34 REM MARCH 2010
HOUSE WORKS
Customized Client Newsletters E-Newsletter
By Steve Maxwell
S
ometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in how smoothly your home operates. Details matter. Here are 10 of my favourite home improvement tricks.
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What Is a Short Sale, and Is It Right for Me?
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Now that the holidays are over, your thoughts may be shifting back to your housing situation, including a 2010 move. The real estate market is still front-page news in many cities, with numerous mentions of “short sales.” What are short sales, and how might they apply to you?
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In a nutshell, short sales are homes extensive paperwork involved and that sell for less than the amount expedite your transaction. owed on them. Sellers may choose Usually, short sales are anything but If yo o you’re thinking of making a move, this route over foreclosure to avoid a short process. You’ll benefit from a or ar re just curious as to real estate are damaging their credit rating, as would real estate sales representative who trend d in your area, please feel free trends happen if the bank actually took over is knowledgeable about this specific Market calll at any time. It’s always good to cal their home. Buyers are always looking type of transaction, and who will to hea a from you! hear for a good deal, so if they have the research each short sale situation for wn Bro patience toDa waitnny out the longer of you carefully, and pay attention to the All thee best, s closing period often involved in short many details involved. Compliment sales, they may reap the rewards in n y Brow DannThere are many Inc. of real estate many markets. nstypes et Connectiothat are101 Mark transactions Suite specific to Yonge Street, Whether you’re a seller or a buyer, 4950today’s market. The more educated to, ON M2N 6K1 maneuvering your way through the Toron you are on your options, the short sale process is not something to more satisfactory your real estate do alone. Working with an experienced experience will be. Please call with real estate sales representative is your questions on short sales, or highly advisable in order to protect other types of real estate transactions Name your interests, take care of the you may be interested in. Your Client’s
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1. Got a scratch in your hardwood or laminate floor? Rub shoe polish on to hide it. Choose a slightly darker colour than the floor for best results. If the finish on your hardwood floor is worn through in areas of high traffic, daub on wood stain, then wipe off all excess. This trick works on furniture and cabinets, too. 2 . Does your bathroom sink stink, even after you’ve cleaned it? Microbes living in the overflow passage are often the cause. Use a rag to plug the opening where the overflow meets the drain, then fill the overflow with three per cent hydrogen peroxide overnight. The smell will almost certainly be gone. 3. Planning to upgrade your furnace? Models more than 25 years old are typically 60 per cent efficient. Models 10 to 15 years old are often about 80 per cent efficient. The best current models reach a peak of 95 per cent efficient. Calculate how much a new furnace will save, then compare this figure to installed costs to determine payback period. 4. Your attic access hatch is probably a huge energy waster. Many hatches leak tons of heated air, causing unnecessary heating costs and an increased tendency for ice dam formation. Sealing your attic hatch with weather stripping saves money and also reduces damaging frost build up in the attic during cold weather. 5. Got nail and screw holes to repair in drywall? Use the rounded handle end of a screwdriver, putty knife or ball peen hammer to
Top 10 little DIY tips pound a slight depression in dents or dings before filling with repair compound. The pounding action hides the frazzled bits of paper below the surface and the resulting sloped edges of the hole are easy to cover smoothly with patching compound. Smooth the repair area with a sanding sponge when it’s completely dry, then apply another layer of compound and let it dry before a final sanding. 6. Do you buy bottled water? Consider a whole-house carbon filter to remove chlorine and chemicals. For less than $75 a year for replacement carbon, it treats all the water in your house (including shower water – a source of potentially harmful vapourized chlorine by-products) at much lower cost than bottled water. 7. Do you need a new bathroom exhaust fan? Choose a model capable of changing all the air in your bathroom at least eight or nine times each hour. Anything smaller won’t provide adequate air movement. Also, if the exhaust ducting passes through an attic, be sure to use insulated ducting with a sleeve of vapour barrier plastic on the outside. Without this detail, moisture will condense in the duct during cold weather and dribble back down through the fan. 8. Never coil extension cords around your arm when putting them away. Coiling imparts a twist in the cord that causes more and
more kinks over time. Instead, fold the cord in half as many times as necessary for compact storage. This method also works well with ropes and air hoses. 9. Reducing the thermostat setting on your water heater reduces energy consumption and helps decrease the hazard of hot water burns. Just don’t lower the temperature too much. 120 F is the lowest safe level you can go. Anything cooler and dangerous micro-organisms can grow in the tank, contaminating your water. 10. Wax filler sticks are the best option for covering nail holes in wood finished with stain and urethane. Wax comes in different colours – most look like large crayons – and are used after all finishing steps are complete. When an exact match isn’t available, choose the next darkest shade of wax. Keeping your home well is more about dealing with details than it is completing big renovation projects. Tackle the little things as they come up and you’ll have a better place and more money in your pocket. Steve Maxwell is Canada’s award-winning home improvement expert, and technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine. Sign up for his free homeowner newsletter at www.stevemaxwell.ca REM
Worn areas of wood flooring, cabinets and furniture can be repaired using spot applications of stain, followed by additional coats of urethane. (Photo: Steve Maxwell)