Home Maintenance

Jan
14

When CFL’s Break- You Need To Know!!

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance
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We are all making an effort to become more green.  The easiest switch is changing out your lightbulbs.  So when I walked into a house over the weekend I noticed that one of the CFL’s was broken.  I thought, “Hmmm, this can’t be good.”  It never occured to me what would happen if it did break.  Here is what I [...]
Jan
10

Contra Costa County Homeowner Repair Loans

Posted In: El Cerrito, General Real Estate News, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Kensington, Mortgage & Finance, Richmond
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          Did you know that there are programs out there to help low-income homeowners fix up their homes?  In Contra Costa County there is a program called the Neighborhood Preservation Program which is operated by the CCC Building Inspection Department.  The program, created in 1975, makes loans to very-low and low-income homeowners to help fix up [...]
Nov
03

Berkeley Burglars Kicking in Doors in the Hills

Posted In: Berkeley, Home Maintenance
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COMMUNITY CRIME ALERT – BURGLARS KICK DOORS IN THE HILLS Berkeley, California (Friday, October 24, 2008) – City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Property Crimes detectives are alerting the community about a series of daytime burglaries that have been plaguing the North Berkeley Hills in the past two months. I have clients and friends in the hills. They know people [...]
Oct
02

Need a chimney cleaning?

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Neighborhood Businesses
(sing to the tune of the Calomine Lotion jingle) “Icky, sticky, drippy, crusty…oh I see that shiny stuff-y!” (end song) You know what I am talking about, right? Huh? CREOSOTE! That black stuff that sticks to the inside of your chimney. The stuff that, when you open your flue, sometimes trickles down in a fine, powdery substance. Did you know [...]
Nov
20

Childproof your home in minutes!

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance
So my daughter is becoming mobile. I got down on all fours, which, coincidently is right at her level, and went exploring through my house. Oh the things that I saw. Oh man, we are in for it. As I am taking her around to other people’s homes I am realizing how unsafe many homes are for the tots in [...]
Apr
17

To arm or alarm?

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Maintenance
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One of the worst things about showing a house is when there is an alarm on it. Sure, the listing agent does their best to explain to you how to deactivate it, but that doesn’t always help when your heart rate is shooting through the roof and all you can hear is the “beep…beep…beep.” At one house, neither the client [...]
Nov
16

Does that drip keep you up at night?

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance
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The past decade has proven an increasing demand for water in our homes, industry, and agriculture, resulting in water shortages in many parts of the United States. In certain parts of Texas homeowners can only water their lawn on Thursday’s between 5pm and 10pm. One can only assume that this upward trend will continue and this, together with the effects [...]