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Your Home Winter Fire Safety Tips

Fires can be more dangerous in winter because doors and windows are locked tight against cold winter air, thus closing escape routes. So it's more important than ever to prevent fires.

By following a few simple fire safety tips, you can protect your home and family against fire.

Use a metal fireplace screen. Have the chimney checked and cleaned regularly.
Keep portable heaters away from people and combustibles.
Don't overload electrical outlets and protect empty ones against children' prying fingers with outlet covers.
Water and electricity combined cause shock. Keep hands dry when handling appliances. If an appliance gets wet, have it serviced.
Don't store things over the stove. People get burned reaching over the stove, and pots containing grease that overturn may cause a fire.
Turn pot handles so children can't pull them down. Wear tight sleeves when you cook. Loose fitting garments can catch fire.
Before you go to bed, look under cushions for burning cigarettes.
Allow air space around the TV and stereo to prevent overheating.
Buy smoke detectors and install them outside your sleeping areas and along escape routes.

If you do have a fire, get out immediately. Don't try to grab your possessions -- they can be replaced but you can't. Have a predetermined place to meet all the occupants of the residence so every one can be accounted for. Call the Fire Department. Don't assume someone else has.

Moving? Looking For a Vacation Home?

No matter where you are looking for a home, I can help. I am part of a network of qualified, professional REALTORS. Let me refer you to a colleague in the area where you need a home.

Questions I Am Sometimes Asked...

Q. How will buying a home help me save money on taxes?

A. Homeowners enjoy substantial tax benefits, starting with the closing costs. Points, or loan origination fees, are deductible for buyers or sellers, whoever pays them. The interests payments on your mortgage payments are tax deductible. If you decide to remodel or add on to your home, you can obtain a home equity loan to pay for the expenses and interest on that loan is deductible, too. Finally, most homeowners don't have to capital gains tax on the appreciation of their home. For married couples, the first $500,000 in appreciation is tax exempt, $250,000 for single homeowners. The Internal Revenue Service has useful pamphlets regarding home ownership. Call 1-800-TAX-FORM to order "Tax Information for First-Time Homeowners," or "Selling Your Home."

FIVE TIPS TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION

Thinking about selling your home? Nothing counts more than the first impression potential buyers have when they view your home. Fresh paint and the new carpet can help a home sell faster and for a higher price. But smaller things matter, too.

Here are five tips for making a good impression on potential buyers:

Keep the front of the home looking good. Trim or replace shrubs in the front yard. Rake lawn debris and plant some seasonal flowers. Gather up the kids' toys and sweep the sidewalk.
Clean, clean, clean. All areas of the home should be free of clutter and sparkling clean especially the kitchen baths.
Straighten closets and other storage areas, including folding things neatly. A well-organized closet suggests to buyers that you are fastidious (even if you aren't) and have maintained the home properly.
Fix small things. Make sure the bulbs work in all the lamps. Fix leaky faucets. Oil or adjust all doors that don't close properly.
Eliminate pet odor and take the pets with you during an open house. More than half of the Americans own pets, but the odor or presence of a pet is a distraction to potential buyers.

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Do you know someone who is thinking about buying or selling a home? Please mention my name, or email me at meg@teamtitus.com with the information. Thanks so much!!

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