Home Maintenance Tips for Winter

GettyImages-151812569 Sure, spring cleaning sounds great. However, in reality, tackling a long home maintenance checklist all at once can be overwhelming. Rather than letting it all add up, what if you tackled home maintenance a little each season? Here are some ideas for taking care of your home during the winter months.

Change your furnace filters.
Clean furnace filters not only help keep your furnace running more efficiently, they help keep your home cleaner too. Furnace filters catch dust, pet dander and other dirt before they reach the blower and get into your ducts. The dirtier the filter, the more likely you're breathing in junk. Try to keep them clean every few months, starting with the new year.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
They often get forgotten until one needs new batteries, but checking both regularly to ensure they're working is a good habit to get in. In addition, carbon monoxide detectors are very important - especially during the colder months when your home is shut-up and the furnace is working.
Run water and flush toilets in unused spaces.
Winter in some states can include frozen pipes. So this tip might seem more relevant for cold-weather states, but it's helpful for any homeowner. Keeping water fresh in pipes will help keep sediment from settling and should help keep toilets and sinks cleaner. It also helps you stay informed of your water system and hopefully avoid unknown leaks.
Check for ice dams and icicles.
Icicles and ice dams (when the melting and freezing backs up onto your roof and possibly under your shingles) can be a major problem and lead to serious water damage. They're often indicators of a bigger issue - insulation and ventilation issues in your roof area. Carefully keep your home free of icicles and if it's an issue, consider a spring project to eradicate the problem in the future.
Check your water softener.
If you have a water softener, you know the importance of regular maintenance and keeping the salt at the right levels. Start the year off with a check, so you can keep up on it all year long.

Get help keeping up on your household chores with our handy yearly homeowner's maintenance checklist. Being a homeowner has its rewards, but owning a home also comes with responsibility and a to-do list. Make sure you keep up on yours this winter so you can enjoy your home all year long!

Tips to Save on Your Homeowner's Insurance

Home insurance premiums can make up a big chunk of the annual expenses of a family. Insurance rates change every year, and in many cases the premiums go up. We all know that there are several variables that determine which banks will lend us money, how much insurance companies will charge us for coverage, and what qualifies a buyer. There are four main variables that may affect your home insurance rate:

Home Maintenance Tips for Winter

Sure, spring cleaning sounds great. However, in reality, tackling a long home maintenance checklist all at once can be overwhelming. Rather than letting it all add up, what if you tackled home maintenance a little each season? Here are some ideas for taking care of your home during the winter months.

Tips for Paying Off Your Mortgage Faster

There are several ways to pay off your mortgage faster and save on interest payments. Even better, not all methods require spending a lot of extra money! Take a look at the list below: Make extra principal payments. You can pay extra money toward your mortgage balance each month or make a larger, lump sum payment on your principal each year. This reduces the amount due on the mortgage as well as reducing the amount of interest that will accrue. Extra money can also be added to the principal payment from bonuses, gifts, savings and extra earnings. Just remember to make a note on the check for the money to go towards the principal! Make one extra mortgage payment per year. One of the easiest ways to make an extra payment each year is to pay half your mortgage payment every other week instead of paying the full amount once a month, otherwise known as “bi-weekly payments.” With these payments, an extra payment is made so that the total number of payments that one makes adds up to 13 payments in a year rather than the 12 that would have been made with monthly payments. This adds up to significant interest savings over the duration of a mortgage. You also want to make sure that if your lender accepts this kind of payment they will not charge you a prepayment penalty. Also verify that the bi-weekly payments are being applied to the principal amount and not the interest. Otherwise, you won't notice the savings. Reduce your balance with a lump-sum payment. Have you inherited money, earned a bonus or commission, or sold a large item? You could apply that amount to your mortgage’s principal balance. Another option is any time you have a month where you have that third paycheck, apply that to the principal on your mortgage. This will happen twice a year, adding an extra principal payment to your mortgage loan. While paying down a large debt is nice, it's not a requirement. Consider making sure you have enough to work toward other financial goals, such as an emergency fund, before paying more on your mortgage. However, there are many options you can explore that best fit your budget. You can learn more about buying your first home with our Get Mortgage Ready Guide below.