Category: Guest post

Guest Post by Martin William

Ever wondered whether your home can bring you wealth? . . . . The answer is a definite yes.

If determined enough, your home can actually bring you wealth by taking advantage of the various opportunities there are.

Buying a home was for a very long time considered the best way to go due to its return on investment abilities, as compared to renting.

Real estate business will always remain one business that hardly depreciates in value and if you are determined to make some cash over time, follow these top 3 ways and you will live to thank your home for taking care of you.

Rent out your extra rooms

This has been a very common method of many home owners to get the extra cash out of their homes.

One can easily rent out their basement or even a ‘Granny Flat’.

If they are not independent of the main house, it might be time to make those arrangements. Have the either the basement / ‘Granny Flat’,  renovated and furnished to look presentable.

Advertise them out for renting and you will be getting a clean income after every month without having invested much on it.

Depending on the rates of your place of residence, you will be able to determine how much the rent will be.

Business With a Caveat Loan

To most of you, this might be a fairly new terminology.

A caveat loan can simply be described as leverage or collateral. In the case, a lender gives you money for your own use then places a caveat on your property’s ownership title.

This prevents you from selling your property before the money has been paid back and that you cannot secure any other type of loan until you clear your debt.

A caveat is bound by law and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the lender is now in charge of your property but they have an interest in it. The lender is mandated by law to liquidate the property should you default that caveat.

If you have a great business idea, have performed market research and know you can fulfill the needs of customers, then this could be a great financial vehicle to use.

Caveat lending company Maxiron Capital, say they allow “clients to borrow up to 100% of its Loan to Value Ratio (LVR), within just 24 hours.

LVR is a percentage that is calculated by dividing the loan amount being borrowed to the value of the property that the applicant is using as security.

In simpler terms, Max Funding allows its clients to borrow up to 100% of their property value”.

This is definitely going to work for you if you have clearly set goals and once you have cleared the repayment, you are viable of taking another caveat to either improve your business or to venture into other businesses.

Build on equity

Owning a home, unlike renting it out, will bring you tangible equity that will enable you to call it upon when you require it.

If you pay more on your home, the more money you will have built up as equity. In layman terms, a home equity is the interest of the homeowner in a home.

When one took a mortgage to buy the house, their equity increases when whatever remained of the mortgage loan is paid down or whenever the value of the property increases.

There are several common ways you can use your home equity to create more wealth for yourself including; buying your next home, borrowing against the equity or using it to fund for your retirement.

Conclusion

Many home owners have little or no idea that they can actually make money from their homes without necessarily having to sell them.

Now get busy making money!

Guest post by Asad Shoaib

If you have seen moss or mold on your roof  which you are worried about, you need to deal with it quickly as it can affect the structural longevity of your roof. 

Here are some of the tips you should follow to remove mold and moss safely and effectively from your roof.

Evaluate the Damage

The first most important thing is to inspect the roof for the damage caused by moss and mold.

You can climb on your roof to inspect it or some of the damages might not be visible with a pair of binoculars from the ground.

Alternatively hire the services of professional roofing contractors for roof repair Macomb county Michigan to perform a mold  removing job.

They know better how to assess the severity of the damage to provide with permanent effective solutions.

Safety Concerns

Once you have inspected the roof damage, you can plan  or the cleaning process taking your safety into account.

Mold and moss removal chemicals can be toxic, so you need to take proper precautionary measures before using any kind of chemicals and cleaners.

You can wear gloves and face shields to protect your hands and eyes from injuries and full length overalls.

You also need to keep your plants protected before you apply bleach on your roof shingles.

Chemical Cleaning

Using chemicals is a riskier yet more effective way of removing the mold than any other regular cleaning method.

The use of harsh chemicals and pressure washing can hoever affect the lifetime of your roof covering.

You need to make sure that the type of shingles you have can withstand the effect of chemicals easily.

If the quality of your roofing materials is already deteriorating, you can opt for other less harmful mixtures or solutions.

However, those solutions would be time-taking and less effective.

Keep Things Ready

You might require some other tools and things to scratch off the unnecessary mold from the shingles.

You need to make sure that you have everything ready beforehand. The things you might need the most would be a garden hose with nozzle spray, ladder, cleaner, and pump spray.

Prevention

It is also important to invest a little time and efforts in preventive maintenance to avoid further mold growth on your roof.

For that, you can install strips or wires of copper or zinc along with your roof covering.

You can find copper and metal sheets at any store in different lengths and thickness.

Once you have bought them, you need to fix it securely.

Guest Post by Martin William

Many people use ecommerce and e-business to refer to one thing. This is wrong. The two refer to two different means of doing business.

So, what’s the difference?

Without going into details (which we’ll do later) e-business refers to any business done online while e-commerce refers to online purchases.

With the basics in mind, let’s dive into the specifics.

E-Business

E-Business typically is a business using electronic means to conduct business. Let’s use some examples to get a deeper understanding.

• Consider email marketing. Email refers to electronic mail, which can be used reach out to potential customers online as an e-business activity.
• An inventory tracker is crucial to any business in order to track stock. If the stock levels reach a certain pre-set minimum, it’ll trigger an alert. Through this electronic process of tracking your inventory, your business becomes electronic.
• Human resources are a key pillar in any business and manual management can be a daunting task. For this reason, automating application processes and job listings become a priority to increase efficiency. By using electronic automated methods, this process becomes part of e-business.
• A final example is a content management system (CMS) which eases workflow between various departments. With the absence of a CMS, one would have to move physical papers from one department to another. When using a CMS, a business becomes an e-business.

For example anewhouse is a publishing E-business with every aspects of the business being carried out on line using WordPress as a CMS.

In most cases, e-business services may be offered by a third-party company which specializes in a certain service.

However, a business may have an in-house team which can handle each of these tasks. . . 

As you can see, the only difference between a common business and an e-business is whether the business is conducted electronically or not.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce, on the other hand, is more comprehensive. In its simplest form, ecommerce involves placing online orders and paying for the orders through an ecommerce platform   online.

For example how anewhouse sells the 4 Guides on various parts of a new house build.

Ecommerce is split into various forms including B2C (business to consumer) – where a business sells its services and goods to customers through an ecommerce platform.

While ecommerce is purely online, many physical stores also have websites where they can reach the online community.

After getting results a business may decide to move their operations entirely online, includes ordering, payment and product delivery.

In other cases, the business may only use ecommerce as a part of its operation.

For example, a customer may order a product online and then pick it up a physical store.

The customer can also choose whether to pay online or at the store when picking up their product, making this type of business a physical business that uses ecommerce, but is not itself solely an e-business.

B2B – Business-to-Business Ecommerce

A huge percentage of ecommerce businesses sell products and services to other businesses.

The most common type of business includes ordering and delivery of supplies to a business through an automated process.

Often, this is set out in a contract.

Once supplies hit a minimum mark, the supplier will be informed through an automated process and the supplier will, in turn, respond to the request by supplying the products.

Guest Post by Asad Shoaib

Your roof should be at the top of your maintenance list as a homeowner, as it has to go through a lot of wear and tear over the years.

You can fix your roofing issues wisely and effectively to make it look fresh and last longer than the expected years of its life.

Roof leakage is one of the major issues which every homeowner has to face.

Here are a few tips which may help you in fixing a leaky roof instantly and wisely.

 

Look for the Signs

 

Sometimes you can notice water dripping from your ceiling.

It then becomes obvious that your roof has leakage issues. . . . . but most of the times, the signs of roof leakage are less visible so check for damp patches/and or water staining.

You need to detect these signs at their earlier stages to ensure that they don’t cause any severe interior or exterior damage to your home.

 

Determine the Root Cause of Leakage

 

Once you are able to find a few signs of leakage, you should start looking for the actual root cause.

The best time to inspect your roof is when it’s not raining. It is important for your safety and also to find the culprit instantly.

The most common root causes for leakage are flashing around vent pipes, damaged or missing tiles, cracks in a chimney, clogged gutters, skylights, and attic ventilation.

You need to make a list and check each one of these causes separately to be able to determine the real culprit before your roof starts wearing down due to excessive water leakages.

 

Fix the Leak Spots or Causes

 

Now if you have determined the real root cause of your roof leakage, you can start repairing and fixing the issues to prevent any further disaster.

To fulfill the purpose, you must have proper knowledge and information regarding different materials and other parts of your roof.

Just applying sealant is not a long term solution!

For instance, you must know how to treat or repair tiles, shingles, asphalt roofs and other types of roof material differently.

If you don’t possess the required knowledge you can acquire some from expert’s guides and suggestions.

Similarly, if the root causes are other than your roofing material, you must have adequate information to fix each one of them.

 

Take Help from a Professional

 

Since roof leakage is a very critical issue, you might not have relevant expertise and skills to deal with it.

It is recommended to take help from reliable and renowned Ann Arbor roofing contractors who know how to fix the leaky roofs.

There is no room for any negligence and carelessness in the process of hiring a contractor for your roofing.

You need to get a checklist to ensure that you get the best one.

Any reliable roofer would have the required expertise, qualification, licenses, and insurances to perform his job efficiently.

If your chosen roofer lacks any one of the qualities and attributes, you need to think again before making a final decision.

Guest Post by Outbax Camping

If you’re planning on an off-road holiday this year or want to build a holiday shack in a remote location you probably won’t have access to all the services we take for granted.

These include water, gas and electricity.

In this article, we’ll take a look at electricity and how you can make it for free all on your own!

Whether you’re thinking of living out in a rural location for over the weekend, or just don’t want the stresses of having to find a new place to ‘plug in’ every night on your vacation, then we have the perfect tips for you on how to generate electricity for your mobile home.

Wind Turbines

You may want to consider installing a wind turbine on the exterior of your mobile home – or your campsite.

These can slowly generate electricity to be stored in batteries.

You’ll be able to use the power that these turbines create to charge your smart devices, use the TV or even  small fan.

This will save you from having to start up the engine to power such small appliances, cutting back on fuel consumption and giving you a little more freedom.

Due to their low output they are more suited to keeping your batteries charged when you are away than supplying constant power.

They may also be significantly affected by trees and other obstructions to the wind.

Solar Panels

Possibly the most versatile solution on our list is solar panels.

They’re completely silent, easy to set up and provide electricity all day – given that there’s plenty of sunlight.

Where the best part comes in is that they’re often more efficient at energy generation than other portable solutions.

That will mean you’re able to use the power coming from your solar panels whilst also having them top up your batteries with the excess power generated.

During the day you could be using electricity directly from the sun and at night switch to the battery packs that your solar panels have charged.

To make the most of the sun it’s best to choose flexible or fold-able solar panels like those from Outbaxcamping as these can be easily moved or spread over areas with the most sunlight, like the windscreen of the mobile home or the roof.

You can even move them every few hours, to follow the sun, and maximise the power generated

For owners of remote shacks they can be locked inside when you are away.

Water or Creek Turbines

Of course, these generators will only work when you’ve set up your mobile home near a fast flowing river or creek, but will  generate energy all through the day and night.

Water or creek turbines combat just about everything we’ve come to accept as a part of energy generation via mobile homes.

They’re completely effortless to set up because all you’ll need to do is sit the turbines in the creek and tie them to a sturdy object and you’re done.

Energy production, while small, can reach 15W which is can charge essential devices like smartphones, GPSs and tablets.

Portable Generators

If you’re not looking to go the renewable, passive energy route, there are a whole range of portable generators that perfectly suit mobile homes.

You’ll be able to use these to power just about anything you can think of as they can often output more than 1kW, with larger models reaching up to 6kW.

A big advantage of modern portable units is their superior noise reduction.

Outside the mobile home, they’ll be barely audible and can remain operational through the entire evening – as long as you remember to top them up with petrol.

They are even quiet enough to set up outside a tent if you’re trekking away from the mobile home.

A gentle hum is what makes these portable solutions so attractive.

Guest Post By Hannah Jones

For some, decluttering can be a daunting task, while for others, it’s their form of stress relief.

Today’s shopping trends make shoppers excited about sales and special offers that there is now a tendency to hoard things that don’t even end up in good use.

Hence, it’s a necessity to declutter at least once in a while.

Decluttering becomes all the more important when you’re moving from one house or office to another.

 

Here are the reasons you should declutter before your move:

1. It lessens the cost of moving

Moving is an expensive thing to do; it entails a lot of preparation, hard work, and costs, too.

Hiring a mover is one of the considerations that you cannot forego when you’re going to move.

Take note that the more things you have, the more costs you’ll incur as your mover will have to pack and transport more items.

When you declutter before you pack your things, you will be surprised to see that you have already accumulated a lot of rubbish and trash in your home.

It’ll be a very unpleasant and costly experience for you to bring all these with you in your new home when they’re practically of no use anymore.

So, sift through your things, pack only those that you use and are sentimental to you, donate the useable ones, and throw the items that you consider as rubbish.

You may hire rubbish removal services such as 1300 Rubbish Removal Sydney to help you properly dispose of your junk.

2. It makes it easier for you to track your items

No matter how trustworthy or reliable your mover may be, you still have to perform an accountability check on your things.

This will help ensure that not a single thing has been misplaced, left behind, or stolen.

It is a very unpleasant experience to finally settle in your new home and later on find out that the plates you inherited from your mother-in-law are missing.

The lesser things you bring with you during the move, the easier for you to track your items and know where they are.

3. It helps you to welcome your new home with a happier vibe

Professional organizers unanimously agree that the more things you have in your home, the more stressed you become.

When you have more things, you have more tidying up and maintaining to do in your house, and these add up to the pile of work that you have to accomplish daily.

However, when you declutter before you move, you can enter your new home or office space with a happier and lighter feeling.

Interior designers have been quoted so many times that the reason hotel rooms make you feel so relaxed is the absence of clutter and unnecessary things.

Hence, the cleaner your new space is, the more peaceful your mind becomes.

4. It creates more open space that you can enjoy

When you carry less stuff with you when you move, you’re creating so much more space in your new abode.

You have all these extra space for you to enjoy. This space can be used to create new memories for your family and even for yourself.

Hence, it gives you a sense of “moving forward” with your life, while making room for new experiences and new meaningful items.

If you bring all your stuff with you, your new dwelling will end up feeling like your old, cramped-up home all over again.

5. It helps you have a healthier life

Clutter attracts dust and dirt. If you haven’t been decluttering your home for a long time now, you might be overwhelmed later on when you pack for your move how much dirt and dust you have collected on all the things that you haven’t used in a long time.

Dust and dirt are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and viruses that can take a toll on your health, especially in children.

When your house is dirty, you will find that you and your family tend to get sick more often.

When you declutter before your big move, you’re making your new house or office space a healthier sanctuary for you and your family.

Plus, it gives you a fresh start, too, as you focus your mind and energy on more important things.

6. It helps you make some money before you move

Moving is expensive, any way that can make you earn a little bit more is advantageous for you.

For example, when you move into your new home, you might find that there is a need for you to purchase one more new cabinet.

When you declutter before you move, you can sell the things that you won’t be bringing with you, and you can use the proceeds to fund any expenses that you haven’t foreseen concerning the move.

Conclusion

If you have a big move coming up, do make it a point to include decluttering in your plan and schedule.

Before you start packing and even before you ask a mover to come in to pick up your things, it’s best if you’ve already undergone a major decluttering of your home.

When you declutter before your big move, you can leave any excess baggage behind, so to speak; this will make more room for more important things later on, as you start the process of creating a new home for yourself or your family.

Guest post by Asad Shoaib

Whether you want to replace or install your roof, you would need the best roofing company to rely on it.

As you hand over all of the responsibilities to the roofing company, if you don’t take it seriously you might end up facing serious troubles.

On the contrary, if you succeed in finding the best roofing company, it would ensure the structural longevity of your roof.

Here are some of the tips which may help you in getting the best roofing company.

License/ Registration

Due to the increase in scams, nowadays finding a reliable and authentic roofing company requires some effort.

Since you don’t want to see your investments go wasted, it is important to make sure that the company you hire is licensed.

You can directly ask it to see the official documentation before you sign any contract or pay any advance money to it.

Research

Before you make a final decision, it is important that you search for a number of options.

It is not wise to hire just the one that shows up first to you. Instead, you need to compare options with every aspect before you shortlist any of them.

References

References are of the best ways to be sure that you are hiring the reliable and best roofing company.

The companies you choose must provide you with references.

Once you are able to get them, take some time and call at least a few of them to understand the way they work and carry out their roofing projects.

Free Estimate or Bid

It is better if the company you choose is offering you free estimates or bids.

If the company is not willing to assess your roof damages for free, it can cost you a lot in the long run. So, skip that company and move on with other options you have to ensure that you get the free damage assessments and inspection.

Insurance

You need to make sure that all of company’s workers and contractors are insured.

If you skip this part, you are going to waste a lot of your money on accidental injuries and property damages.

However, if you have a company that covers your damages, your life would be at peace.

Warranties

Warranty plays an integral role as it shows the integrity of the roofing company.

The company you choose must offer a warranty and stand by it to avoid you any trouble in future.

Written Estimates & Timeline

You must get everything in writing from the cost estimation to the number of workers and the timeline of the roofing project.

It is important to keep the transparency and know the day to day activity to avoid any conflict or dispute later with the Ann Arbor roofing contractors.

This way, everyone would be saved from getting panic and frustrated at the end of the day.

Guest post by Asad Shoaib 

Some roofs reach their time limit after performing well for a many years.

It is your responsibility to get a new roof at the right time when the old one stops functioning properly.

You must possess the required knowledge to identify the problems and damages of your old roof to be able to make the right decision about getting a new roof.

Here are some of the signs which would give a red signal that you might need a new roof.

Moss Growth

Can you see any signs of moss growth on the surface of your roof?

If yes, it is a warning sign which indicates that your roof is not getting proper sunlight.

It can cause damage to your roof  by affecting their performance and holding water against the material

You can try to brush the moss off on your own, but if it still continues to grow after every small interval, you need to contact professional contractors for help.

Missing Tiles

It can be due to extreme weather conditions like winds, hail, and heavy rainfall that  missing tiles on your roof means that your roof is in serious trouble.

Although you can see the missing tiles on your own you might need assistance from professional roofing contractors Canton Michigan to determine the root cause of the problem.

In most of the cases, there is no solution to this problem except the replacement of the tiles altogether.

Grit in Gutter

If you are able to see grit in your gutters and downspouts, it shows clearly that the tiles have started to break down.

You can get the gutters inspected by the experts but the grit means the tiles are starting to deteriorating speedily and you need to start saving for major repairs..

Water Stains On The Ceiling

It is a really bad sign for your roofing if you see water stains.

A quick check is if you are able to see the sunlight when in your attic,

Severe leakage problems need to be addressed as soon as possible and repairs started.

Sagging

Sagging is a clear indication of structural damage of your roof.

If your roof is sagging, there might be some problem with the roof structure.

In its earlier stages your professional contractor may be able to make a low cost reapait

With major sagging it will probably need your complete roof replaced.

 

 

Guest Post by Hannah Jones

There is a great chance that your home is the most significant investment you will make in your lifetime, so it is crucial to keep it in tip-top condition.

Plumbing is one aspect of home maintenance that all homeowners should consider.

To avoid terrible plumbing problems, homeowners should ensure that their plumbing system is in excellent functioning condition.

New homeowners may probably find their plumbing system a bit intimidating since not everyone knows how to troubleshoot plumbing problems.

Most of them don’t even know what kind of maintenance plan they are using for their plumbing system at home.

For professional assistance, Galaxy Plumbing Inc. caters to your home plumbing concerns.

Listed below is a plumbing checklist that new homeowners should follow:

General Plumbing Checklist

1. Visual inspection of the plumbing system components at home should be done regularly as a preventative measure of more severe plumbing problems.
2. Run all taps in the home including those in the tubs, showers, and sinks checking the cold and hot water functions of each.
3. Ensure that there is enough water pressure and flow as it could be a sign of a larger problem or sediment buildup.
4. For a multi-story house, inspect the ceiling under laundry rooms or bathrooms for staining and wet spots.
5. Check the house especially the kitchen and bathroom for mildew or mold. Water damage may also cause musty odors inside the house.
6. Inspect the flooring around sinks and toilets including the refrigerator and dishwasher to ensure that there is no warping or staining. Floors should not have soft spots and should feel solid under pressure. Cracked or broken floor tiles can be due to water pooling underneath it.
7. Inspect the hoses of your washing machine and dishwasher since these are susceptible to leaks. Look for signs of wear and tear or bulges in any part of the hose. It is highly recommended that hoses be replaced every ten years.

Bathroom Plumbing Checklist

1. Remove the shower heads and check for signs of sediment. This is usually one way to check if the low water pressure is caused by sediment build-up.
2. Verify that taps don’t drip when they are turned off. and that all the drains are functioning well.
3. Ensure that the bath is draining properly. If the drains make noise or bubble up while water is going down the pipe, it is usually indicative of plumbing problems.
4. Flush the toilets inside the home and verify that the water is going down properly and that water is replenished immediately. If the toilets fail to flush properly or they are clogged, it is already a sign of a plumbing problem.
5. Basins and toilets should be firmly attached to its position even if you wiggled them. If the toilet can be wiggled from its place, it could be a sign of a leak, and it may need to be sealed again to the floor to avoid potential issues in the future.
6. Check the bathroom walls by pressing on them in areas surrounding the sink and tube to ensure that water is not leaking and causing structural damage.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioners Plumbing Checklist

1. Determine the location of the emergency shut-off valve and check that it is functioning correctly.
2. Check the water heater and ensure that it is free of rust and corrosion and is not leaking or dripping. 
3. Check for signs of leakage in exposed pipes. For those that are covered by walls or the foundation, inspect for watermarks in the wall, ceiling, or floor in addition to the formation of puddles.
4. Watch out for gurgling sounds from the water heater, which is indicative of sediment build-up at the bottom of the tank. Flushing the water heater may be a temporary solution. However, you should take note that if you notice this noise from your heater, it means that it is ready for a replacement.
5. If the house comes with a basement or crawlspace, ensure that it is free from damage, leaks or faulty repairs.

Final Thoughts

This plumbing checklist is essential for homeowners to avoid plumbing problems in the future.

It is any homeowner’s interest to check if everything is properly working.

The steps in the checklist should be done twice a year to ensure that potential problems are kept at bay and if any problems are detected, a professional visit should be scheduled.