Buying A Home

Why You Should Care About Microplastics

Microplastics are possibly the most universal pollutant on the planet. Many are so tiny they can’t be seen without magnification. So what exactly are they, how can they affect you, and how can you protect yourself?...

Progress or poison?

Plastics have become a mainstay of modern living. And because plastics are so universal, so are microplastics. ...

Microplastics are minute pieces of plastic five millimeters in diameter or smaller. The tiniest microplastics, called nano plastics, cannot be seen with the unaided eye. ...

There are two forms of microplastics, primary and secondary....

Primary microplastics are intentionally manufactured for products such as scrubbing hand cleaners, exfoliating facial cleansers, industrial cleaning products, paints and cosmetics.
Secondary microplastics are a byproduct of decaying plastic bottles, bags, and synthetic fabrics in clothing, tires, and other products. This decaying fragmentation into tiny, ragged shreds is the most significant source of microplastic environmental pollution.

How prevalent are microplastics?

Cleaning products using primary microplastics wash down drains and into waterways and sewage systems. Secondary microplastics are broadcast into the air by tire wear from automobiles. Synthetic fibers from clothing drain from washing machines into water systems. The scope of the problem is enormous....

Are microplastics a threat to human health?

Human testing is limited. However, many chemicals used to make plastics, such as Bisphenol-A (BPA), have been related to issues such as chronic inflammation. In addition, nano plastic particles may embed in fatty tissue and in humans’ digestive, respiratory and even reproductive tissue. ...

What can you do?

You cannot turn the tide of microplastic pollution alone, but you can change your world....

Start with installing an inexpensive filter on your washing machine to prevent microfibers from draining into the wastewater system into streams, lakes, and oceans.
Regularly clean, vacuum and dust your home to minimize airborne microplastics brought inside from settling as dust around the house.
Read labels and buy microplastic-free cosmetics, abrasive cleaners and paints. For example, look for cleaners that use natural grit such as ground almonds or pumice.
Limit buying single-use plastics such as bottled water and convenience foods. Instead, use BPA-free refillable bottles and filtered water from a home system. Make your own convenience foods and carry them with you in reusable containers.

Related – How to Reduce Plastic Use at Home...

Home Improvements, Ownership,

Broken Appliance: Should You Repair or Replace?

Your seven-year-old refrigerator is on the fritz. Should you spring for a repair or bite the bullet to replace the broken appliance? Fortunately, there’s a simple rule of thumb that can help you make the decision. Here’s our guide to when to repair or replace appliances....

Is it really broken?

Before you spend money to repair or replace appliances, be sure there’s actually a problem. Dirty filters, tripped circuit breakers, even unplugged cords can make an appliance quit working when it’s actually fine. So do a bit of troubleshooting before you go further....

When to repair and when to replace

If your appliance is really broken, experts recommend you determine the average useful life of the machine. Then, make the following calculation: If the appliance is more than 50 percent through its lifespan and a repair would cost more than 50 percent of the price of a replacement, it’s best to buy a new one. ...

Repair costs vary throughout the country. Angi advises that appliance repairs generally run around $100 to $250, but this figure does not include parts....

When considering replacement costs, don’t forget to factor in installation costs....

How long will your appliances last?

Estimates vary, but in general, here’s how long you can expect your appliances to last....

Dishwashers: Around 10 years.
Disposals: 12 years.
Clothes Washers: 5 to 15 years.
Clothes Dryers: 13 years.
Microwaves: 9 years.
Electric ranges: 13 to 15 years.
Gas ranges: 14 to 17 years.
Refrigerators: Around 13 years.

DIY repairs for a broken appliance

If you determine it makes sense to repair the appliance, you might be able to do the work yourself. Consider your skill level and the complexity of the project. Consult your owner’s manual as well as YouTube videos for guidance. (If you’ve misplaced the paper manual, you can generally find appliance manuals online by searching “manual” along with the appliance’s brand name and its model number.) Be sure to cut the electric power to the appliance before beginning work....

Other considerations

Even if a repair will be inexpensive, you might want to replace an appliance that’s at the end of its useful life. That way you’ll avoid having your refrigerator die just as party guests arrive. The new appliance will also probably run more efficiently than the one it replaces....

Keep in mind that if you choose to replace an appliance, the new one may not fit in the location of the previous model. If that’s the case, there may be an additional expense to adapt your space....

Insurance, Money,

Should You Pay the Money for Pet Insurance?

Nearly five million cats and dogs are covered by their owners with pet health care insurance, almost double the number of pets five years ago. Pet insurance is a godsend when your pet unexpectedly has an expensive ailment or accident, but the coverage isn’t cheap. So, is it worth it?...

Pet insurance by the numbers

Despite five million covered pets, there are an estimated 65 million households with dogs and nearly 47 million with cats. According to pet insurance experts, the average dog owner spends just over $700 in combined routine and surgical care per year, and cat owners spend an average of over $400....

Pet health insurance works just like human health care insurance. You have an annual deductible. Once you’ve met it for the year, the insurance company pays 70 to 90 percent of medical costs, and you pay the remainder. Often, there is a maximum payout, such as $5,000 for the year....

Pet insurance is designed to cover accidents and illnesses. It does not cover routine care such as wellness checks, teeth cleanings or spaying and neutering surgeries. ...

The average monthly premium is around $53 for dogs and $32 for cats. Rates go up as the pet ages....

Weighing the costs

So, is pet insurance worth the years of premiums?...

If your dog needs surgery after an accident or radiation for cancer, your bill could be in the thousands without insurance. On the other hand, your pet may live a long, healthy life and, like humans, have high medical bills only at the end of life. You could spend money on premiums for years before ever needing to use coverage. Could you have saved money over the years and “self-insured” against a big future bill?...

How to decide

If your pet is young and healthy, you could wait for a few years to buy insurance. Once the pet ages, you could purchase insurance; however, premiums will be higher. ...

You can make a better-informed decision by researching your pet’s breed and life expectancy, the particular health problems that affect that breed, and at what age these conditions arise....

Figure how much money you could save each month over the years toward having a self-insured account to draw upon when needed, and compare that to the cost of likely health conditions your pet could develop with age....

Related – How to Choose the Best Vet for Your Pet...

Home Improvements, Ownership,

How to Choose the Right White Paint

White paint might seem the simplest choice for painting your home’s walls, but it’s anything but. One trip to the paint store is all it takes to see that there are dozens of white paints, each of which looks a bit different. So how to choose the right white paint for your home? Here are some tips....

Find the undertones

Determining the undertone of white paint is essential to choosing the right one. White paints generally contain pigments other than white, and these determine how much the paint color varies from a pure white. Whether a white paint has warm, cool or no undertones determines its suitability to your home and decor....

You can quickly see a paint’s undertone by holding a sample of it next to a piece of white printer paper. If the paint contains yellow, red, orange and/or pink pigments, it will look warm. White paints containing blue, green or violet pigments will appear cooler than the paper. If the paint is basically the same shade of white as the paper, it’s considered a neutral....

Warm white paints give a cozy, comforting feel to a room and look good in traditional design schemes. They’re the right choice for neutral and warm-toned furnishings and organic materials such as stone and leather. By contrast, cool white paints can give either a formal or a bold, contemporary look and are often a good backdrop for art. Choosing a neutral white is always a good option if you’re unsure which undertone is right for your home....

Study the light

Before choosing a room’s white paint, paint a large sample or attach a self-adhesive patch of the color to several walls. Then study the paint at different times throughout the day. Paint looks different depending on the time, the amount of natural and artificial light in the room, and whether the room’s windows face north or south....

If the light a room receives is warm, a warm white paint may look too yellow. Likewise, a room where the light is cool may look too chilly if painted a cool white. On the other hand, you may want to choose a cool or warm white to accentuate the warmth or coolness of the room’s light. A neutral white looks good in either type of light....

Further white paint pointers

Pure white is the best choice in rooms with lots of natural light.
It’s best not to mix warm and cool whites in the same space. Doing so can make some surfaces look dirty or dingy.
If the light your home receives varies significantly from room to room, you may need to choose more than one white to give a similar look throughout the house.
If a room has no windows or only north-facing windows and is furnished in neutral tones, white may not be the best color. Instead, a cream, pale taupe or pale gray may give a similar effect but with more life.
Choose a high-quality paint for a richer color, no matter the undertone. It will contain more pigment.
Warm whites are said to be the easiest to live with over time.
Remember that light paint will show more dirt and wear than colored paint.

Selling, Selling Your Home,

When Is It Time to Reduce your List Price?

If your house has been up for sale for two months — or longer — without a nibble of interest, it’s probably time to ask yourself some tough questions. What causes a house to languish on the market and when should you lower the price?...

Pinpoint the problem. With a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA of recent sales prices, you should have listed the house at an attractive price. Did you make obvious repairs, and declutter and clean the house until it shines? Have you had an open house? Have you staged the home? Try to figure out why buyers aren’t seeing the value of the house in relation to your price....

Examine feedback. Review the feedback provided by prospective buyers who have toured your home. Your real estate agent can set this up for you. If buyers consistently list the same negatives, you’ve found your problem. Is your home a two-bedroom, one-bath model? Is there a railroad track nearby? Does the home smell like cigarette smoke? Fix what you can immediately. What cannot be fixed must be addressed in price....

Check the competition. Look at other houses for sale nearby that are similar to yours. What do they have that you don’t? Drop in on open houses. For homes already sold, find out what you can about special features that might have raised their final sales price. Your buyer’s agent should be able to obtain this information through the listing agent....

Seasonal sales. Spring and summer are the busiest season for home sales. If you’re selling in the winter, buyers expect better deals and may have considered your home overpriced....

Search parameters. Is your home price just above a common online search parameter? For example, prospective buyers may search for homes ranging in price from $200,000 to $250,000. If you price your home at $260,000, your home will be excluded from many online searches. If you want to sell for $250,000, a savvy agent will steer you toward listing at $249,900 so that you don’t fall just outside of buyers’ search parameters, thereby missing out on good prospects....

Agent expertise. An aggressive, forward thinking agent should be investing significant time and effort in marketing your home. Relying solely on the Multiple Listing Service and a sign in the yard is not a good strategy. Your agent should assist you in staging your home correctly, getting professional photographs taken, sending direct mail advertising, and posting your listing to social media platforms....

How much to reduce? If, in the final analysis, you need to reduce your price, carefully consider all the factors discussed above and make a decision with the help of your agent....

Selling, Staging Your Home,

What You Need to Know About Renting a Dumpster

If you’re remodeling your kitchen or clearing out your basement and attic in preparation for a move, you’ll likely generate more trash than your standard weekly pickup can handle. Renting a roll-off dumpster may be the perfect solution for your disposal needs. Here’s what you need to know about renting a dumpster....

Dumpster basics

The type of dumpster appropriate for most home disposal needs is an open-top, roll-off dumpster. These dumpsters, which are sized by the number of cubic yards of waste they can hold, are generally rented for a term of a week or two, with extensions available for a fee. The dumpster company will deliver the roll-off dumpster to you and place it in your driveway or yard. (Street placement may require a governmental permit.) When you’ve filled the dumpster, you schedule a pickup, and the company will reclaim the dumpster and take your waste to a landfill....

When do you need a dumpster?

Renting a dumpster makes sense when you need to dispose of a lot of trash and debris. Home remodeling, major landscape work, or whole-house cleanups are all situations where renting a dumpster may be a good idea....

Dumpsters range in size from a few cubic yards up to 40 or 50. You choose a size based on how much trash you expect to dispose of. A 6-yard dumpster, for example, will hold about three truckloads of debris. A 40-yard dumpster is likely sufficient for a whole-house remodeling project....

What can and can’t go in a dumpster?

You can use a roll-off dumpster to dispose of common trash items, certain furniture, small appliances, most construction debris, trees and shrubs, and the like. You cannot use a dumpster for material that cannot go into a landfill. Adhesives, hazardous waste, household cleaning fluids, non-alkaline batteries, tires and paint are examples of debris you can’t put in a dumpster....

How much will a dumpster cost?

The price for renting a dumpster depends on the region of the country where you live, the type of debris you’ll dispose of, the size of the dumpster, how long you keep it, and its weight once you have filled it. You may also be charged landfill fees. Renting a dumpster generally ranges from around $300 to $500....

When estimating the size of the dumpster you need, it’s a good idea, if possible, to assemble all of your debris in one area to see how much you have before requesting a particular size. This will also allow you to rent the dumpster for a shorter time....

What is the alternative to a dumpster?

Waste disposal services such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK? are an alternative to renting a dumpster to get rid of household debris. These services pick up your items and dispose of them. Potentially more expensive than renting a dumpster, waste disposal services base their fee on volume and set an exact price after seeing your items in person. One advantage to these services is that they do the heavy lifting, saving you from the risk of injury. They also may be a better option if you are getting rid of just a few large items....

Related – Your Decluttering Bucket List...

Buying, Financing a Home, Money, Mortgage,

Before the House Hunt Begins, Fix Your Credit

A good credit score is critical when buying a home and applying for a mortgage. A home can be purchased with less than stellar credit, but often at interest rates and terms that aren’t to your advantage. Improving a damaged credit score is something that takes time and patience and must be addressed long before making the move to apply for a mortgage. Here’s what to do to fix your...

When your credit score is low

On-time payments are the foundation of good credit. In other words, build good credit through a good payment history. This is true for all debt — credit cards, personal loans, car loans and student loan debt. Set monthly reminders on your smartphone so you don’t forget a payment. Don’t charge more on your credit cards than you can handle in a single month. At the same time, set aside money to build and maintain an emergency fund. Without one, a financial crisis may lead to unmanageable debt levels that could ruin your credit score. Get a free credit report from all three reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Access your credit report at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. It’s a good idea to check your report annually for errors....

Errors on your credit report?

What if you discover errors adversely affecting your score? What can you do? Here are the steps you need to take with some help from consumer advocate Clark Howard....

Document why the information is erroneous.
Dispute it with the three agencies AND simultaneously dispute it with the creditor.
File a dispute by certified mail with a return receipt. Send all documentation and dispute letters to the creditor the same way.
After a reasonable amount of time, if the problem isn’t resolved, repeat the process, noting in this round of correspondence that you previously attempted to resolve the error with no response.
If there is still no response, you may have to go to small claims court.
Ultimately, you may have to turn to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Businesses do not like being on the radar of the CFPB, so this likely will get their attention.

Avoid credit repair scams

Be aware of credit repair companies that promise to restore your credit score for a fee. There are no quick fixes. In some states, such practices are illegal. Better to take the effort to clean things up yourself through persistence, hard work and good credit practices. For legitimate help, contact the National Foundation for Credit Counseling....

Investment, Money,

Comparing Wills and Trusts: Which Do You Need?

Proper estate planning can be a dreaded task but think of it as a gift to your heirs. Two primary legal entities are used in estate planning: wills and trusts. This summary provides a general comparison. Please consult an estate-planning attorney and financial adviser on your specific situation....

Basics of wills

A will is a legal document that directs how someone wants his or her assets handled upon death and who should be the guardian of minor children or other dependent persons. A will becomes effective when the author of the will, known as the testator, dies....

For a will to be valid, the testator must be an adult of sound mind acting freely and independently. It must be signed by the testator and witnessed by other adults. The number of witnesses varies by state....

If a person dies without a will, he or she is said to die intestate. In that case, a court determines the disposition of the assets and the guardianship of minors under that particular state’s laws....

A will designates a person as executor or executrix of the estate to carry out the terms of the will. The estate enters a legal process called probate in which the assets and guardianships are executed. Probate can be a lengthy and costly process....

Types of wills include:...

A simple will, also known as a testamentary will, designates the distribution of assets and guardianship of minors.
The most common example of a joint will is the will of a husband and wife. With this type of will, the spouses designate each other, as the surviving spouse, as full heir.
A pour-over will designates assets that have yet to be titled to a trust to become so upon the person’s death.

Basics of trusts

A trust is both a legal and a fiduciary arrangement for the holding and management of assets of an estate for the benefit of its creator, known as the grantor, and any third parties named by the grantor. It is created while the grantor is still living and assets are placed in the trust. Once assets are placed in the trust, it becomes effective. Assets can include real estate, bank and securities accounts and other valuable assets. The grantor sets requirements for how assets are to be distributed upon their death. The grantor usually designates a person known as a trustee to manage the trust assets if the grantor becomes incapacitated....

Assets that designate beneficiaries, such as IRA and 401K accounts, as well as life insurance payouts, bypass probate and trusts and are independent of them since a beneficiary is named while the owner is still alive. The same applies to financial assets set up as “Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship” or JTROS accounts. ...

A trust cannot designate guardianship, which can only be done with a will. Thus, trusts are often set up in combination with a will....

Types of trusts include:...

A living, inter vivos, revocable, or revocable living trust allows the grantor to title assets to the trust and designate a trustee while the grantor is still living. It can be changed and updated throughout the grantor’s lifetime.
A testamentary trust is named in a will and is created upon the testator’s death. It can hold assets payable to the heirs under conditions set by the testator, such as upon children reaching a certain age.
Irrevocable trusts are used to place assets of high-net-worth grantors to avoid estate taxes.
Charitable trusts designate that property in the trust is given to a charitable cause upon the grantor’s death. This fulfills the grantor’s wishes to benefit the cause and avoids taxation of the assets.

Comparing wills and trusts

Living trusts are created and your wishes established while you are still living, whereas a will takes effect upon your death. Only a testamentary trust becomes effective upon your death.
Assets under a will can languish in legal limbo, leaving heirs waiting for probate to conclude. The terms and outcomes are public information. Assets held in a trust are available to heirs without going through probate according to the terms created by the grantor, and the information is private.
Assets in a living revocable trust are still considered owned by the grantor. Assets under an irrevocable trust are out of the grantor’s name. As such, irrevocable trusts shield assets from creditors. Revocable living trusts do not.
The preceding conditions protect a large estate from estate taxes under an irrevocable trust.
Guardianship of minors must be designated in a will.
Wills are afforded secondary consideration to trusts due to the ongoing nature of trusts.

Related – Can You Disclaim an Inheritance?...

Buying, Financing a Home, Money, Mortgage,

Find Out If You Qualify for Government Help with a Mortgage

When searching out home-financing opportunities, it’s worthwhile to see if you qualify for government programs that offer attractive terms. The loans are usually administered through a private mortgage lender, but are insured by the federal government against loss due to borrower default. Here’s a quick primer on the possibilities....

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. Approved FHA mortgage lenders provide money, set interest rates, and have attractive terms for owner-occupied properties. The FHA generally allows for a minimum 3.5 percent down payment with a credit score as low as 500 to qualify, but does require a mortgage insurance premium to be paid by the borrower. Maximum loan amounts are approved by regional offices of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Properties must be appraised by FHA-approved professionals following minimum property requirements. No prepayment penalties are allowed, sales contracts must contain an escape clause if property does not appraise for the sales price, and loans can be assumed by a qualified buyer....

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans. For veterans of the armed services, active members or surviving spouses, the VA loan program has excellent incentives for pursuing the dream of homeownership. Veterans or surviving spouses who have not remarried can borrow up to 103.3 percent of the purchase amount with no down payment. The extra 3.3 percent represents a financinging fee paid by the veteran that can be financed into the loan. There is no Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) required since the VA insures against the lender’s loss if a borrower defaults. The property must be an owner-occupied, one-to-four-family residence. The VA requires two certificates: one for eligibility and another for reasonable value of the property. If a veteran refinances an existing VA loan with another VA loan, he or she can finance up to 100.5 percent with the extra .5 percent going to interest rate reduction. Qualified buyers can assume an existing VA loan....

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans. This federal government program is backed by the USDA and is designed to make homeownership accessible to people living in rural areas. The address must be in the USDA’s eligible database. Applicants must have a reasonably good credit history and can finance up to 100 percent of the purchase with a fixed-rate loan. As with the FHA program, the USDA requires homeowners to pay mortgage insurance premiums. There are three programs: the Guaranteed Loan program, the Direct Loan program and the Rural Repair and Restoration program for very low-income families and individuals....

Maximum household income requirements, which vary by county, are enforced. The incomes of all household members are factored together. The home must be occupied by the owner....

Outdoor Living, Ownership,

Gardening With Native Plants

Want to beautify your garden and save time and money on maintenance while giving Mother Nature a hand? Add native plants to your yard, a relatively simple task that pays off big. Here’s a primer on gardening with native plants....

What are native plants?...

Native plants are those naturally found in your area, as opposed to the exotic (i.e., non-native) plants generally found in American landscapes. Native plants have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to be well-adapted to local soil and growing conditions. This makes them easier to grow and care for. ...

Native plants, which can be just as beautiful as non-natives, are part of the local ecosystem. They further biodiversity and support local wildlife such as birds, bees, butterflies, mammals, reptiles, insects and amphibians. By contrast, exotic plants eliminate wildlife habitats by removing animal food sources such as nectar, pollen, seeds and the insects that feed on native plants....

Native plants need minimal maintenance. Though you’ll still have to weed and mulch them, they require no fertilizer and fewer pesticides than exotic plants. Native plants also need little extra water and, with their deep root systems, help reduce erosion. Once established, they help keep out invasive plants. ...

Adding native plants to your landscape...

“Going native” can involve everything from growing a native in a container or adding a few native plants to a perennial border to converting a portion of your property to a meadow or creating an entire landscape of native plants....

Before you plant, determine what is native to your area. You can observe what grows in natural areas of your community. But to know precisely which plants are native to your area, research online. Check with websites such as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which lists native plants by state, or the Audubon Society or National Wildlife Federation, which identifies natives by zip code....

Wildlife will return fairly quickly once you plant natives. Even a few of these plants will make a difference....

If you want to create an all-native landscape, consider the following....

Begin with a goal in mind. Do you want to attract certain wildlife? Are you interested in cutting back on maintenance? Is privacy from neighbors your aim? You may have multiple goals.
As with any landscape, use a blend of native trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, perennials and annuals. Make sure you choose the appropriate sizes. Consider what the landscape will look like in all seasons. Mix sizes, shapes, textures and colors. Use hardscaping to define your space.
Don’t remove native plants that are already there.
Be patient. It may take some time for native plants to look their best.

Related – Starting New Plants from Cuttings...

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