​FEMA home inspectors. Since we have seen so much damage from disasters around North America in recent months, you may have had to deal with the government aid agency FEMA.

If you have contacted FEMA or feel you should be prepared in case you have to contact them in the future, there are some important reminders that we can go over to help you with an inspection in your home.

After applying for aid from FEMA, hopefully, the applicant will get contacted by a home inspector to assess the damage to the home. This damage could be from wind, floods or even fire as we have seen recently in California. Prior to the inspector arriving at your home, it would good to be aware of how you can facilitate the inspector's job.

If you have flood damage in your home make sure that the inspector comes after the waters have receded and there is no water left in the house, that way they won't be impeded in their inspection. Also, think of how you can clear any debris or other items in or around the house so nothing is obstructing their view of the damage caused.
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Thinking of some things beforehand may help us to get the correct amount of aid that we need in these difficult times.

As we discussed last time, hard water can be an aggravation in our home and you most likely know if you have it or not.

But could hard water affect our health?

Well, in a way, yes. The WHO reports that there is no convincing evidence to show that hard water affects any one's health adversely. In fact, the only conclusive evidence studies have found is that hard water could help the human body to fight disease. The reason for this might be the small amounts of calcium and magnesium that it provides to our dietary needs.

While hard water may reduce the life of home appliances, it may have a positive effect on our health. Still, the damage it can cause to our home may make us want to do something about it, and reduce the hard water coming into our pipes.

Can hard water be treated?

There are options for treating hard water. Water softeners remove the unwanted minerals in the water but may make the water undrinkable due to the high sodium content. Water conditioners may be a good option but are not proven to work in every instance.

While hard water may be a fact of life in certain areas, and be an aggravation to us, we can always try to remember the silver lining.

​Hard water is an issue for many home owners, and can have a big effect on your  homes appliances. 

The term “hard water” is used to refer to water that contains a high amount of minerals like calcium and magnesium. As water passes through rock and soil, these minerals are absorbed into the water.

​How can you even tell if you have hard water in your home, and to what degree? 
Well, tests can be done on the homes water source to tell the number of minerals that are contained in it. However, usually, someone with experience can very quickly see the effects of hard water in many different areas of your house.
Areas such as the bathroom, in the tub and toilet, the laundry room, in the washing machine, the water heater, any solar heating systems around the pool, and really, any appliance using water, will show evidence of hard water.
Hard water however, can have different outcomes on different homes and appliances depending on the temperature of water that is used, and also the water's acidity.
In our next blog we will look at ways of treating hard water, and see the possible effects hard water can have on our health.
Please contact us for information on what kind of damage hard water can cause in your home and ways to minimize the damage.

Buying a house that has been foreclosed on can be very appealing, as the price could be much lower than market value. However, there are many pitfalls that one can fall into if you’re not careful or experienced in the foreclosure home market.

An ideal way to purchase a home that is about to be foreclosed upon is a pre-sale. This is when someone can buy the house by communication with the current owner, before the foreclosure process begins or is finished. But this is easier said than done and often separates someone who has done their homework between someone who hasn't.

There are some places to look for a potential pre-sale home. One way is to ask your local county offices how to search for new notices of default. You could also look in the local newspaper in the "legal notices" for upcoming houses in the local auction.  ​Check for the name of the owner, the address of the house, and try to get in contact with the owner to see if you can strike a deal before the auction.

These are just some tips on how to find a potential deal in a home about to be foreclosed upon, which will get you started in the adventure of finding a deal on a new home for living or for an investment.

In our last article we looked at the potential causes of air pollutants in our home. In this article, we will look at ways to reduce and treat these pollutants. Here are a few suggestions:
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• Make sure when using gas or kerosene heaters or even stoves etc that the room is well ventilated, try opening a door or window so that fresh air can flow throughout the room, as these appliances can release carbon monoxide into the air.

 

• When using cleaning chemicals in the home, try to avoid using aerosols and opt for non toxic cleaners, also make sure you read the instructions on the bottle to make sure you use them in the appropriate way.

 

• If you have pets in your home, make sure to vacuum and clean regularly, especially in areas where your pets sleep etc. Bathe and groom your pets on a regular basis.

 

• Certain types of new furniture and soft furnishings contain formaldehyde and can release formaldehyde gas, try to ventilate the area. Hang your curtains and soft furnishings in a well ventilated space at first to air them out.

 

• If you're a smoker, try and smoke outside as the smoke from tobacco contains harmful chemicals.

 

• Areas that can be prone to mold and damp (such as basements) should be inspected regularly. Your home inspector can help you with this.

As we can see, there are things we can do to improve the air quality in our home.  If you would like further information on this, please don't hesitate to contact us.

More and more people nowadays are being affected by pollutants in the air. These can cause many different allergies and respiratory ailments. It's important then, to analyze how good the air quality is in our home, especially as it's the place we spend most of our time.

The bad news is that every room of our home has potentially harmful pollutants in it and in general, outdoor air is better quality than indoor air. The good news is that something can usually be done about it.

Here are a few potential air quality hazards to look out for:

• Heaters, gas stoves, furnaces etc. that are not properly ventilated
• Damp and humid areas where mold and mildew can grow
• Pet dander, dust mites, and insects such as cockroaches
• Household cleaning products
• Solvents used to treat furnishings such as curtains and couches
• Asbestos and lead paints if the house is older
• Dust and pollen

This is a brief overview of the potential hazards to air quality in the home, but as we can see, most of us have at least a few of these in our home.

In the next blog, we will look at what can be done to treat these issues, as well as ways to prevent them.

Please contact us with any questions you may have about the air quality in your home

So many things in our home nowadays are electric, from kitchen appliances to iPads and phones, everything requires an electrical outlet. In many older homes, there are simply not enough outlets, so a power strip seems the obvious choice to keep up with the demand, but how can we make sure that we are using them safely? Consider the following:

• Never interconnect power strips, even if the power strip has a surge protector. These can become overloaded and cause a fire hazard. It is also a violation of OSHA and NEC regulations.
• You may think that old power strip you've had for years with its exposed wires and scorch marks is still in workable condition, but it is not safe and should not be used.
• Stop use immediately if power strip becomes hot to the touch
• When plugging in your device, make sure that none of the metal prong parts are exposed as this presents a danger also
• Power strips are not intended to be a permanent solution, but only for use temporarily.

As you can see, power strips can be very useful, but only if used correctly.
Please give us a call with any questions you may have about electrical outlet safety in your home