As the weather starts to cool, it’s a good time to prepare your home for winter. Gutters I usually start annual maintenance and upkeep before the rains come by cleaning out the gutters. It’s a lot easier to remove dead leaves and dry debris with a leaf blower before everything gets soggy...
Many do-it-yourself homeowners enjoy upgrading their own home rather than hiring a licensed contractor to do so. As long as you do the work in accordance with current building standards and acquire all the necessary permits, this is perfectly fine—with one caveat. In California, if the work requires a building...
First-time homebuyers or people with poor credit and limited cash can ease into home ownership with a rent-to-own (or lease) option. While the idea of rent-to-own sounds simple and straightforward, legally the agreements are incredibly complex and require significant expertise to navigate. Unlike a conventional transaction, in which a sale price is...
If you look at the top ten most destructive fires in California history according to the Western Fire Chief’s Association, you’ll notice almost all of them occurred in last five years or so. August Complex in Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, and Colusa counties, August 2020: 1,032,648 acres burned, 935...
Wherever you live, that’s your home. Although you may not own the structure, you do own the possessions within it, and that’s what homeowner’s insurance protects. In this context, homeowner’s and renter’s insurance are the same thing. If you’re thinking, “My stuff isn’t worth much, so why would I spend the...
If you are renting a house because you believe you cannot afford to buy, you might be surprised to discover that owning a home is within your reach. An entry-level home in the Ukiah Valley can run as low as $350,000. Let’s assume, for the moment, that you haven’t been able...
When you purchase a home, lenders almost always require you to acquire homeowners’ insurance. What they don’t tell you is that they are primarily looking out for their interests, not yours. Lenders typically require you to protect against structural damage to the property up to the value of the loan...
With winter approaching, I thought I’d start with a few home maintenance reminders: Caulk exterior joints around your windows and doors. Not sealing gaps where the wind and cold can seep in could add hundreds of dollars to your heating bills. Have your furnace inspected and cleaned. Annual maintenance is...
People often spend a lot of time thinking about the house they want to live in, but not as much time considering the neighborhood. Here are some important questions to consider before making an offer on a house. Since the answers to these questions are different for different people, I’ll...
Back in the day, when someone talked about home security, they were referring to an alarm system, and maybe trimming bushes and other landscaping to make sure bad guys had nowhere to hide. Now? Things are completely different, and a little unnerving for those of us who are not computer...
