Aug
19
Cut Utilities Bills By Auditing Your Home
Posted By: Ramon Rivas on August 19, 2010 at 11:08 pmMost people are shocked these days when they open their utility bill. By auditing your home, you can turn a monstrous utility bill into a minor annoyance.
Home Energy Audit
Unlike a tax audit, you can conduct an energy audit by yourself. Simply walking through your home and paying close attention to energy issues can really pay off. Let’s take a look at some obvious problems that can save you a bundle.
The number one energy waster is a leak. Much like a leak in the tire of a care, even one leak from the interior to exterior of the home can raise your utility bill by as much as 30 percent. The most common area you will find such leaks are windows and doors.
Windows and doors are undisputedly the area where most air leaks occurs. The first issues is whether air is actually leaking out through the framing of windows or the area around the bottom of the door. You can typically tell this by feeling for a notable temperature difference in these areas. If is significantly cooler, you have a leak.
As people in cold climates know, having sealed windows is simply not enough to control heating costs in the winter. Most windows on homes are designed for year around use, which makes them huge energy wasters in the winter. Going with energy-efficient windows can make a huge difference in keeping the heat in and the cold out.
If you’ve walked through your home and haven’t found any significant problems with your windows and doors, you may still have one. To really give your home an efficiency test, you can hire contractors to perform a pressurization test. The test essentially raises the pressure in your home and looks for leaks.
Fixing any leaks you find will depend entirely upon the nature of the problem. Some fixes only require additional caulking or insulation while others are unique. Regardless, making your home more energy efficient will significantly cut your utility bill this year and for years to come.
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Unfinished homes present a great way to save a lot of money and get yourself a new home in the process. If you buy an unfinished home, you can keep your monthly mortgage payment low and also lower your initial investment. You may also be able to buy a larger foundation size as well, which you can easily add on to and save money in the process.
Normally, unfinished starter homes leave the upstairs area unfinished. The question here, is just how much equity you want to put into an unfinished area. Sometimes though, an unfinished home may leave the roofing, framing, plumbing, or electrical aspects unfinished. Before you make a purchase, you should always decide how much money you have to finish what needs to be finished.
If the home you are looking at has plans for a garage, you can save thousands if you decide not to go with the garage. On the other hand, if there is another attached room that is planned to go onto the house, you can save just as much if you decide to forgo it. There are always ways that you can save money just by looking at the plans. Unfinished homes may have other planned on additions as well, in which you can save a lot of money just by leaving them out.
The is something that you should always keep in mind. When builders acquire a piece of property that they plan to build a home on, they will do everything they can do make as much money as possible on their homes. You might be able to get them to agree to some of these ideas, although they probably won’t agree to all of them. Building homes can be a very profitable business – which is why most companies like to build their homes exactly as the plans call for.
When looking at unfinished homes, you also need to look at what banks are willing to accept. If you are planning to get a mortgage, most banks will need to ensure that the home is up to local codes and in living condition. What this means, is that there will need to be a living room, bedroom, and other rooms finished. If the home is lacking quite a bit in terms of being unfinished, most banks won’t give you a mortgage.
Most banks are also known to turn down unfinished home mortgages that they feel will have trouble selling in the event that you default. Normally, the entire downstairs area will need to be finished, along with most of the landscaping. You might be able to do some of it yourself and save money, although in most cases the home builder will need to do a majority of the topsoil and grass just to satisfy the bank. Banks have strict requirements when it comes to unfinished homes, which is why you should always check with your bank before you invest in an unfinished home.
As most of us already know, buying an unfinished home provides an excellent way to get into the housing market and get your very own home. Unfinished homes also allow potential buyers the chance to grow into their home along with their family. If you are interested in saving money, you should be sure to talk to the builder. This way, you can go over the plans and decide what doesn’t need to be there. In most cases you can save a lot of money and still get a home that will provide years and years of memories for yourself and your entire family.
