6 Home Improvements That Can’t Wait Until Spring

Waiting to do home improvements in the warmer weather makes it easier for you to take the family dog outside so they won’t be underfoot. There are also more options for family outings so that you won’t be in the way. Although these are good reasons to wait, several home improvements should be addressed as soon as possible.

1. Fix Your Roof

Your entire home may be compromised if you have a leaking roof. Leaks can damage your drywall and electrical systems. Wood that is exposed to water may rot. Left unchecked, water from a damaged roof can cause mold and mildew to grow, which can lead to structural damage. They also cause serious health issues for people who are exposed to them. Removing mold from a home can cost thousands of dollars. Turn to the roofing experts at RenoRoofRepair to have your roof repaired before leaks cause internal damage in your home.

2. Handle Plumbing Issues

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The type of plumbing pipe in your home may be an issue. Clay pipes were used in the 1800s and early 1900s. Clay breaks down over time. Roots can break through these pipes and cause blockages. Plumbers can use sewer cameras to visually inspect pipes to determine their condition and locate obstructions. Sometimes repairs can be limited to a section of pipe instead of replacing an entire line. A sewer backup can damage your home’s structure and lead to health problems for residents, so you should bring in the plumbers as soon as possible.

3. Foundation Repairs

Water can seep up through cracks in a bad foundation. This can cause damage to your flooring and any belongings that come in contact with the water. Mold may grow and damage your home’s structure and put your family’s health at risk. The foundation can shift, which may affect your floors, ceilings, windows, and doors. Windows and doors may not close properly, which can cause drafts and heat loss in the winter months. Foundation issues may also cause cracks in the walls. There are advantages to inspecting and fixing foundation problems in the winter. You’ll also prevent more damage to your home.

4. Upgrade Your Electrical Circuits

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In extreme situations, electrical problems can lead to an electrical fire. Serious electrical problems can also cause high electric bills. The cold winter months cause increased use because there are fewer daylight hours and people spend more time inside. The high demand for electrical systems can cause other issues, such as flickering lights or tripped circuits. If you have noticed these issues in previous years, it is a good idea to bring an electrician in and upgrade your electrical before the cold weather starts. This is why it is important to address electrical issues as soon as possible.

5. Doors and Windows

Replacing your doors and windows will help keep the bitter winter winds out and your heat in.Old doors and windows let in cold air. This can cost you hundreds of dollars in inflated heating costs each winter. Old doors and windows also cause increased strain on your electrical system, which can result in expensive electrical repairs. Water, frost, and snow can all get in through cracks and gaps around doors and windows. Over time, this can cause exposed wood to rot and prompt mold growth.

6. Home Heating

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Your furnace is one of the most important features in your home during the winter months. It needs to effectively produce and distribute heat throughout the entire house. Has your furnace serviced before winter starts? Replace filters to ensure that the air from your furnace is clean. If you notice that part of the house doesn’t seem to be warming up properly you will want to have the vents checked to make sure they aren’t blocked. If your furnace goes out, call for repairs immediately. Without heat, your pipes can freeze, which can lead to expensive plumbing repairs.

How to Shop for a Hard-Top Gazebo

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Imagine stepping out of your spa to relax on your chaise in your backyard. All of the sudden, you realize that not only is it blisteringly hot, but it looks like there are rain clouds forming in the distance. What should you do? No worries, because you have a hard-top gazebo, which means you are protected from the heat and the rain. If you are looking for a hard-top gazebo, you will need to make sure that you get the best gazebo for your money. Unlike a temporary canopy, hard-top gazebos are meant to be a more permanent structure, so you need to make sure that the gazebo you choose is exactly what you want. How do you go about picking the best gazebo for your needs? Here are our tips for finding a good hard-top gazebo.

Durability

More than other types of structures meant for outdoor use, a hard-top gazebo needs to be durable. You want the frame to be rustproof, and you also want the roof of your gazebo to be rustproof as well. Many hard-top gazebos are made of galvanized steel that is powder coated to resist rusting. You also want to make sure that the materials used in your hard-top gazebo can withstand the elements. For example, if you live in an area that gets heavy snow, you need to make sure that the gazebo you are looking at is able to withstand snow cover. Some gazebos also come with poles in case of heavy snow.

Purpose

Because your hard-top gazebo is a fairly permanent structure, you need to get a gazebo that suits your purpose. If you love to barbeque, you need to make sure that your gazebo has vents that will allow you to barbecue underneath it, because the smoke can vent out the top. If you are using the gazebo as a place to sit out and visit with friends on a summer evening, you may want to pick a gazebo with optional mosquito netting to guard against those pesky critters. You can also get an optional curtain for those backyard camping nights.

Take some time to think about what you want to use the gazebo for, so that when you go looking for your hard-top gazebo, you will know what to look for.

Price

When you are looking for a hard-top gazebo, you want to get the best gazebo for your money. Take some time and look around at different hard-top gazebos and read the manufacturer’s warranties to make sure you get exactly the gazebo you want. Also, you may want to read the reviews of your top five gazebo picks, so that you can narrow your choices down. Once you have some idea what you want, go and look at each gazebo. It may be that you find one gazebo that you really like more than your other choices, you’re in luck--we wish all of life’s decisions were that simple. Good luck, and happy shopping!

Can you skip property valuation before buying a new home?

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Property valuation before buying a new home is necessary for various endeavors, including taxation, property insurance, investment analysis, sales listing, and financing. Lenders usually need an appraisal before finalizing a loan to the buyer after they have accepted an offer, so property valuation is not a typical approach before buying a home. However, getting a property valuation before making an offer can put you in a better position to negotiate since you understand the market value of the property.

Factors to Consider When Conducting Property Valuation

A valuer conducts a written estimate of the market value of the property by considering various factors about the property and the selling prices of other homes in the neighborhood. The property valuation is based partly on its condition, the number of bathrooms and bedrooms, architectural features, and square footage. And then provides with the best house valuation reports in Perth.

Reasons for Property Valuation

Property valuation assists in protecting the lender by ensuring that the value of the loan given to the buyer is not more than the property value; an independent property valuation safeguards your financial interests. Getting a property valuation before you offer your bid enables you to know the value of the property before contracting a legally liaising offer. It can assist you in saving a lot of money if you reduce your offer concerning the property valuation.

Basic Property Valuation Concepts

An accurate property valuation depends on systematic data collection. Precise information, including details about the specific property, and general information about the neighborhood, city, region, and country where the home is located, are gathered and examined to determine a value. Property valuation utilizes three basic concepts to establish the value of a property.

Approach 1: Income Capitalization Concept

It is usually known as the income approach and is grounded on the net income that your home generates and the needed rate of return by the investor. It is utilized to evaluate the value of properties that generate income like shopping centers, office buildings, and apartment complexes. Vautilizing the income approach can be quite honest when the home at hand is anticipated to generate income in the future, and when its costs are steady and predictable.

I consulted property valuers when buying a new home, and they performed the following steps to estimate the value of a home for me:

• Estimated the potential yearly income of the home
• Considered the rent collection losses and vacancy to estimate the right gross income.
• Deducted the annual expenses of operation to determine the yearly net income.
• Estimated the cost that an investor would offer for the income generated by the specific class and type of home, that was achieved through estimating the rate of capitalization, or rate of return.
• Used the rate of investment to the yearly net operating income of the property to get an estimate of the value of the property.

Approach 2: Cost Concept

This approach can be utilized to determine the value of a property that has been improved by another or other buildings. The method involves various estimates of value for the subject property, including the land, while considering depreciation. These estimates are summed up to determine the value of the whole improved property. The approach assumes that an ideal buyer will not pay more for an enhanced home than the cost of purchasing an equivalent property or build a comparable building. This concept is helpful when the home being valued is a type that does not commonly sell and does not produce income. Examples of such properties are government buildings, hospitals, and schools.

The cost of building can be estimated in various ways including the quantity survey approach that determines the price and quantity of raw materials required to improve the property and the cost of installation; the unit-in-place approach that estimates costs based on the cost of construction per unit measure of the specific components of building; and the square-foot approach which estimates the cost per square feet and then multiplied by the total square feet of the building.

Approach 3: Sales Comparison Concept

This method is mostly utilized to estimate the value of single-family land and property. The property valuation is based on comparing the subject property with other comparable properties that have been sold recently. To get a valid comparison, the sold property must:

• Have been sold under comparable market conditions
• Have been sold within a year in a competitive and open market
• Be similar to the property at hand as much as possible

The valuer should use at least four comparable properties in the property valuation to get the right estimate.

Conclusion

Accurate property valuation is crucial to sellers, buyers, insurers, investors, and sellers of real estate property. While property valuation is mainly conducted by experienced professionals, anybody involved in property transactions can benefit from getting a general understanding of the various property valuation methods.

5 Common Mistakes That First-Time Home Buyers Make

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The complexities of buying and selling a property can sometimes lead to most people, making a lot of mistakes that could have been easily avoided. The situation is even more frequent when you are a first-time homebuyer and do not seek professional insight. With the current uncertainties in the property market, it is not uncommon to see a lot of the same mistakes being repeated over and over by the same first-time buyers.

1. Not using an agent

This is, by far, one of the worst and most common mistakes for first-time buyers on the market. There are more advantages to having a real estate agent brokering your property deal than doing it yourself, no matter how confident you may feel during the whole process.

The good thing about agents is that they will help you to at least be objective in your choice as their experience in the business gives them a unique insight on what is quality and what is just a waste of your money in the long run. Commercial property valuers in Adelaide are also bound to ethical standards that cater for both you as a buyer and the seller’s interests.

2. Rushing to put in an offer

This is another mistake that if you are a first-time buyer might find yourself falling into. Rushing your purchase could end up costing you more in the future in case the property you bought had hidden extra costs of repair and renovations that you are likely to miss at first glance easily.

If you want to have the best that your money can get, then you need to let the whole process go as planned; everything from inspection to opinion from experienced professionals that will allow you to make an informed decision.

3. Not applying for a mortgage

About the worst thing, you can do when buying a house for the first time is not looking at what you are able to borrow from the banks. It is always advisable that you talk to a mortgage professional since what you can afford and what your bank says you can afford are not usually the same. It is, therefore, imperative that you get a pre-approved loan before you even go for house hunting.

4. Not looking for more options

One of the absolute worst mistakes for a first-time homebuyer is not going shopping for houses and comparing the prices but instead, settle on the first house they meet. Not saying compromising is a bad thing, but it is always better to have more options at your disposal in order to score the best deal. This will not only cut on your spending costs but also ensure you get the best house on the market.

The opposite is also true in the case of a first-time buyer skipping on every house they find suited to their needs and instead wait for the perfect home. While perfection can be a good thing when it counts, it is not always a realistic goal.

This will inadvertently end up costing you more as it will not only take you much longer to get your perfect home, but you will also end up overpaying for what you may consider as the ideal home in case you find one. The best solution is always keeping an open mind and be realistic about the home you want.

5. Overlooking your budget and overspending

Lastly, but still serious mistake first-time buyers make spending more than they can afford. This is a very common mistake especially when you as a buyer find a particular home too good to pass up. This will end up with you taking a loan larger than you can afford just to close the deal because some lenders can sometimes approve for larger loans.

While a common mistake, this can easily be avoided by creating a budget and sticking with it until you get your home. Not only will you get home, but paying back the loan will not be a burden to your finances.

As a first-time buyer, you are usually the most vulnerable to common but easily avoidable mistakes when you buy your first home. Whether it's rushing to purchasing a house, skipping inspections, or just spending extra to get the perfect dream home, any of the mistakes will end up having far-reaching consequences later on. As such, it is vital to gain as much information about buying your first home before you go to look for one. With the right information, all the common mistakes can easily be avoided.

The Ultimate Guide to Shower Heads --Which Type is Right For You?

A shower head is a thing of daily use. It is probably one of the first things you use before you even start your day. The commonly heard term ' shower system' not only includes the shower head. But, it is a three-piece system including a valve, a head, and a faucet. The faucet is used to control the temperature and speed of showers.

Shower heads are of various types which are used by people according to their preferences and needs. Nowadays, they have become an important part of the bathroom. The various kinds of shower head extension are as follows-

Type 1: Hand- Held shower heads

These are considered best for body pain and massage of sore muscles. They are very easy to clean and very easy to install. They have a wide variety of spray settings. For best results, you must put the shower head at the place where you need treatment or massage.

These are best suitable for people who are eco-friendly and eco-conscious as they do not waste water and conserve energy. These are also considered best for handicapped people or those who have a problem with muscle movement due to injury or illness. These are also suitable for children and small babies.

Type 2: Fixed Shower Heads

As the name indicates, these shower heads are fixed permanently on the wall. These are mostly preferred by people. These are constructed in such a manner so that people can adjust them according to their height. This enables both tall and short people to use the same shower.

These shower heads come in single, double and triple handed. They are suitable for big families where a large number of people with varied heights live. A wide variety of spray options are available in this shower head.

Type 3: High-pressure shower heads

These shower heads can give you a better bath than any of their competitors available in the market. They give you a very enjoyable experience. These help to conserve water by quickly rinsing you off without using much water. These are made by combining various water patterns which can provide a wide range of benefits to your body.

These help you to get all the dirt out from your body due to the high water pressure. People usually go for these as they are economical and easy to install. These shower heads are best for people who want to enjoy a clean and peaceful shower.

Type 4: Rain shower heads

These shower heads are fixed on the wall and are very large. As the name indicates, they give you a rainwater experience. These have anti-clog nozzles which make them easy to clean. You can install them on your own. You do not require any plumber. These have a large number of spray settings.

They provide you with a drenching experience and have good water pressure and flow. They have a large shower face due to which they have a great flow of water and your whole body gets rinsed off. They can be adjusted according to your needs. These are usually suitable for people who would like to have rainwater experience and have large bathrooms.

Type 5: Low flow shower heads

These shower heads have low water flow and pressure and are used to conserve the water that may be wasted. These reduce the amount of flow of water and also save heat energy. These help to reduce the flow of water which in turn also helps to save the energy that may be wasted in heating the water.

These are suitable for those people who believe in the concept of water conservation. If you are concerned about the environment, this shower head is for you.

Type 6: LED shower heads

These shower heads have a special feature of temperature control. When the temperature of the water changes, the shower head displays different colors to indicate this change. When the temperature of the water is not ideal for taking a bath, then it will show a blue light whereas when the temperature is ideal for bathing, then the color changes to light green.

And when the temperature goes too high and is not ideal for bathing, then the color of the light turns red. This feature enables you to experience a comfortable bath. These are suitable for those individuals who have sensory difficulties so they can know the ideal temperature by seeing the color of the light.

Type 7: Dual shower heads

These have two shower systems together. Both shower systems differ in function and size like a fixed shower head and a handheld shower head. Both of the shower systems offer a wide range of spray settings individually and adds the benefits of both the system together, thus giving you a wonderful shower experience.

The water flowing in these shower heads can be controlled by a diverter valve. These are suitable for those individuals who have some disabilities.

Type 8: Handheld shower head with an on and off switch

These have a special feature of on and off switch. You can shut the water off when you are soaping and turn it on to rinse your body. You can just switch on and off making your work easier. They are made up of plastic and perform better at low temperatures.

These shower heads are suitable for pets, babies, disabled people, adults, etc. Moreover, because you are holding these in your hand, you can apply the water pressure on any part of the body as per your needs.

Type 9: Brushed Nickel Rain Shower Head with Handheld

These shower heads have the latest technology of providing the perfect water flow to prevent water wastage. These are available in various designs and the water flow can be controlled by adjusting the nozzles.

They have the best quality and performance. They can provide you with a rainwater experience and a massage with high pressure. With these, you can get a flexible and comfortable bath. They are suitable for most people due to their extraordinary features.

Endnote

There is a wide range of options available for you among which you can select the shower head which is most suitable as per your need. Each kind has its special features and you can go for the one according to your preferences and needs.

Various kinds of showers are mentioned above along with the person who could find the best type for daily use. I hope that this article surely helped you clear your doubts and select the best shower head extension which suits you.