Simplify Your Bathroom

Simplify Your Bathroom

Living with a small bathroom can be a daily nuisance. There’s only room for one person to realistically get ready at a time, there’s nowhere to put anything, and it makes your morning routine feel like playing a chess match. Fortunately there are plenty of ways to simplify your bathroom no matter what the size.

Think Up!

We often get discouraged when we look at a small space in terms of its length or width. You begin looking around the room trying to figure out where you could stuff one more basket or storage container. An easy solution to small bathroom storage is tower organizers and shelving that can be hung on the wall. By utilizing not just your floor space but also your walls and the backs of doors you can easily organize all of your supplies without fear of tripping and breaking your neck every morning.

Going Under

Even the smallest vanities can be transformed into an oasis for hair care products and other supplies. A simple under-vanity two drawer unit can completely change your storage possibilities. And as long as you’re storing items under the vanity don’t forget to use the interior of the cabinet doors. There are a number of over-the-door racks that can be utilized beneath a vanity to offer an easy hiding place for straighteners, blow dryers, curling irons and other supplies that would normally wreak havoc on the top of your vanity. This will offer a neater solution for storing these items that keeps them off of the vanity top and out of your way when they’re not in use.

With just a few storage units and the right supplies you can quickly and with relatively little expense enjoy a much neater and better organized bathroom.

Treating Pet Stains and Smells

Treating Pet Stains and Smells

If you have a cat or dog at home, you know pet smells and stains are just a fact of life. Before you reach for a product filled with unwanted chemicals to clean up after them, Do Your Part and consider a few safer options for your pet and your family.

One of the most effective and economical options is to use baking soda. Sprinkle the powder in litter boxes to prevent smells. For stains, a paste made with baking soda and water can be used on carpets and many fabrics to remove the evidence and to deodorize.

Club soda is another easy and economical carpet saver. Its bubbly action will help bring the stain up to the surface so you’ll be able to simply blot the residue away with a rag. Go further to neutralize the smell by sprinkling baking soda on the area after it dries. Simply vacuum after an hour or two.

Vinegar is another favorite when it comes to cleaning up from pets. White vinegar will help you not only kill bacteria; it will also deodorize the area. Spray it on, let it set for several minutes, and then scrub the spot until the stain releases. Lemon juice can also be used to neutralize offending odors.

Then there are some safer store-bought options. Clean and Green offers pet specific cleaning products that work wonders on tough spots including leather. They also have non-toxic fabric deodorizers that are good for places where your pets like to hang out.

If you need a large area rug or carpets cleaned, look for eco-friendly carpet cleaning companies. There are more green carpet cleaners now than ever. Ask specifically what process the company uses and what is in the solutions being applied to your carpets.

Experts recommend staying away from cleaners containing perchloroethylene or naphthalene. These are known carcinogens. Instead, use plant-based carpet cleaners, which are safer for people, pets and the planet.

Using unnecessary chemicals in our homes isn’t good for our families or our pets. So the next time you have to clean up after your four-legged friend, Do Your Part and make a healthier choice.

Hey! Can Your Mortgage Lender Really Ask That?

Mortgage applicants expect to be asked to prove their income, verify their employment and provide permission for their tax returns to be reviewed, but these days, lenders frequently demand more and more answers to questions that may seem out of bounds to borrowers. Questions about exactly where every dollar comes from in your bank account may seem excessive, but lenders must document everything about an applicant's finances in order to prove to underwriters that the borrowers will repay the loan.

Questions You Should Expect From a Lender

Job History. Most lenders want to see a two-year history of employment and will need a contact where your job can be verified. In some cases, according to a recent article in MarketWatch, lenders can ask to see your diploma or college training order to verify that you were in school when you said you were.

Income. Typically, two recent paystubs are required, but some lenders will also require tax returns, particularly if you were self-employed. Discrepancies in income can trigger extra questions, especially if your income has declined for some reason such as a reduced bonus or commission. If you receive child support, Social Security or some other payments other than wages, you'll need to provide documentation that the income will continue.

Assets. Lenders want to know where your assets have come from in order to ensure that you are not borrowing money from someone for the down payment. Gift letters are required and must meet lender restrictions if you are getting help for your home purchase.

Debts. Your debts will show up on your credit report and will be calculated as part of your debt-to-income ratio. It's a good idea to review your credit history before applying for a mortgage because any disputed debts or debts that you believe have already been repaid will require proof and may need to be erased from your credit report before you can qualify for a loan.

Credit History. Your credit score is an important part of your loan application, but lenders will also look at your report to check for credit inquiries and past credit problems. If you have a number of recent credit inquiries, lenders may ask if you have taken out other loans or new credit cards that have yet to show up on your report.

Unexpected Lender Questions That Are Still Legal

Ethnicity. In order to avoid discrimination based on someone's ethnic background, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) actually requires lenders to ask about borrowers' race. HUD can then review lender records to make sure they aren't routinely turning down minorities or charging them higher fees.

Lawsuits. While it may seem as if a lawsuit (especially if you are the plaintiff) should not impact your home financing, lenders always require applicants to ask if they are involved in a lawsuit because of the potential cost and the possibility of a judgment that goes against the borrower.

Divorce. Lenders are particularly concerned about the financial details of a divorce because of the possibility that a borrower could be held responsible for an ex-spouse's debt. In addition, if you are trying to include child support or alimony as income on your loan application, a lender will need some hard proof that the income will continue.

Questions You Can't Be Asked

While it may seem that a lender can ask a borrower anything, there are two topics that are forbidden for lenders to investigate: family planning and health issues. According to HSH.com, under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, lenders are not allowed to ask if you are planning a family. In the past, this question was used to discriminate against female borrowers because lenders assumed women would quit work when they became pregnant. You can, however, be asked about how many dependents you have and about your marital status, because that is information that can be used to qualify you as a first-time homebuyer and for special loan programs that have income limitations.

Under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act, lenders are prohibited from discriminating against borrowers who are ill or disabled, so they are not allowed to ask you any questions related to your physical condition.

The Bottom Line

Every borrower today needs to be prepared to answer almost anything a mortgage lender asks, but if you feel you are being asked inappropriate questions you should ask your lender some questions in return and perhaps find another lender.

6 Types of Moving Companies for Easy Relocation

Moving is stressful, especially packing and unpacking your belongings. When you have been staying at a place for even a few months, the amount of goods that you acquire take a long time to pack.

Well, say goodbye to your stress and let a reliable moving company handle your relocation. But first, what kind of moving company do your require? Are you even aware of the types of moving services available?

1. Local Moving Company – This Company takes care of all short distance moves within a state involving a trip that is less than 100 miles. As long as you do not cross the borders of your state, your move will be local. When you are hiring this service, ensure that the company is insured and licensed. Ask them about their charges. Local moving companies charge by the hour but you have to check with the State DOT for the legal rates.

2. Long Distance Moving Company – Long distance move need not be necessary inter-state move. It can also be intrastate but exceeding the distance of 100 miles. These companies will charge you according to the volume of your goods, their weight and the distance of the destination.

3. Self Moving Company – In this type of service, you will have to pack your goods yourself but the moving company will load it in the truck and deliver it. On reaching the destination, the shipment will be unloaded but you will have to unpack it. This kind of moving company charges lesser than the above companies, as you will be doing some of the work.

4. Auto Transport Moving Company – You may need the services of a moving company to transport your car. You can either drive it or use the services of an auto transporter.

5. Boxing Services – These moving companies provide packing materials so that you can pack your goods and belongings properly and prevent any damage.

6. Self Storage Company – Hire the services of a self-storage company to store those belongings that you do not need immediately. Or, if your new place of residence does not have enough space, you can store your goods with a self-storage company and move them later on when you have more space.

Apart from these, you also have International movers and corporate movers. Whenever you hire any type of moving company, ensure that they have the proper licensing and insurance. This is essential for the safety of your goods.

Buying Home Insurance: What You Need to Know

What is Home Insurance?

House insurance, or which is sometimes recognized as property insurance, offers disbursement to the homeowner in the occasion of loss because of fire, theft, or damage in the course of certain natural elements for instance hail, flooding, lightning and tornado. In accordance with the kind of policy, house insurance will reimburse the loss according to the fair market price at the time of the loss of the house, or completely substitute the loss based upon the existing rebuilding costs.

The policy of homeowner shall not merely cover the cost of repairs; however, the cost of the home contents (including clothing, jewelry, electronics, furniture, appliances, and so on), in addition to incidentals, for example the cost of an interchange residence for the period of the process of repair.

Mortgage lenders and House insurance

Several lenders shall demand a borrower to procure insurance for the house, and furthermore, enable the lender organization to gain advantage over the policy. In view of the fact that the holder of the mortgage has a lien concern regarding the home and the damage loss of the possessions shall have an effect on the fair market price of the property except well repaired. Proof of insurance of house is desired by the lender at some stage in closing and is forwarded to your solicitor using a folder letter from the organization of house insurance, with which you agreed.

Particulars of home insurance

House insurance is an obligation for any homeowner. Seeing that, the home is most individual’s biggest investment, it makes an immense economic sense to underwrite it is guarded from loss. Nevertheless, not all policies are generated equally. The following are some important points one ought to think about when buying house insurance.

Replacement Policy

When buying house insurance, one is supposed to gravely consider a replacement policy, why not at an elevated premium. When buying any assets, the building materials decrease in value, or lose price, as the age of the property goes on. Additionally, inflation has an effect on building costs as it does the whole thing in your financial plan.

A roof of a house, which claims an installation cost approximately four thousand dollars, might cost approximately seven thousand dollars to put back if it comes under the damage of frozen rain. A replacement policy shall cover the whole cost of substitution of the roof, not only its fair market price during the loss.

Contents

Ensure that the policy covers the whole cost of contents based on their replacement price. Furnishings, for instance clothing, electronics and appliances decrease in value quickly from the time of acquisition. The policy of replacement for furnishings shall replace the above mentioned items of a similar type and quality.

In the case of contents, it is a good thought to undertake an inventory of your furnishings and bring up to date it from through time. Some shall take photographs of the rooms in the house, together with storage areas, to make available evidence of the furnishings in the occasion of fire or other forms of natural disasters that cause loss. Moreover, having the photographs of your house contents in places that are safest from each and every possible risk of damage is also recommended.

Lost Pet? Technology Can Help

You come home and glance out the back door. Your dog is gone. How he escaped is a mystery. The more pressing question: How do you get him back?

A little foresight, of course, could have prevented the crisis. For starters, have your pet microchipped. And because microchips can migrate in a dog’s body, always back that up by keeping little Scruffy collared and have an ID, vaccination tags and license attached.

Beyond that, technology has given pet owners some amazing options — GPS collars, lost-pet Internet networks and other wizardry —to facilitate a reunion.

With the Lost Pet Tracker iPhone app (lostpettracker.com), for example, anyone who finds a lost animal can open the free app on their iPhone, photograph the animal, provide some details and hit send. Owners of missing pets in the area then get an email showing the photo and details, as well as a map that shows the GPS location where the animal was located.

There are many strategies, organizations and cool products to help reunite a lost pet with its owner. Here are a few:

Internet help: The Web is chockablock with sites to help. Some examples: Flealess Market’s Lost Pets International page (flealess.org/lostpets) lets owners post missing pet information on a state-by-state basis. At FidoFinder.com, owners and finders of lost dogs can post the animals on a lost-dog database. The volunteer-run Missing Pet Network (missingpet.net) and The Center for Lost Pets (thecenterforlostpets.com) both give owners a place to list animals. Twitter, Facebook and Craigslist can also help you get the word out. All are free.

Electronic magic: Technology is now a dog’s best friend. Among the advances are pethub.com and getpetshome.com, where a pet owner registers an animal and stores its vital information. If your lost dog is found, the finder can access its information by scanning its tag with a smartphone or by going online. A scan or a click lets the pet owner know Fido has been found. Basic packages for each is free; upgrades available.

GPS: There are a host of GPS-based systems, ranging from the RoamEO pettronix.com/products.php), which uses a handset to track your pooch, to the Garmin GTU 10 (buy.garmin.com) and the Tagg Pet Tracker (pettracker.com), which link to cellphone networks. Prices start at around $100, with additional charges for the cellphone systems. A good tutorial on dog-tracking collars is at mydogtrackingcollars.com.

Neighborhood alert: Lost Pet Cards (lostpetcards.com) is a mailing service that sends out 1,000 postcards ($480 to $550) around the neighborhood, with the pet’s photo and description. More immediate is findtoto.com, which takes the location where the dog was last seen, maps it and automatically calls all phones in a given radius from the starting point. Prices begin at $85 for 250 neighbors. Petamberalert.com has three levels of searching, sending posters to animal control facilities, vets and other locations ($39.96), making phone calls to homes in the area ($59.95), and a third level that combines the first two ($99.95).

Don’t Delay: If your pet disappears, the faster you act, the better your chances for a reunion. First, make a thorough search of the house and neighborhood. Contact animal control. And print fliers (one site is at site.keepdoggiesafe.com/pdfprint/lost-dog-poster.php), then take them door to door and post them around the neighborhood.

How to Save Thousands on Your Home Loan

Harris Interactive, on behalf of LendingTree, recently conducted an online survey of 1,380 homeowners and concluded that only 51% of mortgaged homeowners actually comparison shopped for their loans.

This is amazing when you consider that when shopping for big ticket items, 89% of Americans comparison shop. What’s bigger than your home?

Given the fact that variations between lenders can be as much as 1.5% for a 30 year fixed, these homeowners missed out on some potential savings.

Doug Lebda, founder and CEO of LendingTree note:

“Deciding on a mortgage is likely the most important financial decision consumers will ever make, yet borrowers are more often than not taking the first offer that comes their way, failing to fully capitalize on low rates. It is important for borrowers to understand that they have the power to choose which loan and which lender to use. It is acceptable to negotiate with lenders and to walk away if you are not fully satisfied. Consumers need to be engaged in the mortgage process to secure the best deal.”

The survey revealed that during the first week of August, 2012, quotes for a consumer with a 759 credit score ranged from 3.25% to 4.625% – that’s a huge variance. On a moderate loan amount of $260,000, the cost savings to a borrower would be $214 per month, $2,568 annually and over the life of the loan…? $74,000 dollars!

“Many people approach the process of getting a mortgage with apprehension, thinking they have very little control of the end result. But rushing through the process without comparing loan offers could be a costly mistake,” Lebda continued.”

Perhaps some of this trend can be attributed to the current atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty when it comes to financing home purchases. Lenders have been tight with the purse strings since the GFC (global financial crisis) so perhaps many of these individuals who are not comparing loans are simply relieved that they can obtain a loan.

5 Legal Tasks to Do When You Move

The Internet is full of checklists and resources to use if you are planning to move. There are packing timelines. There are lists of packing supplies. There are even directions on how to pack boxes.

But moving is much more than purging and organizing your personal affects. There are legal tasks you need to take care of too.

Here are 5 legal tasks to complete when you move:

1. Read your leases: Review your current lease to make sure you will not get into trouble for leaving. You are responsible for paying rent for the entire lease term, even if you have vacated the premises. If you need to move before the lease term is expired, read the lease to see if you can sublet or assign to a new tenant. Check your new lease for these terms before you sign it. And make sure you complete these tasks to protect your rights as a tenant.

2. Protect yourself with insurance: Thoroughly read any contract with a moving company before you sign it for delivery times and insurance coverage. Moving companies are required to provide some moving insurance. But you may wish to purchase more.

3. Notify your creditors: Update your address with all of your creditors to ensure you do not miss a payment. And be sure to complete a change of address with the United States Postal Service and request that your mail be forwarded to your new address.

4. Keep receipts if you are relocating for a job: You may be able to write off your expenses if you are required to relocate more than 50 miles due to a job change. Review the Internal Revenue Service’s requirements to qualify for this tax break.

5. Update your estate plan: State laws governing wills and estate plans differ. If you move to a different state, update your estate plan.