Many people like homes with high ceilings because of the spaciousness they convey and the vertical space they provide for hangings, artwork, and a variety of other items. There are a few drawbacks to high ceilings, though, and one significant one is how difficult they can make heating and cooling your home. If you aren’t careful, those high ceilings that look so nice can result in a significant increase in your heating and cooling costs when compared to similar homes with lower ceilings. This doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to spend a lot on heating and cooling, however; there are a few things that you can do to make your HVAC system more efficient in your home even if you do have high ceilings.

Do you ever ponder your floor joists? Or give serious considerations to the cladding under your siding? Of course not! There are parts of your home that just work, and you never have to really do anything about them. Although ductwork seems like one of those out of sight, out of mind things, it’s actually one that you should look into now and again.

Dirty Ducts Spew Dirt Cheap
Sure, you change your furnace filter religiously, as you should, but that doesn’t mean that the dust in your house is taken care of. Over time, ductwork collects dirt too, especially when your vents are on the floor. The filter can only catch the dirt that goes into it; it can’t do much for dirt that settles in ductwork through open vents. Over time your ductwork can get pretty dirty, despite your best efforts.

What happens when you get dirty ducts? Well, you have a dirty house. All that free-floating dust, pet hair, loose skin cells, and other bits of tiny debris can and do land inside your vents, which allows them to blow even further into your ducts. Not to mention the trash and other objects that can easily slip through a vent grate to be lost forever. The older your home, the more layers of dirt that can pile up in your ventilation system.

Becoming a homeowner usually means becoming a do-it-yourselfer, even if there are no plans to take on a major renovation. There is almost always a small job to do or an emergency that can be taken care of by having the right things standing by. What basic tools and other items does a homeowner need? 

• Fire extinguisher Visit the USFA to see what type of extinguisher is needed for the kitchen, workshop, or multipurpose fires. 
• Portable safe Secure important papers, valuables, and other important items in a portable safe. This could be quite an investment when upgrading to fireproof materials or digital passcodes, but valuables and irreplaceable items need to be protected. 
• Cleaning items This seems obvious, but a good broom and dustpan, bucket, microfiber cleaning cloths, “shop rags,” and a flat mop are all that is needed to keep a home sparkling. 

• Simple tools: A hammer, heavy-duty scissors, screwdrivers, hex key tool, measuring tape, handsaw, and more; all of these things will make a homeowner’s life much easier when they need them. 
• Emergency kit FEMA offers a build-your-own kit list with everything necessary for an emergency. 
• Heavy-duty extension cord Do not use an indoor-rated cord outdoors. A cord that can handle a large capacity of electricity and bad weather conditions is best. 
• Wet-dry vacuum Having one of these handy can save clean up time from a dishwasher leak, or spilled nails on the floor.  
• Ladder A sturdy stepladder or six-foot A-frame is best for smaller jobs. Find out what ladder is best for the job. 

• Lawn and garden tools Besides a garden hose, mower, and string trimmer, every homeowner with a yard needs a leaf rake, shovel, pruning shears, and a wheelbarrow. 

Not only do homeowners need physical items for upkeep, learning how to do different jobs in the home saves money and builds confidence to handle regular maintenance, which could lead to bigger things! With the right tools on hand and a little know-how, being able to care for a new home is a great satisfaction without a price tag! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Ponds are increasingly popular water features for homeowners. Having a small decorative pond in your yard can help you unwind, provide a unique ecosystem for certain animals, and just generally add some beauty to your property. With that said, it’s important to realize that installing a yard pond is a bigger task than just digging a hole and adding some water. Before diving into a pond project, it’s important that you stop to consider everything that’s involved with the installation, as well as some of the things you’ll need for upkeep once the pond is finished. This isn’t meant to discourage you, just to make you sure that you’re aware of all of this before you get too far into your planning.

Come springtime, many new homeowners want to spruce up their landscape. If they have not planted a thing since their preschool bean-in-a-cup project, figuring out what is right for the landscape and their gardening skill level can be overwhelming. The solution to that problem is to start with something easy to grow!  

• Who would not want to plant grass that needs no mowing?  Ornamental grasses such as zebra grass, purple fountain grass, blue fescue, and Japanese blood grass grow to different heights and can add interest and color with little maintenance. Plant around posts and hard-to-get-to places in the yard for a mower-free plot! 
• Offering a rainbow of easy-care color, daylilies come in hundreds of varieties.  Plant different cultivars in a sunny spot, keep them watered well for the first few weeks, and you will be rewarded with pops of color all summer. Bonus: daylilies come back each year and can be divided! 
• Sunflowers come in varieties that range from a few feet tall that can be grown in containers or planted en masse with the giant varieties.  If you plant seeds, try planting each set every two weeks for six weeks, and once they bloom, they will bloom until fall. 

• If your home faces north or the yard has lots of shade, try impatiens.  They are non-stop bloomers if you keep them deadheaded. They are great in containers and hanging baskets, too! 
• Another plant for shady places is the fern.  There are many cultivars, and ferns thrive in the shade, and come back every year. 
• Butterfly weed brings color and butterflies to your yard!  It is a native wildflower, making it practically care-free.  Look for plants already in flower in your garden center, as growing from seed will take a year or two for them to blossom. 
• Zinnias put on a show all Summer, and come in many colors and bloom varieties, and all it takes is a scattering of seeds.  Like sunflowers, if you plant them every two weeks for about six weeks, you will have cheery blooms for months. 
• Portulaca, or moss rose, is a succulent plant that grows low to the ground and blooms in bright pink, orange, red, white, and yellow.  Because they tolerate the heat and drought of summer, when everything else is drooping their small blossoms will stand out. 

• Roses do not always need to be coddled! There are many easy-care hybrid roses.  Not only are the modern cultivations easy to grow, but some also bloom all season. 

Before you order plants or seeds from a catalog or website that is labeled “easy to grow,” make certain the plant is not a banned invasive plant in your state.  Check with your local cooperative extension service for advice on plants and flowers for your local climate.  Protecting native species as well as any hybrid beauties is an important part of having a green thumb. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: Hoss Tools

Cleaning up around the house is obviously an important task, and some areas require cleaning more often than others. There are some spots that might need a bit more attention than they’re getting, though. This is especially true for those areas that are out of sight or otherwise not as easily noticed as higher-profile and more visible areas that get cleaned on the regular. While the specifics of your cleaning and maintenance schedule will depend on your home and what you have in it, here are a few common areas for you to consider in case they’re not getting enough attention in your home.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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By: Homekeepr, Rob Morelli

Hurricane Season is coming soon and now is a good time to check your homeowners insurance to make sure you’re properly protected before a storm hits your area and leaves you with a damaged or destroyed home.  Hurricane season runs from June 1^stand ends November 30^th and peaks in September.  This year is predicted to be more active than usual.  The NOOA will be releasing its annual hurricane outlook for 2021 and predicts to have a total of 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes (“major hurricane” is defined as a Category 3 or stronger). Here are a few things to keep in mind for insuring a home against these dangers: Often when a named hurricane enters the “box” (see below) North of 15 degrees North Latitude, South of 35 degrees North Latitude, West of 70 degrees West Longitude and East of 95 degrees West Longitude, insurance companies suspend binding new policies. When binding authority is suspended, all changes to existing policies are also suspended.  Coverages and/or deductibles can’t be changed until the storm has passed.  This applies to auto policies as well.  We are also unable to bind new flood policies when the named storm or hurricane enters the box.  If there is no mortgage on the home, there is a 30 day waiting period for coverage to kick in for all flood policies from the purchase date of the policy.

The good news is that most homeowners policies cover for damage from a hurricane.  Most homeowners policies have an “all other peril” (AOP) deductible for losses caused by perils such as vandalism, fire, lightening, and theft and a separate deductible for hurricane losses. The hurricane deductible is mandated by Florida Statutes.  The hurricane deductible can be as low as $500 but is typically expressed as a percentage, 2-5%, but higher percentages are available. It is a percentage of the coverage amount, not a percentage of the loss. For example, if your home is insured for $200,000 and your hurricane deductible is 2%, you would need to pay the first $4,000 in damages before the insurance company begins to pay for damages. According to Florida Statute §627.4025, a hurricane means a storm system that has been declared a “hurricane” by the National Hurricane Center or the National Weather Service. Note, a named tropical storm does not trigger the hurricane deductible.  According to the Florida Statutes, the duration of a hurricane in which the hurricane deductible would apply includes the time period:

• Beginning at the time a hurricane watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida by the National Hurricane Center;
• Continuing for the time period during which the hurricane conditions exist anywhere in Florida; and
• Ending 72 hours following the termination of the 1^sthurricane watch or hurricane warning issued.

Many, if not most, insurance policies require that the customer report all hurricane losses, even those that are clearly below the deductible.  Please remember that all policies are different; it’s key to read the specific policy in question to see how deductibles are structured. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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If you are searching for a turnkey home with the latest smart technology, energy efficiency, and modern floor plan and materials, you will want to investigate new construction.  Of course, buying a brand-new house has some differences than the purchase of an older home.  New construction has all the things on your wish list, but there are a few things new house hunters need to be aware of. 

• You will need a buyer agent to represent you. The builder’s agent will be looking out for their client–not you. 
• Go through the pre-approval process but shop around for the loan that fits your needs.  If the builder’s lender has incentives and discounts, take advantage of them if it will benefit you in the end. 

Ask the builder: 

• How many lots and homes have been sold, how large each lot is, and how much space is between houses? 
• What is the length of the home’s warranty, and what does it cover? 
• How much input does the buyer have in choosing paint colors and materials for flooring, kitchen, and bathrooms? What is the policy if the builder runs short on chosen materials? 
• Is smart technology wiring included in the basic home package, and is wiring to all bedrooms an extra expense? 

• What appliances are included in the basic price? 

• Keep in mind that the model home you are shown has all the bells and whistles! Never assume you are getting everything in your home that the model shows. Ask about these features and write everything down as you get answers. 
• Talk to residents who are already living in the community, and ask them about any concerns they have, and what they love about their new home. 
• Do not skip the home inspection just because it is new construction. Be sure your purchase contract allows you to hire an inspector outside the building company. 

• If the model home is one of the last homes left in the neighborhood, ask about buying it! You may not get every finish just as you would like, but you can paint a room or change the flooring! 

Be aware that the builder makes their main profit on upgrades and will do their best to convince you that you need that “free” entertainment package or other “gifts” they may offer. If you are a DIY-buyer, leave the custom closets and finished storage areas for later. Saving money on the purchase price of your new home is your most important goal, but you must do some “home” work first! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: Home Tips For Women

It’s wonderful to walk into a home that has lots of counter space, just stretching out like barren land ready for you to populate it with your favorite kitchen gadgets. But even a kitchen with limited counter space can be made so much more useful by better utilizing the thing that’s just below those counters: your lower cabinets. Lower cabinets are some of the most poorly utilized spaces in kitchens absolutely everywhere. No one wants to bend over to sort through dark and poorly organized cabinets, so eventually those spots just get kind of forgotten and ignored. This is where pull-out cabinet units can massively transform your space.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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By: Homekeepr, David Weinstein 

Our home’s plumbing is not necessarily something we consider when it comes to “caring” for our house.  There are many ways we abuse this necessary home system every day without realizing it! No one wants to go days without the convenience of plumbing, nor do we want to pay the bill that comes with plumbing repair. Keep the following in mind to keep your plumbing running smoothly: 

• Know where your main water shut-off valve is located and know how to turn it off in case of burst pipes.  This can at least prevent flooding, though it will not solve the running water issue. 
• Consider investing in a leak protection system that will sound an alarm when it detects leaks.  The cost to install such a tool can save big money in water damage repair costs. 
• Just because there are drains in our sinks and tubs does not give free rein over what goes down those drains! Items that should not go down the drain include paint, medications, household chemicals, coffee grounds, and raw flour.  

• There are products we use as part of our daily hygiene routine that are not good for plumbing, according to this article from Apartment Therapy. 
• Garbage disposals are great tools but must be used properly. Grease or oil of any kind, eggshells, and bones are all on this list of what not to put into the disposal. 
• Check washer hoses often and replace every them five years. 
• If your water heater is more than ten years old, consider replacing it. They have an average lifespan of 8-12 years and using them longer than that can cause sediment to clog the hot water pipes. 
• Items labeled “flushable” should just be thrown in the garbage can. These items do not break down quickly and clog drains, as well as septic and sewage systems. 

• Using drain-clearing chemicals can do more harm than good, especially if you use them often as they corrode the pipes. If a plumber has been called, let them know that there are chemicals in the pipes so they can protect themselves from chemical burns. 

The plumbing in our home is one of those out-of-sight-out-of-mind things, so there is not much thought given to it until it breaks down. Taking care of the pipes to, from, and inside our house is the best way to avoid clogged or damaged lines, as well as adding longer life to this important home system. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: Clovered