Maintenance & Repairs
Upkeep, vendors, and keeping a home in shape.
6 Home Energy Rebates Homeowners Forget to Claim (2024)
Homeowners leave up to $3,200 a year in federal energy tax credits unclaimed simply because they never file IRS Form 5695.
6 Generator Safety Mistakes That Kill People Every Year
Roughly 80 Americans die every year from portable generator misuse, mostly carbon monoxide poisoning from running one too close to the house.
6 Fridge Noises and What Each One Means (Normal vs Warning)
A refrigerator that clicks, hums, or gurgles is usually fine, but a loud rattle or repeated clicking every few minutes often means the compressor is failing.
6 Fire Hazards Hiding in Your Home Right Now
About 358,500 US home fires happen each year, and most start with things owners walk past daily — dryer lint, old outlets, and space heaters.
6 Downspout Mistakes That Send Water Into Your Basement
A downspout ending less than 6 feet from your foundation is the single most common cause of a wet basement, and it's a free fix.
5 Washing Machine Leaks and Where They Come From
Most washing machine leaks trace back to five spots — supply hoses, door seals, drain hoses, pumps, or overloading — and three take under 20 minutes to fix.
5 Signs You're Watering Your Lawn Wrong (Fix It Today)
Runoff pooling in the gutter, mushrooms in the grass, and a spongy yard all point to one fix — most lawns need just 1 inch of water a week.
5 Signs Your Yard Has a Serious Drainage Problem (Not Just Rain)
Water sitting in your yard 24 hours after rain, or a foundation that stays damp for days, points to a drainage problem that costs far more the longer it waits.
5 Signs Your Walkway Is Becoming a Liability
A walkway with more than a 1/4-inch height difference between slabs is a legal trip hazard in most US jurisdictions and an insurance red flag.
5 Signs Your Stucco Needs Repainting, Not Just Patching
Stucco paint fails from the inside out, and by the time chalking, wide cracks, or bubbling show up, patching alone won't stop the damage underneath.
5 Signs Your Stucco Is Failing Beneath the Surface
Hairline cracks and dark staining on stucco often mean water has been getting behind the wall for years before you notice it.
5 Signs Your Retaining Wall Is About to Fail
A retaining wall that leans more than 2 inches per foot of height is already in structural distress and needs an engineer's look, not a patch job.
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