Tag: Kitchen

Are Appliances Checked During A Home Inspection?

June 19, 2023

New homeowners and seasoned real estate experts know the value that comes with a home inspection. A home inspection is one of the most important steps in the home-buying process for families that want to ensure a safe and well-maintained house. However, for people that haven’t bought a home before, some of the specifics that go along with a home inspection may seem cloudy. Homebuyers should always feel free to ask their inspector questions about the scale and scope of their home’s inspection to best learn what is and isn’t checked. For those who have just begun their home search, or for those who are curious about the overall guidelines that most home inspectors adhere to, resources like the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors’ (InterNACHI) Standards of Practice can provide more specific detail about what a home inspector does. Home appliances are a major factor in the safety and functionality of a home, of course, so home-buyers are frequently concerned with how much insight they can expect in this area from their home inspection report. To answer the question simply, inspectors do look at most built-in home appliances. However, to learn what does and doesn’t reside within industry requirements,

How To Improve Your Home’s Ventilation (And Why It’s Important)

April 10, 2023

Staying on top of a home’s upkeep can often feel like a full-time job. With every project checked off the list, oftentimes homeowners end up adding two more in a never-ending quest for home improvement. While some home maintenance and home upgrade projects can seem to add a lot to a homeowner’s plate, improving a home’s ventilation systems tends to eliminate many pesky household issues. What is Home Ventilation?Ventilation refers to the systems a home uses to cycle out pollutants and carry in fresh air, while also regulating a comfortable indoor environment. Older homes were able to get by with natural ventilation through windows, doors, and natural air leaks in walls and ceilings, but current systems are more sophisticated. The modern home has become much more air-tight than in the past in an attempt to improve energy efficiency. The side effects of these building philosophies have led to many new maintenance issues and even health problems for families. Homeowners who are unaware of the state of their house’s ventilation systems will benefit from a regular home systems inspection. Why is Ventilation Important?Poor ventilation leads to problems throughout the home. A home has two key contributors to pollutants and condensation: the

How To Show Your Home You Care

February 13, 2023

Our homes are always there for us. They keep us warm and dry on rainy nights. They offer a calming retreat after a hard day’s work. Life is busy. Oftentimes, homeowners get caught up with their regular routines, and many helpful home maintenance tasks understandably get forgotten. People do what they need to and rarely much more. Considering everything that our homes do for us, we should take every opportunity to give back! Going above and beyond with home care can extend the lives of crucial systems, and mitigate potential breakdowns. To add to your regular routine, add these home maintenance tasks to show your home you care. Test Your Sump Pump While not every home has a sump pump, these drainage systems are vital to avoid flooding. Located in basements, sump pumps consist of a small basin and a hole which detects water levels. When working properly, these pumps expel water from homes when these levels are too high and redirect floodwaters safely away. Homeowners can test their sump pumps easily by filling a bucket with water and dumping it into the drain. If things aren’t working properly, discovering the issue during one of these controlled tests is certainly

How To Reclaim Your Junk Room

January 9, 2023

Every homeowner has a problem room. Whether it is their garage, their attic space, or their basement, the increasing pace of life has demanded we develop a go-to area for things that don’t have a designated space at the moment. We’ll get to it later, for now, let’s just store it in the closet, or the spare bedroom. This phenomenon has come to be known as the dreaded “junk room.” Quickly, a junk room’s original intent has been stretched beyond recognition and you’ve got a mess on your hands. The anxiety that you get from thinking about that task is natural, and probably a little too familiar. Don’t worry though! Rather than focusing on the difficulty of the task, imagine how satisfying it will be to reclaim the space. Now is the time to commit yourself to reorganizing your disaster space. Lay Out Your Plan Depending on the size of the job on your hands, the planning stage becomes increasingly important. See past the mess and envision the potential of the space in front of you. Do you want to revert the space into something similar to its original intention, or do you want to reinvent it? You don’t need

How to Avoid Unwelcome Household Pests Before They Move In

November 7, 2022

After a long day’s work, your home is where well-deserved rest and recovery takes place. The last thing anyone wants is to share their personal space with an unwanted guest, but the more comfortable your home gets, the more attractive it becomes to pests. According to the US census, approximately 28.8 million households reported seeing either roaches or rodents in their homes in 2019. Even after diligent cleaning and regular house maintenance, pests know how to find a way inside. However, if you follow these few tips, you can ensure that your home remains pest-free. Keep CleanFinding a trail of ants or a mouse in your house doesn’t mean you’re a slob. Bugs and rodents will eat most anything, and usually pests that find their way into a home will break their way into sources of food or water. Still, there are a few cleaning habits and tips you can employ to avoid attracting any unwanted guests. First, don’t leave out any food when it is avoidable. This includes securing bags and boxes, cleaning up spills and crumbs as quickly as possible, and changing pet food regularly. Building these simple healthy habits is the first step to combating pests. It

How to Protect Your Hardwood Floors from the Cold

January 17, 2022

Wood floors provide a classic look to your home that really makes it stand out. However, they require special care in order to maintain their uniqueness. As the cold rolls on, it can be the toughest time of the year for your hardwood floors. The good news is with some diligence, your floors will stay looking like new through wintertime. Changing Temperatures As the weather starts to cool off, it can cause your floors to change as well. Major differences in temperature make the wooden planks shrink and create gaps. Then when they warm back up, they can crack. If you like to crank the heat inside your home, consider dropping it back a few degrees. That way the difference in temperature won’t be as extreme. It also helps to use a humidifier to keep some moisture in the air that can be absorbed by your floor. Tracking Things Inside There’s a whole assortment of debris that you track in your home during winter. Sand, salt, and snow all make a mess of your floors and cause lasting damage. The tiny pieces caught in your boots can scratch up the surface, and if you don’t clean the water and de-icer

Make Your Home Fire-Safe this October

October 1, 2021

October is here! While this autumnal month is most commonly associated with tricks and treats, it’s also recognized in both the United States and Canada as Fire Prevention Month. The first week of October has also been designated Fire Prevention Week in both countries. Close to 360,000 home fires occur annually, with many of them being preventable. To make your home fire-safe this year, here’s what you need to know. Have multiple fire extinguishers at the ready. A portable fire extinguisher can help stop a fire before it gets out of control. According to the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED), fire extinguishers are successful in extinguishing 95 percent of house fires. When they can’t fully put out a fire, extinguishers can effectively contain it until emergency services arrive. There are different variations of fire extinguishers, so it’s important that you have the right style for your home. Keep one on each level of your house in places where there are lots of appliances, mechanical equipment, or chemicals. Clean out your dryer’s lint trap. If it’s been a while since you last cleaned your dryer’s lint trap (or if you never have), start making it a regular habit. Lint

Get the Most Out of Your Home Listing

August 30, 2021

Trying to get the most money for your home can feel like navigating through a maze at times. You try to figure out your local market and price your house competitively, but you’re still struggling to get good offers. As you work with your agent, they’ll likely give you advice on how to optimize your listing. Here are a few tips to draw the perfect buyer to your home. Spruce Up Your Listing To make a great first impression with buyers, start by creating a strong listing. Each part from your pictures to the description of the house should be as accurate as possible. If a buyer comes to tour and realizes things aren’t how they appear in your listing, it can turn them away from making an offer. Staging your home for photos makes all the difference in how buyers will assess it. To get your home picture ready, clean from top to bottom. All your belongings should be put away so that people can see each room in its entirety. If you have a storage area or large closet space you want to highlight, clear it out to show the full size. Lastly, use good lighting so each

Simple Tips to Keep Your Plumbing Flowing

June 28, 2021

Your home’s plumbing requires continual maintenance in order to function properly. However, that can be easier said than done. It doesn’t take much to clog or damage your pipes, and you could find yourself paying for expensive repairs. Luckily, a little bit of preventative action on your part can help you avoid a larger issue. A lot can happen to your plumbing. There’s a multitude of reasons that your plumbing is struggling. From a child’s toy lodged in the toilet to a crack somewhere down the line, it could take a bit of work to correctly identify and treat the cause. Some of the most common problems are: Roots are also a top cause for your pipes to become broken. Trees, bushes, and other vegetation are attracted to the water from a leaky pipe and can grow in small cracks. Since most plants grow relatively slow, it could take years before you notice. Don’t rely on your garbage disposal. If your sink has a garbage disposal, don’t rely on it to chop up everything. Not all the food gets ground up completely and certain foods can clump together in your drain. Dump your leftovers into a trashcan, and when you

How to Keep Your Oven Clean and Safe

March 22, 2021

Being inside for the majority of last year may have given you more time to try new things. Perhaps you found a new hobby, binged your favorite shows, or polished your cooking skills by trying new dishes. If you did work on your culinary abilities, your oven might be in need of some TLC. Knowing how to clean your oven the right way will let you extend its lifespan and get the best possible cooking results. “When should I clean my oven?” The obvious answer to this question is: when your oven is noticeably dirty. If there are grease spots around your burners, charred food on the racks, and other signs that it’s been a while since you last cleaned, it’s time. For active chefs, cleaning every couple of months is best to prevent debris buildups that can lead to fires. As for those that aren’t using their kitchen much, cleaning once or twice a year should suffice. Again, it all depends on how frequently you’re cooking and how messy you get when you do. “Can’t I just use the self-clean feature on my oven?” While the self-clean option on most ovens is nice, it isn’t a perfect solution. Normally