Maintaining Your Home Archive
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Preparing for Disaster: Is Your House Ready?
Disasters can strike anywhere. Help make sure your home is ready. In just a few hours in October, the winds and water of Hurricane Sandy swept away decades of memories on the Eastern Seaboard. News reports showed the devastation left in its wake with homes, cars, boats and structures severely damaged or destroyed. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sandy claimed nearly 200 lives in the United States and the Car... more
Protect Your Home: Think Like a Burglar
Burglars tend to look for the easiest targets. By keeping your home secure and making it tougher to access, you increase the odds that thieves will go elsewhere. The Insurance Information Institute says you can make your home less burglar-friendly with a few easy steps. Do a walk-around of your house, thinking like a burglar. Focus on entry points such as doors and windows, and think about ways to make them more secure. Look for ar... more
Loan Modification Fraud Targets Military
Military homeowners looking for mortgage relief are falling victim to a new scam. A new scheme targets troops who have sought mortgage assistance from HAMP -- the Home Affordable Modification Program. J.J. Montanaro, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner with USAA, says military culture requires servicemembers to keep their finances sound. If a mortgage becomes difficult to pay, military homeowners may be more susceptible to scammers p... more
Your Home: 3 Price Tags That Matter
If you're like many homeowners, the tumultuous events of the past few years have left you wondering: What's my home worth today? Surprisingly, that seemingly simple question has more than one answer. "Your home may have three very different price tags depending on who's asking and why they want to know," says Scott Halliwell, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at USAA. Your home's three price tags are based on its market, replacemen... more
Home Maintenance Tips for Summer
Home Maintenance Tips for the Summer June 1 marks the start of hurricane season. If you live in a hurricane region, start preparing by purchasing storm shutters or plywood to cover windows, clearing debris from your gutters and cleaning up any clutter around your yard. Disaster and Recovery Center Preparing for Hurricanes: Review Your Coverage Getting Your Home Hurricane-Ready Before the Next Emergency, Get Your Home Finances in Order R... more
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Paycheck Chronicles
31 May 2013 Military Pay
Each year, I see a huge jump in traffic with people wondering if they will get paid before Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, the way the calendar works, it rarely happens. This year is not an exception. The next regular, active duty military pay day is Friday, 31 May 2013. Payday is on Friday because the [...]
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