Secure Your Iredell County Home Against Intruders

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Today’s video is part two of our videos about home security. I have some useful tips on how to secure your home in the surrounding Iredell County area.

• Place a metal bar along the track of sliding doors. This method prevents an intruder from forcing your door open. A closet rod, for instance, provides a simple solution and easily secures your sliding doors.
• Invest in a safe. This is a great place to look up important documents, cash, and jewelry. Make sure it’s fire proof as well.

• Conceal exterior wiring. Burglars out there are looking for ways to cut your electricity to knock out the lights and disable your alarm system.
• Dogs are a major deterrent. Even if you don’t own a dog, any type of dog-themed decorations (such as a statute or sign) can deter a burglar from robbing your home.
• Don’t disclose personal information on social media. Hold off on sharing vacation photos. Don’t let people know you’re away or when you plan on coming back.

Hopefully, these tips will help you secure your home. If you have any questions about the market, or other security options, please give me a call or send me an email today!

Security Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

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Keeping our homes secure is an important issue. Today, we’ll offer some tips on how you can easily secure your home in Iredell County.

1. Invest in an alarm system. The sound of an alarm not only deters the burglar, it also alerts your neighbors and local law enforcement of a disturbance.

2. Put up an obvious surveillance camera. This might cost you around $100, but it’s a clear sign you have a secure alarm system.
3. Clear shrubbery and trees. Don’t let bushes and plants obstruct your views on footage. Safety experts recommend keeping bushes trimmed to 3 feet in height and tree branches above 6 feet off the ground.
4. Use motion detector lights. This ensures your property will be lit without racking up the price of your electric bill.
5. Deadbolt your front and back doors. Statistics reveal 34% of intruders enter through the front door and 22% enter through the backdoor.

If you have any questions about safety or real estate, give us a call or send us an email today. We’d be happy to answer them! Our next video will feature even more home safety tips, so stay tuned.

How to Handle Vacant Homes in Iredell County

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We had nice, warm weather during the holidays, but it froze up again! Winter is here, and that could create problems for homeowners, especially if their property vacant. During this time of year, there are a few things you should pay attention to.

• Make sure your heating system is working. If you need oil or propane, you should be prepared ahead of time and stock up. You need to have enough readily available to keep it going during the cold weather.
• Set the heat low. The heat doesn’t need to be as strong as it would be if you were living inside of it. However, be aware of not setting it too low! Realtors and prospective buyers will be walking through your vacant property at some point.
• Leave utilities on. They should function properly and well! For instance, if you have a security system linked to your telephone line, keep the cable on to keep the alarms on!

• Ensure plumbing is efficient. Everything should be running okay without any surprises. Double and triple check! Additionally, cover your exterior faucets. Maybe use styrofoam covers, even. Prevent pipe bursts.
• Clean out the gutters. It’s better to do this ahead of time. Avoid excess water from precipitation by tackling this early.
• Check that windows are shut. Prevent heat loss and save on your power bills.
• Check the crawl space vents. Consider closing the vents during the winter.

If you have any questions about your vacant or occupied home, reach out to me today! Give me a call or send me an email.

What Can Moisture Do to Your Crawl Space?

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Today we are going to be discussing how to deal with moisture in your crawl space, an important thing to pay attention to this time of year. We’ve had dry weather for a while, but things are starting to get a little more wet. This has gotten us thinking about some warning signs that your crawl space and basement have water damage, so we want to give you a few things to think about to help you avoid and/or combat the problem quickly.

1. Ask yourself if it smells musty.

If it does, there is a reason. Get the area checked out, because the smell could be coming from several different sources. You may just need a new moisture barrier.

2. Long term moisture causes long term problems.

If left unchecked or ignored, moisture will cause mold that can grow underneath the subflooring. There are companies that specialize in removing mold and fungus from homes, and we know several that we would be happy to refer you to.

3. Check your insulation.

Is it installed properly? If it is, you should see the pink side of the insulation, with the paper side attached to your subflooring. If it’s falling down, put it back up or replace it.

So check these things out if you smell something funny or just want to be proactive about any water damage your home may suffer. Being proactive about these kinds of things is beneficial to your pocketbook in the long run. If you have any questions for us, just give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!