7 Things – About Your Home – Did you Know?

7 Things – About Your Home – Did you Know?

By Bridget Lynch-White

For so many moving into a NEW home is like being at an Amusement Park for the first time.?There are so many things that a lot of people don’t even realize that their home has or even have access to, even if the agent showed you once at a walk through or told you about it at closing – there’s a good chance after you left the closing table, you forgot all about it.

This article points out 7 things you didn’t know about your house that you should consider.

#1 – Did you know, if you have ceiling fans that there is a switch to have the blades rotate one way or the other depending on the weather (cold or warm), by utilizing this switch to rotate in the cold weather to push the warm air down and in the spring/summer flip the switch to move the cool air up.?By using the switch, you can have the air from a fan properly disburse airflow circulating properly during the different seasons.

#2 – Did you know that you should Winterize (shut off) your exterior water spigots in the winter, so they don’t freeze??Typically, the shut off is on the interior of the home, shutting the spigot off will help keep your pipes from breaking during the winter and will also help save water and restrict breakage of the spigot itself due to cold temperatures.

#3 – Did you know that the Dryer and the collected fuzz from drying process is the #2 culprit for fires in the home.?Not cleaning out the dryer filter on a regular basis can ensure that your Dryer doesn’t work at its proper capacity and it also increases the homeowners chance of fire by over 50%.

#4 – Did you know that most people don’t test their smoke detectors or even know how to clean the contacts??Does this sound familiar… Cooking meat, with the sear comes the smoke and the alarm goes off and you or your spouse takes if off the wall and then yanks the batteries out to stop the beeping??When you try to put the detector back, it keeps going off without there even being smoke in the room??Well, take a can of compressed air and clear the contacts, replace the batteries, and put it back on the wall.?Smoke and C02 Detectors are required on all floors of a home and should be replaced every 5 years. You should also check the batteries every quarter.

#5 – Ever used a fire extinguisher??Most people if they have them, don’t even know how to use them.?For proper use the National Fire Protection Association and Allstate have blogs that explain how to use them.?If they have been used contact your local fire department to have them refilled or disposed of if not refillable, you can buy a new one at your local box store. Every home should have a fire extinguisher on every floor and especially in areas common to open flame like Kitchens and Living spaces with fireplaces. I also keep one at the back door for when I cook out!

#6 – Does your garage have an access code keypad near the door – you should never keep it on the default, it is best to replace or change the pin every few years or at the very least if you move into a NEW home change it when you move in. You can look up the type you have on Google and find the instructions on how to change it or contact a Security company to assist you.

#7 – Did you know that you can have your annual taxes reassessed just by asking??Contact your local assessor’s office and request to have your tax assessment lowered (here in Indianapolis it's completely online and there is an article in my archive on LinkedIn on how to do it), depending on the property you could save a bundle by lowering your taxes (for at least a year) by proving that you have made significant repairs in the past year, maybe even enough to make up for some of the repairs themselves.?If you haven’t made repairs and your property is falling into disrepair – you may be able to prove that the tax rate is too high!

Have an a safe and AWESOME weekend!