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Spring, sunshine and budding blooms are nearly at your front door and there is no better time to get to work to protect your home. Here are the spring maintenance tasks youll need to put on your to-do list to ensure you are protecting your home from damage and unnecessary wear.

General Inspections
Annual inspections are the best way to address those relatively small maintenance tasks that can lead to thousands of dollars in repair expenses if ignored. Have your HVAC system and your roof inspected by a professional yearly, if possible. This will allow you to make small and inexpensive fixes to prevent unneeded and costly replacements.

Outdoor Tasks
Spring is the best time to evaluate your landscaping. With spring blooms readily available, theres no better time to focus on your propertys curb appeal. Spring landscaping tasks can include lawn aeration, overseeding, fertilization and pruning of shrubs or trees. However, dont ignore the vital clean-up tasks. Fall and winter storms can bring branches, leaves and other debris, clogging foundation vents, gutters and downspouts.

Heavy winds can also be responsible for slippery grime and debris causing unsafe walkways around and leading up to your property. Clean your gutters and your gooseneck to ensure those spring showers dont bring standing water that sits next to your homes foundation.

Indoor Tasks
Now is the perfect time to get started on your indoor spring cleaning tasks. Not only will you feel more organized, but a tidy home ensures you dont miss problem areas (like leaks, cracks or other issues) before they are difficult to address. Finally, while you are conducting your spring cleaning, check for mold development in the attic or standing water in the basement due to winter moisture buildup.

Keeping your home in its best shape is important both for your resale value and your overall enjoyment while living in it.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Buying a house is challenging for many people. If your annual earnings are low, it may be difficult or impossible to save a substantial amount of money for a down payment. If you have existing loans or credit cards, your debt-to-income ratio may be too high to qualify for most mortgages. Fortunately, there are several programs that might be able to help you achieve your dream of owning a home.

Federal Programs to Help Low-Income Borrowers
A loan through the Federal Housing Administration requires just 3.5 percent down. The down payment can be made with funds received as a gift. FHA has lower credit score requirements and less stringent rules on debt-to-income ratio than conventional lenders. The borrower can have a co-signer and the seller can pay some or all of the closing costs.

Both Fannie Maes HomeReady program and Freddie Macs Home Possible Advantage program require just 3 percent down. The borrower doesnt have to personally contribute any money toward a down payment; it can come from a grant, loan or gift. In addition, the seller can pay up to 3 percent of the purchase price in closing costs and the borrower can qualify for a discount on mortgage insurance.

The Department of Agriculture has a home loan program to help low-to-moderate income borrowers purchase houses in designated rural areas. The USDA offers two programs for borrowers with different income levels. No down payment is required.

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers loans that can be particularly beneficial to low-income borrowers since there is no down payment or mortgage insurance required. The program doesnt have a minimum credit score, but lenders can set their own minimums. The VA has more lenient rules on debt-to-income ratio than conventional lenders. The seller can pay up to 4 percent of the purchase price to cover the buyers closing costs.

The Good Neighbor Next Door Program lets teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians buy Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosure properties at half-price. The discount is a second mortgage that doesnt require any payment, as long as the borrower lives in the house for at least three years.

Other Forms of Assistance
Some city, county and state housing finance agencies issue mortgage credit certificates. Borrowers who meet income guidelines can receive a tax credit equal to a percentage of the mortgage interest. That credit can be added to qualifying income, which allows a lender to approve a higher mortgage amount than the borrower would have otherwise been able to obtain.

Some government agencies, employers and charitable organizations offer down payment assistance through grants or loans. Programs may have income limits, or they may help borrowers buy homes in underserved or redevelopment areas, no matter their income.

Ask If Youre Eligible
Several programs are designed specifically for people who have low incomes and want to buy a home. If you need help, research these programs to find out if youre eligible or ask your real estate agent for guidance.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If youre moving to a new home, chances are youll still have plenty of windows that need to be fancied up with shades, drapes and curtains. But that doesnt mean you should take your window treatments from one house to the next.

After all, the odds of the windows being the same size are low and youre probably going to want a different color scheme in your rooms anyway. Whats the use of moving to a new home if everything looks the same?

The problem is, youve probably spent a lot of money on these items over the years and parting with them will be hard. Some people even get them custom-made, so the cost was even higher, but again, custom for one set of windows is not the same as custom for all.

You might offer them up to whoever bought your home, thinking that could help if any negotiations need to happen at closing, however, even if your curtains are beautiful, the new owners probably want to buy their own and decorate how they see fit. Still, its worth trying, especially for first-time homeowners who may not be able to spend much on these window treatments right away. After all, people always like getting things for free.

Never leave broken blinds or shades in the home. If you notice your items have tears or are broken in some way, fix them so the new owners arent faced with a problem right away. And cleaning everything is always a good idea. Even old curtains and drapes will look brand new with a nice cleaning.

Maybe youll decide you do want to take everything with you. If this is the case, make sure your REALTOR” explains this to those looking to buy and list it on your selling documents. You dont want a misrepresentation over something so minor holding up the sale.

In these cases, some agents will suggest you take everything down and replace them with cheaper options that you can leave. This way, at least the new owners have something when they come in. The downside here is that your curtains and drapes will most likely be more eye-catching and could even help in someone deciding to buy your home over another.

If you do go this route, choose neutral colors or sheer curtains so they will work with any decorative style a new homeowner may have.

If you decide to take your window treatments with you and a buyer comes along wanting to buy the house, but wants the curtains included, be flexible. In most cases, it will be worth giving them up rather than waiting for another interested party to come along. Plus, youll have the fun of shopping for curtains all over again for your new home.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Maybe you just downsized from a larger house to a smaller one, or to an apartment in the city from a house in the burbs. Or maybe youre just looking to give your existing space a refresh. In any case, youll want to keep in mind a few key points when decorating a smaller space. From scale to color, here are some tips to help you create rooms that will stand the test of time.

Clear Out Any Clutter
With an expansive home, you can get away with a bit more stuff. When youre trying to make a smaller space feel more put together, clutter is the enemy. Before you bring in anything new, take out anything thats not adding to your aesthetic.

Look for Furniture That Does Double Duty
If a piece of dcor can serve more than one purpose, its a good bet. For instance, an ottoman that is a coffee table can also create additional seating when guests are over. That’s just perfect for a small apartment.

Think Big with Rugs
It can be tempting to buy small rugs to match a petite space, and also save money. But investing in slightly more oversized rugs that help fill a space can actually make it feel bigger.

Install Shelving
Beautiful shelves can serve as both dcor and storage, allowing you to keep things off the floor. This is key, because you can have more things in your space without it feeling cluttered and youll be able to walk through your space more easily.

Blend Big Pieces with the Wall
Matching big items like a sofa to the wall color can help them blend”creating the illusion of a bigger area as your eyes skim over it.

Hide Appliances and Office Supplies
As best you can, invest in cabinets, drawers and smart furniture choices so the unattractive necessities of everyday life, from blenders to printers, arent front and center. Or, choose items (like a beautiful espresso maker, for instance) that can moonlight as dcor.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Whether you love to clean or hate it, everyone can agree that when it comes to keeping your home sparkling, nothing is more exciting than finding the perfect cleaning product. A good cleaning product or tool will lessen your load while offering a deep clean that you can be pleased with. These home cleaning tools certainly deliver, and you wont regret getting them for your next deep clean.

Steam Mop
Perfect for most hard floors, but ideal for use in the kitchen and bathroom, steam mops can offer disinfecting power that a regular mop fails to deliver without additional chemicals. Though a steam mop is a larger investment than a traditional sponge mop, their ability to loosen stuck-on grime is unparalleled and makes it a must-have item.

Magic Eraser
The name doesnt lie with this product”these infused sponges truly do feel like magic. With the ability to remove stains like few other tools or cleaning solutions on the market, keep a box of these around for the next time your toddler decides to create their next masterpiece on the wall or counter.

Sonic Scrubber Brush
For cleaning small areas of grout or caulking full of grime, nothing works better than a toothbrush. If you are tired of using only your elbow grease to ensure a clean bathroom or kitchen, it might be time to invest in a sonic scrubber brush. With a body and design nearly identical to your traditional sonic toothbrush, these are electric powered brushes designed to boost your cleaning power. If you have any title in your home, this is a no-brainer.

Published with permission from RISMedia.