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The suns ultraviolet rays can do more than cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer. They can also damage your home, both outside and inside. Sunlight can cause siding, roofing, furniture, fabrics, and flooring to change and deteriorate over time.

How to Prevent Damage to Your Homes Exterior
A window can act like a magnifying glass and reflect sunlight, focusing it on a relatively small portion of a nearby houses siding. This can cause older vinyl siding to melt. If youve noticed that your siding has started to melt because of sunlight reflected off your neighbors windows, or if youre concerned about the possibility, planting trees or bushes around your house can protect the siding and increase your homes value. You can also replace your current siding with a newer model thats designed to resist damage from high temperatures.

The suns rays can cause roofing shingles to deteriorate, which can eventually lead to leaks. You can shield your roof from sun damage by applying a coating with high emissivity and reflectivity rates. It will create a waterproof barrier to draw heat away from the roof and keep the surface cooler.

How to Protect Belongings Inside Your Home
Sunlight streaming through windows can cause furniture, carpeting and artwork to gradually fade. You can protect your homes furnishings with curtains or shades, window film or UV-repelling sprays.

If you have leather furniture, a leather conditioner can help prevent fading and cracking. You can use a sealant to protect your wood furniture from discoloration. Choose a sealant thats appropriate for the type of wood used in your furniture.

Exposure to sunlight can also cause artwork to fade. Paintings on canvas can be treated with archival protection sprays, while framed art can be covered with museum-grade glass or UV-blocking acrylic.

Sunlight can damage hardwood floors and cause the color to change dramatically over time. If some areas are covered with furniture and rugs and others arent, the result can be a floor with a patchwork of different colors. You can protect your hardwood floors with pigment-based stains and finishes that contain UV inhibitors. Periodically rearranging rugs and furniture can also help prevent certain areas from becoming significantly discolored.

Protect Your Property From the Suns Effects
Many people dont realize how much damage sunlight can cause to their home until they notice serious problems and need to pay for repairs or replace furniture and other possessions. Fortunately, there are many simple but effective ways to protect your homes exterior and interior from the sun. Take action now to avoid expensive bills later.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

When its time to sell your home, you want it looking its best. This often means putting your designer hat on and doing a bit of staging. One of the many areas to consider breathing new life into is your shelving. Though often overlooked, shelves are an opportunity to strike a balance between functional storage and fashionable display. If youre looking to make your house more memorable, here are five tips for curating shelves that are stylish and creative.

Form and Function
First, consider your current shelving situation and determine if its time for an upgrade to the overall aesthetic. If you dont have built-ins, there are tons of different options that are easy to install, from floating shelves to open box shelves. Wood and glass are popular to use because of their versatility, though you should have a sense of how youll decorate your shelves before picking out materials.

Show Off Books
If you read on a Kindle or tablet, the reality is that your collection of books may not be seeing the use it once did. The good news, however, is that the books still look good on your shelves. Rather than putting the entire collection out in the living room, theres a much stronger design impact if you choose a handful of books that are visually pleasing or mean the most to you. If you have a vintage record collection, that works just as well.

Go Green
Houseplants can provide the perfect sense of balance amidst your other objects and artifacts. Cacti or succulents are fun and low-maintenance options that work especially well if youre going for just a few select items in a clutter-free space.

Exhibit Your Art
Give your home the feel of a gallery with a selection of artwork displayed on the shelves. Whether its handmade pottery, sculptures, or framed pictures that are leaning against the wall, this can be a surprising use of space that feels sophisticated. Its far from just using it as a place to store everyday odds and ends.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Understand the differences between the interest rate and the APR when comparing mortgages so you can avoid overpaying for a home loan.

What is the Interest Rate?

The interest rate is the amount the lender will charge, based on market rates when you take out a mortgage and your credit score, in exchange for loaning you the principal amount.

What is the APR?

The annual percentage rate (APR) includes the interest rate, as well as other costs, such as loan origination fees, closing costs, mortgage insurance and discount points.

Which Mortgage is Best?

The interest rate can help you figure out how much you would pay each month, while the APR can give you an idea of how much you would pay over the life of the mortgage.

An online mortgage calculator can help you compare loan offers and figure out which loan would be the best option for you.

Get Professional Advice

A mortgage broker can explain your options and help you find a loan with competitive terms.

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If you want to buy a home, youll probably need to make a substantial down payment. Putting down 20 percent can help you avoid paying hundreds of dollars each month for private mortgage insurance. You may be thinking about using all the money in your savings account for a down payment, but that could be a big mistake.

Emergencies and Repairs
You could lose your job or become unable to work because of an illness or injury at any time, or a family member could be unable to work or have unexpected medical bills. Thats why you should always have an emergency fund with enough money to cover at least three months worth of living expenses.

When you rent an apartment, you can call the landlord or maintenance department to fix any problem. When you own a house, the responsibility for repairs and maintenance falls squarely on you. Many people are unprepared for the total cost of homeownership. Having money set aside in a savings account for repairs and maintenance is much better than paying bills with a high-interest credit card.

The house you bought might need renovations to make it a comfortable or safe place to live. Upgrades could easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. You wouldnt be able to fund these projects with savings if you emptied your account to pay for a down payment. Using a high-interest credit card could leave you overwhelmed with debt and unable to afford your mortgage.

Liquidity
A savings account can be accessed at any time. When money is tied up in a house, it can be harder to utilize. If you suddenly encountered a financial problem, it would be much easier to withdraw money from your savings account than to get a home equity loan or line of credit, especially if you just recently bought your house and didnt have much equity.

Other Priorities
You probably have other financial goals that are as important, if not more important, than buying a house. High-interest credit card debt could take up a huge chunk of your monthly earnings, and high balances could make it difficult or impossible to buy a house or car with a favorable interest rate. The sooner you pay off your credit cards, the better off youll be in the long run. Retirement savings grow over time through compounded interest. If you havent started investing for retirement, you should before you buy a house.

Take a Balanced Approach
Buying a house is a major investment. It can be tempting to put all your savings toward a down payment, but you should also focus on other priorities and be prepared for the unexpected. Make sure you are building an emergency fund, paying down debt, and saving for retirement, and consider delaying a home purchase, if necessary, to keep your priorities in balance.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional or legal advice.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.