by mwonfor | Mar 21, 2018 | Community, Home Inspection
Most people dream of becoming a homeowner and consider it a financial investment that pays off over the years. For those who are new to the process of buying a house, it can be difficult to know where to begin. If you’re ready to buy your first home, read on for a few essential steps to take.
Get Pre-Approved
Many people make the mistake of shopping around for their first home before they secure the financing with a loan. Sellers won’t take you seriously if you make an offer but haven’t been approved for a home loan yet. You’ll need to apply for a loan through a bank or financial institution and provide all of your information, which includes your debt-to-income ratio, household income, and list of assets.
Secure Employment
You’ll need to have at least one year of employment at the same establishment to provide proof that you’ll be able to make your mortgage payments on time after you buy your first home. It’s important to avoid changing jobs or becoming self-employed while your application is pending to reduce the risk of being denied.
Calculate What You Can Afford
One of the main steps of preparing to buy a new home is determining what you can afford before you begin shopping around. Add up your household income and multiply it by two or three. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, HOA fees, utilities, and the cost of repairs or upgrades that are needed in the future. The amount of debt that you’ve accumulated will also influence what you can afford, which includes auto loans, student debt, and credit card debt. According to forbes.com, your mortgage payment should be 25 to 35 percent of your monthly income.
Save a Down Payment to Buy Your First Home
The down payment is needed to secure your loan and will also influence how much money you pay towards your mortgage each month. Evaluate your budget to look for expenses that can be cut out to save more money. Consider cutting the cord on your cable television and limiting non-essential activities or purchases. Preparing more meals at home and using coupons at the grocery store can also allow you to reduce what you spend each month to ensure that you can save more for a down payment.
Conventional mortgages typically require 20 percent down on the house, but if you get an FHA loan, you may only need 3.5 to 10 percent of the selling price of the home. If you’re a veteran, you can take advantage of a VA loan, which has lower interest rates and doesn’t require a down payment when you buy your first home.
Increase Your Credit Score
Your credit score is one of the leading factors that lenders evaluate when determining if they’ll provide you with a loan to buy a house. The credit score determines how well you repay outstanding debts and manage your money. Most lenders require a score of at least 580 to qualify for a mortgage. You can boost your score by making your credit card payments on time and paying off accounts that have high balances. Avoid closing any of your accounts, which can reduce the length of your history as a buyer and can negatively affect your credit score.
Taking the necessary steps to prepare for buying a new home will allow you to have a smooth and successful process. You can have peace of mind knowing that you’re taking the right steps to purchase a house that is within your price range and that you’ll enjoy long-term.
While a home inspection is not required to buy a home, it is an essential step to take so you’re confident about your investment and tp avoid costly and troublesome surprises later on. If you are in Southeast Michigan and are buying your first home, contact American Home Inspection Services today!
by mwonfor | Feb 28, 2018 | Community, Home Maintenance
Increase the Value of Your Home with Updates that Won’t Break the Bank
There are a great may home improvement ideas to be discovered, so how are you supposed to know which ones are going to increase the value of your home for the least money? Your bathrooms and your kitchen add a lot of value to your home, so you should be concentrating your home improvement efforts on these rooms. But if these rooms look great already, there’s no need to put more money towards them. Instead, you can go through our home improvement list to find projects to take on that will increase your home’s worth at a reasonable cost.
Add Hardwood Flooring
One of the very best things you can do to increase the value of your home is to update your floors. There’s no need to rip up the floors throughout your home. You can focus instead on larger sections or areas that have seen more wear and tear. Get rid of old carpet or tile and install hardwood flooring in its place. If you already have hardwood floors, you can refinish them for a home improvement that will be wallet-friendly.
Replace Dated Fixtures
There are ways to improve your entire home without needing to tear anything up. Every room of your house probably has outdated fixtures, from your lighting to the knobs on your cabinets. Even though these might be considered details, if they look worn, they’re going to keep your home from making a good impression. Replacing your out-of-date fixtures with newer ones will be an easy and worthwhile home improvement to make.
Update Old Cabinets
This is a home improvement you can do in those all important rooms—your kitchen and your bathrooms—as well as in other parts of your home. Paint or re-stain your cabinets—you might even do the same to your dressers and chests of drawers while you’re at it.
Increase Your Curb Appeal
Don’t forget the outside of your home when you’re striving to increase its value. Your home’s exterior is what’s going to be making that essential first impression. You want to make anyone who sees your house grow curious about what lies behind the door.
Take care of your lawn and add some flowers, even if they’re in decorative planters by the door. Take care of any necessary cosmetic repairs, like chipped paint or cracks in your driveway. By enhancing the way that your home looks from the outside, you’ll be increasing its value as a whole.
Shoot for Energy Efficiency
More and more homebuyers are in search of a home that’s going to be a value to them long after closing. If your house is drafty or if the HVAC system needs updating, this means that they’ll have to spend more money in the long run, which could send them running in the opposite direction of your home. Embrace energy efficiency by sealing up your windows, using LED lights instead of traditional incandescent bulbs, and fixing any leaks that may be present. These small improvements will be worth a great deal in the eyes of prospective buyers.
These are just a few affordable steps you can take towards getting a bigger return on your investment. Click here for many more ideas on how to increase your home’s worth.
American Home Inspection Services offers certified home inspection services to Southeast Michigan. To schedule our services call (248) 459-7007 or use our online request an inspection tool.
by mwonfor | Jan 30, 2018 | Home Maintenance, Seasonal
Keep Your Fireplace Safe With Our Fireplace Safety Tips
Winter is here, which means that if you have a fireplace, you’re probably using it quite a bit. It’s important that you follow all the necessary precautions to keep your fireplace safe when doing so. Your fireplace should be a source of comfort and warmth; you don’t want things to get out of hand. It’s a good idea to install a photoelectric smoke detector close to your fireplace to increase fireplace safety. You may also want to install an ionization model which is better at detecting large fires. It’s also a smart move to put a CO detector near your fireplace, not just by the rooms you sleep in. Glass fireplace doors tend to have vents that can let carbon monoxide re-enter the room if there is negative pressure in your home.
Check Out Your Fireplace With a Flashlight
If you are using your fireplace, it’s important to know of any potential hazardous buildup inside. Look up into and around your fireplace, using a flashlight to light your way. You should call a chimney professional for help if you find cracks or gaps of any kind or a buildup of soot. If you see black stuff inside, that’s called creosote and it’s highly flammable. You won’t want to try cleaning it out by yourself, however, so call in the pros.
Check the Damper for Fireplace Safety
It should be easy to open and close your damper. If there’s resistance or a blockage, it’s possible that some sort of animal or bird is nesting there. Be sure to bang on the damper before opening if you suspect this is the case, otherwise you could end up with an unwanted surprise guest in your living room. Have your chimney cleaned professionally if there are any signs that wildlife has taken up residence there.
Make Certain that the Chimney Professional You Hire is Certified
If you need to go the route of hiring a pro to ensure your fireplace safety, look for someone with respectable credentials, such as certification from the Chimney Safety Institute of America. A certified chimney sweep should carry a top-of-the-line camera fitted with LED lighting that will allow him or her to get a good view of what’s going on inside of your chimney, including places you wouldn’t be able to view without this equipment.
Start Out Small
Before you start up a major blaze, build a smaller fire with just a few logs made of seasoned hardwood. This will ensure that the first fire you build burns safely. Start by opening the damper and letting the flue warm up. You don’t want to start a fire while there’s still cold air in your chimney since the downdraft could draw smoke into your house. Before starting your fire, light a rolled-up newspaper in the fireplace’s opening until the air starts to rise.
Make Sure the Mantel Doesn’t Get Too Hot
This step to keep your fireplace safe is of particular importance if you’ve got a flat-screen TV mounted above your fireplace. After your fire has begun to roar, put a candle on the mantel. If the candle starts to melt, then you’ll want to find another place to put anything that could be damaged by heat, like your electronics. If the mantel or the walls grow too hot to touch or if smoke is present anywhere inside your house, including in your attic, then contact a chimney professional as soon as you can.
For more tips to keep your fireplace safe check out this article from HGTV.
American Home Inspection Services serves Oakland, Wayne, and Livingston counties in Southeast Michigan with home inspections and related services. Give us a call today at (248) 459-7007 or request your appointment online.
by mwonfor | Dec 22, 2017 | Community, Home Maintenance, Seasonal
Why is Shoveling Snow Safely Important?
When you think about the dangers of shoveling snow, you probably think about straining your muscles and aggravating back problems. While these are certainly concerns, a greater danger is that of a heart attack. Shoveling snow is an incredibly strenuous exercise, and being exposed to the cold weather will cause your blood vessels to constrict putting you at greater risk of having a heart attack. In fact, shoveling snow is the main reason that more heart attacks occur during the winter months. Read on for our tips for shoveling snow safely.
With regard to your aching back, try not to lift a shovel that’s filled with snow. Push the snow off of your driveway and sidewalks instead. If you find that you have to raise the snow, don’t let yourself twist around—face the same direction that you’re lifting. Stop what you’re doing as soon as you start to feel sore. You can always pick the shovel up again later.
How to Stay Safe While Shoveling Snow
- Don’t shovel snow right after you get up in the morning—you’re more likely to incur a slipped disc injury because of the fluid that builds up in the disc while you’re sleeping.
- Be sure to check with your doctor if you have a heart condition or any other reason to think that shoveling snow could be hazardous to your health.
- Put a snow and ice repellant on your shovel to prevent buildup. This will keep snow from sticking to it, which will lighten the load that you’re having to lift.
- Drink water before you begin and take breaks frequently.
Say No to Snow Throwers
Many people opt to use a snow thrower instead of shoveling their driveways and sidewalks because they think they’re much easier to use. Unfortunately, snow throwers are also incredibly dangerous. According to the Center for Disease Control and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are thousands of visits to the ER every year due to snow throwers, some of which involve amputation.
Snow Shoveling Services
If your neighborhood doesn’t include a teen who offers to do your shoveling for you for cash, you can always find a snow removal service online. It shouldn’t take more than a few clicks of your mouse to find an online referral service that will connect you with local snow shoveling services. If shoveling snow might be hazardous to your health, and particularly if you have a heart condition, this is a wise alternative.
In winter, your home needs special attention, and American Home Inspection Services can help. Click here for our article about home winterization, and here for our post about preparing your home before you leave for vacation. We welcome you to contact us if you are interested in scheduling any of our home inspection services.
by mwonfor | Nov 20, 2017 | Home Maintenance, Seasonal
By Preparing Your Home For Vacation, You Can Relax On Your Trip
Regardless of whether you’re leaving town for a long weekend or for the season, you’ll enjoy your vacation more knowing that you’ve prepared your house for your time away. It helps to begin your preparations a few weeks in advance and to use a checklist to make certain that nothing gets missed. We’ve created preliminary checklists with tips on preparing your home for vacation. Take these steps to get ready for both your departure and your return so that you can make the most of your vacation and return home stress-free!
Getting Ready to Take Off
- Plan for your pets. Make arrangements with a pet sitter or a boarding facility, and give them instructions for how to care for your pet, food, treats, favorite toys, and any medication your pet may need.
- Clean out your refrigerator. If food is expired, or if it will expire while you’re gone, toss it. Clean up any fresh spills while you’re at it.
- Take care of your laundry. Do a few loads and put away whatever you’re not packing.
- Don’t let your plants die. Ask a neighbor or a friend to water your plants, and give them a tour of where all your plants are. Leave them with detailed watering instructions.
- Turn on a few lights. This will make it seem like someone is still at home. If you’re going on a longer trip—or if you want to play it extra-safe—invest in automatic timers that will turn your lights off and on at the times of your choosing. You should also let your neighbors know that you’ll be away so that they can be on the lookout for any suspicious activity.
- Unplug and fine tune. You should adjust your A/C or heat in order to conserve energy while your home is unoccupied. Unplug any appliances that won’t be used before you leave as well.
- Call your post office and your newspaper carrier. Have them put a temporary hold on your services so that you don’t come home to a mountain of mail and newspapers by your front door.
Prepare For Your Return
- Part of preparing your home for vacation is thinking ahead to what you’ll need after you return. Have your first meal planned already. Make sure you’ve stocked the freezer and the pantry with the key ingredients for an easy non-perishable meal so that you won’t need to go grocery shopping after a long day of traveling. Or if you’d rather order takeout, that’s a great option as well!
- Change your sheets right before you leave. This will make for a comfortable first night back in your own bed.
- Clean up your house. Sweep, Swiffer, or vacuum. Run the dishwasher and put away all of the dishes. Quickly wipe down countertops with all-purpose cleansing wipes. You’ll be much happier returning to a clean home! Trust us, after you return you will be glad you spent a little time preparing your home for vacation.
American Home Inspection Services offers a Home Watch Service to Southeastern Michigan families so that you can have peace of mind and enjoy your vacation. Contact us today to discuss your needs!
