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In addition to being unsightly, mold in your home can create numerous health problems, from breathing issues to skin irritations, fevers and more. Below are some tips for keeping your home mold-free.

Treat topically. Homeowners often have their own mold-murdering solution they prefer. Whether you prefer vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or bleach, clean surfaces monthly to keep mold growth under control. Make sure you research your topical solutions before applying them ” bleach to a painted wall can discolor it.

Add ventilation. In addition to removing mold when it pops up, adding ventilation to an under-ventilated space can be key in keeping mold at bay. Your bathroom and basement are prime mold spots, so decide whether or not you should add an extra window to open the space.

Seal spaces. A crack in your basement’s foundation may be the culprit of the mold popping up. Have an expert do a walk-through with you to point out problem areas and then plug them up to battle mold even when you’re off-duty.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

A mortgage payment can easily be the biggest bill in a monthly budget. Coming up with that money can be easy in some months and more difficult in others. Turning those difficult months into easier ones is possible with a few tactics.

Here are five hacks to help make paying your mortgage a little easier each month:

Get a side job
Just earning $500 extra a month ” or $125 per week ” can make paying a mortgage easier. To do this, get a side job for one or two hours per day at a gig you enjoy.

Consider dog walking, house sitting, driving for Uber, delivering meals or teaching a class at your local community center. Set each paycheck aside for your mortgage bill.

Rent out a room
There are several options for renting a room and making some money on the side. You can be a full-time, live-in landlord and rent out a room to a tenant by the month.

Airbnb allows users to rent rooms on their schedule ” one day at a time, a weekend, week or longer. Or rent your entire house for a few weeks while youre away on vacation.

Rent or sell your stuff
From your car, bike, surfboard and other gear, you can make some extra money by renting out your stuff when its idle.

If you want to get rid of something youre not using, then sell your unused books, bike, clothes, furniture and tools, among many other things, on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, Amazon and used book websites.

Use a work bonus or tax refund
A bonus at work or a tax refund can seem like found money, and its easy to spend it on a splurge such as a vacation.

Another use it to put it toward your mortgage for a month, saving you a payment and giving you a month of relaxing by not having to pull money from your regular budget to make a house payment. It can free up your other funds to invest or put aside in an emergency fund for a rainy day.

Pay down the principal
The above tips are meant to help you come up with some extra money so that your monthly mortgage payment is easier. While that can be good in the short term, you can also use the extra money to reach the long-term goal of paying off your home loan earlier. If your loan doesnt have a penalty for prepayment, then add to what you pay each month to your mortgage bill, and be sure to specify that the extra amount goes toward the principal.

It will help you pay off your mortgage faster and will save you thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan.

Hope you found these tips helpful! Contact me for more insights and info.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Renters insurance is relatively inexpensive, costing between $15 and $30 per month, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For less than $1 per day, renters can protect all of their possessions and not be held liable for an accident in their rental home.

Even themost miserly renters can save on renters insurance by adding safety features to the property they’re renting. Here are four upgrades insurers may offer discounts for:

Smoke Detectors
Landlords should already have smoke detectors installed in rental units. Most states require them by law, so if your rental doesn’t have them, ask your landlord to buy smoke detectors and install them. Smoke detectors alert you to a fire quicker, hopefully giving you time to get outside to a safer location, or to possibly put out the fire quickly and minimize property damage.

Three out of five home fire deaths are from fires in properties without working smoke alarms, and 37 percent are from fires where no smoke alarm was present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half when a smoke alarm is working.

Fire Extinguishers
Insurers may also offer discounts for having a fire extinguisher that’s working. One in a kitchen can keep a stovetop fire from spreading to your other possessions. They should be checked monthly to ensure they’re working, and the extinguisher should be easy to get to and not blocked in a closet by coats or anything else.

Deadbolts
If a burglar tries to pick the locks on your doors, a deadbolt can add an extra line of defense for a few dollars. The high volume of foot traffic in apartment complexes can increase the chances of a break-in. Add deadbolts to front, back and side doors.

Security System
A home security system can be as expensive as you want to make it. You can hire a professional alarm company to install a burglar alarm and other forms of surveillance, or you can install video cameras yourself. An around-the-clock security system can alert tenants and police to harm and can prevent the loss of your property.

Whatever upgrades you’re considering adding, first discuss them with your landlord and point out that not only will they save you money on renters insurance, but also likely save money on homeowners insurance for the property for having the extra safety measures.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Buying a condominium can be a smart start to being a homebuyer, without many of the maintenance hassles of owning a detached home.

Insurance through the homeowner association, or HOA, covers some areas of the complex, though each homeowner must have their own insurance to cover certain parts of their property and their belongings.

Heres a breakdown of how condo insurance works:

Group insurance: Condo association insurance usually covers common areas, such as a pool, lawn and building exteriors.

This insurance is called the master policy and doesnt include whats inside your condo unit ” such as a break-in, water damage to your kitchen walls, or someone slipping on your wet bathroom floor.

Condo unit insurance: Everything inside the walls, such as the plumbing and electrical wiring, is covered by your individual insurance policy, though some master policies may cover from the paint on the inside of your unit to the outside walls.

An individual homeowners insurance policy will also cover your belongings that you keep inside your condo, along with any fixtures or improvements you make to your unit.

When valuing your possessions, consider the replacement cost in todays dollars for new items, not what they originally cost. Some policies only reimburse for actual cash value, which is the depreciated value, and not the total replacement costs.

Insurance coverage for personal belongings and the physical building typically range from $25,000 to $100,000, with premiums at $400 to $600 per year. Owning artwork or other collectibles could require additional coverage.

Liability coverage included in condo insurance will typically cost $20 a year for $300,000 in liability coverage.

Loss-assessment insurance: This covers insurance expenses not covered by the condo association, or in excess of the group coverage. You may need it if the condo association insurance doesnt cover a major repair and the HOA doesnt have enough money to pay for the repair. Instead of paying extra for the fixes, your loss-assessment coverage would cover you.

Loss of use: This type of insurance pays for a place for you to stay if your unit is totaled or severely damaged by a tornado or some other disaster. Coverage may be limited to a dollar value or your actual costs for a specified time.

When determining how much insurance you need for your condo, start with your condo associations master policy and then fill in the holes from there. This real estate information will help ensure your investment and your belongings are well protected.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

These cutting-edge security features will ensure your property is prepared for anything!

Biometric Keypad

With biometric keypads, all of your doors can be set to automatically lock and simply require your fingerprint to open.

Home Firewall

Installing a firewall provides an extra layer of protection to any online vulnerabilities.

Safe Room

A fortified safe room can serve as shelter from a natural disaster or extra defense in the event of a home intrusion.

Perimeter Surveillance Radars

Perimeter surveillance is worth considering for large estates in more remote settings.

Art Collection Protection

Installing sensors that monitor any activity within close proximity is a great way to keep your art safe.

Published with permission from RISMedia.