Homeowner Help

FHFA’s new program to help underwater homeowners

Better Life

Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced a new program designed to help even more underwater homeowners refinance their mortgages at today’s low rates. The plan hopefully will allow homeowners to lower their monthly mortgage payments, thus freeing up money to be spent in the broader economy and help the US from slipping back into [...]

24 October 2011 Read the full article →

Top 10 counter top options

Homeowner Help

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Quick! What kind of counter top is this? Most people probably guessed “granite”.  Designers and foodies might have said “soapstone” because the counter in this picture is lacking granite’s shiny gloss. At first glance, this counter could also be Caesarstone or Silastone, two popular faux granite surfaces. But these guesses are all wrong. What is [...]

9 June 2011 Read the full article →

Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleanser

Better Life

I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy (they credit Natural Home magazine with originally publishing the recipe). Seems to me you could go green AND save a bunch of money using this to clean your bathtub, instead of buying expensive commercial brands of cleansers. Silky Bathtub Scrub 1 cup baking soda in a medium-sized mixing [...]

11 May 2011 Read the full article →

The New Normal: save money on laundry detergent

Better Life

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A while back I re-posted a money saving laundry tip from the blog HomeEc101. It mentions the many ways white vinegar can help you save money when you do your laundry at home. See the original money saving laundry tips there and over here too.  Then the super-awesome Sarah Cooper of CoopCrafts dropped by and [...]

22 March 2011 Read the full article →

How to appeal your Arizona property tax valuation notice

Homeowner Help

Did you get your Maricopa County (Arizona) Property Valuation Notice in the mail yet? The Maricopa County Tax Assessor’s office mailed their small, white postcards of love to 1.5 million property owners on February 25, 2011.  You should have received yours by now. When you saw the assessed value of your home, did you shout out [...]

14 March 2011 Read the full article →

Clean your dryer lint trap

Homeowner Help

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Did you know that the stuff they put in dryer sheets to make your clothes soft comes from… …well forget about it. Trust me, you don’t want to know what it comes from. Suffice it to say that I found out what it comes from one day when I stumbled on a vegan lifestyle website. [...]

29 January 2011 Read the full article →

Quickie Around the House

Homeowner Help

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Quickie Around the House an occasional series of helpful homeowner tips. The series name has changed over time but it’s always focused on making your life easier. This Quickie is courtesy of Moxie Girl, a personal concierge-type service that you really should check out. Frustrated when cleaning scorched food from your stainless steel cookware? Add [...]

1 October 2010 Read the full article →

Save money on your phone bill

Homeowner Help

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I stumbled on this money saving tip by accident this morning. Do you have a land line telephone in your home? I do. Never use it. It exists only to keep my TiVo happy and full of programming data. I called the phone provider – who is also my internet provider – and asked them [...]

29 September 2010 Read the full article →

Short sales, loan modifications and checking accounts

Homeowner Help

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image credit, user sgback at StockExchange If you’re trying to complete a short sale or loan modification on your home, do not keep money in a checking or savings account with the bank that holds your mortgage. Open accounts with another bank, savings and loan, credit union (or whatever) that is not related to your [...]

31 August 2010 Read the full article →

Design Ideas for Teenage Boys’ Rooms

Homeowner Help

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Sometimes looking at pictures can be a spark for inspiration, and I thought these pictures were great! I see a few common elements to most of these rooms: Lots of Storage – shelves, cubbies, and closets Going Vertical – efficiently getting the most out of the available space Clean & Organized – sort of an [...]

23 June 2010 Read the full article →

Recommended blog and handyman

Homeowner Help

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Psst…  I found a really outstanding blog and an excellent craftsman who does home remodeling projects in the Greater Phoenix area: The RemodGeek. I can’t say enough good stuff about him, but his resume actually speaks for itself: …spent years in construction, residential and commercial, and remodeling from foundation to punch list. I have been [...]

10 June 2010 Read the full article →

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