Despite all the attention radiant heating has received over the last few years, you still might not regard it as a viable alternative to traditional systems, such as hydronic baseboards or forced-air furnaces. Part of the confusion is that radiant heating shares some similarities with floor warming, a stopgap option… read more →
Insuring a house has as much to do with you as it does the actual building. Home insurance providers set your premium by evaluating the risks posed by you and your house. Homes in Tornado Alley, for example, cost more to insure because of the risk of wind damage. As… read more →
There’s a good reason why 88 percent of sellers list with a real estate agent over selling their home by themselves. One of the best reasons to list your home with a real estate agent isn’t just about getting more money for your home. While a real estate agent can… read more →
Selling your home requires a keen eye to make it appeal to a wide audience. That means you need to take time to make sure that your home is dressed up and ready to be shown off. It’s sort of an after-thought but it really shouldn’t be. A garage may… read more →
To help you prepare, and to wet your appetite for exploration, Google teamed up with scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center to bring you this collection of lunar maps and charts. This tool is an exciting new way to explore the story of the Apollo missions, still the only… read more →
You don’t need to be a world-class negotiator to nab a great deal on your dream home. More often, it’s a matter of knowing what not to say. One errant comment or paperwork misstep can compromise your negotiating position. Playing it close to the vest around home sellers and listing… read more →
If the idea of buying a house both scares and excites you, that’s how it should be. If you’re only intimidated or only enthusiastic, you’re probably going into the mortgage-buying process ill-informed. After all, in the years before the Great Recession, homebuyers weren’t intimidated at all. For quite a few… read more →
According to a recent survey of 2,000 homeowners the No. 1 turnoff for prospective homebuyers is the smell of cigarettes. After the smell of stale smoke, homeowners said their biggest home-shopping turnoffs included stained carpets, piles of junk, pet smells and a dirty bathroom. Besides smells and stains, homebuyers said… read more →
Deciphering your credit score can be difficult, especially if you don’t know all the ways you can be hurting it. Your credit is not only attached to your credit card use, but with many everyday financial activities. Here are five things that can hurt your credit, and ways to prevent… read more →
Your credit report is essentially your financial report card. It serves as a way for banks, insurance and lending companies to gauge your credit-worthiness and whether you’re likely to miss payments or default on a loan. It’s also common for landlords, employers and government agencies to check your credit before… read more →