Tag Archives: tips and tricks

The 6 ways Minnesotans can adjust their home for climate change

 

Winter is already here, but with the holiday hectic activities we might’ve forgotten how to prepare our houses for this abrupt climate change. Here’s how:

 

1. Sign up to power your home with renewables with Xcel Energy.

That means that for the next months although your bill might seem a little higher than usual, it won’t be as high as it could go. This is because Xcel won’t charge the usual $4 fuel charge that you usually see on your bills.

 

2. Clean your gutters.

With the heavy rain fall that will come after the snowy winter ends. The extreme rainfall could exceed the capacity of your gutter, and cause exterior damage to your home. Avoid this by cleaning them. Furthermore, be also sure to check your sprouts and be aware that the water should be flowing far away from the foundation but not fast enough for it not be absorbed into the soil.

 

3. Don’t place your valuables on your basement floor.

Purchase waterproof containers. Even if you think water doesn’t get to your basement, it’s better to be prepared. Store your valuables in a high place, where you know they won’t fall.

 

4. Consider adoption.

This might sound silly but think about adopting a tree! Or, planting one. This is just to add some environmentally conscious advice, in general. Since you know, trees are always highly needed.

 

5. Consider condensing technology.

“”These systems are very energy efficient and have the added benefit of being small enough to mount on a basement wall rather than sitting on the floor and thus reducing the likelihood that the heating plant will be ruined and a house made uninhabitable if water gets into a basement,” Hamilton wrote.”

 

6. Check the street sewer’s drains.

Clean sewers without debris or trash prevents localized flooding when the heavy rain fall occurs.

 

Find original article here by MPR News. 

Property Searching Tips and Guidelines

If you need to find the perfect home you have envisioned, then you will likely have a fairly good idea of the things you’re looking for. Get your priorities right and focus on making a good plan for your searching efforts. There are a few things you may easily forget while you focus on the bigger picture, so the following tips aim to give you an idea what you can do to make things work out to your advantage.

  • Setting your priorities

Before you start the search, you will need to make sure you have all things you need to have in your home down on paper, so you can keep track of them during the search. Once you do that, pick the ones you know you will need to have no matter what. Once you start looking you should make sure you keep your priorities tight and with a good list on hand. This will allow you to track things with greater efficiency.

  • Comparing things

Once you have gone through no less than a dozen homes, you will likely begin to lose track of all the details you may be dealing with. You would do well to keep a chart or checklist of the features you saw in each of the homes you went through for future reference. Once you finish things with the basics, you will need to cover other things such as exterior decorations, natural light, roofs and more. You can use that chart to keep track of the search, so make sure you do so for your future searches if you’re not doing one now.

  • Home walkthroughs

When you do a tour of a home for your first time, you will likely feel overwhelmed and excited if the place is nice. This will make you less likely to notice any inherent problems the home may have, so keep your eyes open for such even if you’re having fun in the process.

  • Floor plan and measurements

Make sure you have your furniture well measured and ready to move before you find the right home. You would do well to be ready for this before you start your search just in case, as it will allow you to pack and move fast and without any delays that would set you back financially. Something else you need to do is keep a good floor plan so you can figure out which items will fit well and which will need more work and whether they really need to be moved or not.

About the Author: Heather Roberts is a content writer from London, UK. She lives in Balham, London with her husband and two sons, and loves planning family trips and exploring new places.