4 Garage Dangers You May Have Overlooked

By Tarsila Wey, First Alert, Allstate Insurance

Do you cringe when you open your garage door? All of that clutter - from gardening tools, old furniture and sports equipment to half-empty paint cans and pesticides - limits the usability of the space and, what's more, it's exposed for all your guests and neighbors to see.

Rolling down the door won't make that mess, or the potential safety hazards, disappear (trust me, I've tried). So consider devoting some time to making your garage safer and more functional. Here are a few garage organization and safety measures to guide you:

1. Clutter

You don't have to sell your car in order to have super-sized storage capacity. Separate items into categories such as auto supplies, lawn and garden tools, holiday decorations and sports equipment. Then pitch, donate or sell the items you don't need or use. Invest in wall organization and storage solutions such as shelving units, cabinets or peg boards to keep the floor clear of clutter. This can also help reduce the risk of people tripping and falling.

2. Fire Hazards

Garages aren't exempt from the rules of fire safety. Combustible chemicals such as fertilizer, paint thinner, pesticides and gasoline can create especially dangerous fires. Identify, organize and properly store all flammable products (in a well-ventilated area, in their original containers). Follow disposal instructions on product labels and properly dispose of old materials that are collecting dust or have expired. I recommend keeping a fire extinguisher on hand - but make sure you have the right kind. Fire extinguishers are categorized into five general classes; you may want to consider Class B/C extinguishers for the garage because they are able to fight fires involving grease, oil, gasoline, kerosene and flammable liquids, as well as energized electrical equipment.

3. Carbon Monoxide Fumes

In attached garages, fumes from vehicle exhaust can build up quickly and seep inside your home. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced through fuel-burning equipment and engine-powered machines, including portable generators and cars.  Having carbon monoxide alarms installed on every level of your home and near sleeping areas can be crucial to ensuring your family's safety in the event that fumes do enter your home. This colorless, odorless gas can only be detected through the use of alarms. But, even with CO alarms in place, remember that it's never safe to leave a vehicle running while parked in the garage, even if the garage door is open.

4. Security Breaches

Garage doors can provide easy entry points for burglars. Never leave your door open after you leave the house. The door leading from the garage into your home should always be locked, too. Installing motion sensor lights above your garage door can also help deter a nighttime break-in through the garage.

Garage safety can be easy to achieve with a few simple steps. So, set aside some time, get organized and reclaim that space.

Gardening's Fun With the Right Tools

5 Gardening Tools the Pros Love
by Victoria Slater on June 17, 2016Lawn & Garden

Homeowners across America aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty in order to enjoy a flourishing garden. But with all the different tools out there, which ones are the most useful? We chatted with a few professionals to find out which tools are their favorites so you can get the most out of your efforts.

Gardening Gloves 

A good pair of gardening gloves is essential. Heavy-duty gloves work well for clearing brush or pulling thick weeds, while lightweight synthetic gloves are better for pulling smaller weeds and planting flowers or seeds. The best gloves are lightweight with a protective coating on the palm and fingers, allowing you to pick weeds and plant seeds easily while also protecting your fingers and hands.

Trake: a Trowel and Rake Combined

A trowel and a rake combined into one, the ergonomic trake has a pointed, scoop-shaped blade on one side and long prongs on the other. A trowel is perfect for digging, mixing soil and moving plants from one area to another. The rake is used for cultivating, loosening and leveling soil. Combining these tools into one allows you to plant in tight spaces and minimize plant damage while avoiding reaching around for a new tool. Compared to other tools, it’s lightweight and easy to use. It’s important to select a tool that feels natural in your hand, as it will be used frequently. Test several different trakes before you make your purchase.

Weeding Tool or Cultivator

Having a weeding tool is essential, as weeds will always find their way into your garden. It’s better for your plants and the environment to use one of these instead of spraying chemicals to get rid of them. Depending on the size and quantity of weeds, you can choose a larger weeder, such as a CobraHead Weeder, or use something smaller, such as a Ring Weeder. Kenan White from the Growers Exchange recommends the CobraHead Weeder, which has a narrow blade head and pointed tip that allows you to not only weed but also cultivate, edge and harvest with ease. The Ring Weeder, on the other hand, fits over your gardening glove and can be used in areas where larger tools won’t fit, ensuring nearby plants aren’t damaged.

Mattock

Used for any gardening application, the mattock’s pickaxe-like shape chops, digs, weeds and cultivates soil. Tony Smith from Nursery Enterprises highly recommends the mattock, which is one of his favorite tools. It’s perfect for hand-digging transplants and is particularly useful for working in between plants. It drastically cuts down on time spent weeding. While the trake also allows you to dig and transplant, the mattock is much heavier, and according to Smith, it’s “far more efficient than any trowel – you can get all of the roots with it.”

Hand Pruner

Sometimes referred to as clippers, pruning shears or scissors, pruners are some of the most useful gardening tools. They’re used to trim and shape plants and small branches and to cut out dead or damaged foliage, allowing you to perfect even the smallest of details in your garden.

Anvil vs. Bypass Pruners

Two basic types of pruners are the anvil and the bypass. Bypass pruners are better for cutting green (living) wood. They allow for a more precise, cleaner cut, which is essential for smaller flowers and growing culinary plants such as herbs. On the other hand, the anvil pruner is better for cutting tree branches and dead or old wood. They are oftentimes less expensive than bypass pruners but harder to handle.

It’s important to select a pruner that fits your hand size and grip strength in order to reduce wrist strain and obtain leverage. It’s also imperative that you keep the blade sharp for maximum efficiency. Some of the more expensive pruners have blades that can be easily replaced should they become worn or damaged. This might be more cost effective in the long run than purchasing a less expensive pair that has to be replaced in its entirety every so often.

Gardens and gardeners are all different, so we recommend testing different tools to determine which ones are best for you. After all, they’re supposed to make gardening fun and simple.

Homeowners and Appraisers Grew Further Apart in June

by Kevin Graham of Quicken Loans

The gap between homeowners’ expectations and appraisers’ opinions grew slightly in June, as appraised values were 1.93% lower than homeowner expectations. In comparison, the difference was 1.89% in May.

Home values were up 0.84% since last month. This is a 4.47% rise since June of last year.

Home Price Perception Index (HPPI)

Although a 1.93% difference in the opinions of homeowners and appraisers is certainly not a huge gap by any measure, it does represent a widening of the gap month to month, with May coming in at 1.89% lower than expected nationwide.

Quicken Loans Chief Economist Bob Walters said even small differences in opinion potentially have a huge impact by the time buyers and homeowners reach the closing table.

“Perception is everything. It can make or break a home sale or mortgage refinance,” said Walters. “That’s why it’s so important for homeowners to realize how they perceive their home’s value could vary widely from how an appraiser views it. If the estimate is lower by just a few percentage points, the buyer could need to bring as much as another several thousand dollars to the table to avoid having to restructure the loan.”

If you take a look at the regional differences, the West remains closest to equilibrium, with the residents rating their homes just 1.70% higher than appraisers. In the South, the difference was 1.90%, followed by the Midwest at 2.02%. The Northeast brings up the rear, with homeowners overestimating their property values by 2.14%.

If you look at metropolitan areas, homeowners in Denver have the most undervalued homes, with appraisers reading home values 3.23% higher than homeowners. Philadelphia may be the home of the Flyers, but its residents really need to ground their appraisal expectations, as they’re valuing their homes 3.40% higher than appraisers do. Sunny San Diego wins the prize for closest to the bull’s-eye, undervaluing their homes by just 0.11%.

Home Value Index (HVI)

Home values continued their rising trend in June, up 0.84%. In the past year, values have been up 4.47%.

Walters said nationwide value trends are definitely affecting local opinions.

“Nationally, home value increases are well within the healthy range,” said Walters. “Although, the variances across the country can influence owners’ perception. Owners in the West, where appraised values are rising more quickly, tend to underestimate their home’s value. The opposite is true for those in the Northeast, with appraised values showing slower growth.”

The West leads the way again in terms of price appreciation, up to 1.45% for the month and 5.84% on the year. The Midwest played runner-up, rising 0.87% in June and 3.57% annually. The South came next, rising 0.66% month-to-month and 4.62% on the year. Finally the Northeast was up 0.17%, with a modest 2.07% yearly price growth.

Helpful Maintenance Tools for First-Time Homeowners

You’ve closed on your house and are about to move into your own version of the American Dream. Congratulations! And while you may be obsessing about moving logistics, furniture and any touchups the house may need, there’s one area new homeowners shouldn’t overlook – the garage.

It may seem like an afterthought with first-time homeowners, who have so much going on around them. “Who has time to think about tools?” you might be thinking. But the well-equipped homeowner takes the time now to save time down the road. Below, we’ll describe that list of tools to keep you in DIY or “yardening” mode from the moment you move in and for years down the road.

Establish the Essentials

Whether you keep a list in your head or on paper, there are tools that should be part of any basic setup. With these tools in hand, you can then take time to explore more specialized equipment. In the meantime, though, make sure you have these items:

• Power drill and drill bits
• Screwdrivers (both Phillips and flat head)
• Pliers (needle nose and channel lock)
• Flashlight
• Socket wrench set
• Hammer
• Wall anchors
• Stud sensor
• Ladder
• Work gloves

You know, the basics. With a solid set of tools to handle routine maintenance and repair tasks, you’ll be able to tighten anything that’s loose, mount framed artwork to the wall and find your way through the dark (in the event that you blow a fuse or two). The list above is helpful for most repair jobs around the home’s interior. Stepping outside opens up a different landscape of tool needs.

If you maintain your own property, you’ll need these tools:

• Lawn mower
• Leaf and lawn bags (if your area offers curbside recycling)
• Garden hose
• Rake
• Snow shovel, snow thrower or snow blower
• De-icing materials for the sidewalk, stairs and driveway
• Lawn edger.

“Most first-time homeowners know they need a lawnmower but don’t realize that they need an edger as well.” You’ll need one to keep your sidewalks, driveways and beds with nice, clean, well-defined edges.

A good unit costs around $150, and they come in both electric and gasoline-powered models.

Don’t Overlook the Silent Threat (Radon)

It bears mentioning that every home needs a smoke detector and functioning fire extinguisher. In addition to those, there’s a device many homeowners might walk right past at the hardware store: a radon detector.

Radon is an odorless cancer-causing radioactive gas. It cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Radon’s damaging effects have been illustrated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Office of the Surgeon General.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) and has also been linked to blood cancer in women.

When left undetected in a home over time, it can cause serious health concerns, More than 21,000 people die due to radon every year in the U.S. alone, which is more than from home fires and drunken driving combined.

Radon detector prices range considerably, from $40 – $350. Corentium’s Home 223 radon detector is a top seller on Amazon.com and is considered one of the best on the market.

Advanced Tools

Once first-time homeowners have their basic tool kits stocked, they can move on to more specific equipment, which can include power saws (miter, circular and reciprocating), drain snakes, leaf blowers, work benches and tool storage units.

From small stuff like hammers and nails to big-ticket items like lawn mowers and power tools, your first-time homeowner tool kit is ready to go.