Homeowner Help

Save on your phone bill

Homeowner Help

(photo credit StockExchange user gokoroko) 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. I called the phone provider – who is also my internet provider – and asked them to drop the line. Almost immediately, they offered [...]

7 May 2010 Read the full article →

Are CFL bulbs dangerous?

Green Living

(image courtesy of http://www.ipaa.org/Blog/?p=301) There’s a lot of kerfluffle around the Interwebs lately about the supposedly dangerous levels of mercury released if you break a CFL light bulb. I believe the most widely spread story crazy Internet rumor is about a woman in Maine who broke a CFL bulb in a bedroom, was quoted $2,000 [...]

30 April 2010 Read the full article →

24 Rooms in a 300 sqft condo

Homeowner Help

Think your house is too small?  Need an extra bedroom, home office, or garage bay?  We’ve written several times over the years about making the most of the space you have, but nothing compares with this… Architect Gary Chang lives in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities on Earth.  But that didn’t [...]

29 April 2010 Read the full article →

HOA tries to collect fees after man loses home

Foreclosures

The Arizona Republic ran a hot-button story today with a zinger of a headline: HOA still seeking fees despite man losing Chandler home. A former Chandler resident is learning the hard way that you can’t walk away from homeowners’ association assessments even if you’ve lost your home. In my opinion the paper does a lousy [...]

23 April 2010 Read the full article →

Changes to lead paint rules

Central Phoenix

Updated April 23  – Fantastic website launched by the EPA, HUD, the Ad Council and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning. Get the facts about lead paint, prevention tips, and guidelines for Do It Yourself home renovations involving the potential to disturb lead paint. (LeadFreeKids.org) As of April 22, 2010 federal laws regarding safe [...]

19 April 2010 Read the full article →

What’s in your electrical box?

Buyer Help

You might find it interesting to have a look at your electrical fuse box. A fairly frequent home inspection finding we’ve noticed lately is the ‘double tap’ inside the fuse box. If you click on that picture above, you’ll see that one fuse has two wires attached. I’m no electrician and I don’t even play [...]

10 April 2010 Read the full article →

Do you have a 2nd mortgage with JP Morgan Chase?

Homeowner Help

Just the day before yesterday, JP Morgan Chase announced it would participate in the second-lien program of the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). This second-lien program is widely known as “2MP”. Under 2MP, homeowners may see the interest rate on their second lien reduced to as low as 1% for five years. The [...]

24 March 2010 Read the full article →

When Good Sprinklers Go Bad

Homeowner Help

Homeowners new the metro Phoenix area might not realize the importance of checking your sprinkler heads once in a while. They easily get clogged with dirt, debris, whatever and can result in this. It’s an oddity of the Arizona lifestyle that your neighbors are often not people you talk to frequently. People come home, pull [...]

31 December 2009 Read the full article →

Paint Your Pool Electric Blue

Homeowner Help

Doesn’t this pool look a little TOO blue to you? I just recently found out there’s such a thing as blue paint for plaster pools. It turns the pool into a shockingly bright baby blue. In defense of this pool owner, I don’t know for a fact they painted it. It just caught my eye [...]

23 December 2009 Read the full article →

Floor Tile. Do It Yourself?

Homeowner Help

Well… maybe… Ok, you’re convincing me. Looks good so far. What else ya got? Alright. So far, so good. Looks like a pretty successful Do It Yourself project. Those Home Depot classes must be really great. Ow! Seriously? Lemme look closer at that one… Ow! Where’s my eye bleach?? . The Moral of the Story [...]

2 December 2009 Read the full article →

Thanksgiving Help

Homeowner Help

Butterball Turkey-Talk Line: 800-288-8372 A team of home economists is there to answer bird -related questions from November 3 to December 25. Or text the word “Turkey” to 36888 to receive weekly tips and thawing reminders. The Crisco Pie Hotline: 877-367-7438 Get advice from two National Pie Championship winners, among other pie pros through December. [...]

23 November 2009 Read the full article →