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Attic fans, also called full house fans, can be an effective and cost-efficient way to cool a home. They bring in cooler air from outside through vents and push the hot air outside. Doing this means less reliance on your air conditioner, particularly in late spring and early summer when nights are still relatively cool, resulting in lower energy bills. During the hot, humid summer days, youll need to use air conditioning because the outside air is warm and wont cool the home.
An attic fan can be a nice selling point, but only if its fully operational and well maintained. It doesnt require much maintenance, but following these steps will lengthen the lifespan of your fan.

Check the vents. Ventilation is required for attic fans to work effectively so that the hot air can escape your home. Make sure the soffit vents in your attic arent blocked and are clean to allow air flow. In particular, make sure there isnt any insulation blocking the vents.

If your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not properly sealed from the rest of the house, attic fans will extract cool air out of the house and pull it into the attic. This will use more energy and make your air conditioner work harder, which will increase your utility bills. Installing rafter vents”which create a channel for air to the soffits”can help with this issue, especially if your attic floor is covered with insulation.

Attic fans are essentially a hole in your ceiling that needs to be sealed to protect against outdoor exposure, especially rain. In fact, if you have a leak and cant determine the source, have the fan area checked and make any necessary repairs. Proper sealing will also ensure that cool air flows through your home.

If your attic fan has oil ports to help the motor run, they need to be cleaned every few years. The same goes for vents and blades”clean blades will make the fan more effective. If youre selling your home this is a good time to make sure everything is in the best condition possible.

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Between work, family and fun, cleaning your home can feel like a drag”but most of us can’t afford to hire a cleaning crew, and so the task of weekly tidying and disinfecting is unavoidable. To help, below are three daily habits to a cleaner home.

Set a timer. Every night after dinner, set a timer for 15 minutes and have your family clean around the house: arm someone with disinfectant to wipe down the bathroom, set another loose on the living room picking up clutter, and hand out a trash bag to tackle any expired goods in the fridge. If you make this a daily task, cleaning your home will always feel a bit more manageable.

Do one room a day. If the timer method isn’t your thing (or if your family is a small one), pick a room or area each day to address: living room on Monday, bathroom on Tuesday, laundry on Wednesday, and so on. Depending on the size of your room, many can be handled in 20-30 minutes or less.

Multitask. Pair cleaning with something you enjoy doing, like listening to a podcast, phoning a friend, or watching your favorite show. Fold the laundry while you catch up on television, or wipe down the counters and surfaces while you gab with your sister or old roommate.

I hope you found this helpful. Contact me for more home and real estate insights and info.

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Clearing out clutter is key to staging a home for sale, and it’s the best way to make a room look more organized and spacious. Bottles, cans and other items that pile up can make a cabinet or shelf look crowded. Getting rid of some of these items can be a small step toward a more appealing home. Here are some items you can cut down on:

1. Cleaning Supplies
The cabinet under the sink is a gathering space for polishes, waxes, cleaners and tools that are collecting dust. Get rid of anything you dont use, and be sure to dispose of chemical-based cleaners safely. You know that dusting tool you bought because an infomercial made it seem like a miracle cleaning product? If its in the back of your cabinet, forgotten and neglected, toss it. After youve thrown out the excess items, clean out the cabinet itself and organize the remaining contents.

2. Grooming Products
How many lotions and gels does one household need? All bathrooms seem to have dozens of bottles that havent been opened in years. Go through everything and throw out what you dont use on a regular basis. Also, throw out old makeup and bottles that are nearly empty. Clean the items you are keeping and place them neatly in your medicine cabinet.

3. Medicines
This is actually important for reasons other than staging a home. Unneeded prescriptions can be dangerous, and out of date medications often lose their effectiveness. Disposing of medications safely is of vital importance. Many towns have take-back programs that collect unused medicines. If thats not an option, the FDA recommends mixing medicines with dirt, kitty litter or coffee grounds and placing the mixture in a sealed plastic bag before throwing it in the garbage. Also, scratch out personal information on bottle labels.

4. Mugs
All those coffee and tea mugs youve collected over the years can make your kitchen cabinets seem messy. Get rid of the mugs you dont need”have a yard sale or donate them to a thrift store or local senior center.

5. Magazines
Lets face it, youre never going to read those 10-year-old copies of National Geographic or Sports Illustrated. A few magazines that are well displayed on a coffee table can be a nice touch, but if you have back issues of your favorite periodicals piled up, its time to get rid of them. The news in them is old anyway.

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Applying for a mortgage to buy the house of your dreams can be a daunting process. You have to submit an application, paystubs, tax returns and other documentation. In addition, the lender will base their decision and how much money to loan you partially on your credit score.

Reasons to Check Your Credit

Before you apply for a mortgage, its a good idea to know where your credit currently stands. The best way to find out is to request copies of your credit reports. You’re entitled to receive free copies of your reports from the three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

One reason? You can compare your score to your lenders guidelines to see if you’d have a good shot at being approved for a mortgage. If your score is too low, you can take steps to raise it. You can pay down your credit card balances, consolidate debt to lower your interest rates and pay it off faster. Additionally, be sure to pay all of your bills on time. It may take several months to have an impact, so the sooner you start making changes, the better.

You should also check your credit before applying for a mortgage to find out if your reports contain any errors. Sometimes records get mixed up if people have the same name or a company reports information incorrectly. If you find an error on your report, it could also be due to identify theft. Data breaches happen all the time, and criminals use stolen information to open fraudulent accounts. You might be unaware unless you check your credit report.

Errors on your credit report could prevent you from getting a mortgage for which you actually qualify. If your credit report shows that you have more debt than you really do or that you’re behind on payments when you really arent, that could cause the lender to consider you too risky for a mortgage.

If you find that your credit report contains errors or accounts that you didnt open, you should contact the credit reporting agency to dispute the information. They can investigate to find out what happened and correct errors. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, contact law enforcement.

Check Your Credit Early

When a lender is deciding whether or not to approve your mortgage application, your credit score is one of the most important pieces of information they’ll consider. Several months before you fill out your mortgage application, request copies of your credit reports. See where your score currently stands and check for errors. Then you can take action to raise your score and correct any mistakes so you can turn your dream of owning a home into a reality.

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Many people dream of owning a home, but it can be difficult to save enough money for a down payment and closing costs. Fortunately, federal, state and local governments offer a variety of programs to help people purchase their first home.

Federal Programs
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers insured loans, which means that the lender will not lose money if the borrower defaults on the loan. FHA loans offer smaller down payments and lower closing costs than other types of loans and have competitive interest rates. Down payment requirements depend on the borrowers credit score.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsors the Good Neighbor Next Door program, which helps police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and teachers buy homes. In regions designated as “revitalization areas,” buyers can receive a significant discount on the purchase price, as long as they agree to live in the house for at least three years.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also offers assistance to homebuyers. The USDA guarantees loans for homes in rural areas. The properties do not need to be used as farms. Income limits and down payment requirements vary.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are entities sponsored by the federal government that offer loans to people with low- and moderate-incomes through local lenders. The loans are offered with low down payments and competitive interest rates.

Assistance for Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers home-buying assistance for active-duty members of the military, veterans and surviving spouses. The VA partially guarantees the loans and offers them with no down payment, no minimum credit score, no private mortgage insurance and competitive interest rates.

The VA also offers the Native American Veteran Direct Loan. The program helps Native American veterans and their spouses purchase houses located on federal trust lands. These loans do not require down payments or private mortgage insurance and come with low closing costs and fixed rates for 30 years.

Help With Home Improvements
Many people would like to make their homes more energy efficient to reduce their long-term energy costs. The Energy-Efficient Mortgage program allows buyers to make upgrades to improve energy efficiency without raising their down payments. The loans are insured through the FHA or VA.

Some first-time homebuyers look for inexpensive fixer-uppers. The Section 203(k) rehabilitation program, which is backed by the FHA, allows buyers to borrow money to make improvements and includes the costs in the total value of the mortgage.

Other Programs
Many states and cities also offer programs designed to help first-time homebuyers. You can learn about these programs by visiting your state or local governments website or talking to a local real estate agent or a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.

Research Available Options
Buying a first home can seem daunting, but it doesnt have to be. Several programs are available to help first-time buyers in a variety of circumstances. Explore your options to get help so you can be on the road to buying the home of your dreams.

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