Your home is the most important thing you own, and it should be treated as such.
While most homeowners have insurance (especially with a mortgage) and keep the roof in good shape, protecting your home should go much further. While it may feel overwhelming — yes, it can feel like you’re always playing catch-up — below are three rather simple things you are probably not doing to protect your home, but that you should.
Double-check doors and windows
Double check that all doors are shut and can be locked. Burglars stole $3.9 billion worth of personal belongings from Americans in 2014, and roughly one third of all those thieves walked through an open door — most often between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Check window seals
Faulty window seals and shoddy insulation costs homeowners a fortune. (This Popular Mechanics article is eye-opening and worth a full read.) One fix you can do quickly and cheaply: replace air filters on all A/C units; and, you’ll save upwards of 15% on all monthly bills.
Watch out for mold
Water is the lifeblood of your home but can cause serious problems, not least among them mold. Perhaps the simplest — and cheapest — way to keep mold is away is to keep air moving. As the summer heat fades, open up your windows and keep doorways clear to help air out your house before hunkering down for winter. A dry home is a happy home.
