Fall Maintenance Tips

Outdoor and Indoor Fall Home Maintenance Tips

Fall Home Maintenance Tips from HWA
October 25, 2010 - Fall is, for many, the most enjoyable of all the seasons. One reason for this time of year's popularity is its short timespan. As the temperatures steadily decline and days get shorter, the cold winter days get closer and closer. While you are out enjoying the fall colors, pumpkin farms and Halloween activities, take some time to prep your home - both indoor and outdoor - for winter with the below fall home maintenance tips!
Outdoor Fall Maintenance Tips
Clear debris out of you window wells, gutters, downspouts, and storm drains. This will allow the water to properly drain, minimizing standing water and stalling the freeze and thaw expansion process that often occurs during colder months.
Make sure the weather stripping on your windows and doors fit and is in good condition.
Clean your windows. Sparkling clean windows let in lots of sunlight that will help chase away winter's doldrums.
Look for broken or cracked glass and damaged screens or storm windows. Also, check for loose putty around glass panes.
Remove garden hoses from spouts, drain and store for the winter.
Check painted surfaces for water damage or mildew.
Insulate outdoor faucets, pipes in unheated garages, and pipes in crawl spaces with materials such as rags or newspapers.
Keep rodents out. In the winter months, all kinds of critters will be looking for a cozy spot. They don't need a lot of space to get into or under your home. Make sure all exterior vents are screened, and that there are no gaps underneath garage doors. Pet doors are another favorite access point for rodents.
Make sure your snow shovels and/or snow blower are in good shape. Check your shovel handle for possible cracks or breaks. Have the routine maintenance performed on your snow blower.
Fall is also the time to remove window screens and store in a safe place such as your basement or garage. Install storm windows to insure proper heating efficiency.
Indoor Maintenance Tips
Get your heating system checked by a professional.
Replace your furnace filter.
Clean out any dust that has accumulated in vents to reduce exposure to indoor pollutants and cut down on winter colds.
Make sure you have proper insulation in both your attic and basement. While checking your insulation, if you see any dark, dirty spots, it may indicate you have air leaks coming into your home.
Remove hair from drains in sinks, tubs, and showers.
Test all smoke alarms and clean dust from the covers. Replace batteries as necessary.
Test all ground-fault circuit interrupters, especially after electrical storms.
Check your home around windows and doors for air leaks. An easy way to check for leaks is to move a lighter around the window or door frame and see if the flame moves with a breeze. If you find a leak, you can caulk it or you may have to replace the wood frame. Repairing these leaks can save you money on your energy bill during the cold months.
Don't ignore your hose bibs and learn the location of your pipes as well as how to shut off the water. If your pipes end up freezing, you'll have a better chance of preventing a burst if you can quickly shut water off.
Clean and reverse ceiling fans. Reset fans for the winter routine by giving fan blades a thorough dusting, and then switch them to a clockwise spin in order to push warm air downward from the ceiling.

Foreclosure logjam threatens Fannie, Freddie

By Zachary A. Goldfarb, Dina ElBoghdady and Ariana Eunjung ChaWashington Post Staff Writers Monday, October 11, 2010; 9:57 PM
A breakdown in the nation's foreclosure process threatens to create billions of dollars in losses for federally controlled mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, highlighting how improper actions by banks could impose new costs on taxpayers, said government officials and industry sources.

To protect themselves from those losses, Fannie and Freddie have threatened to penalize thousands of lenders if they fail to rapidly fix the way they seize the homes of borrowers who missed their payments, according to letters sent by the firms to lenders.
Fannie and Freddie, the recipients of a $160 billion federal rescue, have been virtually the only companies willing to buy mortgages from lenders since the financial crisis broke out. The two firms can impose penalties on the industry based on the agreements they fashioned with lenders who collect payments from borrowers on their behalves.
In letters and in a conference call Thursday, Fannie and Freddie told the lenders they would be on the hook for any losses the two mortgage companies might suffer as a result of flaws in the foreclosure process. Freddie has set a deadline of Monday for banks to respond, according to the letter.
Ed DeMarco, interim director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie, said the two firms are trying to come up with a "tailored approach" to the debacle.
"The country's housing finance system remains fragile, and we're trying to work through this subject in a way that's fair not just to delinquent householders but also servicers and mortgage investors and most of all is in the best interests of taxpayers and the housing market," he said.
The moves by Fannie and Freddie provide a way for the federal government to hold lenders accountable for improper foreclosures. Since the problems came to light, Obama administration officials have been in constant contact with Fannie, Freddie and their regulator, including in a conference call Monday.
In some of these meetings, administration officials have expressed concern about whether a nationwide moratorium on foreclosures would damage not only Fannie and Freddie but the fragile housing market as well.

"Where there are problems with a bank's foreclosure process, they need to stop that process, review it and fix it," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said in an interview. "The issue is, should every single bank in the country, even where no problem has been found in the process, should they be swept into the category of these irresponsible lenders who have clearly made mistakes?"
Lawsuits and interviews with judges show that lenders in many cases submitted fraudulent documents as they sought to evict struggling borrowers. The paperwork problems raise broader questions over whether the constant trading of mortgages on Wall Street left lenders without clear title to the properties they are trying to seize. Several federal agencies, such as the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, are looking into the matter.
Banks have said a remedy will take only a few months, but some Obama administration officials are unsure whether the system can be fixed that quickly. On Friday, Bank of America froze foreclosures nationwide, and many other banks have stopped them in dozens of states. Litton Loan Servicing, the mortgage servicing unit of Goldman Sachs, on Monday halted some foreclosures so that it could review its procedures, a spokeswoman said.
If these freezes turn into a prolonged delay, Fannie and Freddie would face "billions" of dollars in losses, since the companies wouldn't be able to sell off properties that have fallen into foreclosure, said Anthony B. Sanders, a professor of real estate finance at George Mason University.

The action by Fannie and Freddie comes as state officials and companies seek a solution to the foreclosure crisis. Attorneys general from as many as 40 states plan to announce a joint investigation into allegations of fraud in foreclosures this week, according to a person involved in the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made.
The flawed foreclosures have also alarmed title companies, which worry that they could see more claims against them because some homes may lack a clear ownership chain as a result of sloppy or fraudulent paperwork.
Bank of America, the nation's largest bank, tried to assuage those worries Monday when it said it had agreed to cover a major title company's costs if a dispute arose over the ownership of a foreclosed property. The deal between the bank and Fidelity National Financial was finalized Friday, the same day Bank of America announced it was freezing foreclosure sales across all states.
FHFA, the regulator of Fannie and Freddie, is overseeing talks between other lenders and title insurers about a similar deal that covers other companies. It could be announced this week, according to an official with the American Land Title Association.
"The title insurers are worried that claims for foreclosures aren't done properly," said Kurt Pfotenhauer, who heads the trade group. "It's not been an area of systemic concern until now."
In Maryland, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and the state's congressional delegation sent a letter to Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert M. Bell on Saturday asking him to suspend all foreclosures in the state for at least 60 days.
The court has not responded, the governor's spokesman said.

indoor herb garden

Be creative with wire shelving. These budget-friendly racks come in tons of sizes at home centers. This one serves up some floral power in Meredith’s kitchen window. You could use them to house indoor herb plants so your favorite flavors are close by at cooking time. It is time to bring them in from out of doors.

Enjoy, Beccie

Countertop Color

Meredith extended her palette to two often-ignored opportunities for color: counters and the ceiling. This glassy greenish laminate countertop and the painted ceiling create a cohesive experience throughout the room.

Laminates come in so many different colors and styles - how fun! Enjoy, Beccie

The Kitchen sink

Meredith unearthed this kitchen sink for a mere $25 at a salvage shop. “I love, love, love the sink,” she says. “I know I’m nuts, but the drainboard sink makes me happier than diamond rings.” It’s a cheerful antidote to the builder-boring aluminum sink it replaced.

We found an old one thrown away in the back field. We use it as our garden sink and just love it. Enjoy, Beccie

Cheer up a Galley Kitchen - Inexpensive

I love these colors. The white top cabinets. I think she could have painted the inside of the cabinets to match the countertop vs. the stained glass. I have seen the lower cabinets painted a hershey chocolate - and it is quite lovely.

Although she didn’t add any square footage, Meredith’s revamped kitchen lives large. The wallpaper she chose for the far wall was a last-minute find. “When I saw it, I couldn’t believe how perfectly it matched the countertop and stained glass of the cabinet windows,” she says.
DIY Tip: Tape up a sheet of wallpaper before you cover an entire wall or room. Live with it for a few days to make sure you love it. If it passes the time test, you’re ready to buy the adhesive and get to work. If you’re hesitant about putting pattern all over the wall, Meredith recommends framing a few smaller sections for a lower-commitment option. Enjoy, Beccie

Best Towns - 2010 Boise, Idaho

POPULATION (METRO) 606,376MEDIAN HOME PRICE $169,900HOMETOWN HERO Kristin Armstrong,2008 Olympic time-trial gold medalist,bicycling advocate, supermom
THE LIVING: Boise, to put it mildly, has been on a roll. Government, education, and health care remain core industries, but dozens of high-tech startups have moved to town, joining behemoths like Hewlett-Packard and Micron Technology. And while its population has more than doubled in the past 30 years and jaded locals bemoan the sprawl, Boise has managed its growth impressively well: The city is home to nearly 2,000 acres of parks and a 25-mile greenbelt. The outlying areas feel a bit bland, but the older neighborhoods have that Boulder vibe—cruiser bikes, farmers' markets, and prayer flags—only with reasonably priced homes.
THE PLAYGROUND: With a few play waves already in city limits, a $6.7 million white­water park in the works, and life-list runs on the Payette and Salmon within a two-hour drive, the paddling is exceptional and only getting better. There's also a healthy triathlon community and a robust road-biking scene. In winter, before or after work, you can get a quick ski in—nordic or alpine—at Bogus Basin Ski Area, just 16 miles up the road. (Tip: The climb up is also a classic road ride.) And those brown hills above town are laced with more than 135 miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails. Yup, you're going to need a bigger Rocket Box.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Northend neighborhood is as good as Idaho gets: You can walk to the local coffee shop, bike downtown via paths, plant some veggies at the community garden, or hop on singletrack at the end of your block.