Beneficial New Years’ Resolutions for Homeowners

Describing our homes as our castles is a cliché only because of the truth behind the saying. Our homes have always been the hub of family life. The place where you gather, dine, sleep, and relax. Increasingly, in the era of COVID-19, our homes have taken on the function of classrooms and offices. As such, it’s essential to invest in keeping our castles as a safe, inviting, and pleasant space for all family members.

As premier NJ Home Insurance providers, we help homeowners protect their substantial investment in their homes. The following tips offer helpful ideas to maintain the value and condition of your home.

Tune up or Replace Your HVAC System.

You rely on your HVAC system to maintain comfort and quality air in your home year-round. As such, it is the most important and likely the most expensive component necessary to make your home livable. The typical HVAC system lasts from ten to fifteen years. If yours is close to the end of life, consider replacing despite the expense as improved efficiency will return your investment, not forgetting added comfort for your family.

Schedule Replacing Air Filters Regularly.

Air quality is more important than ever with your family spending more time at home. You don’t see it, so it’s easy to forget about changing air filters, which is why setting up a reminder system to schedule replacing filters routinely is essential. Change every month when your HVAC is in constant use in summer and winter, and every three months if your climate is seasonally mild enough to reduce usage. 

Consider Installing an Air Purifier.

Air purifiers sanitize air quality by removing or reducing dust particles, pollen, and other airborne toxins and pollutants. Research the best air purifier because they come with different processes, such as micro-cloth technology versus electrostatic filters. You’ll find better air quality reduces particles, pathogens, and dust that can cause respiratory infections and allergic and asthmatic reactions in sensitive people. Your decision on a whole-house solution versus a portable system will depend on budget and needs.

Air Duct Maintenance.

As with your air filters, you don’t see your air ducts, so it is easy to overlook maintaining them. As an integral part of your HVAC system, regularly cleaning your air ducts is optimal to keep the air that enters and circulates fresh and free from contaminants. The general rule of thumb is to clean air ducts every three to five years, depending upon their condition. Hiring a reliable service is suggested.

Do Houseplants Help Air Quality?

Yes, but not as much as you might think to improve indoor air pollution linked to asthma, allergies, migraines, and sinus infections. Houseplants seem to be effective at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, studies show that excessive houseplants would take extreme amounts to remove enough pollutants to reduce asthma symptoms. But there is the additional consideration that some houseplants can beneficially change the composition of microbes inside homes. They do this by altering their microbiomes. Regardless, having natural, living plants helps make us happier, less stressed out, and calmer overall.

Keep Your Home Safe.

Our recent post on home and holiday fire safety provided safety tips for fireplaces, candles, cooking, and baking. Because it’s easy to forget about things we take for granted, it’s a good idea to schedule checking the devices that guard your safety. Fire, carbon monoxide, and radon detectors are inexpensive to install. But most need batteries replaced once or twice a year, and all need an annual function check. Another common fire hazard is dryer lint build-up. Specialized contractors can check your dryer duct with cameras to find and remove problem spots. Depending on your usage, duct length, and angles, you may want to schedule service every other year or longer.

Less Mess Equals Less Stress

Clutter is known to add unnecessary stress to our already too busy lives. The proverbial junk drawer is easy to start small and get the flow going. You can choose others, but it’s advisable to declutter one task at a time. Make a list and prioritize tackling your master closet, pantry, rec room, workshop, or garage. It’s time to get rid of the stuff no one uses and organize the rest by putting them away in storage bins, boxes, or newly reorganized closet and cabinet spaces.

Plan a Family DIY Project.

Pick some options and involve the whole family in choosing the project. Does a bedroom need paint, or does a seldom-used room need to be repurposed? Start an indoor garden or outdoors if weather permits. Set up a home preparedness kit with input from all. Clean up and organize a garage space to reclaim it for its intended use. Get all involved in redecorating a room with ideas on new window treatments, flooring, paint, and so forth. Start with a smaller project to get teamwork established. For example, organize the kid’s toys or game closet, vote who has the messiest drawers, and take suggestions to declutter and organize the space.

Take Care of Finances.

It is always a good time to give your financial situation serious thought. Establishing a yearly budget makes planning for everything more manageable, whether it’s budgeting for a family vacation or a new HVAC system. A budget helps avoid overspending because you correctly anticipate monthly expenses—build-in allocating funds for home improvements and maintenance. Keep working on your budget until you are spending less than you earn. Sufficient income without excess expenditures creates sound financial health, including accumulating extra funds for inevitable unexpected expenses.

Interest rates are rising but still historically low. If you plan on staying for the next few years and haven’t refinanced, it’s advantageous to review your mortgage rates. Also, if you can consolidate credit cards, auto loans, or other debt with higher interest rates, all the better. But make sure you don’t keep using credit cards and lines of credit. Instead, get on a pay-as-you-go basis whenever possible.

Review Your NJ Home Insurance Policy.

The pandemic is an unbelievable disruptor of life and business like we have never seen. Supply chains and employee staffing are causing price increases across the board. You likely have an Extended Replacement Cost Value (RCV) homeowners insurance policy, the best option in nearly every case. An RCV policy guarantees insurable losses will replace covered damaged items with “like” quality at current costs.

So, for example, with an Extended RCV, your dwelling is insured up to a set amount. However, today it’s possible rebuilding after a disaster will cost more because materials and labor make replacing more expensive than the original price to build your home. Therefore, your RCV policy will step in with a specified percentage, such as a typical 25 percent, in what is known as extra dwelling coverage. An RCV policy aims to keep homeowners with a disastrous loss from losing more by not having enough insurance to pay to rebuild their homes.

COVID-19 Skews Replacement Cost Values.

Although your coverage may have been more than adequate in pre-pandemic conditions, everything is changed now. While we anticipate that supply chains and labor shortages may revert to the norm in the future, there are no guarantees. For example, an RCV policy keeps a disastrous total loss from compounding by forcing the homeowner to pay for out-of-pocket cost overruns. Consequently, it’s our best advice to review your policy limits to ensure your coverage is adequate to replace your dwelling given today’s steep rise for material and labor without paying beyond your deductible.

At Dickstein Associates Agency, we’ll help you find homeowners’ insurance policies that fit your budget and cover everything from fire and theft to water damage, mold, and more with the best, most competitively priced replacement cost insurance available. In addition to applying our decades of NJ Home Insurance expertise, we’ll also review your liability risk exposure to avoid gaps in your protection that a personal umbrella policy will cover.

About Dickstein Associates Agency

 Dickstein Associates Agency has distinguished itself as a leading provider of personal and business insurance in the tri-state area since 1965. We pride ourselves on being advocates for our clients and providing them with quality and affordable coverages. As Trusted Choice™ independent insurance agency, we partner with various national and regional carriers, allowing for flexible coverage for each client’s unique circumstances. For more information on how you can leverage all your insurance to work best for you, and how we can secure the best insurance in the marketplace suited to your specific needs and business objectives, contact us today at (800) 862-6662 or www.dicksteininsurance.com.