Things That Go Bump in the Night: 5 Signs and Sounds of Structural Damage To Look Out For in Fall

This October, you may notice creaks, cracks, and slanted floors in your home. And that doesn’t mean there are ghosts. The real culprit is usually something less supernatural and potentially more expensive to ignore: structural damage.  “A single crack, creak, or sticking door doesn’t automatically m

Your AC Survived the Summer. Will It Survive Your Neglect This Fall?

As soon as the cooler weather hits, many homeowners fall victim to the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome when it comes to their air conditioner. Some tend to overlook the state of their AC system because they’re no longer using it. If this sounds like you, understand that neglecting your AC syste

Your Essential Fall Maintenance Checklist: 8 Things You Really Should Do Before the First Frost

Ah, fall: The nip of the first chill in the air. The colorful foliage. The pumpkin spice lattes. The pumpkin spice everything. Oh yeah, and the long list of home maintenance tasks awaiting you at the start of the season. We hate to intrude on your fall bliss, but the postsummer months are a critical

Inheriting a Low Property Tax Bill Is Getting Much More Complicated

When Willa Staats and her brother inherited their father’s home and adjacent lot in East Austin, TX, they expected to build their lives there. But one year later, they were hit with a combined property tax bill of $48,000—nearly 90% more than their father had last paid. Their experience points to a