Posts from March 2015
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6
Make Spring Cleaning a Family Affair
Spring cleaning your home can be overwhelming without help. If you're a parent, enlist your children with these creative (and fun!) ways to clean, courtesy of Debra Johnson, home cleaning expert for Merry Maids.
• Host a Fashion Show
Go through closets and play dress up with the kids. Put away the show-stopping outfits and make piles of items that no longer fit to donate or discard.
• Skate Over Dust
Remove furniture and rugs from hardwood surfaces in your home and have your kids slide over the floor with microfiber cloths wrapped around their feet (supervision required). Have a trash bag on hand to collect dust afterwards.
• Celebrate Christmas in Spring
Help children sort through toys and games that are no longer being used for donations. Bonus...
5
Mortgage Rates Reverse Course, Move Lower
According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey, mortgage rates unwound a recent increase last week, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate pulling back to 3.90 percent. The 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.29 discount and origination points.
The average 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to 3.15 percent while the larger jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage settled at 4.07 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages were down also, with the 5-year ARM falling to 3.22 percent and the 7-year ARM sinking to 3.44 percent.
Mortgage rates moved lower last week after indications that maybe the Federal Reserve isn't going to raise interest rates as soon as markets had thought. The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting sho...
2
Reducing Energy Consumption in Cold Weather
Furnaces have been operating overtime in order to combat frigid weather, which likely has led to an increase in heating bills. By taking some simple steps, homeowners can reduce their costs without sacrificing warmth.
- Open the blinds on the south side of your home during sunny days, but keep the blinds closed on cloudy days and at night.
- Use a programmable thermostat and set it to 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you're at home and 65 degrees when sleeping or away.
- Turn off non-essential lights, appliances, electronics and other equipment.
- Postpone, whenever possible, using electric appliances such as dishwashers, dryers and cooking equipment during on-peak or mid-peak price periods.
- Check to see that weather stripping around your doors, fireplace dampers and attic...