Digging The Trench

Homes in the U.S. typically use about 100 gallons of water per day, which is nearly half of the water supplied by water utilities. That’s a lot of water, so making even some of the smallest modifications to your plumbing system can save you some money, and over time you can save significant money. Now, add up the amount of water usage by all the households in the U.S. (which according to the 2007 census is 111,162,259), it’s easy to see how even the smallest change to everyone’s plumbing systems can make a significant impact on the environment.

You can use a water filtering system in your home to purify enough water to fill more than three-thousand disposable plastic water bottles every year. You would save money by not paying the store mark up on bottled water (and you would know for sure where the water was coming from). A by-product of crude oil is used to produce disposable water bottles, every year more than sixteen million barrels of oil are used in the creation of all of the bottles used in the U.S. By reducing the number of bottles we throw away, we reduce our dependence on crude oil.

Greywater or graywater systems collect and filter the water used by faucets, dishwashers, and washing machines. But instead of that water going down the drain, it’s reused for non-drinking water purposes like watering your plants. This kind of recycling also keeps your soil well irrigated by diverting water into it instead of into your local sewage system.

Leaking faucets aren’t just annoying, they also cost you money. Fixing them keeps your money from going down the drain. On average, between twelve and thirteen gallons of households’ water use is water wasted by faucet, toilet, and pipe leaks. One leaking faucet can waste over seventy gallons a day and a leaking toilet can waster more than one-hundred and ninety gallons each day. It’s worth it to fix leaks yourself or calling a plumber to do it for you, you will save money in the long run.

Leaky faucets: The steady drip of a leaky tap isn’t just annoying, it can really add up. Fixing your leaky faucets is a way to keep water and money from slipping down the drain. The average American household consumes about 90 gallons of water a day. About 12.6 gallons of that is due to faucet, toilet, and pipe leaks. Stopping this ongoing loss is as easy as calling your plumber to fix that chronic leak that you’ve been putting off. A dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day. Repair a leaky toilet and you can save 73,000 gallons a year.

When leaky pipes can’t be repaired because of too many pinhole leaks or another systemic problem, what can you do? Traditionally the solution has been to replace your plumbing system -to repipe, but that means cutting walls open and tearing out pipes. So not only are you throwing away the old pipes and the drywall that had to be removed to get at them, but then you need to replace them with new pipes and drywall. Manufacturing these new materials has an environmental impact.

An alternative to wasting pipes and drywall is epoxy pipe lining — CuraFlo’s epoxy pipe lining system is an environmentally friendly alternative to repipe. It takes less time than pipe replacement and generally costs less. Pipes are cleaned out and epoxy lined through connections to your existing plumbing fixtures and valves, nearly or completely eliminating the need to cut open walls. And best of all, epoxy lining your pipes can prevent erosion and corrosion damage to your pipes that led to the need for repair or replacement in the first place.

We all have our preferences, tastes, and styles when it comes to our home. The good news is that we do not have to settle for just anything, with the right interior design and furniture, our homes can scream with our style and tastes. When you walk into someone’s home, the first thing you tend to notice is the decor. Many people take a good deal of time making sure that their home is perfect in their eyes.

The perfect home design not only enhances your home outlook but also your personality. Many people think that a perfect home design come in hefty bills, which is actually not correct. Nowadays choosing a home design package is very much easy as there are various options and alternatives available in the market according to your budget and taste.

Before you start with the interior design, you need to think about your choice of furniture. What type of furniture appeals to you most? Do you look for comfort? Do you look for style? Do look for sophistication? All of these elements matter when choosing the right furniture for your home. This will help you in choosing materials. For design, you want to think about your personality. Are you up to date on the latest fashions? If so, you may want leather or stylish furniture and interior design. Are you one that enjoys the days gone by? If so, you might enjoy retro furniture or Victorian style furnishings.

You should start your home design with choosing the right furniture because furnitures are the centre stage in every home interior design. Once you have settled down with the right furniture, you can experiment with some interesting combinations with the furniture to enhance the outlook of the entire home interior design. With the right combination, you will find a wonderful home design, very much appealing to everyone.

But before all these, it does really matter on you while creating a perfect home design. There are various combination of furniture and home interiors outlook to choose, it is left to you to choose the right outlook. For example you might not really want a black colour for the walls just because you have a luxurious looking black couch. Moreover you should not forget the comfort aspect while selecting the right furniture. Try with several mix and match combinations and you should have a wonderful home interior just according to your choice.

A perfect home interior design should be an extension of your persona, where your every characteristic and taste should reflect in your home design.

A variable rate mortgage loan is attractive to home buyers for a number reasons, not the least of which includes the significant savings over fixed rate mortgages. Depending upon the market, the difference between an initial rate on a variable rate mortgage and a fixed rate can range from 1 to 1.25 percent. That’s a significant savings, whether you are a first time homebuyer or an investor.

The trick to making a variable rate mortgage work for you is to purchase a variable rate mortgage with an option to convert to fixed rate at some point in the future. When the interest rates cycle down, switching to a fixed rate mortgage ensures you keep your payments low, even after rates begin to rise again. Do you have the expertise to time your decision correctly? Are you confident you’ll receive the most competitive fixed rates available and that you are being offered sound financial advice?

Mike Averbach of Averbach Mortgages cautions, ‘Converting your variable rate mortgage may cost more at a bank.’ The initial rates offered at a bank or credit union may be very competitive. Later, when you decide to lock in to a fixed rate, you may find yourself at a disadvantage. As a consumer, acting on your own behalf, you probably won’t be told by the big banks and credit union about all the options that are available.

Many banks have no obligation or requirement to give you their prime market rate when you take out a mortgage loan or convert from a variable rate to a fixed rate loan, contrary to what buyers believe. Nowhere in a lender’s standard contract will the consumer find a statement that they will be offered the banks best rate. Rather, when a borrower decides to convert from a variable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage, they are often offered a ‘posted’ rate or perhaps a rate that is slightly discounted off the posted rate. For this reason, converting your mortgage loan through a bank really could cost you extra money.

What is the difference, in terms of dollars, on an average mortgage based on these facts? Let’s consider a situation where a buyer is paying on a $250,000 mortgage with a 25-year term. The borrower has a five year variable rate mortgage and decides to lock in after one year. Converting to a fixed rate mortgage after one year, at .25 percent higher than the best market rate equals $625 per year in additional interest costs. Over four years the buyer is paying an extra $2500 in interest. Over 25 years that amounts to $15,625. It’s just doesn’t make sense to spend that much extra money if you don’t have to.

Mike Averbach says, ‘Buyers falsely assume that their big bank will treat them fairly or give them a better discount because of their long-term customer status.’ What buyers don’t know is that the big institutions and credit unions have NO incentive or obligation to give you their best rate. In fact, they have more incentive to treat new clients better than existing ones.

Once you sign the loan agreement, as an existing client, the mortgage is already a done deal; you are essentially locked in for the life of the loan. If you want to convert to a fixed rate mortgage, the bank can offer you their posted rate - NOT necessarily their best rate. If you decide to finance a new mortgage loan through another lender, the bank will very likely charge you a substantial penalty for paying off the mortgage early. It’s a win-win situation for the bank. You are left paying more than you need to and the bank wins either way.

How do you prevent paying too much? Make sure that your mortgage agreement has that crucial clause that states the ‘Client will get the best available rate upon conversion to a fixed-rate mortgage.’

Many mortgage brokers work with lenders who are willing to make a commitment in writing to offer their clients the institution’s best rate whenever clients choose to lock into a fixed rate mortgage. Even knowing this, some brokers still offer variable rate mortgages from the big banks purely because of brand recognition. That’s why one of the most important decisions you make when financing your home is selecting the best mortgage broker. Averbach Mortgage Brokers fits that bill. We have your best interest in mind. Your needs and desires are our main concern.

Mike Averbach of Averbach Mortgages can be contacted via email at mike@averbachmortgages.com or by phone at 604-710-2550. Justin Blacklock of Averbach Mortgages can be reached at justin@averbachmortgages.com or by phone at 604-707-6339. Mike and Justin will make sure you understand the fine print in mortgage loan documents. They will help you chose a mortgage that truly reflects your best interest.