Buying or building a home is a significant undertaking. You will have to save and invest a lot of time and money to obtain your dream home. Once you get over the hurdle of acquiring a home, the other challenge is maintaining that home. There will always be damages that you will need to repair now and then. Considering the many appliances and systems that modern homes come with, it would be good to have a home warranty so that you can have some peace of mind. Home repairs can be very costly. Since some damages arise unexpectedly, it is always good to stay prepared to avoid sudden shocks that can set you back thousands of dollars in repairs. You can get coverage for major home systems and then deal with minor repairs that do not cost a lot. Here are a few benefits of getting such a warranty. 1.    Save on Costs of Unexpected Repairs A home warranty covers repairs that occur to your appliances due to wear and tear. When using some appliances such as air conditioning, heating, electrical appliances, kitchen appliances and others, we never think about them getting damaged. Over time, these appliances will need servicing due to wear and tear. You might also need to replace some entirely. The appliances and systems never give any warnings that they need to get serviced or replaced. Most of them stop working. If a major appliance like a refrigerator or a cooling system suddenly stops working, you will be forced to dig deep in your pocket to repair it or get a replacement. A home warranty plan saves you such hustles by helping you cover a significant part of the bill, if not the entire cost. If you compare the premiums you pay annually vis-a-vis the amount you would save in case of a significant repair, you will see that it is worth investing in such a warranty.   2.    Get Connected to a Network of Professionals Whether you take a home warranty or not, you will need to get the services of home appliances professionals when you need to repair your systems. Many companies and individuals offer these services, but very few have the needed skills and experience to do a good job. Hunting for a trusted local operator can cost you time and money before you finally find one that will deal with your issues effectively. You may end up spending a lot more trying out several service providers. When you get a home warranty, you forget about such hustles since your warranty provider already has a connection with trusted and tried professionals. You need not make any inquiries or spend time looking for a reliable service provider. All you need to do is inform your warranty provider of the needed repairs, and they will have everything sorted out. You do not need to look for professionals from multiple websites since the warranty provider will simply send you one. 3.    Makes it Easy to Sell Your Home If you need to move to another place and sell your existing home, a home warranty may come in handy. Having a home warranty reassures new buyers that you have taken care of your appliances. Most warranties have a clause that warns of misuse of appliances to avoid malicious damages. When buyers see that your home has a warranty, they know that your systems must be in order since you, as the homeowner, have to comply with that clause if you make a claim later. The warranty can also suit a home buyer who has just depleted their funds and wishes to avoid any extra unforeseen expenses soon. 4.    Saves you Time Considering that time is money, a home warranty can save you valuable time. Home appliances seem to break down at the most unexpected times. In most cases, the breakdown is when you least expect them and the least prepared. You may not have money at the time to call for an emergency service provider or even have the time to look for one that is reliable. A home warranty will come in handy in such dire circumstances. Home warranty providers always have reliable service providers on their dials since this is their daily activity. They always know the best service providers and will find you one as soon as you contact them with an emergency. They save you the time you would have spent looking for a good service provider and save you the agony of having a failed appliance when you do not have money.

Gardening can have a hoard of unexpected benefits, both for your physical and your mental welfare. And then of course, there’s the most obvious upside to gardening – getting a lot of great, healthy produce. But gardening also comes with its own set of drawbacks and worries, one of which is the appearance of unwanted wildlife on your property. Naturally, these critters are attracted to your garden as an obvious and free source of food, but that’s not great news for you. So what might you do to deter these critters from approaching? 1.  Fence up! Honestly, this shouldn’t even be on the list as it’s so obvious. Ideally, you should put up a fence around your garden from day one, so as to protect it against unwanted wildlife, but in case you fail to do that, the sooner, the better, honestly. What type of fence will depend on which type of wildlife worries you most. A basic fence that’s a few feet tall will keep bunnies at bay, but you may also want to cover it in chicken wire mesh or some other similar material that’s difficult to chew through, to keep rodents away. Make sure you run the fence a few feet into the ground, as well, to keep at bay diggers. 2.  Call a professional. If you’re unsure how you can protect your garden, you may want to bring in a qualified professional like Norcal Wildlife Removal.They’ll know what to look for, and how to best protect your property from the most worrisome pests. Speaking of which, you’ll want to identify the animal that’s most likely to bother you, based on region. Based on that, you’ll want to do your research. For instance, you can visitopossumpestcontrol.com to learn more about opossum control. 3.  Opt for less appetizing plants. Sure, you might have your heart set on a particular plant, but let’s face it, if that plant is particularly appealing to wild intruders, this might just not be practical. So a good idea would be to opt for less tasty plants, instead, so as to decrease the risk of attracting unwanted attention. Of course, some animals will be harder to deter than others. For instance, raccoons are particularly well-known for their broad palate, so keeping them at bay may be trickier, even if you do opt for the less tasty plants. In that case, you may want to look into subjects like raccoon trapping, to ensure the safety of your garden. 4.  Protect weaker and newer plants. Trunk wraps and other types of protectors are available for protecting new plants that are fresh from the store. Think about it, just like you’re more attracted to freshly bought food than to an apple that’s been sitting on the counter for a week, so will wildlife be attracted to your new plants. So take special care to protect these new, and particularly vulnerable plants, in the nursery stage, or else be prepared for a full-out invasion. 5.  Trim your grass. This works well for deterring unwanted wildlife from your property in general, but may also help your growing garden. If you have a naturally trimmed and tidy yard, this will pose a problem for a wild animal. It’s less safe for them to go into open fields, or neat lawns, because this means they have a higher chance of being exposed, and thus harmed. By keeping a tidy backyard, you’re less likely to attract unwanted wildlife to your garden, than if your backyard was messy and unkempt. These may seem like small details, but put together, they can really make a difference.

Whether you’re buying or selling your home, it’s important to know the role of a real estate agent and an estate agent, what each can do for you, and the differences. What does a real estate agent do? Real estate includes commercial or residential property and the land which comes with it. So, the responsibility of a real estate agent in the US is to sell or lease that on behalf of the owner. Their role involves a lot of marketing because they are usually self-employed and work on a commission basis. This means it’s in their best interest to sell the property at the best price. The best real estate agents to work with are those who are fully licensed, such as those from Compass Real Estate. With fewer people having the money to buy property, you might wonder, is Compass real estate in trouble? While there might be more challenges ahead in selling and therefore making a commission, Compass is still finding ways to entice buyers who would like to become homeowners. One example of this is having listings that aren’t available on public websites, so potential buyers can find properties they wouldn’t have known about otherwise. What Does an estate agent do? An estate agent is a more typical term used in the UK. Although the job titles aren’t the only difference. An estate agent is employed to deal with the process of buying or selling a property but is rarely self-employed. Instead, they can be paid a basic wage and commission. Some might worry this makes them less motivated to sell a property, but the estate agent’s job security will still be tied to their performance, and of course, they will want the chance to earn more money. Some overlapping responsibilities You’ll notice there are some overlapping responsibilities. Estate agents and real estate agents both deal with buying and selling homes and can take you through the process. Many of the duties and expectations for both estate agents and real estate agents are very similar. Some differences There are some differences though, mostly related to how each one is licensed. Estate agents don’t have to be licensed, although it helps them stand out to potential home sellers or buyers. However, real estate agents are required to be licensed. However,  real estate agents are required to have a valid real estate license. As this involves at least 70 hours of training to get started, and constant training throughout their career to keep their license up to date, you can be certain they are qualified and aware of any recent changes in the industry. They are appointed by the person looking for a property, often after seeing a home listed in the regional database. With estate agents, a minimum of one agent has to have a license, for the company to claim to be a licensed estate agent. Many people selling their property or hoping to buy a home, particularly for the first time, might be apprehensive. So, choosing a qualified and licensed professional can help you put your mind at ease. So, even if there are bumps in the road, they can guide you through them.