

In challenging times, we often look toward expenses as a way to save money and make ends meet. In many cases, home maintenance goes to the back of the list when it comes to spending. Unfortunately, few realize how much money their home is really costing them. In short, a poorly maintained or inefficient home can cost you far more than you think - much more.

I was with one of my close colleagues several years ago and noted a stunningly beautiful black and white photograph of a beach on his office wall. It was not a photo - it was something more - simply spectacular. It was technically and aesthetically superb. I asked where he took it. He smiled and told me it was a work by Kevin Williams, a nautical photographer that he had been collecting for years.

Few realize that home catastrophes come in many flavors. While fire, floods, natural disasters and crime represent the obvious threats, disasters arising from poor maintenance or a lack of proper attention are the most frequent and as expensive threats homeowners face today.

Consumer confidence is a critical indicator of your willingness to spend your money. When you consider that about half of the economy is based on your spending, your mood means quite a bit to those that need you to be a spender!

As you will learn in this story, the benefits of induction are plentiful. The totally unique feature of induction is that it’s not only flameless but the cooking surface remains relatively cool to the touch, making it a very safe appliance. What’s more is that 90% of the energy produced is supplied directly to the cooking vessel, as compared to 50% by other cooking methods; making induction the most energy efficient cooktop technology available. When considering this impressive technology for your home, it’s important to note than an induction cooktop generally costs more on average than gas or electric cooktops and does require cookware that has a magnetic base.

Picture this. You’ve just moved into a new house with walls blanketed in the most horrendous color that you could possibly imagine. The color is not comforting or welcoming, and most certainly, does not match your existing furniture, let alone the molding throughout the house. Replacing upholstery, curtains or your favorite living room chairs is unthinkable; eliminating that color is a must. But, as you stare at the dreadful walls, you have no clue where to begin.

The painting process is considered one of the most stressful do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for homeowners. At the same time, the final outcome can be one of the most rewarding. From color choice to application to clean-up, the process can be an emotional rollercoaster. Before your roller or brush touches the wall, there are many details to consider. Tools, colors, finishes, preparation, and most of all, happiness with the outcome are extremely important steps in the process.

“We are where we are today and who we are today because of one another,” says Alan. “I often say that I’m the motor; she’s the steering wheel.” Alan is a high-energy sales professional and architect; Nancy’s an artistic business manager. By blending their unique talents, they not only created a marriage, but also launched Tanglewood Conservatories, a company that creates one-of-a-kind custom conservatories.

If you were buying a house, would the fact that it came with a detailed history of maintenance, improvements, contractors and everyone associated with that house make a difference in your purchasing decision? If you are like most, it would. This is only one important homeowner benefit of having a dynamic home history like The Proper Home.

Other than cleaning your house, the idea of managing your home is probably the furthest thing from your mind right now. Home management affects most homeowners when something goes wrong. However, home management is also an essential element of improving your home. A roof, air conditioner, water heater or furnace failure quickly reminds most of us how important home management really is. However, when you want to improve your home, home management will help you get the most bangs for the buck!

With plummeting share prices making headline news, it is worth considering the impact of the Stock market on the economy. How much should we worry when share prices fall? How does it impact the average consumer? How does it affect the economy?

If you are like many, chances are good that you own stock. You may be a trader or simply someone with a retirement plan. While you can feel some effects of a good or bad market, you must remember that the stock market is NOT associated with the economy. It is an indicator of the economy.

It’s no secret that energy-efficient lighting products are the environmentally-friendly way of the future. Although it is obvious that “green” products like compact fluorescent lamps (also known as CFLs) are better for our world because they cause less pollution, many consumers are still reluctant to try them.

Numerous reasons can be blamed for the slow acceptance of these products: price, style, color of light, and mercury content in the case ofCFLs. Fortunately, the new millennia brought with it an influx of efficient technology that addresses all of these concerns.

Your home is probably your most significant investment; both in terms of finance and quality of life. Maintaining your home from a financial point of view is simply a protection of your investment. Maintaining your home from a lifestyle point of view represents an essential element of living well. When you consider your home from these points of view, maintenance takes on new importance.

Managing Your Home Inventory – An Essential Element of Home Ownership

Managing your home inventory is an essential part of home ownership. The obvious reasons for managing your inventory are simple: insurance and law enforcement. However, with The Proper Home, your home inventory serves as the basis for many other functions including service, maintenance, scheduling and financial analysis. As you can see, your home inventory sets the foundation of managing your home well.

The term “anti-concurrent causation” may mean nothing to you now. However, if you experience a catastrophic fire during an earthquake, flood or wind damage, chances are good that you will soon understand how important this term really is – the hard way.

In short, an anti-concurrent causation clause means that your insurance company does not have to pay your claim if more than one event occurs to your property and one of those events is excluded from your policy. Anti-concurrent causation clauses or similar language has paved the way for many major insurance companies to deny entire claims. Adding to the problem are generous courts like the Fifth Circuit Court upholding insurance company positions because the language in policies clearly state the limitations of the insurer.

Whether you’re picking up or dropping off kids at school, sports practices, and music lessons or simply running daily errands like grocery shopping, dentist and doctor appointments, you’re constantly coming in and out of your home. In these busy times, it’s easy to lose sight of home security when it’s constantly getting trumped by other obligations.

This story details some simple steps you can incoporate into your busy schedule to ensure that you and your family are safe and secure at all times.

If you’re building a new home or considering a remodeling project, the quest for curb appeal has a major influence on your decisions. The great number of choices in design, products, building materials and finishes all shape your home’s overall appearance. It can be overwhelming.

It can also be exciting to see your home conceived or transformed with the combination of great design, materials and finishes. Size, proportion, roof pitch and types of dormers, columns and porches are structural influences on a home’s style. The shape of your windows, the profile and color of your trim, and the texture of an entry door demonstrate how building products impact a home’s appearance. As an illustration, Tudor homes are frequently defined by their stucco or stone exteriors, steeply pitched roofs, banks of windows, and dark timbers that break up the façade. The structural features work in tandem with the building products to create a distinctive look…

Love them or hate them, everybody has them: the nosey neighbor. The one who knows you left early for work (or didn’t go at all). The one who heard there might be martial squabbles. The one who accepted that UPS delivery for you. The one who saw your teenager sneaking out past curfew. Oh, yes, and while you vacationed, that was the neighbor who called police on the burglar outside your home. Is your nosey neighbor a blessing in disguise or an invasion of privacy?