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Preventive Maintenance People!!
I attended a home inspection on behalf of an out of town Buyer this week and wanted to share with you a common oversight by homeowners. Air filters for HVAC (Heat and Air Conditioning) return vents, almost every home in America has at least 1 and sometimes 2-3 filters in their home. These filters keep airborne particles like dust and other allergens from being re-circulated into your home’s interior living space. I often witness at home inspections dirty, filthy filters like the one in this picture. When these air filters are not changed regularly (every 1-3 months depending on the make/model) the HVAC unit has to work extra hard to compensate for the restrictive airway at the return vent and your interior air is not as clean as it could be. Your HVAC unit working overtime because of dirty return filters ultimately decreases the life of your unit. Here’s another tip, don’t put furnture in front of your return vent like this homeowner did, this also makes it more difficult for your HVAC to “breathe”. So go check your filters now America, give your HVAC a break!
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How much does a screen porch cost??
Jeff how much would a screen porch cost me? I get that question at least a few times each year and the answer is, it depends. As you can see from this gallery not all porches are the same. What dictates the cost of a porch? Are you adding a roof and frame to an existing deck or are you simply screening in 2 sides of an existing space that already has overhead coverage? What style/shape of roof do you want? A shed roof or a gable roof? Once you have a design you have to determine how detailed you want the finishings to be. Do you want to hang a ceiling fan? Do you want a ceiling or exposed rafters? As you can see there are a lot of details to consider and they all affect the final price.
With an average year round climate of 60 degrees fahrenheit and a healthy population of flesh biting insects, screen porches are lovely additions to homes here in North Carolina. Screen porches add value to your home and expand the overall living space of your home.
Interested in learning more and/or would like to meet with a contractor to discuss adding a screen porch to your home? Get in touch, I know the professionals who can help.
What does that crack mean?
- A problem or not?
I see cracks like this all the time, with our clay soils its pretty common with brick veneer homes. A good home inspector will look inside and outside of the home for clues that will tell how serious a cracked veneer might be. “Brick homes” in this area are generally brick veneer only, usually the brick is covering cinder blocks. Brick veneer can crack because of common settling that all home experience and it can crack when the structural integrity of a home is compromised. Common inside indicators inside that a home’s structural integrity is compromised include: doors that don’t shut, Sheetrock cracks above door and wall openings, uneven floors and twisted or broken attic trusses. Outside indicators that a home may have serious structural problems include masonry chimneys that are falling away from the house and cracked foundation cinder blocks. Have a concern or want to know more or want to have your home inspected? I know the professionals, get in touch. Have a story of your own? Share it!
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38th Annual Festifall in Chapel Hill
Some of my favorite memories of growing up in Carrboro and Chapel Hill are of the street festivals. In 2006 after a 35 year run, our beloved “Apple Chill” festival was brought to an end following an increasing number of post event activities that involved a lot of out-of-town bikers, gangs and eventually gun shots. But we still have “Festifall” and it is coming up Sunday, October 3rd from 1pm to 6pm. October is a beautiful time of year in this part of the state, make plans to attend, I promise you will not be disappointed. To learn more about “Festifall” visit the town’s website. To see pictures of past “Apple Chill” festivals visit Chapel Hill Memories on the Internet.
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Chapel Hill and Carrboro – A Unique Place to Live
This is a great website full of excellent information on this beautiful community. Continue reading
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Short Sale vs. Foreclosure?
A short-sale is a sales transaction in which the seller’s mortgage lender agrees to accept a payoff of less than the balance due on the loan. The lender will only agree to a short-sale in cases where a borrower has a hardship and owes more on the mortgage than the home is worth. The hardship can be a medical emergency, a divorce or a job transfer. Banks can take months to review an offer on a short-sale.
A foreclosure is the process lenders use to repossess a home from a buyer when they fail to make mortgage payments. After a foreclosure, a lender will sell the property at auction. If a buyer for the property cannot be found, the lender will repossess the property and sell it. Bank-owned properties are called Real Estate Owned, or REO.
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