Everyone Needs a House Cleaning Schedule
 Once you have your home, it’s your responsibility alone to make sure it doesn’t waste away into a musty mass of decadence fit for a haunted house urban legend. Think of a house as a body with its own set of organs and its own health to maintain. The organs here represent the components that need continued attention so the house can remain healthy and retain its vitality (value). Things like caulking, AC filters, plumbing, electrical fixtures, etc. require the most continued attention and can deteriorate quickly without it. By committing to scheduled house cleaning, you can be sure your home stays healthy.
 Home Maintenance Checklist
 We’ve put together an intensive home maintenance checklist of all the things you’ll need to keep up with in your new home and how often they’ll need your attention:
 Weekly
 ✓Dusting/Routine Cleaning – Accumulated dust can be harmful to finishes
 ✓Yard Work – This one’s pretty obvious
 Monthly/Bimonthly 
✓Change AC Filters – Every month for conventional or ever other for higher quality systems
 ✓Check Ducts and Vents for Dust – This will ensure healthy air quality
 Seasonally
 ✓Forced-Air Furnace Filters – At least every 3 months during the cold seasons
 ✓Oil the Moving Parts of Your Garage Door – Every 3 months
✓Replace Aerator (that “screen” in your faucet) – Every 3 to 4 months
✓Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Replace batteries twice a year or as needed
✓Clean Windows and Shutters – Every 3 to 4 months
 Yearly or Less
 ✓Inspect Siding – Yearly
✓Flush Hot Water Heater – Do this yearly, and be sure to clean out the leftover sediment
 ✓Wax Any Hardwood Flooring – Yearly (it’s a good idea to have this inspected every year as well) ✓Wrap Heating Tape on the Pipes – Every winter (regional)
 ✓Service Heating System – Every fall
✓Inspect Roof and Skylights – Every 3 years (by a professional)
 Other Tidbits
 ✓Clean your gutters before any big storms and check at least weekly
 ✓Fix pipes as soon as you begin to hear noise; noisy pipes could mean loose fittings
✓Trim dead branches as you see them
✓Keep the attic at 10 degrees warmer than outside air to keep heat from escaping
 ✓Keep your windows and doors caulked if you notice any poor seals
✓Keep gable vents open year-round

What do you think the Number One Home Maintenance Failure is?

Its the “AC!!! We neglect it!!! The best advice is to change the filter regularly, it will not only improve air quality but it lowers monthly cooling costs too. We also neglect the bathroom,which can also become a big problem area that gets glossed over for sometimes years on end by most home owners. Pay attention the the grout in the corners...you might think ignoring it is ok...but...its not. For you have no idea whats going on BEHIND the cracks!! Don’t procrastinate… That is the number one failure in a home .Get caulking!! and do it yourself, you’ll want to make sure any cracks you see get filled. Remember that keeping your home in tip-top shape is a process that’s never actually finished and is one of the biggest things you can do to make sure your home’s value doesn’t diminish. If you can keep up with this home maintenance checklist, your home might catch a cold here and there, but you can be assured that nothing big should catch up with it.

photo found here

Buying and Moving Checklists

Buying a home loan can be an emotional and dizzying experience – you’ve found the home of your dreams and can almost “see” yourself living in it and can’t wait to move in.

Then there’s the sometimes overwhelming experience of finding the best home loan option for you, plus all the paperwork involved in obtaining your mortgage. At Utah Mortgage Keystone, we can take the frustration out of the application process by making sure you find the best option for you, and we also make it simple and easy by doing all the legwork for you. 

But we can’t do anything about making sure you’ve chosen the right home – so it’s up to you to do the homework on your new home.

So take time to visit your new home a second time, and look at it rationally and logically. You want to make sure you’re making the right decision and that the home you’re about to buy is structurally sound and suits all your needs.

Since moving is a big upheaval for anyone, proper planning and a Moving Checklist, can help to make your move more organized and less stressful.

The Movers List

1.Terminate services account(s) such as electricity and water and arrange for meters to be read at either end 2. Arrange new connections at new home (telephone, electricity, water)
3. Notify change of address and leave forward address (doctor, dentist, bank, insurance company, employer, receiver etc.)
4.Cancel all delivery contracts (papers, milk) and organise new ones
5. Provide for packing material if not provided by removal company
6. Confirm insurance
7.  Get stickers and note content of each container Arrange cleaning of carpets, walls etc at new location
8. Organise exchange of keys Change locks at new home If you live in rented premises, try to fulfill all the conditions of the lease and clear the refund of the deposit
9.  Make special arrangements for pets Before leaving, check that everything is locked/shut/switched off/disconnected

 The Buyers List

 The Area
1. Zoning
2.Title deed conditions
3. Future of area plans (centers, freeways)
4.Traffic
5. pollution
6.Correct address
7.  Informal settlements
8. Crime occurrence
9. Insurance rates
10.Watch groups
11.Policing
12. Proximity to current amenities' needs (school, work)
13. Proximity to future amenities' needs (doctors, transport)

The Property
1. North or South facing
2.Quality of additions
3.Structures legal according to plan and title deed restrictions
4. Security (alarm system, burglar proofing)
 5.Provision for storm water over property
6.Flood line Irrigation system
7. Can views be maintained Flat or slope or terraced
8. Road access Neighbors/noise
9. Privacy
10.Pets
11. Parking
12. Rates and taxes/levies

 The Building 

 1. Structural cracks (above windows and arches)
2. Dampness
3.Garage door height
4. Foundation according to soil conditions
5.Plugs in every room
6.Condition of doors and cupboards
7.Condition of carpets and or tiles
8.  Condition of roof, fascia and gutters
9. Swimming pool condition
10.  Number of bedrooms
11.  Number of bathrooms
12. Age
13. Paint
15. Floors
16.  Electrics
17. Plumbing & sewerage

General

1.  Electrical certificate
2. Termite certificate
3. Insurance: period between occupation and transfer
4. Occupational rent
5. Price in area


HAPPY, SUCCESSFUL HOME BUYING!!!
photo found here