How To Prevent A Water Heater Flood

Most individuals rely on a traditional water heater storage tank to provide them and their families with hot water. These systems, which are typically fueled by propane, electricity, or natural gas, work by releasing hot water from the top of the tank and replacing it with cold water whenever someone in the house uses hot water.

 

While these systems are generally reliable and are used in the majority of households throughout the United States, what happens when they fail? 

Water heater floods can be catastrophic for your home as they damage the structural integrity of your property.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent a water heater flood.

 

 

What Causes a Water Heater to Leak?

Water heater leaks can be caused by several factors, including:

• Sediment Buildup
• Rust
• Faulty Temperature and Pressure Release Valve
• Excessive Water Pressure or Overheating
• Corrosion

 

These are a few of the most common causes of water heater leaks. When one of these things happens, excessive water can damage your drywall, flooring, and electrical work. As a result, it is important to understand a few steps you can take to prevent this issue.

 

 

How to Prevent a Water Heater Flood

Every homeowner should know what they can do to prevent their water heater from leaking and potentially flooding their home. Here are a few things you should consider doing to protect your home from a flood.

 

 

Regular Maintenance

First and foremost, the best thing you can do to prevent a water heater flood it to perform regular preventative maintenance to ensure that your water heater is always in working order.

This should include regularly inspecting the temperature and pressure valve, checking the anode rod, and flushing a quart of water from the water heater every three months or so.

 

Additionally, you should be sure to check for moisture, mold damage, loose fittings, and any water that is pooling near the base of the water heater.

Taking these steps is a great way to ensure that your water heater doesn’t have any small leaks or issues that could potentially lead to more serious damages.

 

 

Use a Water Shut Off Valve

A great option to prevent a water heater leak from getting worse is to use an automatic water shut off valve.

Water shut off valves work by detecting leaks and sending a signal to the control box which completely shuts of the water heater’s water supply. Once this happens, the valve will stay closed until you manually reset it, ensuring that the leak doesn’t become worse. Additionally, most shut off valves will sound an alarm when a leak is found so that you are aware that maintenance is needed.

 

 

Drain the Water Heater

Shut off valves simply ensure that the leak doesn’t get any worse by allowing more water to be pumped into the water heater; however, the water that is already in there will continue to leak unless drained.

To drain the water heater, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the water heater.
2. Turn off the water supply.
3. Drain the water heater by attaching a hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Run the other end of the hose to an area that is safe to drain the water and open the drain valve.
4. Open the pressure relief valve.
5. Open the water supply and wash away any sediment that may be inside.

 

Following these steps can help you make sure that your home avoids extensive damage caused by a water heater flood.

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How To Install Tile Floor in Your Home on a Small Budget

You must have recently looked down at the floor and realized you need to do some renovating. Well, we’re here to support you in your renovating adventure when it comes to installing tile flooring. Tile flooring is really affordable for any budget and is a breeze to clean. Let’s go step by step. 

 

 Measure The Floor

For square rooms, multiply the length of the room by the width and round all your measurements up to the nearest foot always. For any other sized room cut the room into a triangle or square sections and add it together.

 

 

Buy The Tile

It’s time to find the tile that is right for your floor. Using the information above find out how much of your dream tile you will need and then buy 15% more just in case there are any accidents. When laying tile it’s almost guaranteed you’ll break one. 

Be sure to explore any options online. People may be giving old tiles away for cheap or free! The great thing about tiles is that no matter what you spend the tiles look more expensive than they actually are. Keep in mind not to buy anything too slippery if you know the floor will get wet. 

 

Tools & Materials 

Check the list before starting the project.

• Level
• Goggles
• Carpenter’s Square
• Grout
• Tile
• Tile Adhesive
• Silicone Chaulk
• Silicone Grout Sealer
• Cleaning Cloth
• Bucket
• Rubber Gloves
• Knee Pads
• Hammer
• Tile Cutter

 

Floor Preparation

Time to get your hands dirty! To begin, let’s remove the existing flooring. Scrape off any remaining adhesives and then rigorously clean the floor.

Check to see that the subfloor is level and be sure to fill any low spots or cracks in the concrete with concrete patching compound. For wood framing, make sure the subfloor is dry, rigid, and securely attached to the joists. Never apply tile directly to plywood or a wood subfloor. 

 

 

Consider the Layout

Start experimenting and seeing how the tile can be laid out that is aesthetically pleasing to you and compliments the room. 

 

Start Laying Tile

Mix up a thin-set mortar in a 5-gallon bucket by using a mixing paddle and be sure to use the correct ratio of water to mortar mix. Make sure you only create 15 minutes worth of mix each time. Keep a bucket of clean water near you with a sponge handy to wipe off any mix before it drys to clean tools. 

Use a notched trowel to spread the mortar evenly on a small area where you will start laying the tile. Position the tile in the mortar along the guidelines and press into place.

• Use plastic spacers to create joints in the tiles
• Constantly check the level and alignment of tiles

Let the tile sit for 24 hours before you put any weight on top. 

 

 

Cutting Tile

Let’s get that tile to fit the wall. 

• Measure the distance to the wall
• Mark the distance on the tile
• Mark any tile curves 

Here you’ll but using a tile cutter or an equivalent to create any of the cuts. 

 

Finishing the Edges

Here you will install tile 4” up the wall using thin-set or construction adhesive. Make sure you line up the joints in the baseboard tile with the floor for a continuous look. If you don’t it’s going to look pretty wonky for guests.

 

Grout Time

Unsanded grout may be used on joints less than 1/8” while larger joints require sanded grout. Clean the joints to remove any dust and debris before filling.

Follow the mixing instructions labeled on your grout and apply the grout with a rubber float. After the grout has set for a couple of minutes begin to wipe off any excess grout with a wet sponge and clean water. Once the grout has hardened you can then apply sealer to the joints using a foam brush or applicator bottle.

 

Brand New Floors

Behold! Your brand new floors that you spent the time and effort to make. It doesn’t take much time or money to create something amazing, just commitment. Now anytime something spills on the floor you might see that mess differently and clean it up faster.

The post How To Install Tile Floor in Your Home on a Small Budget appeared first on National Cash Offer.

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How To Make Room In Your Cluttered Home

If you are just like me, chances are you love to keep things in your home. Unfortunately, keeping things inside of your home isn’t alway a good thing. It can cause you to run out of space in your home. The good thing is that you can always move furniture and rearrange your home to make more room. Here are some tips to make more room in your house or at least to make it look more like it below:

 

1. Changing The Color of Paint

Choosing the right paint color for your small room can give the interpretation that the room is more spacious. There’s a reason that the usual neutral colors are white, cream and light gray, because they look clean give the impression that the room is brighter and more expansive. Painting the ceiling white will likely make people want to look up and will give the visual look of being more open upward.

The opposite of this would be coloring the space with dark colors, but you can also emphasize the smallness of a room by making a cozy, den-like atmosphere with colors like black, dark gray and navy.

Whether you decide to go light or dark, adding paint to your small space will help you get the effect you’re going for.

 

2. Storage for Room

Small spaces don’t often come with big storage areas. But by incorporating creative and flexible storage solutions to your spacing problems, you can keep clutter out of sight and keep everything you need easily accessible to you.

The kitchen is one of the best places to store things:

• Make an adjustable cooking area with roll-away islands and pantries.
• Store spices or wine glasses beneath your cupboards.
• Attach holders to the doors of cabinets to keep foil and cleaning supplies out of sight.

Also, the ceiling is a great place to hang big items like bicycles, and you can add shelving high up in closets for items that you may never use.

 

3. Switching Furniture

When you don’t have enough floor space, it is important to make your furniture work for you in that limited space. Choose pieces that have hidden storage and multiple functions or furniture that you can compact and store when most is not in use can do wonders for your home.

If you can’t fit a dresser in your bedroom, try using drawers or crates under the bed for clothing. Remove things from your doorway by adding a bench in your room with storage inside to hide extra shoes, gloves, etc.

Limited square footage doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice function and style. Living in a small space is an opportunity to turn it into a bigger space and live a stress-free life. With creative thinking, you can go from a cluttered, to an organized, open space with room for all.

The post How To Make Room In Your Cluttered Home appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/how-to-make-room-in-your-cluttered-home/

How To Buy Your First Home

Buying your first home can be one of the most stressful times in your life. However, with the right information you can buy a house for an affordable price, apply for a mortgage, and close the deal within no time. We have listed some of the steps that are needed for you to buy your first home below:

 

 

Step 1: Determine What Kind of House You Can Afford

One of the first things to do before actually buying a home is to make sure it’s the right time. Owning a home pays off financially if you are planning to live their long term. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with renting.

 

Although we might have different viewpoints, buying a home should not just be looked at as just an investment. You should want to buy a home because you want to buy a home, not because you just see it as investment.

With that being said, ONLY buy a house that you can afford today and not eventually. If not, then you will be in the hold when it comes to paying the mortgage and may end up being in the hole before you know it.

 

 

Step 2: Prepare Your Finances for Paying the Mortgage

Be prepared financially. The worst thing that could happen is if you find your dream home, but then discover that you’re not qualified to buy it. To guarantee that you are financially ready to buy your first home, you’ll need; good credit, cash to close, and a steady income.

 

 

Check Your Credit Score

This is always a must, and this means that getting a mortgage requires a good credit score. Hopefully this is not news to you. When you are in the process of trying to find a home, it would be wise to check your credit reports for errors and possibly invest in a few months of a daily credit score monitoring service.

If you’re buying a home with a spouse or a close friend or family member, your mortgage lender will most likely check both buyers’ credit scores during the application process. That’s not to say you’re necessarily doomed if one person’s credit isn’t as good, but don’t rely on if only one of your has a credit score.

 

 

Save Money for a Down Payment

After checking your credit score, you will also want to look at how much money you have saved up for a down payment and extra expenses. The down payment for a house is typically anywhere between 3.5% and 20% of the purchase price of the home you are looking to buy.

 

 

Get Your Documentation

Your real estate agent will usually tell you what kind of documents to have with you and what to turn in, but typically you will need the following; paystubs, W-2’s, bank statements and, if you have freelance or self-employment income, copies of your last two tax returns.

 

 

Step 3: Go shopping for a mortgage

Too often, home buyers leave mortgage shopping to the last minute and watch their dream home go to another bidder who had financing in order. Mortgage pre-approval is a free and no-obligation process that presents you as a qualified buyer when buying your first home.

 

 

Mortgage Types

Comparing different types of mortgages can be quite tricky and confusing. There are fixed-rates, adjustable rates, and others that are priced very differently. You can take out a mortgage for 30 years or as little as 5 years depending on your situation.

Most buyers often look at fixed-rate mortgages. Fixed-rate mortgages are the most common type of mortgage that involves the 30-year fixed rate. Although it never hurts to look at the different types just in case you decide to approach buying your first house differently.

 

 

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

If you put less than 20% down, your lender will likely charge you a monthly premium or a private mortgage insurance (PMI). Private mortgage insurance protects the bank if your default on your loan and the value of your home declines.

All of these steps and tips will help you buy your first home. If you do your research and properly prepare, then you will have nothing to worry about.

 

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source https://nationalcashoffer.com/how-to-buy-your-first-home/

Hidden Charges You Need to Consider When Buying a Home for the First Time

Jim who had no experience in buying a house decided to buy a house without the help of a professional. He intended to buy the house and start living despite his naivety of some hidden costs. Unfortunately, he was faced with a huge bill of mortgage insurance, conveyance fee, taxes, among others. At this point, he had no money with him to service these expenses. He had to resort to loan to cover up for the miscellaneous. 

 

Most first-time home buyers are like Jim – uninformed! However, you can set yourself aside from the Jims by familiarizing yourself with costs that are associated with the purchase of houses. The following are the often “overlooked” or “hidden” costs: 

 

 

Inspection Fee

Every year, there are cases of real estate fraud. Most of the time, sellers sell non-existing buildings to unsuspecting buyers. Some of the sellers could sell the building to two or more customers. Fraud cases like this could be prevented through inspection and research which would not cost you more than some couples of dollars

. 

You can also hire the service of an expert to access the building of defects. A licensed inspector can look into some things you might not have imagined in the house. Having inspected the home, you can renegotiate with the seller in case there is a need for repair or some maintenance. 

 

 

Legal Service fee

You need the service of a solicitor to properly and effectively execute the conveyance of the property you seek. Real estate lawyers would help you with the legal process and papers involved in the purchase of a house. Thus, they are available to draft the conveyance document, research any embargo or lien on the property and advise you on what to do in case there is a problem on the property. It would help if you had a standby lawyer who would verify all the documents you would be given in case the seller’s lawyer chooses to perfect all the paper works. A lawyer would charge you between $500 and $1000

 

 

Conveyancer Fee

Another fee that shocks first time home buyers is the conveyancer fee. Most of the time they find the conveyancer fee too high and unnecessary, so they avoid a conveyancer. However, it is essential for there should be a conveyancer to validate the mortgage deal. You should not neglect a conveyancer if you are contemplating of buying your first home. Conveyancers usually charge between $1000 and $ 1500. 

 

 

Taxes and other Government Charges

If you want to enjoy your stay in your newly bought home, you need to settle the government. Government demands that a new homeowner should pay some amount as mortgage registration fee, stamp duty, and transfer duty. As a rule, you have to pay the property taxes to finance infrastructural, schools and other community works. 

 

Depending on your state, you would pay a minimum of $2,000 as property tax per year. You can always choose to pay per year, month or four months depending on your pocket. 

 

 

Repairs and Maintenance

After the previous owners pack out, the building might be left passive for long. The building might have lost its shape and might be seriously defective. You can hire a professional cleaner to clean the house and repair some minor defects. You can also choose to re-design the home to meet your taste. It is always necessary that you have some extra cash for repairs and cleaning to save yourself from embarrassment. The Professional cleaners charges at least $500. 

 

 

Recurrent Bills

As a homeowner, you will have to service some recurrent bills like utility bills, home insurance, among others. Most mortgage lenders often include home insurance in the deal, so you might not be able to escape it. However, on second thought, the insurance plans would protect you against theft, fire, storm and other related dangers. 

 

 

Conclusion 

Buying a house might be interesting but having no knowledge about the real estate hidden costs can sour your experience. This is why you need to plan and budget any charge you may incur before, during and after the purchase of that your dream house. 

The post Hidden Charges You Need to Consider When Buying a Home for the First Time appeared first on National Cash Offer.

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Can You Qualify For A Home With Disability or SSI?

Many recipients of the Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) mistakenly believe that their dream of homeownership is out of their reach. Although buying a house while on disability or SSI is not an easy task, it is nevertheless doable.

 

So how can you qualify for a home when receiving disability or SSI? 

 

Those who receive disability benefits or SSI might not qualify for a traditional conventional mortgage, but chances are that they are eligible for different programs that will help them become homeowners. 

 

 

1. How to save for a down payment while on disability or SSI?

One of the hardest things to do when you are on a limited budget is saving for a down payment while renting a home or an apartment. 

 

In addition, one of the obstacles the aspiring homeowner will encounter early on is the rule established by the Social Security Administration that prevents SSI beneficiaries to have more than $2,000 in assets if a single person, or more than $3,000 if a married couple. This rule does not include a house if it is used as a primary residence, but it will affect the ability of the beneficiary to save for a down payment. Individuals receiving Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) are not subject to the same asset limits.  

 

Thankfully, several programs conceived for people on disability or SSI only require a very low down payment or will help with some creative financing solutions to qualify. 

 

If you receive disability, the FannieMae Community Home Choice program might be a good fit for you. It allows individuals with a low credit score to qualify for a home loan under certain conditions and only requires a down payment as low as $500 in some cases. 

 

The Individual Development Account programs (IDA) are designed to help individuals facing hardship such as disability to build financial capacity. They vary by state. Some will match part at the money you put in the account if destined to be used as a down payment. 

 

 

2. Which can programs help individuals receiving disability or SSI qualify for a home?

Besides receiving help for a down payments, you can also find alternatives to traditional mortgages to qualify for a home. 

 

Some local Section 8 offices participate in the Housing Chance Voucher program which covers, amongst other things, your mortgage principal and interest and mortgage insurance. If you are a recipient from Section 8, it is worth checking if your local Public Housing Authority takes part in this program and if you qualify. If you do, you could pay as low as 30% of your adjusted monthly income for your housing.

 

Habitat for Humanity offers a program designed to help low-income families including those receiving Social security disability to achieve home ownership thanks to low-interest mortgages ranging from seven to thirty years as long as the future homeowner is willing to put in some “sweat equity” by either taking an active part in building his own home or others, or volunteering in a Habitat ReStore. 

 

If you are interested in buying a house outside of city limits, you might qualify for a USDA loan under their Guaranteed program if your income is below 115% of your Area Medium Income (AMI) or their Direct program if your income is between 50 and 80% of the AMI. 

 

Veterans might be eligible for some specific programs such as VA Home Loans for Disabled Veterans or Homes for our Troops. 

 

Although achieving homeownership can seem daunting while you are on disability or SSI, there are numerous programs that can help you qualify for a home. Don’t hesitate to ask for help! 

The post Can You Qualify For A Home With Disability or SSI? appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/can-you-qualify-for-a-home-with-disability-or-ssi/

How To Negotiate A Real Estate Deal

Whether you’re buying or selling, learning how to negotiate a real estate deal is an incredibly important part of the process. As a seller, you want to close the deal as quickly as possible while getting the most money that you can. As a buyer, you want to convince the seller to lower the price as much as possible.

 

So, how do you negotiate with a party that has opposing goals? Consider these tips to help you learn how to effectively negotiate your next real estate deal.

 

 

Don’t Make the First Offer

When it comes to negotiations, you’ll often hear the advice that you should never make the first offer. The reason for this is simple:

Making the first offer takes away your leverage and you could potentially make an offer that favors the opposing party more than you.

 

For example, let’s say you’re in the market for a new house. You find the perfect property, so you make an offer of $200,000 to the seller. However, by doing this, you take away your ability to negotiate the price down based on the seller’s offer. If the seller would have offered to sell you the home for $210,000, you could have counter-offered with $150,000 and ended up paying something around $175,000. However, since you already offered $200,000, you can’t go any lower than that.

Letting the opposing party make the first offer allows you to make a more informed counter-offer.

 

 

Financing

One of the most important aspects to consider when negotiating a real estate deal is financing.

As the seller, you should already know the financing terms that you would be willing to accept. This can help you save time by avoiding negotiations with buyers who don’t have access to acceptable financing.

 

As a buyer, securing financing in advance may be a requirement to get to the negotiation stage in the first place. Additionally, having financing can give you more leverage as the seller already knows you’ll be able to pay for the home. 

 

 

Time Your Purchase/Sale

If you’re not in a hurry, you should consider timing your purchase or sale depending on the state of the real estate market.

Sometimes, the market might be in the seller’s favor while, other times, it might be in the buyer’s favor. If time is of no concern, then waiting for the perfect time to enter the market or put your home on the market can give you much more negotiating power and get a much better deal.

 

 

Gather Information

Try to gain information pertaining to the buyer’s or seller’s motives. This can help you make more informed and favorable offers.

For example, in some cases, a seller’s number one priority might be to sell their home as quickly as possible rather than obtain the most money possible. If someone is in a hurry to move to a new location for their job or any other reason, they might be willing to accept significantly less in order to expedite the process.

Buying or selling a home can be a difficult process to navigate. Utilizing these tips can help you successfully negotiate your next real estate deal.

The post How To Negotiate A Real Estate Deal appeared first on National Cash Offer.

source https://nationalcashoffer.com/how-to-negotiate-a-real-estate-deal/