homeowner

       Even though, with this year's La Nina winter experience that is happening here in St. Tammany Parish, we at Ron Lee Homes would like to show you a way to make sure that you are prepared for any cold snap that we may have for the rest of this winter.  Your home is your biggest and best investment, so follow these tips to make sure that you protect your investment and save yourself any money you could spend in repairs.

       The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.

       Autumn is invariably a prelude to falling winter temperatures, regardless of where you live. It might rain or snow or, as David Letterman says, "Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees." Did you know there is only one state in the United States where the temperatures have never dipped below zero? Give up? It's Hawaii.

Here Are Ten Tips to Help You Prepare Your Home for Winter

1) Furnace Inspection

• Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
• Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
• Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
• If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
• Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready

• Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
• If the chimney hasn't been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
• Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
• Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
• Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows

• Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
• Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.
• Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.
• If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
• Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.

4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts

• If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.
• Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.
• Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
• Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
• Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment

• Drain gas from lawnmowers.
• Service or tune-up snow blowers.
• Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
• Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
• Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations

• Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
• Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
• Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
• Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
• Secure crawlspace entrances.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
• Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
• Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

8) Prevent Plumbing Freezes

• Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
• Drain all garden hoses.
• Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.
• Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.
• If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces

• Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
• Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.
• Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.
• Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
• Don't automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
• Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit

• Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.
• Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.
• Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.
• Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.
• Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.

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WASHINGTON -- Despite many homes in foreclosure, a high jobless rate and a shaky economy, most U.S. adults say they are living the American dream, a survey indicates.

The Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll indicates 59 percent say they are living the American Dream. Seventy-five percent percent surveyed say it is still possible for people like them to achieve the American Dream, which the poll defined as the ability to advance as far as their talents will take them and live better than their parents did.

Survey respondents say after raising a family, owning a home is the second most critical part of the American Dream. Nearly nine out of 10 U.S. homeowners say they would buy their homes again -- even if its value has declined, the survey says.

Three-fourths of homeowners say they have not benefited from any federal program to promote ownership, although 71 percent of those owners acknowledged they take the mortgage interest deduction -- a program to promote home ownership.

Fifty-two percent blame the housing crisis on banks and lending institutions for misleading borrowers and approving bad loans, 32 percent blame those who took out mortgages they couldn't afford and 12 percent blame government policies that encouraged too many people to own their own homes.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted March 4-8, has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. 

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       Homeowners in the Washington area can uncross their fingers -- 2011 is expected to be the best year for home prices the region has witnessed since the recession, with experts saying the area's market recovery will be tops in the nation.

       The region's relatively strong uptick in prices over the last year -- second in the nation -- gives analysts reason to believe the Washington market could see a 6.5 percent increase in home prices over the next 12 months, according to a new report by Clear Capital, which tracks real estate trends. It's the biggest increase the firm is predicting across the country.

       "D.C. prices are already going up for all homeowners who have purchased a home in last two years," said Alex Villacorta, senior statistician at Clear Capital. "So they are likely to see positive equity in that purchase."

       It's a different story, however, for those who bought a home at the height of the housing boom in the summer of 2006. The area's home prices on average are back to their 2004 levels, while houses in the rest of the nation are averaging prices closer to 2001 levels.

Annual price changes for 2011's top markets

       Strong employment and the relatively low percentage of bank-owned foreclosures on the market are two big factors that have contributed to the Washington area's ability to stay ahead of the curve, experts said. Roughly 15 percent of properties on the market in the region are bank-owned compared with more than 40 percent in other major markets, according to Clear Capital. Unemployment is a little more than half the national average of 9.8 percent.

       That helped propel Washington-area home prices in 2010 to a 5.3 percent increase, second only to Honolulu, where prices increased by 7.2 percent, according to the report.

       Meanwhile neighboring markets suffered significant declines. Prices in Richmond fell last year by more than 10 percent and Baltimore-area prices fell by more than 8 percent. Clear Capital expects both markets to see losses again this year.

       Nationally, prices fell by 4.1 percent in 2010. Much of it was because of the false boost the federal homebuyer tax credits gave the market during the first half of the year, which created a highly volatile atmosphere.

       "They probably did as much harm as they did good because the dramatic falloff of purchases ... seems to have had the effect of further depressing prices," Rick Sharga, executive vice president of foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, said last month.

       Real estate agents say it's a relief to hear the positive prediction for Washington -- but it's not surprising.

       "The average length of time a property stayed on the market once we got through the tax credit [has been] declining," said Joanne Darling, president of the Prince George's County Association of Realtors. "Properties are actually staying on market less than 90 days ... [whereas] at its worst, it was longer than six months."

       But location is key and real estate is highly local. Darling said she's seeing multiple offers on homes in places like Capitol Hill, Northwest D.C., Bethesda and Chevy Chase. But towns farther away from the city -- and where residents have to be more reliant on cars -- have been slow to come back, she said.

       The market volatility in 2010 created a shift toward rental properties, with potential buyers in the region being afraid to invest in a home that might continue to drop in value. But Villacorta said 2011 may see a shift back toward homeownership.

       "As rents start to increase, that could provide an opportunity for investors to come in and ... rent those properties back," he said. "That would drive prices up and that can swing the tide back into the favor of 'maybe it's a good time to buy.'"


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