Air filters have different MERV ratings and the higher the MERV rating, the more particles you will capture with the filter. A MERV rating of 8 is common for most household furnace filters, but if you have people in your home who may be particularly susceptible to allergens in the air (such as asthma sufferers, etc.) then you may want to consider using a filter with a higher MERV rating such as MERV 11 or MERV 12.

Now that you know how air filters affect the air that you breathe in your home, you are probably wondering how they can save you money. When an air filter is not changed regularly, it accumulates all sorts of dust and debris. These foreign particles serve to clog up your filter and make it harder for air to pass through it. This in turn forces your furnace to work harder, using more energy and thus costing you more money. This increase in air resistance is a big deal because you do not want to have to make costly repairs to your HVAC system.

By simply replacing your furnace filter once every 3-4 months, you will greatly reduce the possibility of having problems with your system. All of us have better things to spend our money on than fixing our furnace, so an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this case.

It is by far cheaper to replace a simple air filter regularly than it is to call a heating/cooling company to come to your house to make repairs to your furnace system!

It’s easy to see how doing a simple task like changing your furnace filter regularly has all sorts of benefits for you and your family as well as your wallet. A clean filter will grab foreign particles much more easily than a clogged, dirty one will, and it will allow air to flow through your ducts much more easily, saving you money.

Protecting your home from air pollutants is a great fall task to add to your list and it should be done several more times of the year as well. When the air starts changing from hotter to cold air, the environment changes as well and different pollutants can come into your home.

Take a few minutes to replace your furnace filter and you and your family will benefit from this simple fix. There is no better time than the present to take care of your HVAC system.

Making an Offer

If you decide you want to make an offer, do so through your realtor.

Giving an Earnest Money Deposit

Once you decide to make an offer, you will need to give an earnest money deposit of 1% to 3% of the price of the home. This will show you are serious, and the seller will then take the house off the market. Give the money to your realtor, who will put it in escrow for safekeeping until it can be used as part of the down payment for your house.

The House Inspection

The house inspection is essential in order to determine if the price is right, and if the house is in good repair. You can adjust your offer based on what the inspector finds. Once the list of repairs is completed, or you’ve agreed to a lower price, the sale can go ahead.

Finalizing Your Mortgage

Once you are clear about how much you need to borrow, you can finalize your mortgage.

Gathering Your Down Payment

Make sure your down payment is ready so you can hand it over as and when needed.

Decide on a Closing Date

Decide when you will have all the paperwork and money available to be able to close.

Determine a Move-In Date

If the seller is still living in the house, be sure to negotiate a move-in date before you close. If you are in a hurry, this could put you both under a lot of pressure. However, you don’t want to be paying rent and a mortgage at the same time, so the sooner you can move in, the better.

You should usually get the keys within a week of closing. If you can’t get the keys right away, be clear about the number of days of occupancy they are requesting, such as 30 or 60 days after closing.

What If They Can’t Move?

What happens if the seller hasn’t moved? This can happen if they are looking for their ideal new home too, and are delayed in completing their purchase.

Your occupancy date should not be changed once it is set. It is part of the entire legal agreement in buying the home. However, you could offer to rent the home to them for the price of the mortgage payment each month until they finally move. This is commonly referred to as a leaseback. It can be frustrating, but it will be worth the wait.

Keep in regular communication with your realtor until such time as you have the keys and are completely moved in. They can help you with any issues so you can all do your best to make sure your move-in date will go according to plan.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about finding your new home in Montana!

What If I Change My Mind?

The only exception to getting all your money applied towards the sale is if it does not go through. If you change your mind, for example, there will usually be a fee involved, with a small percentage of the money forfeited.

On the other hand, if you want to back out of the sale because the house does not pass the inspection and/or there will be too long a wait for the seller to redress the issues, you should not forfeit any money. Sometimes the seller might also discover that for various reasons, they are not allowed to sell the home. This could be because they are in foreclosure, have a tax lien on the house, or are not aware they are in a flood zone and need to follow certain rules and regulations when selling.

How Much Earnest Money Will Be Required?

In general, it will be around 1% to 2% of the agreed-upon price for the home. You should have this money available before making a firm offer. If it is a lively market, they may ask for 3%, but they might also be willing to haggle on the price if they can be assured of a large down payment and quick sale.

What Happens to the Deposit?

Once you have signed the purchase agreement, the money will usually be put in an escrow account by the realtor, or title holder if you are opting for a foreclosed property. Never give the money directly to the seller. You should of course use only a reputable realtor and be clear about how they will hold the money.

Once the sale reaches the final stages, the money will be released from escrow and applied to your down payment for the house.

What to Do to Get Your Money Back

If the deal falls through, a small cancellation fee might be charged, especially if you change your mind.

The rest of the amount in escrow will be handled based on what is stated in the purchase agreement, so make sure there is a clause about this in the agreement.

The agreement should also state certain contingencies. For example, sometimes even pre-approved customers actually get declined for a mortgage in the end. In this case, you should be able to recover 100% of the earnest money deposit. Issues with the seller not being able to sell, or the home inspection, should also be stated in the clause to ensure you get back you full deposit.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about finding your new home in Montana!

The state of Montana is sparsely populated when compared to other states, as Billings, which is the most populated city, has only a little over 100,000 people. The capital of Montana is Helena, with a population of only about 28,000. Great Falls and Missoula are a couple of the other most populated hubs, with in the neighborhood of 50,000-70,000 people. After that the 56 counties of the state are made up with many smaller towns and communities.

One of the many things that you may appreciate about Montana is the cost of living. The cost of living in Montana is 6.3% lower than the rest of the country, making it a tempting destination for retirement living. In addition, Montana is one of the few states left that does not have sales tax, so many people find that the costs are much less than what they have grown used to when living in more metropolitan areas. Montana also has relatively low property taxes as well, coming in at ab out 1.19% lower than national averages. Tax rates are usually determined by location in relation to cities, counties, and school districts.

If you are looking for cuisine when it comes to Montana, you will find the food to be diverse, depending upon location. Overall, Montana is known for its cattle as well as pigs and hogs, so you will find some of the best steaks around at the various Montana eateries. Many delicacies exist in various regions of the state, from the huckleberries of western Montana to the elk burgers and bison burgers of the upper crust restaurants.

Here are some other pro’s to making Montana your home in your retirement years:

1) Yellowstone National Park. If this national treasure doesn’t perk your interest, then nothing will!

2) Glacier National Park. The only location perhaps as scenic and breathtaking as Yellowstone is Glacier Park in the north-western region of the states.

3) Low taxes. Nothing more needs to be said here.

4) No tolls. You will not find any tolls as you drive around the vast state of Montana. Once again, this weighs into the lower cost of living that the state provides.

5) Less dense population. If you like your space and don’t want to live right on top of your next-door neighbors, Montana provides that in a big way.

6) Outdoor activities. Whether its fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, golfing, skiing, horse back riding, or anything else you can think of, if it takes place outdoors, Montana provides it.

7) Liberty minded people. Montanans like their freedom and if you don’t need a new law every time you turn around, Montana is probably the place for you.

8) Living in Montana offers options that you just plain will not find in any other state. If you like a more cosmopolitan type area, then the bigger cities such as Billings and Missoula offer that, while still having outdoor activities right out your window. If isolation is what you seek, you can purchase a property that requires you drive 30 minutes just to retrieve your mail. You may not even have a neighbor and if you do, you may never see them!

9) The great outdoor living is in general, healthy. Montana is rated as the least obese state in the nation.

Again, if you like to experience all four seasons, Montana offers that where other states do not. As opposed to somewhere like Phoenix Arizona, where you get extreme heat in the spring/summer/fall, along with very temperate, beautiful winters, Montana will run the gamut. In certain parts of the state it may be -25 degrees in the winter and 95 degrees in the summer.

Overall, like most places, there are pros and cons to living in Montana. No place is perfect and Montana is no exception to that rule. However, there are some aspects to life in Montana that you will not find anywhere else that you may consider for your retirement living. It is up for you to decide if those aspects appeal to you, your family, and your way of life.

Many folks find Montana to be the ultimate place to live in their retirement. You might try it and feel that way too.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about finding your new home in Montana!

Sure, your home is a source of pride and security for you and your family, but it can also be a source of saving money if you follow these handy tips for saving money around the household.

1. Change to LED bulbs. By replacing as few as five of your most used light bulbs with LED bulbs, you can save as much as $75/year on your energy bill. You wouldn’t think a few light bulbs would make that much difference, but LED bulbs are so much more efficient than regular light bulbs that the savings can really add up fast.
2. Speaking of light bulbs…….ever hear of cleaning your light bulbs? Dusty, dirty light bulbs can emit as much as 30% less energy than a clean one will. By simply cleaning your bulbs, you can brighten any room and thereby turn on less lights and use less energy. Sounds simple? It is!
3. Fill your fridge. Here is another tip that sounds to simple to be effective. A full refrigerator will retain cold air better and therefore use less energy. If you are going to be out of town and don’t want to leave a bunch of food in your fridge that may spoil, simply use water bottle to fill up the extra space. This is a simple act that will save on electricity.
4. Power strips. You probably have these in your house anyway. Many of your appliances such as computers and coffee pots, will continue to suck electricity even when not in use. A simple way to avoid this is to hook them up to a power strip and flick the switch off when not in use.
5. Set your water heater to 120 degrees. Most water heaters tend to be set much higher than is needed. By lowering the temperature to 120, you can save 3-5% off the cost of your hot water heating.
6. Wash your clothes in cold water. This is another simple tip that may have you smacking your head because you didn’t think of it first, but washing clothes in cold water means you don’t have to heat water for the wash, thereby saving money on your electric bill. Simple and yet effective!
7. Don’t use the highest setting on your dryer every time. Much of the time you are drying your clothes, you don’t need the highest setting and it wastes energy to ‘overheat’ your clothes. They will dry on cooler settings and you can save money by doing so. Want to save even more? Hang your cloths out on a cloths line in the nice weather and don’t pay any electricity to dry them at all!
8. Want another laundry tip? Try cutting back on laundry detergent. You can get by with a lot less detergent per load than that little ‘fill line’ on the detergent cap tells you. Think about it; Tide wants you to use more detergent for every load, so that you have to buy more detergent from them. Don’t fall for it. You will be amazed at how much less you can actually get by with.
9. Ditch the Swiffer. Disposable mop and broom heads cost money. You can get by with more traditional means when it comes to cleaning your floors and it will save you a ton of money on a yearly basis. Plus you will be doing a favor for the environment by creating less waste.
10. While we are ditching things, add dryer sheets to that list. Dryer sheets are not necessary and if you want to get rid of static cling, try tossing a couple of tennis balls into the dryer. You will get the same effect, save money, and again, create less waste.
11. Don’t rinse the dishes. Want to save on the water bill? Get rid of the tedious process of rinsing off your dishes prior to putting them in the dishwasher. You can do a good job of scraping them off into the garbage can and then put them in the dishwasher. Don’t waste water by ‘pre-washing’ the dishes.
12. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. If you drink water out of the tap, save water by not having to let it run to get it cold. Keeping a nice, cold pitcher of water in the fridge will save on your water bill and you can also use a filtered pitcher for added benefits.
13. Cut your shower time. One of the best ways to save money on your water bill is to simply cut down on the amount of time you spend in the shower. If you even cut down by a couple minutes per day, it will save you a lot of money when added up over the course of a year.
14. Close the closet. Many people don’t stop to consider this, but if you leave closet doors open, you are just heating or cooling more space because of it. You don’t need your closet to be as warm as the rest of the room, so shut that closet door and save money on your heat bill.
15. Use ceiling fans. If used correctly, ceiling fans can reduce your bill for cooling the house in the summer and also heating your home in the winter. By keeping some air flow going, you will make both your AC unit and your heating unit more efficient and save yourself a few bucks at the same time.
16. Weather-strip your windows and doors. This is another simple fix that people often forget. Over time, you can develop small cracks around your windows and doors as the original calking or weather-stripping wears out. Make sure you don’t have drafts where hot air is escaping in the winter, and cool air is escaping in the summer.

Not all home warranties are created equal.

Costs will vary as well as the items covered under the warranty. You should also take into account the reputation of the home warranty company. The last thing you want to do is spend money on a home warranty with a ‘fly by night’ type of company who will not honor a claim when you need them.

Make sure you do your due diligence and that you know exactly who you are dealing with prior to purchasing a warranty.

A 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty is a specific warranty from a  specific company, know as 2-10. 2-10 is a name brand company who stands apart mainly due to their stellar reputation.  It is one of the few home warranty companies that has been approved by HUD. (United States Department for Housing and Urban Development.) They also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Having your own warranty with such a reliable company is certainly great for your peace of mind and you know that should a problem arise, it will be taken care of quickly and efficiently.

When the time comes to file a claim, you simply contact your home warranty company. Don’t contact a service professional or repairman of your own. The warranty company will send someone out who they work with. There is generally a nominal fee to go with any claim, much like you would pay a deductible with your insurance policy.

The warranty company then takes care of things from there; if the item can be repaired or serviced, it will be. If not, it will be replaced.

It is important to note, in the beginning what your home warranty will cover and what it won’t. Some items are covered by your homeowner’s insurance, and some by home warranty.

Know what you are getting in the first place to avoid confusion down the line. Also keep in mind the length of your warranty and when it does run out, you will have the option of purchasing a new warranty for either the same or a different length of time.

Smile knowing your home is protected for a full 10 years.  Learn more here!