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NEWS AND INFORMATION
VOLUME 22, NO. 6
SAFE AT HOME
Holiday & Winter Fire Safety: Top Tips
Taking some simple, smart precautions can help keep your family – and your home – safe during this holiday season.
1. Always use non-flammable decorations both indoors and outdoors.
2. Check holiday light strands for damaged or broken wires and plugs. Enjoy indoor lights only while someone is at home and turn them off before going to bed. Most lights now have LED bulbs, making them energy efficient and cool to the touch.
3. Busy with holiday cooking and baking? Kitchen fires are the leading cause of house fires. Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher within easy reach and know how to use it.
4. Keep live Christmas trees in a water-filled stand and check daily for dehydration. Dried-out trees are extremely dangerous and should be discarded right away.
5. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, be sure the chimney has been cleaned.
6. Candles add a lovely ambiance to your holiday home. Place them in stable holders and keep them away from flammable items, drafts, pets, and children. Battery-powered “candles” are an attractive and safe option, especially for households with young children, and are widely available.
7. Children should not have access to or be allowed to use matches, lighters or candles.
8. Keep space heaters away from bedding, curtains, paper—anything flammable. Never leave a space heater unattended while in use.
9. Make sure smoke alarms are in good working order. Test monthly at a minimum.
Enjoy a happy and safe holiday season!
HOME INSIGHTS
How’s Your Home’s Water Quality?
Water quality in the home is a concern for many homeowners. While municipal supplies are rigorously tested and monitored, certain conditions in the home can affect water quality after it’s delivered from the water main.
- Galvanized pipes are not uncommon in older homes. They are usually corroded and should be replaced. They can rust away from the inside out, causing leaks and water damage, and can also trap contamination from old lead service lines.
- Whenever possible, replace pipes and fixtures containing lead with new materials.
- Filtration systems can effectively reduce environmental contaminants. Options include faucet or pitcher filters, plumbed, and reverseosmosis filters that treat the entire home’s supply.
- Other contaminants that don’t affect health may adversely alter water taste, odor, and/or color.
- Well maintenance should be on a regular schedule and the water tested regularly for safety and quality.
MARKET MOVEMENTS
Does a Pre-listing Home Inspection Make Sense?
By identifying potential issues before it goes on the market, you can list a home with greater confidence about its condition. This can mean cleaner offers, getting to closing faster, and maximizing the selling price for your client.
A pre-listing home inspection can uncover previously unknown problems – major and minor – allowing sellers the opportunity to make repairs, updates, or replacements as needed or as they wish. If they choose not to address these issues, making the inspection report available to potential buyers builds buyer trust through transparency. As such, it’s a great marketing tool for homes sold “as-is.”
The Pillar To Post Home Inspection includes our comprehensive report delivered in printed and digital formats and features our newest technological innovations. With this valuable information in hand, sellers can decide on the next steps prior to listing. In the end, having well-informed sellers and buyers works to everyone’s advantage.
Pillar To Post Home Inspection Packages include even more exclusive and innovative features than ever. These new services deliver speed, ease and convenience, getting you to closings faster, saving you time, and delighting your clients.
Standard with every Home Inspection:
PTP360*
Interactive 360° Visual Inspection Summary
- Brings the inspection report to life
- Includes every room and the exterior
- Accessible any time
PTPEstimates*
Powered by PunchList
Cost estimate for Inspection Summary items
- Learn what recommended repairs will cost
- Estimate based on local costs
- Request an estimate with just a click
Also included with Premium and Prestige Packages:
PTPFloor Plan
An accurate floor plan of the entire home
- Use to determine furniture fit and placement
- Share dimensions with contractors for estimating
PTPHomeManual
Powered by Centriq
The digital owner's manual for the home
- Download user manuals/warranty information
- Find safety recalls on appliances
- Indicated age and useful remaining life of systems
*Where available. Not all services are offered by every office. Each office is independently owned and operated.
Experience the Pillar To Post difference. Schedule your next home inspection today!