Author: John Conde

Home Insurance Policies 101

Posted on by John Conde

You’ve decided to make what is probably going to be the biggest purchase of your life – you bought a home – and that’s exciting. However, before you set your heart on the number of bedrooms you want, neighborhood, backyard pool, etc., you should look into the cost of home insurance and determine what you can reasonably afford. Becoming a homeowner won’t be as fun if you end up with a house that is going to cost you astronomically in the insurance department. Since homeowner’s insurance isn’t something you can just skip over, it’s important to analyze safety features, local weather conditions, and crime rate in the community you’re considering moving into. Home insurance policies vary depending on different factors, and taking a closer look into what each of them encompasses will ensure you’re sufficiently covered.

HO-1

This is the most simple home insurance policy on the market. It covers direct damage to the home only caused by specific hazards that include fire, lightning, hail or windstorm, explosions, riots, aircraft, other vehicles, smoke, vandalism, theft, and volcanic eruption. You have to be careful with this policy as it does not include personal liability coverage.

HO-2

An HO-2 defends your home and its surrounding structures, like a detached garage or fence, and includes personal liability. This policy steps it up a bit and covers everything mentioned in the HO-1 as well as falling objects, plumbing system floods, power surges, frozen pipes, broken heater, air conditioner, water heater or fire sprinkler and destruction caused by the weight of sleet, snow or ice.

HO-3

This is the insurance policy many homeowners decide to go with because of the level of coverage and comfort it provides. You will be able to work with your insurance agent to come up with a list of exclusions you really feel you won’t need coverage for and include them in the contract, meaning you will be protected from loss or damage as a result of anything else. Some of these exclusions may include nuclear threats, earthquakes, deterioration, neglect, and war.

HO-4

The HO-4 plan is designed to specifically give coverage to renters. It will provide for the loss of any of the tenant’s personal belongings due to the same perils listed in an HO-2 policy and personal liability of the renter, but does not cover any property damage.

HO-5

Similar to the HO-3 plan, the HO-5 is the most inclusive policy a homeowner can obtain. The biggest difference is that the insured’s personal belongings within the home are fully covered unless something has been pointedly excluded.

HO-6

This will meet the needs of a condo owner who would like to insure their belongings and anything not considered to be covered by the property owner’s policy for common areas.

HO-8

An older home can be more difficult to insure, but that’s what an HO-8 policy is for. If the estimated cost to rebuild your home is more than its current market value this plan will allow you to make sure you are getting some kind of replacement coverage under the damages listed. Depending on the amendments you make, the insurance company may only payout to replace your home using modern materials instead of paying more for the antique qualities it once had.

Going over all your home insurance options and discount possibilities before jumping into a huge investment will give you an advantage and save you in the long run. There may be things in a policy you simply don’t need or depending on the climate you live in, there may be things that are necessary to add.

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8 Awesome Ways To Pep Up Your Sunroom

Posted on by John Conde

The main purpose of the sunroom is not just to bring outdoors into your house, but also to allow the natural sunlight to enter and gleam the entire room. So it is imperative to furnish or deck up your sunroom just as you would do to your outdoor patio.

Here are some awesome ways to deck up the sunroom for making it highly inviting and attractive:

1.    Select furniture pieces that are able to resist the constant rays and heat of the sun. Here, you may consider your outdoor patio furniture pieces, as the materials used to make these pieces are sustainable to all the weather conditions. Furniture pieces made from aluminum, wicker, or wrought iron are a few excellent choices when it comes to sunroom furniture.

2.    Add some cozy pillows and cushions to your sunroom furniture for a more comfortable and cozy experience.

3.    Arrange your seating area in such a way that you can easily interact with the visitors or guests in your sunroom. Position a couch against your wall with a table placed in front of the sofa. Place a couple of chairs around the sides of the table for an organized and purposeful look.

4.    Talking about the floor, it is always a superb idea to have a nice and cozy area rug to provide uber coziness when walking in your sunroom. You may opt for an outdoor rug to get a hang of the outdoors in your sunroom. However, make sure to clean your rug on a regular basis.

5.    Paint up your walls with a light shade for keeping the feel of your sunroom cheerful and vibrant

6.    Add some window sheers of white color to render some privacy when needed as well as to allow the sunlight to enter as well as filter the sunroom.

7.    Place a number of potted plants for keeping the outdoor feel alive in your sunroom.

8.    You may place a small-sized bistro table and a couple of chairs to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the evening.

Just imagine how it would be drinking your favorite coffee in your wonderful furnished sunroom. It never gets better than this. However, when deciding to refurnish your sunroom, it is advisable to take into consideration the amount of natural sunlight that you wish should exude the room.

These are eight amazing and awesome ways to pep up your sunroom. Consider these suggestions to furnish your sunroom this spring.

If you’re looking to buy a house with a sunroom, contact the professionals at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

 

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Home Improvement Advice For New Homeowners

Posted on by John Conde

When you buy a house, many people feel the need to make changes to it in order to make it their own and to give the house a homely feeling. Personality is a great thing in a home. Changes can also be made to a home to make it more secure or to give a room more space.


There are many different home improvements that prove popular in the months after a house is purchased. It is not only the inside of the house that can be changed but the gardens and the driveways that come with it.


Some people take the immediate aftermath of the purchase as the perfect opportunity to extend the house, to add conservatories, extension or garages – in short, to make an immediate investment that will instantly add to the value of the home while making it more fit for purpose.


When deciding to make these changes it’s important to make sure they are well-planned and thought through to ensure nothing is forgotten about and no costly mistakes are made. Choosing contractors isn’t always easy and the matter of trust is a major issue for homeowners when it comes to building work. Most people act on testimonials and word of mouth, seeking out builders and contractors who have done a great job for someone they know. In some cases, respected companies can take care of the work.


With a garage, for example, there are many different aspects to be thought about – who will build the new room, what sort of roof will be best, whether an upstairs room will be added at the same time or considered for some stage in the future and of course what sort of garage doors will be used.


Every single piece of work done to the new house has this sort of list attached to it and the one above relating to garages is not exhaustive. The key is to think of all aspects of the job you are about to have done and this means giving an answer to each of the following matters: what, where, why, when, who and, finally but perhaps most crucially, how much.


Homeowners that are able to answer all of these questions to their own satisfaction will have made all the necessary deliberations and will be able to press ahead quite confidently with the work they need or want to have done on their new homes.

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More Jobs in Florida as Construction Heats Up for Multifamily Homes

Posted on by John Conde

News that U.S. housing starts in March hit their five-year high on the back of a sharp gain in construction of multifamily homes augur well for job creation which in turn provides an added stimulus for the residential market, Sarasota Bay Real Estate said.  For every 1,000 multifamily homes, the full-service real estate brokerage noted that industry estimates put at 1,100 the jobs that are added.

U.S. Commerce Dept. figures released this April showed that construction of multifamily residences including apartment buildings jumped 31% to 417,000 units, the highest level reached since January 2006. Overall, national housing starts this March increased by 7% to 1.04 million units from the revised 958,000 revised annual rate in February.

Builders Are Upbeat

The recent gain in multifamily housing starts jibes with the forecast of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that construction of condos and apartments this year will show a 31% gain for the whole of 2013. This reading took into account the sustained improvement in the NAHB’s Multifamily Production Index (MPI). The most recent survey data gathered from multifamily homebuilders put the MPI at 52, indicating that a majority of these developers are upbeat about market conditions. Notably, an MPI above 50, which indicates more builders are looking forward to an improving market environment, has been observed for three straight quarters last year.

In Southwest Florida, Lennar Homes are one of the active multifamily home builders. Its projects in this area include three in Bradenton: River Strand, Verandas, and Terrace. Lennar is also building in Venice at its Stoneybrook community and in North Port at its Cypress Falls neighborhood.

Available Florida Homes for Sale Close to 10-Year Lows

Developments like Lennar’s should help boost the rapidly shrinking home inventory in the region, Sarasota Bay Real Estate said. For March, it noted that available residential properties in Sarasota are close to the lowest level in ten years. Figures from the Sarasota Realtors Association (SAR) showed that home inventory during the month dropped by 18% from March 2012.

The inventory for Sarasota condos for sale this March was estimated at a 4.7-month supply and at 3.8 months for single-family homes. In the year-earlier period, the inventory levels were at 6.7 months and 4.8 months for condos and single-family residences, respectively. These compare with the 41.7 months supply for condos and 24 months inventory for single-family homes in November 2008, during which the real estate market suffered one of its worst beatings.

Just a little over 200 villas and townhouses are featured in the current MLS of Sarasota homes for sale, as it emphasized that with the relatively few pickings, prospective buyers need to avail of the services of an experienced broker. Some of the most attractive purchase opportunities can be found in the golf community of The Meadows Country Club where there is a rich mix of condos, villas, townhouses, and single-family homes, all totaling 3,400 residences. Multifamily-designed dwellings here are priced starting around the mid-$100s.

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Preparing To Waterproof Your Basement

Posted on by John Conde

As any homeowner can tell you, having water seeping into your basement is nothing to jest about and can be a serious problem. As the weather turns and more rain and storms come through the Cleveland area, there is a greater chance that water build-up from these storms may be leaking into your basement if you have a problem and could lead to serious damage or mold. It is time you seriously consider how waterproofing your basement will benefit you in the long run, and there is no better time than now to get started.

The First Step: Where is it Coming From

When you hire a professional to assist you with waterproofing your home, the first thing they are going to need to do is to locate the source of the leak, according to Angie’s List. This could simply be a problem of you having your downspouts and drainage systems improperly positioned towards rather than away from your house, and that could be pushing excess water towards the home. There are also considerations regarding the type of soil that is lining the foundation of your home, and that will be something else you will want to have checked.

Essentially, you want to be certain that all efforts are being made to keep water away from your foundation. Your roof, drainage systems, downspouts, and soil should all be working to push water away from the foundation rather than allowing it to come towards it. Checking for these sorts of problems could save you a ton of money in the long run suggests Angie’s List.

More Than Water: Waterproofing Fights off Mold and Mildew

Waterproofing is, of course, most important for keeping water out of your home, but it also helps to prevent the negative impacts that water can have once it is in your basement. HGTV explains that waterproofing can protect from flooding and the development of mold, mildew, and a build-up of allergens. But what happens if the water is getting in and your basement is already experiencing some flooding? Do not worry; HGTV has some suggestions to get your basement back in order and ready for waterproofing:

–          Get air flowing through the space when the weather is again dry.

–          While working in the space, wear a mask to protect yourself from inhaling any allergens, mildew, or mold.

–          If you have carpets in your basement and they have been completely saturated with water, it is safer to remove and dispose of them completely.  For non-fabric floors simply mop and towel dry the floors.

–          After the floors are dry, sanitize them with bleach or another strong cleaner.

–          Set up fans or a dehumidifier to ensure the space is totally dry.

Ready to Waterproof

Dealing with a leak in your basement or a major flood is not easy, but knowing what steps to take and that basement waterproofing can solve your problems and protect your family’s health is a big relief.

 

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