Team Davidson, Ghada and Sean's blog

According to a recent study, the average homeowner pays more attention to kitchen stove safety than they do BBQ safety. But, the fact is, a BBQ mishap can be just as devastating. So, it pays to know the latest safety tips.

Imagine this scenario...

You purchase a new home and move in. A few weeks later, you hear a strange rumbling sound. It’s the furnace. It’s only a year old, yet it’s sputtering like it’s twenty. You realize you’ll have to call in an HVAC contractor to get it fixed.

You’re thinking, “Ouch! This is going to be expensive.”

Well, maybe not. You see, since that furnace is relatively new, it might be covered by its original warranty — even for you, the new owner.

Some people don’t give hallways much thought when painting and decorating. Instead, they focus on rooms.

The fact is, a great looking hallway can have the same, if not more, impact than the most eye-catching family room or bedroom, especially when you need to go through the hallway to get there!

Here are some painting tips that can bring a dull hallway to life:

There has been a lot of emphasis lately on the importance of "going green".  That simply means being enviromnentally-responsible.  You likely already recycle, use energy-efficient lights, and turn down your thermostat when no one is home.

Yet, most of us don't think about the garden or flower bed when we "think green".

We should. Here are a few practical things you can do to tend to outdoor plants -- without negatively impacting the environment.

Imagine buying a product from the store, taking it home and then discovering there's a problem with it. Disappointing, yest, but not a catastrophe.  You can simply take it back for repair or exchange.

But, what if it's moving day, and you discover there's a problem with your new home?  WHOA! A house isn't so easily returned!

What are the most common problems encountered on moving day?

p[Imagine finding the perfect home, only to discover there is serious interest from at least a dozen other buyers.  It's like scrambling for the last piece of cake at a bufffet!

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help get the home you want, even in a highly competitive market.  Here are just a few ideas:

When you suffer damage to, (or the loss of), your home or its contents, you expect your insuance company to help you out.  And, most do a good job of doing just that.

Still, its a good idea to review your policy with your insurance advisor and find out what's covered and what isn't.  You don't want to discover that your policy will not cover the cost of repairing the damage caused by a flood in your laundry room or basement.

When you're preparing your home for sale, it's not unusual to need to fix up a few things around the property.  After all, you want your home to look its best to buyers, so that you get good offers, quickly.

What do you need to fix? Here are three categories that will help you create and prioritize your list.

1. Anything that squeaks or creaks

Knowing the right questions to ask and steps to take before starting the house hunt is one way to help keep emotions in check. And, many common home buying missteps can be avoided by following these five tips.

If you're paying alot of money for a new washing machine, wouldn't it be nice to know how long you should expect it to last?  There is, of course, no exact formula for figuring that out.  Every brand and unit is different.  There are however, some broad estimates.