Interesting Question

Would you rather have: 
More time and less money      OR 
More money and less time?

Home Warranty vs Homeowners Insurance

Question: What is the difference between a home warranty and homeowner’s insurance?

Answer: The best way to describe homeowner’s insurance and a home warranty is to compare them to a car purchase.

When purchasing a car, you are required to have insurance on the vehicle. This protects you financially if anything were to happen to the car. The same thing is true with home insurance. If your home experienced damage that is covered by the insurance company (for example a fire), you would be compensated by the insurance company.                                                                                                                                                               A home warranty, on the other hand, provides a guarantee for certain parts of the home, depending on the home warranty policy you purchase.

When you buy a vehicle with a warranty, the car manufacturer is guaranteeing that certain parts of the vehicle will not break while the vehicle is under warranty. If a part does break while under warranty, the car manufacturer will have the problem fixed at no charge to you.  The same is true of a home warranty. The home warranty company will pay to fix anything that is covered by the warranty (for example the furnace).

Once the home warranty expires, usually after a year, most homeowners do not renew. This makes sense because you are familiar with your home, and you probably have set aside funds for home maintenance. Keep in mind that home warranties do not pay for everything. You have to check the policy.

Homeowner’s insurance and a home warranty may sound very similar, but they are two very different products. Insurance protects the buyer from a catastrophic loss. A warranty protects specific aspects of a home. You never hope to need either, but are thankful for the protection they provide. 

We Should all Remember This!

Halloween Story

Question: Have you ever shown a house you thought was haunted?

Answer: There was one showing that I recall with dread & discomfort; a showing where home features ceased to be a concern, where routine was overshadowed by fear, where disclosures were eclipsed by an enormous desire to flee the premises. It just so happened that this showing occurred on the eve of Halloween.  My clients were rehabbers looking for their next investment. The house was an old, neglected 2 story Victorian in the country, with leaning fences & dense vines engulfing the walls, windows & roof. I learned that the property was an estate & that it had been the subject of headlines when the owner was found hanging from the rafters of the Foyer. The Police investigation had not determined whether the death was from suicide or foul play.

I arrived ahead of the buyers and decided I should turn on some lights in preparation of their viewing. As I pushed open the big, creaky door & entered, I noticed the silhouette of a noosed rope, still attached to a high dusty beam. A foul odor of decay permeated the stagnant air, and I recall reading that the man spent many days at the end of the rope before neighbors found him.  I remember how hard it was to move from room to room looking for a switch that would take me out of the darkness. A steep staircase descended into the basement, where I know my clients would want to check the structural components. As I entered the basement, I could not locate the light switch. All I had was the weakening light from my flashlight. I then heard a sound coming from upstairs. At first, it blended with the incessant creaking of the structure, but now the difference was unmistakable. It was the slow and steady cadence of footsteps. Hoping to hear the voice of my clients, I called out. “Hello, is someone upstairs?” No one answered, but the footsteps continued. I called out again, but there was no answer. Then a shadow appeared on the stair and moved slowly & silently downward. A dark form started to take shape. As it reached the basement floor a putrid foulness filled the air, so that breathing became forced and repugnant.  My attention was drawn from this to some shadowy object that dangled from its left hand.

But then, the eyes of its disjointed head found me, the lips formed a sardonic grin, dripping with thick gray saliva. The light of the waxing Moon gave me a quick glimpse of what could be the ghost of the old man, hung by the rafters. Its left hand extended towards me and the acrid smell of cold breath filled my face as it cried out.........

”Trick or Treat!”

The Passing of Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing, regulations were set in place.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, teenagers suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. 

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they had themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer paracetamol, sun lotion or plaster to a pupil, but could not inform the parents when a pupil became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. 

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, but the burglar could sue you for assault because you protected yourself and your own.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized that he was gone. ……………Author Unknown

Rudeness or Honesty?

Question:  A real estate agent cane to my home recently to evaluate my home and give me an estimate of value. He told me my home needed to be decluttered & made to look sparkling clean. He was a nice person, but I was insulted by his insinuation that my home needed more cleaning. My home may not be updated but my house is clean. Are all you real estate agents this rude?

Answer:   You called a Realtor for advice and a selling price for your home. So, let’s make sense of what you are saying. You said he was a nice person, so obviously he wasn’t rude.                                                                                                                                                                                             Your home is cluttered & not updated. He told you to declutter & to make your home Sparkling clean for showings and you are upset with his advice?

Any good Realtor would give you this advice. Our job is to sell your home for the best possible price, at the least expense to you & in the shortest possible amount of time. By telling you to declutter, your home will look larger, which will help you in obtaining a higher selling price and it will look nicer and more appealing to a buyer.                                                                                                                                         By making your home sparkling clean, your home will look refreshed & more attractive to buyers. Sparkling clean will make your home look and feel newer, which will make up for some of that updating you chose not to do. All this “rudeness” creates a bigger demand for your home and basic economics dictates that demand increases prices.

The alternative would be for him to say your home looks wonderful and it needs nothing.               The result would be a home that sits on the market longer and begs for a low offer. 

My advice would be to listen to your Realtor. He is a professional who works for you and only wants the best for you. Stop being so sensitive and spend your energy decluttering and making your home Sparkling clean. Sounds like excellent, inexpensive & sparkling advice to me.

New Listing 1504 Doral in Schererville

One Level Living In The Greens of Scherwood

This is an absolutely Beautiful Ranch Style Home nestled in a Collection of Charming & Prestigious Townhomes called the Greens of Scherwood. Large Great room with Soaring ceilings, Skylights & Corner Fireplace. Formal Dining room. Nicely updated eat in Kitchen w/ Granite Countertops & Sink, Breakfast Bar, Pantry closet, Ceramic Backsplash & Stainless Steel Appliances. Attractive blend of Wood look Vinyl flooring & Carpet. Main level laundry room. Vaulted ceilings throughout. Master bedroom w/ a walk in closet, private luxury Bath w/ double sink vanity, Whirlpool tub, Heat lamps & Separate Shower. Bedrooms 2 & 3 have walk in closets. Private patio w/ a live privacy fence. Electric, retractable Patio Awning. 2 car attached garage w/

 professionally applied epoxy floor paint. Custom Window treatments. Andersen Windows. Elegant Masonry exterior. In-ground Sprinkling system. HOA fee Includes: Snow removal, Grass & Bush cutting, exterior maintenance including window washing & gutter cleaning.