Boston Real Estate Blog » boston http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com Your connection to Boston Real Estate Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:16:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Tips for Winterizing Your Home http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/tips-for-winterizing-your-home.htm http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/tips-for-winterizing-your-home.htm#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:50:13 +0000 monica http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/?p=1932 Winter’s back with a frosty bite! Have you prepared your home yet for the blizzards to be? Whether this is your first winter in New England or just another season for you, it’s a good idea to winterize your home. By preparing your home for the cold, you can avoid most maintence issues that spring up in the dead of winter.

 

1. Have your furnance inspected, cleaned, and maintanced if needed. Try to keep away any belongings to avoid a potential fire hazard.

2. If you have a fireplace, make sure to keep it closed when not in use to avoid pests and losing heat. Have it cleaned if needed. Be sure to store any firewood away from the outside of the house and keep it in a dry area.

3. Check the gutters and roof of your home. Insulate the attic in order to avoid ice dams, and make sure the gutters are clear of debris.

4. Check exteriors, doors, and windows and fix any cracks or damaged parts that could let in cold air or snow.

5. Rake away any debris and seal any cracks you find. No need to pick up any pests this winter. Check with an exterminator if you think you find an infestation.

6. In case of pipe freeze, know where your water main is located in order to shut it off for an emergency. Insulate any exposed pipes to prevent a burst.

7. Install a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, and a fire extinguisher.

8. Move any sensitive plants indoors and trim tree banches away from your home and power lines.

9. Prepare an emergency kit of flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, and a dry food supply in case of a power outage.

10. Make sure you have a good supply of snow salt and shovels.

Keep your home (and your family) nice and warm with these helpful tips.

 

]]> http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/tips-for-winterizing-your-home.htm/feed 0 Forbes Magazine says Boston #1 Place to Buy! http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/forbes-magazine-says-boston-1-place-to-buy.htm http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/forbes-magazine-says-boston-1-place-to-buy.htm#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:55:52 +0000 Elad Bushari http://bostonrealestateblog.bushari.com/?p=1120 For people who want to own a home, the premium to buy—the spread between what they’d spend to rent and what they’d pay for a mortgage—is much lower than the 15-year average in many cities.

To determine what cities are smart buys, Forbes magazine computed the premium and also identified locales where economists predict home prices will go up the most over the next five years.

Here are the top 10 cities the magazine chose as the best places to buy right now.

1. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.
2. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C.
3. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.
4. Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.
5. Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.
7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.
8. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.
9. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.
10. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.V.

Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (01/21/2010)

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