Windows are beneficial for homes, provide light and ventilation, act as a noise barrier, increase energy efficiency, and enhance visual appeal. However, old and worn-out windows hurt your home and pocket. Research shows that old and inefficient windows cost Americans $45 billion annually. Below are five ways your windows may be costing you money. Increased Utility Bills While your windows may look fine and function well, they can weaken your … [Read more...]

Right now, the housing market is absolutely a seller's market. There are more people looking to buy houses than there are people looking to sell. That means that prices are high and many homes have multiple offers. A house in my neighborhood recently had more than 25 offers after being on the market for only one weekend. To try to incentivize the sellers to pick their offer, buyers will place all sorts of elements in their offer. If you have … [Read more...]

About a year ago, we refinanced our mortgage to take advantage of the extremely low interest rates.  We now have a smaller mortgage payment than before.  So should we still pay the same amount and pay extra on our mortgage? Why To Pay Extra On Your Mortgage As with most consumer debt (including credit cards), you are accruing interest charges the longer you wait to pay off your mortgage.  If you pay it off sooner, you will ultimately pay less … [Read more...]

Does your home use electric baseboard heaters for heat in the winter?  You may be wondering if you are using them efficiently or if you could be more eco friendly and perhaps save a bit of cash?  Read on for some money saving tips when using electric baseboard heaters. What are electric baseboard heaters? Unlike forced air, electric baseboard heaters don't blow hot air around your house (and thus, also don't blow dust and dander).  They're … [Read more...]

Do you own property and wonder how to make more money off of it?  One obvious way to do that is to rent out the land, but what if you discover that the land you own is even more valuable.  Depending on where you live, you could have very valuable substances underground - such as gold, copper, or more commonly, gas and oil.  But if you're not in a position to mine them yourself, did you know that you can still make money from these substances?  … [Read more...]