first american home warranty - ews on the ouse · 2014-01-24 · a home and its resale value....

A HOME WARRANTY SERVICE FROM FIRST AMERICAN

News on the HouseFebruary, 2014 - Monthly Newsletter

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A Home Warranty Service

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Easy-to-update items to make your new home yours

This year more than 5.4 million homes were sold by the end of August, according to the National Association of Realtors. Are you one of these millions of new homeowners? If so, you’ve most likely felt the urge to settle in immediately. However, before making any major renovations, it’s a good idea to live in a new home a while to see how the space is meeting your needs. Here are a few swift swaps that will have a big impact in making that new house feel like home sweet home.

Personalize with paintIt may be the most obvious update but painting is an easy solution to change the look of a room in an instant. Whether you paint

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an entire room,-create a bold accent wall or incorporate glossy white trim, paint is an affordable fix for any home.

You can easily and quickly bring your design ideas to life with Shape Tape from FrogTape. Available in three on-trend patterns: Wave, Chevron and Scallop, Shape Tape makes it simple to achieve unique, repetitive decorative painting styles. Each roll of tape features a pre-cut repeating pattern, so all you need to do is simply unroll, apply and get painting to create your desired look. From delicate, narrow waves throughout a bathroom or nursery, to bold, wide chevron patterns in the living area or bedroom, this tape can be used in any room of the house.

Fabulous framesWhen moving into a new space, the things you love should take center stage. Once your home reflects who you are, the rest will slowly fall into place. Photo frames are the ideal choice to add a decorative and personalized touch to any room. Bring this common decor pick into the modern age by creating a personal gallery and displaying frames of varying shapes and sizes. To do this, plan the layout of the frames before hanging, either with paper on the wall or by arranging them on the floor. Or, you can simply purchase pre-arranged frame galleries at home decor retailers.

Faucet focusKitchen and bath makeovers tend to have the biggest impact on a home and its resale value. However, new homeowners who are strapped for cash may not have a large budget for a full-scale bathroom remodel. Fortunately, there are several basic swaps that can quickly change the look and feel of a bath.

The easiest way to remodel your bathroom is to replace its hardest-working fixture - the faucet. This is a project new homeowners can tackle themselves at a reasonable price. Moen offers a wide variety of faucet options like the new single- handle Boardwalk bathroom faucet, to add a fresh, elegant look to the sink. Available at Lowe’s, Boardwalk fits almost any decor and comes in Moen’s Spot Resist Brushed Nickel finish, which resists fingerprints and water spots, so the faucet will stay looking clean as you show it off to family and friends. For a polished look,

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swap out old hardware with affordable, coordinated accessories including robe hooks, towel rings and towel bars.

Energy-saving essentialsWasting energy means wasting money. When you go from a renter to a home owner, it’s important to recognize and fix energy-draining areas before bills pile up. Caulking around windows and spaces between the floor and baseboards in attics and sun rooms will help prevent drafts. Consider purchasing a draft stopper for the bottoms of doors so wind or heat doesn’t slip through. Additionally, service your furnace annually, so it produces more heat while using less energy.

Let there be lightLighting is a great way to add warmth to a sparse space. If you’re looking to create an intimate atmosphere, place several table lamps throughout the room. -You can also amp up energy savings by switching to LED bulbs - these bulbs don’t cause heat buildup and last up to 10 times as long as compact fluorescents and 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

It’s very easy for decorating to become overwhelming for new homeowners. By starting with these few swift home decor swaps, your new home will be a comfortable and welcoming environment in no time.

Article provided by Brandpoint - formerly ARAcontent. Reprinted with permission.

Cost of home fire sprinklers at all-time lows; benefits still high

When it comes to the safety of your home and family, you would probably say money is no object. Yet cost (real or perceived) has long deterred many homeowners from considering a residential fire sprinkler system to protect their homes. The systems cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 80 percent, have broad support from safety experts and can even qualify you for a discount on

your homeowner’s insurance. But until now, a perception of high cost has overshadowed those positives.

A new study reveals that the price of residential fire sprinkler systems has dropped significantly, creating an opportunity for safety-minded homeowners to tap the many benefits of sprinklers.

In 2008, the average per-foot cost of a residential fire sprinkler system was $1.61; in 2013, the average per-foot cost has plunged to $1.35, according to a report by the Fire Protection Research Foundation. Multipurpose systems that use a home’s cold-water supply, rather than a separate piping system, are even more affordable - just $1.23 per square foot, the report found.

And costs are likely to drop even lower, one expert says.

“More communities are considering, or have already implemented, fire sprinkler requirements for new, single-family homes,” says Eric Skare, a volunteer firefighter and fire safety systems product manager for Uponor North America (www.uponor-usa.com), an Apple Valley, Minn.-based sprinkler system manufacturer. “Growing demand has resulted in increased competition and lower installed costs for these systems. Manufacturers competing for market share continue to develop lower-cost products to ensure the cost-effectiveness of residential fire sprinkler systems.”

The lower cost is good news for anyone interested in protecting their home with a fire sprinkler system, Skare says. The benefits of such systems are many:

* Eighty percent of all fire deaths occur in residential fires. While functioning smoke alarms reduce the risk of home fire fatalities by 50 percent, sprinklers slash the risks by 80 percent, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).



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* Multipurpose systems - like those provided by Uponor - reduce the amount of piping needed to supply sprinkler systems because they tie into a home’s existing cold-water plumbing system. Instead of two piping systems - plumbing and fire- sprinkler - the builder need install only one, reducing material, labor costs and jobsite-scheduling hassles, saving 35 percent to 65 percent in installation time over standalone, rigid CPVC systems. That, in turn, should result in a lower cost to the home buyer.

* Homeowners insurance companies provide an average premium discount of 7 percent to homes with fire sprinkler systems, according to the Fire Protection Research Foundation.

* Home fire sprinkler systems act quickly to reduce heat, flames and smoke from fire, giving families valuable time to safely get out of a burning home. “Sprinklers extinguish most home fires in seconds, before the fire department arrives and before major damage can occur,” Skare notes. In fact, sprinklers are far less damaging than fire hoses used by firefighting teams. One study in Scottsdale, Ariz., found the average fire damage loss for a home without sprinklers was more than $45,000; with sprinklers, losses shrink to slightly more than $2,100.

* Sprinklers enhance home value. Forty-five percent of homeowners prefer a home with fire sprinklers and nearly 75 percent say the presence of sprinklers increases a home’s value, the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition reports.

Perhaps the most compelling argument in favor of sprinklers is the cost-to-value ratio. The average total cost for installing a multipurpose fire sprinkler system is around $6,000, according to the Fire Protection Research Foundation report.

“That investment could buy your family the extra time they need to escape a home fire,” Skare says.

For more information on residential fire sprinkler systems, visit www.uponor-usa.com.


Chase the mid-winter blues away with wholesome comfort foods

The colder weather of winter has many looking for some comforting wholesome meals to share with friends and family. This winter try delicious recipes that will create tantalizing smells in the home and warm everyone sitting around the table.

If you’re serving a smaller crowd like your immediate family or planning a large gathering with friends to chase away the mid-winter blues, you’ll want to serve savory foods that will have mouths watering. The seasonings of Tuscany in Central Italy are one delicious way to introduce everyone to new menu items, and you might just have everyone clamoring for more.

Often the hearty and comforting recipes that are ideal for this time of year include some not-so-healthy ingredients like butter or shortening. The following Tuscan-inspired recipes have a wonderful substitute - Carapelli Olive Oil - which is naturally cholesterol-free, making it a healthy alternative. Plus, this premium olive oil will enhance and lighten the taste of dishes, giving your family and friends the best flavors with better health options.



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The following two side dishes infuse delicious Tuscan ingredients and premium Carapelli Olive Oil, giving everyone a warm and hearty feeling. Start the meal off with fresh Brussels sprouts and caramelized onions:

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

Ingredients:2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts

4 tablespoons Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, julienned

1 1/2 ounces prosciutto, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:Trim stem end of Brussels sprouts. Discard wilted outside leaves. Boil in salted water until cooked through (about 7 minutes) and just tender. Shock in ice water. Quarter the cooled sprouts. In large skillet over medium-high heat, caramelize onions in olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan. Place in bowl, mix with prosciutto. In the same skillet, over high heat lightly brown Brussels sprouts. Add onion-prosciutto mix and toss. Deglaze by adding white balsamic vinegar and scraping bottom of pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Potatoes are another favorite mid-winter food, and the following Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes not only tastes delectable - it also looks pretty in the serving bowl as well.

Olive Oil and Herb Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:10 8-ounce potatoes (about 5 pounds) peeled and cut in half

3/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup Tuscan Herb paste (recipe follows)

1/2 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

Directions:Boil potatoes in salted water. When cooked tender, mash potatoes. Mix salt and pepper with Tuscan Herb Paste, olive oil and warm heavy cream. Fold into potatoes.

Tuscan Herb Paste

Ingredients:1 tablespoon fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1/2 cup packed fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 tablespoons fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3/4 cup Carapelli Extra Light in Taste Olive Oil

1 cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:Blend herbs and crushed red pepper with light olive oil using a blender or food processor, then stir in extra virgin olive oil.

When serving your mid-winter meal featuring these delicious recipes, be sure to warm up the home in other ways as well. Bring warmth to the decor by lighting candles or starting a fire in the fireplace, add a couple of soft rugs under tables or couches and toss some throw blankets over the backs of furniture, giving everything a cozy look.

For more comfort-food recipes to try this winter season, visit carapelliusa.com/recipes.


first american home warranty - ews on the ouse · 2014-01-24 · a home and its resale value....

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