Home Ownership, Renting & Maintenance
Keep food safe during storms, maintain alarms, and lower heating costs. Protect your home, cut expenses, and prepare for emergencies year-round.
Safety Tips for Keeping Your Food Safe Both During and After a Hurricane or Tropical Storm
Hurricane season is here. With any storm comes the risk of high winds and heavy rain that can lead to flooding and power outages. All of these risks can compromise the safety of stored food. So what can you do to help keep your food safe and ensure that it is safe to consume both during and after a storm? Here are some steps that you can take to reduce food waste and the risk of foodborne illness.
Changing Our Clocks is Also the Time to Check and Replace Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Daylight Saving Time is about to begin and it's the perfect time to check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. It's also the right time to replace any alarms that have reached the end of their lives, don't work reliably, or have questionable reliability. While you're doing your rounds, make sure that you add alarms if you don't have enough, which can save your life later.
Here's How to Save Money on Your Home Heating Costs This Winter When the Temperatures Drop
It's a simple fact. Your home heating bill will increase as the outside temperature decreases. But you don't have to let the cost of heating your home drain your wallet each time the temps start to fall. If you put in a little bit of effort and a small amount of money, you can save some serious cash each winter on your home's heating costs. If you're ready to save some money, consider these tips.
North Carolina Tenant Rights: Relationships Between Landlords and Tenants Can Be Complex
Laws governing relationships between a landlord and a tenant are complex. While most problems that arise are caused by simple misunderstandings, some are caused intentionally and may require a legal strategy. One of the simplest ways to protect yourself is to thoroughly read and understand your lease before you sign it. If problems do happen down the road, the lease becomes critically important.
Selling Your Home: How to Stand Out With These Tips to Sell Quickly for the Biggest Profit
Have you finally made the decision to sell your home? Have you been trying to sell your home but haven't had many offers? Maybe the offers that have come your way are much lower than you were expecting? You could be a victim of a bad housing market or you might simply need to make a few inexpensive tweaks to make your home stand out from the others and make potential buyers just have to have it.
Is a Tankless Water Heater a Good Investment for Your Home or is the Familiar Kind Better?
Is a tankless water heater a good investment? A lot more goes into making the decision to replace your bulky water heater with a slim tankless model than a simple yes or no. Even though it can pay itself quickly, a tankless water heater may not be best for you. Some households, for instance, may have a demand that exceeds the water heater's capabilities.
National Do Not Call Registry: Information About Registration and Several Common Questions
Since 2003, the National Do Not Call Registry has helped millions of people reduce the number of unwanted phone calls they receive. We helped create this valuable protection and the North Carolina law that supplements it. Unfortunately, scammers don't follow any rules and don't respect your registration. But you can register and stop the many legitimate telemarketing companies from contacting you.
Check Out These Plants Instead of Expensive Equipment if You Want Better Indoor Air Quality
It's a fact that indoor air quality can very quickly go from good to poor, especially during those times of the year when doors and windows are closed around the clock. Unfortunately, many of us overlook the importance of indoor air quality and its effects on our health and our allergies. Rather than rush out to buy expensive air purifiers, consider some plants that work as natural air purifiers.
Consumer Alert: Watch Out for Rental Property Scammers Taking You for a Ride on a Property
Are you in the market for a new apartment or want to rent a nice home? You're in luck! Scammers have just the deal for you! They have a wide variety of options for you to consider, each one with everything you could possibly want. Even better, the price is much better than you could have wanted. But while the property might exist, the only problem is that the rentals themselves don't really exist.
When Making Home Improvements, What Should You Keep in Mind to Get the Best Resale Value?
When making home improvements, we want to get the biggest bang for our buck. But we also want to make sure that our upgrades will not only increase the home's value but increase it much more than the amount we invest. While every home is different and the amount of financial returns you'll reap will vary, some home improvements typically offer reliably higher returns when it comes to resale value.
How to Save Money by Making Common Household Products Last Longer
If you're trying to stick to a budget, you may not be surprised to learn that stretching out the lifespan of items you already have will help you to spend much less on buying new products.
Are You Using Bleach Correctly in Your Washing Machine in Order to Get the Whitest Whites?
When it comes to doing laundry, getting the whitest whites can sometimes seem like a challenge. You may be tempted to buy certain bleach products that promise superior whitening power compared to other products. Should you believe the commercials or simply stick to your laundry detergent? Getting the whitest whites really comes down to the type of bleach you use in your laundry and how you use it.
Using Those Inexpensive Bleach Tablets in Your Toilet Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good
Using bleach tablets to clean the toilet may seem like a great way to save some cleaning time, not to mention avoiding the gloves, brush, and cleaner. But you could be doing a lot of damage to your toilet just by dropping that tablet in the water tank. Bleach tablets can slowly cause damage to the rubber seals inside your toilet, causing unexpected leaks and completely avoidable repair bills.
Most People Who Want to Work From Home Don't Know About the Hidden Costs That Come With It
Most people would welcome the opportunity to work from home for additional freedom and flexibility with schedules and saving money and hassle with the daily commute. Do you know that there are often many hidden costs to working from home? Most people don't know about these hidden costs, which come back to haunt them. So if you want to work from home, make sure you know what the true costs will be.
A Gas Water Heater or Other Appliances May Be at Risk of a Sudden and Deadly Flashback Fire
Is your home's gas-fueled water heater really safe? In all likelihood, there's probably nothing wrong with it. But there is a hidden danger in all gas water heaters, or any gas-fueled appliance with a pilot light, that most people don't know about until it's too late. What is this hidden danger? These devices all have pilot lights, which can ignite certain vapors, producing sudden flashback fires.
You Can Save Serious Money on Your Home Insurance Quote With Hidden Home Insurance Credits
If you had a way to save money on your next home insurance quote, would you take advantage of it or let it go to waste? You would use it, of course, to save as much money as possible! There are a few hidden and lesser-known home insurance credits that can save you a lot of money on your insurance bill. Take a look at them and see if you qualify. You could find yourself saving hundreds of dollars.
Fifteen Questions You need to Ask a Prospective Landlord Before Signing an Apartment Lease
Owning a home is part of the American dream, but it's not always within reach. If home ownership isn't on the radar just yet, you'll likely be renting until that big day comes. But entering into a rental agreement is just as important as signing for a home mortgage. It's important to know what to keep in mind, so here are fifteen questions to ask before signing for the lease on your next apartment.
Ventilation Is Crucial to Preventing Health Issues and Damage Caused by Bathroom Humidity
Ask your friends and family about how to improve air quality in your home and you'll probably get a wide variety of answers. We're willing to bet that none of those answers will involve the bathroom exhaust fan. Most people don't know that a bathroom exhaust fan is one of the more important air quality components of your home, removing humidity that can damage your home and cause health problems.
You Can Save Money on Your Air Conditioning and Summer Energy Costs With These Simple Tips
Summer temperatures are just around the corner and that means your home's cooling system will be working hard to keep you and your family comfortable day and night. But running the air conditioner to stay comfortable doesn't have to break the bank. With just a little bit of work and these helpful tips, you can spend your hard-earned money on something other than your cooling your home this summer.
Food Safety Tips: Keeping Your Perishable Foods Safe is Critical Whenever Your Lose Power
Anytime your power goes out due to high winds, snow, ice, thunderstorms, hurricanes, floods, fire, or anything that causes electrical failure, the safety of the food inside your refrigerator and freezer is immediately jeopardized. Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how to keep it safe will help you minimize the potential loss of food spoilage and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Dial 811 From Any Phone in North Carolina to Locate Utility Lines Before You Start to Dig
Are you a homeowner planning on doing some digging? Are you a contractor planning a new project that involves getting into the ground? If you're disturbing the soil and doing more than planting some small flowers, you should be dialing 811 from any phone to have hidden underground utility lines located and marked. If not, you run the risk of causing damage that you may be responsible for repairing.
Sugar Substitutes Can Be Very Good for Your Diet, but Are Often Deadly When Eaten by Dogs
Using sugar-free sweeteners might be an effective way to cut out sugar from your diet, but they can be very dangerous for man's best friend. Xylitol, in particular, is hazardous in small amounts and can be lethal when eaten by a dog. If you keep any sugar-free foods around the house, you should pay close attention to ensure your dog doesn't eat any and know the warning signs of xylitol poisoning.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Isn't a Government Agency and Can't Force Companies to Act
If you tell your friends that you're having a problem with a company, someone is bound to tell you to contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for help. But can the BBB really help you? Many people are confused about why the BBB actually does. The BBB is primarily a business membership organization, not a government agency. But the BBB can prove a good source of useful information about companies.
Tips for the Safe Purchase, Preparation, and Consumption of Fresh Produce to Prevent Illness
Fresh produce is often grown in uncontrolled environments, so there's always a risk of contamination. Fruits and vegetables can come into contact with harmful bacteria in the soil and irrigation water. They can also be tainted during harvesting, storage, transport, or while on display. Since contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illnesses, follow these tips to protect yourself and your family.
Keep Your Valuables and Personal Info Safe When Potential Home Buyers Come to Check It Out
When we sell our homes, we pay so much attention to cleaning the counters and floors, painting the walls, and baking fresh cookies. If you have a good Realtor, you'll know that potential buyers will be checking out everything from counters to inside drawers. So if you are selling your home, it's very important to take a few security precautions to make sure a nosy buyer doesn't get sticky fingers.
Freezing Water Pipes Are a Problem in the South, but You Can Prevent Them With Simple Steps
It's a scientific fact that water freezes when the temperature drops low enough. So it's never too late to safeguard your plumbing against freezing temperatures, especially with the wild temperature swings we experience here in North Carolina. Taking a little bit of time and spending a few dollars can save you thousands of dollars in preventable repairs down the road, not to mention the headaches.
Follow These Safety Tips in Order to Enjoy Your Backyard to the Fullest Extent This Summer
We are well on the way to the first day of summer. For some people, it means staying indoors and turning on the air conditioning. For most people, however, it means ballgames, family vacations and backyard grilling. If you're planning to use your backyard this summer, take a few moments now to make it as safe as possible so that you and your family can enjoy the warm weather with the least risk.