| LINKS |
| | The following links include helpful information on just about everything! Get information on credit scores, home care, mortgage rates, remodeling, home swapping and much, much more! | |
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| Carpet and Rug Institute |
| | Ordering new carpet for your home? Need some advice? Visit the Carpet and Rug Institute for information on choosing the right carpet for your needs. | |
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| US Consumer Product Safety Commission |
| | For general home safety tips and much more try this link. | |
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| Mortgage Bankers Association of America |
| | Are you applying for a loan? The MBAA wants to protect you from "bad eggs" in their industry. They've identified several trouble signs to look for when you're applying for a loan. If you believe a lender has been fraudulent, contact the MBAA. | |
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| Alliance to Save Energy |
| | Are your energy bills out of control? Do you just want to have a little extra money this year? Cutting down energy costs can be a great way to generate extra savings. For a free Home Energy Checkup Guide try this link to the Alliance to Save Energy. | |
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| Credit Score |
| | Buying a new home? Do you know what your FICO score is? Do you know what that means? For more information about your credit score and how to repair, protect or build it, try this link. | |
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| Institute for Business and Home Safety |
| | Water damage to your home could cost you thousands of dollars to repair. For information on protecting your property from water damage and a printable water damage recovery guide, use this link to visit the IBHS website. | |
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| Fair Housing |
| | Housing is a protected right in the United States of America. You cannot be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status or diabilities. For details on the Fair Housing Act try this link. | |
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| ID Theft |
| | Protecting your identity has become a serious matter. For tips to minimize your risk or recover from identity theft visit the Federal Trade Commission website. | |
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| Home Swapping |
| | Looking for an inexpensive way to visit Europe or some exotic destination? If you can find a cheap flight you can find even cheaper accommodations by home swapping. From Aruba to Zimbabwe homeowners around the globe are looking to swap homes for a week or more. Try this link to check out your options. | |
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| Safety and Fitness Electronic Records |
| | Moving is stressful enough as it is without problems from your moving company. Try this link to find information on your moving company's insurance status and safety history. | |
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| Moving Advocate Team |
| | Find out the real information on the moving industry. A word of caution... the information on this website may come as a big suprise. | |
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| Remodeling Help |
| | Considering remodeling? Sometimes it's worth it and sometimes it's not. To help give you an estimate of the costs involved with remodeling and to explore expected returns check out this website. | |
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| General Remodeling Cost Ranges |
| | To give you a general idea of what the typical cost range for remodeling room-by-room check out this link. It also lets you know what the most popular upgrades are. | |
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| Estimate Cost of Building |
| | This is a really easy and great website that, in about 5 minutes, helps you develop a home construction or replacement cost that considers all the important variables: materials used, design features, quality, size, shape, heating, cooling and geographic area. Your printed estimate shows detailed labor and material costs for each of 34 construction cost categories. Plus, it's FREE! | |
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| Remodeling Checklist and More |
| | This website gives you a basic checklist for remodeling. You can take it even further by utilizing the links for specific information to help you answer questions like, "Should I remodel or just sell and buy what I want?" | |
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| Plan Your Landscaping or Garden |
| | This is a great service offered by Lowe's to help you get a plan together for your yard. You can do just a small section or you can do the whole thing. Be creative and have fun! | |
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| Find An Architect |
| | Getting a good plan is key to a successful project. Where do you start when you are looking for that professional architect to put your ideas to paper? The American Institute of Architects is a good place to begin. This link will help you search for architects in your area that specialize in the project you have in mind. | |
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| Do It Yourself |
| | Doing it yourself can be a great way to keep costs down but sometimes you need a little advice to make sure everything is done right. This website has great ideas, can point you in the right direction for obtaining the necessary supplies and much more. | |
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| This Old House |
| | The popular TV show "This Old House" can be a great source for information and ideas on do-it-yourself projects. Follow what's happening on the show, read articles about problems and how to fix them and much more. Some articles are for members only but if you find something you’ve just got to read about you can subscribe to the magazine which gives you full access to all the information on the website. | |
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| All About Taxes |
| | Taxes are something that everyone can be sure they will pay sometime in their life. Your home can have a major impact on your taxes in many ways and when you are getting ready to sell there a few tax rules of particular importance. The IRS has spent a lot of taxpayers money to give themselves a new face and some of that money has gone toward their website. You may find some helpful information to get you started but I always recommend consulting a tax professional to determine the impact of any major financial decision... especially regarding real estate matters. | |
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| Shipping Your Car |
| | Shipping your car can cost hundreds of dollars depending on the service required. You can cut costs by choosing your mover wisely and selecting only the service you need. If you want to locate car shipping, auto transport, car moving, and auto shipping companies throughout the U.S. and Canada click on this link to head for the right place. The directory lists car shipping companies to suit your specific needs. | |
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| Credit Scores |
| | When applying for any type of financing you quickly realize just how important your credit scores are. So what is a credit score? Who developed this credit score thing and what criteria do they use? What is my credit score and what does that mean to me? Check out this link for answers to these questions and many more. | |
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| National Center for Education Statistics |
| | NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations. Use this link to find statistical information on public or private schools, colleges and public libraries anywhere in the nation. | |
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| Your Home's (or Future Home's) Insurance History |
| | Just like you have a credit history, your home has an insurance history. C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) provides insurance agencies with information about insurance claims on personal property. Any claims the insurance company has paid because of damage to your home will be recorded in C.L.U.E and could affect your insurance premium. You can use this website to purchase reports on homes, cars, driving records and other public information. This information could be especially helpful when you are planning a major purchase like a new home. | |
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| How Does That Work? |
| | Ever wonder how your doorbell or your washing machine or your vacuum cleaner works? Now you can find out by checking out this website. This is a great source of information for you do-it-yourselfers to fix all kinds of things and complete your honey-do list. This is also a great source of information to satisfy the never ending "why?" questions from your kids. | |
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| How Much Water am I Using? |
| | Does it surprise you to know that the typical person uses 50 gallons of water a day? For some everyday ways to save water visit and other interesting facts about water conservation, follow this link to the Nature Conservancy’s website. | |
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| Top Ten Most Common Home Defects |
| | A home inspection gives a buyer a great in-depth look at a home but it is also beneficial to a seller because it reduces liability if a defect is discovered after the buyers move in. To find out what the top 10 most common home defects check out this website. | |
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| Tax Breaks |
| | If I say IRS do you grit your teeth and curl your toes? Well, as it turns out, your home may be the knight in shining armor you need to save you from the evil, big bad tax man. As a home owner, you qualify for some significant tax breaks that are well worth the trouble of reading instructions, keeping accurate records and filing multiple forms. Take a gander at the IRS's website and always seek the advice of a tax professional. | |
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| Universal Design |
| | As baby-boom homeowners get older, many are thinking about where and how they will live during the coming years. Let's face it... the home you purchased when you were 20, 30 or even 40 may not have a design conducive to your needs when you are 70, 80 or 90. If you are looking to buy it may be a good idea to choose a home with universal design features. Try this website to learn more about Universal Design. | |
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| Keeping Insurance Costs Affordable |
| | Sometimes I think it's impossible to have the words "insurance" and "affordable" in the same sentence. Insurance premiums seem to be constantly on the rise but there are some money saving tips to be found that may help you stay within your budget. The non-profit organization, Insurance Information Institute, has a great website with articles that include several money saving tips. | |
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| You Might Be Entitled To Unclaimed Property or $$$ |
| | You may be richer than you think. The State of California is holding over $4.8 billion in Unclaimed Property. These assets have been turned over to the State for safekeeping by businesses and other organizations as required by law. This Web site contains information about the Unclaimed Property Program and provides the forms you need when filing a claim for Unclaimed Property. Just for fun I searched this website for myself and several of my friends and family. I was surprised to find that many of the names I searched did in fact have unclaimed property or money! I hope you have some too! | |
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