Home Building Articles
Credit Tips That Will Score Lower Interest Rates
- November 5, 2009
- A good credit score translates into lower interest rates for home-shopping borrowers. In a mortgage lender's eyes, the higher your score is, the less risk you are, and the more likely it is you will pay off your debt. For this reason, borrowers with lower scores usually end up paying higher interest rates on their loans. If this is you, don't panic. There are a number of things you can do to...... Read More
House Votes to Expand Homebuyer Tax Credit
- November 5, 2009
- Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many...... Read More
House Votes to Expand Homebuyer Tax Credit
- November 5, 2009
- Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many...... Read More
House Votes to Expand Homebuyer Tax Credit
- November 5, 2009
- Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many...... Read More
Load up Your Washer for Energy Savings – Energy Star Appliances Save Money
- November 4, 2009
- Hardly anyone enjoys doing the laundry, but today the task is much easier than it was a few decades ago. A job that once required a washboard and considerable elbow grease now requires little more than the push of a button. These days, the hard part is picking the right washing machine to buy. Anyone who goes to an appliance store to look at washing machines encounters what...... Read More
New Lead Safety Rules - How the Rules Affect Painters
- October 27, 2009
- Effective April, 22, 2010, if you are working for compensation on a project that will disturb paint in a home, school, or childcare facility built prior to 1978, you must comply with the new lead safety regulations, including: Painting and property management firms must be EPA-certified and their employees must be trained in the use of lead-safe work practices. Painting and maintenance...... Read More
Water Saving Toilets
- October 27, 2009
- Water-saving toilets are now standard on all new construction because of a 1992 federal mandate for plumbing fixture manufacturers. Also known as low-flow toilets, water-saving toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) of water or less, compared with older toilets that use 3.5, 5.0, and up to 7.0 gpf. The 1.6 gpf models significantly reduce the amount of fresh water consumed and the corresponding...... Read More
Water Saving Faucets
- October 27, 2009
- Low-flow faucets and showerheads sound like they deliver low water pressure, but that's not too appealing to a homeowner who's working at the kitchen sink or trying to start off the day with an invigorating shower. In actuality, good low-flow or water-saving faucets and showerheads deliver what feels like full-volume water. They provide equal or better performance than conventional fixtures,...... Read More
