Are you thinking about going solar in the near future? If so, you’re not alone. Around 46% of US homeowners recently polled were also thinking about installing residential solar panels.

North Carolina is one of the best states to go solar, and there are plenty of NC solar benefits and incentives to help.

Learn about your options for financing a system, which rebates you might qualify for, and more below.

NC Solar Benefits

Why are residents in NC making the switch to solar energy? Here are just a few of the many benefits:

• Reduce your impact on the planet
• Lower your electric bills
• Home value goes up
• Solar is getting more affordable
• Rebates and incentives

North Carolina also has a net metering policy. This policy lets homeowners get credits for any extra electricity their system generates. Plus, they can use those credits when their solar PV system doesn’t generate enough power.

Tax Credits and Incentives

There are two primary solar incentives for NC residents: the Duke Energy NC Solar Rebate and the 26% Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Let’s break each one down in more detail.

Federal ITC

Homeowners can claim the Investment Tax Credit on their federal taxes. You can claim 26% of the cost of your system.

To qualify, the system must be installed during that tax year. The IRS calls this “placed in service.” Congress recently extended the ITC, providing a 26% credit for any systems installed during 2020-2022.

Currently, this credit expires in 2024.

You can learn more about qualifications and rules for the tax credit to discover if you’re eligible.

Duke Energy Solar Rebate

The General Assembly of North Carolina passed House Bill 589, Competitive Energy Solutions for NC, in 2017. According to the bill, Duke Energy must reach 6,160 MW of utility-scale solar on its grid.

North Carolina homeowners can get a $0.60 per Watt rebate on systems up to 10kW.

This rebate program has a limited capacity and is a first-come, first-serve situation. You may not be able to count on it for any savings. In fact, there was a website glitch that left many customers without a rebate.

Solar customers may be able to join a waitlist. Other than these options, there are other ways for homeowners to save on a solar system.

Low-Interest Loans

Another option for financing NC solar panel installation is to consider taking out a loan. There are low-interest loans designed to increase interest in solar energy.

Solar loan terms for NC residents can’t be longer than 20 years. These loans can’t have an interest rate of more than 8%, making them a viable financial option for many homeowners.

Check out Blue Raven Solar to learn more about the many incentives and benefits, and install your system before these rebates run out!

Take Advantage of Solar

Many of these incentives and rebates will go down or run out as the years go on. Take advantage of NC solar incentives while they’re still around to make sure you get the most out of your investment.

Are you interested in other ways to lower your impact on the environment or increase the value of your home? Check out our other home and real estate tips!

 

Building a family home is an exciting opportunity and an important investment. However, because there’s so much involved, it can be an incredibly stressful process. It’s important that you know the right tips to keep things under control. From choosing the neighborhood to putting down foundation, here are some of the best tips for building a family home.

Find Inspiration

Before you start throwing ideas out there, it’s important that you find inspiration. Places like Pinterest make a great place to find images to give you ideas. Throughout the process of building a home, you’ll be presented with a considerable amount of different choices.

Having inspiration to draw from helps you go back to your original idea. Sometimes its handy to refer back to your original inspiration, so you don’t get lost in all of the decision making. It also helps your builder materialize your idea better when you have a visual reference to show them.

Be Flexible

Unless you have an unlimited source of income, chances are that you’ll have to make a few sacrifices throughout the design process. It’s best to create a list of things that you absolutely can’t live without. Everything else can be negotiable even though it might be frustrating having to let certain things go. It’s unfortunately, a reality when you have to stick to a budget. Remaining flexible will help you get the project done faster.

Don’t Rush

It’s normal to be excited about getting your home done as quickly as possible. However, rushing doesn’t do anyone any favors. In fact, rushing is likely to leave you with low quality work. Instead, take your time to make sure everything gets done properly. That way, you know that everything is well constructed and not at risk of falling apart because it was put together at the last minute.

Open Floor Plan

When you’re building a home for kids, it’s important that you can see everything that’s going on. Consider an open floor plan so that you don’t have to worry about your kids being on the other side of a wall. Although you will have some parts of the home that are less visible than others, consider opting for an open floor plan for the majority of the family spaces.

Consider Safety

Kids are more accident-prone than adults. It’s important that you consider safety when constructing your home. Areas like stairwells and counters should be carefully constructed to avoid children getting hurt. The last thing you want is something terrible happened that could have easily been avoided with little foresight.

Choose Durable Materials

Even though you might want to save as much money as possible, it’s beneficial to use quality materials instead of cheap ones. Durable materials will make sure that your home stands the test of time and won’t be destroyed by your children over the years.

Nobody would like to have pests in their home unless they’re insane. That’s why almost everyone is seeking ways to eliminate them as soon as they realize an infestation. Pests can cause damages to your home and infect you with serious diseases.

Unfortunately, it may not be easy to notice their effects for months. That’s why it’s recommended that you hire a professional pest service control like Pointe Pest Control to help you manage these critters. But before you hire these professionals, here are some myths you need to know about pest control.

1. The Best Way To Attract Mice Is Through Cheese

For many years, film-makers have created cartoons that show mice being attracted to cheese. Though they may love this type of food, research indicates that they’re more attracted to sugary foods.

That’s why you need to be careful about where you store your sugar cubes, grapes, and peanut butter. Alternatively, you can use these as bait on mouse traps. Nesting materials like feathers and straw have also been found to be effective mouse traps.

2. Bugs don’t infect clean Homes

Pests can infest even the cleanest of homes, though it may be challenging to discover a pest invasion in a dirty and messy house. Unlike other pests, bugs don’t visit homes based on cleanliness. Instead, they’ll continuously look for shelter, food, and water, as long as there’s an opportunity to break into your house.

A professional pest control company can help you eliminate them and advise you on how to seal possible entry points. Weatherstripping and little caulk can also help you to eliminate bugs. It’s also recommended that you check and seal any holes that may be on your doors and windows.

3. Stinging Insects Will Only Attack You If You Provoke Them

When most kids grow up, they’re taught that bees, wasps, and other stinging insects will only attack if they’re bothered. However, this isn’t true because these insects may descend upon you if they feel that you’ve threatened their colony. This could be as simple as walking under or near their nests.

Therefore, if you find any bee, yellow jacket, or wasps nest next to your home, remove it. It would be safe if you called professionals to take care of it to avoid injuries. Research indicates that stinging insect allergies affect more than 2 million Americans. Therefore, a nest may be a potential danger to your friends, family members, or neighbors.

4. Mosquitoes Only Surface During The Dusk and Dawn

Though this is what most people believe, it can only happen in magical lands with fictitious mosquitoes. The truth is that mosquitoes are active at all hours and may invade at any time if they have available food. Therefore, it’s vital to keep your yard and house clean to prevent your family and friends from being infected by dangerous viruses brought by this pest, such as West Nile, Zika, malaria, and dengue. You may also consider using a mosquito misting and fogging system to also control them.

5. Cats Keep Homes Free From Rats And Mice

Some people keep cats because they think they’ll help them keep rats and mice at bay. Unfortunately, most cats would do the exact opposite. The common Hollywood that depicts cats chasing rodents isn’t true because cats will only go after rats if they feel they want a plaything.

It would also be difficult for your cat to reach mice in burrows or holes within the compound. It would be better to use other pest control methods to eliminate these critters than depend on your cats.

Summing Up

There are a lot of myths that most people believe are facts. Before using any of these methods to control pests, ensure you prove their effectiveness. Using well-researched pest control tips will help you manage pest infestation in your home.

You might’ve had big dreams for your garden, a lush haven of plants and features. Reality doesn’t always match fantasies, and now, you’re stuck with a space too small to fulfill your dreams.

A small water feature is your best bet. It’ll make your yard seem more spacious, more luxurious, and full of life. However, digging up a tiny pond inside your garden differs from planting a bush of marigolds or pansies.

Let’s go over the considerations to keep in mind if you take up this task.

Determine the Purpose

Your pond is primarily there for decorative purposes, but the multiple design options can change the aesthetics of your entire yard. Think about the following questions:

• Do you want it to look natural or to stand out as the central piece? Would you prefer a fountain?
• Will you use the area for planting?
• Would you like to have fish in your pond?

The answers restrict the pump and filtration systems you can use to make it work. If you’re unsure about what you want, look into different types of backyard ponds for inspiration before making any decisions.

Choose the Right Spot

The ideal location for a pond has enough natural light. The sun consistently cleans and maintains your water surface, keeping it fresh and free of bacteria.

However, there should be some shade around, especially in hot climates, to prevent sunshine from drying out the water in the summer.

You should also find a level plot of land, avoiding tilted areas if possible. While a bit of an angle won’t make much of a difference, it’s more challenging to DIY the digging if you have to change depths halfway through the process.

Determine the Size

A small garden doesn’t leave enough room for a broad pond, but you can play around with depth depending on which plants and fish you plan on cultivating.

For example, many water plants flourish in shallow areas, while fish require a bit of depth to survive winter. Consider the pipes that run below your yard, too.

Once you choose the size and location, it’s time to break ground. Prepare some clay for lining once you dig it up and you’re already halfway there.

Get the Right Accessories

Filling the hole with water and stopping there leads to missing out on everything a mini-lake has to offer. You’ll find many affordable, easy-to-install extras that make the design much more practical and impressive.

You can go to Aquatic Ponds for a glance at the scope of tools and extras at your disposal. Notable cherries on top include:

• Pumps to keep the water moving
• Filtration systems for maintenance and cleanliness
• Waterfalls for fancy details
• Nightlights to astonish visitors

A garden pond is much more than a still pool of water. Most of its charm lies in what’s inside and around it, though, so don’t skip this step.

Add Fish and Plants

Finally, if you still have your gardening ambitions, you can plant flowers and bushes around the pond. Alternatively, many fish species thrive in small artificial spaces, breathing life into your backyard.

Do some research about which species from the natural world can survive and flourish in your climate beforehand, though.

Take Away

Instead of remaining frustrated with a garden not big enough to match your aspirations, enjoy your new project.

Adding a water feature to the back yard opens the door to endless possibilities. Embrace the hobby and uncover all the options this tiny pond adds to your gardening repertoire.

Rental properties are a great avenue to earn additional income. If renting out a residential property for the first time, you may not realize the risks and liabilities that tag along. You need landlord insurance to cover any liabilities arising in a home where you don’t reside.

Whether you’re renting out an apartment, home, or space inside your own home, you need to buy insurance for rental property to protect yourself and your property.

Why You Need Landlord Insurance

Landlord insurance gives a landlord an added home insurance coverage for exposure to any lawsuit filed by the tenants. Whether you’re renting out a house or apartment unit, you need to get the insurance for a rental property to cover the risk that arises out of renting to a tenant.

Consider the below scenarios:

• Lost Rental Income: You may find that a tenant has paid the rent, but you never received it. Now, the same tenant wants to sue you for wrongful evictions.
  • You can handle this situation with landlord insurance, as it offers temporary rental reimbursement to cover the money.
• Property Damage: The tenant may leave something on the stove, and the house catches fire, destroying your personal property and appliances which you rented along with the property.
  • To handle this situation, you can get coverage for risks, such as a natural disaster, fire, earthquake, electric/gas malfunction, etc. If possible, choose a policy that offers replacement cost rather than actual cash value.
• Liability Protection: Sometimes, a tenant may be injured badly while cleaning the window. In a lawsuit, they may claim that their injury is your fault and try to make you pay for the medical bills.
  • You can get coverage for medical or legal costs that arise if any tenant or visitor suffers injury due to a property maintenance issue.
• Your insurance for rental property will not only cover the property but will provide liability coverage, protecting you from such lawsuits.

Rental Home Insurance for Your Basement Apartment

If you want to rent out a section of your property or a basement apartment, you need to check with your insurance agent first. It may be necessary to secure your separate entrance. Make sure you remain compliant with the carrier’s requirements.

Don’t just choose a minimum coverage if you’re renting out a room. Insurance has to be taken for a rental unit that is attached to your home. At least, write a clause in your lease that requires a tenant to carry rental insurance at all times during the lease.

How to Get Rental Property Insurance?

When shopping for insurances, make sure you ask your homeowner insurance provider about a bundle of options. Don’t simply assume that it will cover all damages and liabilities while you’re not living in the property. Before you begin price shopping, talk to your agent extensively about the type of rental dwelling, consider what you need to address, and protect your rental property.

If you’re looking to protect your home and rent it out nicely, landlord insurance is necessary. It offers additional landlord liability coverage for the risks associated with being a landlord.

 

Selling your home is a big deal. Not only are you having to pack up everything from one house and move it to an entirely new location, but you also have to deal with the legal and administrative tasks of transferring ownership of that property at the right price and to the right people.

While you can do this whole process on your own, you may find that working with an agent will help to smooth things along, even if you do wind up paying a bit more in the process. To help you in making this decision, here are three reasons why you would want to use an agent when selling your home.

To Maximize Your Home

One of the hardest parts about selling a home is knowing how to handle the pricing structure of the whole thing. While you might feel like you know how valuable your property is, having an objective perspective on things like this isn’t necessarily easy for many homeowners. Because of this, you might want to use an agent to help in this area.

According to Zillow.com, agents can use their knowledge of the housing market in your area to maximize your home for you. Not only will they have access to comparable homes that are selling in your area to help with a pricing strategy, but they also know what fixes or repairs will pay off the most in the long run for you. All of these come together to ensure that you’re getting the absolute best price for your house.

To Widen Your Pool Of Buyers

Sometimes, trying to sell your home on your own can make the pool of buyers much smaller than if you’d have used an agent. This is because, according to Amy Fontinelle, a contributor to Investopedia.com, many agents have had bad experiences with homes that were being sold by their owners. So if other owners have burned them in the past, they might be less willing to show your home to their buyers.

To Make The Whole Process Easier

The amount of details that you have to keep track of when selling a house would make your head spin. Because of this, many people feel that working with an agent is worth the money simply for the ease with which they make selling their home. Elizabeth Weintraub, a contributor to The Balance, shares that things like purchase agreements, legal paperwork, negotiations, and more can easily be handled by an agent while these are areas that you might struggle with if you tried to sell your house on your own.

If you’re going to be selling your home soon and are wondering why you’d want to work with an agent to do so, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn these benefits.

While most people think of spending time in their backyard during the long summer nights, your outdoor space can be equally as enjoyable during the cooler months as long as you’re prepared for the weather or other elements that you might face there.

To help you with this preparation, here are three ways you can continue to enjoy your backyard as it gets colder.

Bring In A Heat Source

In the summer, having a water feature or fans can help keep you cool. But in the fall and winter, you’re going to want some kind of heat source to take the edge off the cooler weather.

According to Lisa Hallett Taylor, a contributor to The Spruce, some of the heat sources that you might want to consider bringing into your backyard could include a fire pit, an outdoor fireplace, or a portable patio heater. All of these options will help give off more than just the body heat that you’d create by snuggling under a blanket. And if you live in an area where temperatures drop down pretty low, you’ll need an additional heat source to make being outside in your backyard a little bit more bearable.

Put Up Some Curtains

While most people know that putting up curtains over the windows in your home can help to keep the heat in, this same principle applies when you’re outside as well.

To make use of curtains in your backyard, you’ll need to have some kind of frame or structure that you can attach the fabric to. Once you have this, you can put up outdoor patio curtains that can be pulled all around your sitting area and help to block the wind as well as keep the heat in. Ideally, Mackenzie Grant, a contributor to Bustle.com, shares that you’d want to get waterproof curtains so you don’t have to worry about bringing them back inside if it were to start to rain or snow.

Install Some Lighting Options

In the summer, it stays lighter for much longer at night, which means you can enjoy your backyard without having to bring in a lot of outside light sources. But if you’re going out in the colder months, you’re going to want to install some lighting options.

According to Elizabeth Segran, a contributor to FastCompany.com, if you have access to electrical plugs in your backyard, you have all kinds of options for light. But if you don’t, you might want to focus your efforts on lighting pathways and other areas that you’ll need to take extra care around in order to be safe.

If you’re still wanting to spend time in your backyard even though the weather is changing, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you stay safe and warm outside.

We’ve all spent a lot more time at home than we’re used to during the past twelve months. During that time, many of us have started to find little things about our home environments that annoy us. We’ve begun to feel like it’s time to give the walls a fresh coat of paint or throw out all the living room furniture in favor of something new. Some of us have even started to think that we want a total change of scenery and we’d like to move house, but that isn’t possible for everybody! Instead, let’s talk about little changes that can make your living space start to feel new again.

We know it’s a cliche, but a change is often as good as a rest. The slightest difference to the arrangement of a room or the things in it can allow you to appreciate it in a new way. What once looked tired and dull suddenly becomes exciting again. Once you’re on a roll with making small changes, you find that you suddenly have new ideas about what to do with your new space, and you progress from there!

Not everybody has the budget to make wholesale changes to their home, and we understand that. That’s why we’re focusing on little things that can make a big difference. Without further ado, here are five easy tips and tricks for making a tired old house feel like a new one.

Buy New Wall Art

You probably don’t realize how much time you spend idly staring at the walls in your house – especially those in the rooms you spend the most time in. The more you do it, the more you notice things that annoy you – cracks, scuffs, outdated photographs, and the like. The good news is that you can transform a wall very easily in a way that doesn’t involve any painting or decorating. A good piece of wall art can transform the mood of a room and the people in it. It gives your room a focus point other than the television and introduces color where there was no color before. You don’t need to spend big money on this – we’re sure there are local artists in your area who would be thrilled if you bought from them. Alternatively, reproduction prints are available cheaply online. If you’re feeling especially ambitious, buy a canvas and a frame and make some of your own!

Get New Mirrors

A common problem with spending a lot of time indoors is that the internal dimensions of your home start to feel smaller than they really are. There’s an easy way to combat that – buy a mirror. In fact, buy several new mirrors! Aside from the fact that mirrors are always handy, a well-placed mirror is a tried-and-trusted way of making a space feel bigger. The walls no longer feel as solid or as restrictive, and that’s not the only bonus. You’ll also get more light into a room if you have a large mirror in it, as the mirror reflects the light back out into the room. Consider a long rectangular mirror behind your sofa or above the fireplace if you have one. Position it strategically, so it catches most of the light through your windows, and you’ll quickly find your room looks very different. In fact, home window tinting is a great way to filter light, add to ambiance and enhance your home.

Change Your Lighting

The way a room is illuminated plays a huge role in determining what that room feels like. A naked light bulb will always make a room feel slightly intimidating. We don’t imagine that many of you have naked lightbulbs in many rooms in your home, but you might have lighting arrangements that don’t do the space any justice. Even if that’s not true, it’s probably a while since you changed them. A glass lampshade will make your room a lot brighter without having to change the wiring at all. Don’t just think about going brighter, though – give yourself options. Floor lamps can make a room much more cozier at night. If you have the option, you might even want to consider adding a small skylight to let more natural light into a room that struggles to get much. You’re looking for a warm, natural feeling during the day and then mood lighting at night.

Create A Games Room

If your home is anything like hours, there will be a room in your house that you don’t know what to do with. It might be a spare bedroom that nobody ever sleeps in or a room that was supposed to become a study but has instead become a storage room. That’s wasted space. Instead, consider turning it into a games room. We don’t mean investing in arcade game cabinets and pool tables (unless you really want to) but put your games console in there with some comfortable chairs and a few other entertainment options. How much more fun would it be inviting friends round to play cards at a table rather than doing it remotely at online slots websites? Even if that’s not your thing and online slots are actually your preferred style of gambling, you could take your laptop or tablet into the room and play online slots in a space that suits the activity. A games room is really just an entertainment room, so whether we’re playing games on websites like Money Reels, PlayStation games, or watching a movie, having a room that’s dedicated to having fun improves the mood of your entire home.

Buy Some Houseplants

The word ‘lifeless’ is a word we come across often when we see people express their frustration with their living spaces. A great way to do away with a feeling of lifelessness is by introducing life into your home, and the easiest way to do that is to buy a few plants! Plants bring color and shade into your home, but that’s not all. They also help to purify stale air and generate oxygen on top of the pleasant aroma of the flowers that bloom from them. Flowers unfortunately don’t tend to last for very long after they’ve bloomed, but your local garden center should be able to point you in the direction of a range of long-living plants that should stick around for longer. There are even a few varieties that can live on indefinitely and don’t require much maintenance from you. Green fingers help, but they’re not necessarily a requirement!

We all get bored with our homes from time to time, but we often forget how easy it is to solve that problem. If the space around you is looking a little dull and uninspired at the moment, try one of the tricks we’ve listed above. You might be surprised at how much difference they make!

 

Being a homeowner is tough on its own, but it’s an entirely different animal when you decide to purchase a fixer-upper. Taking on the task of updating an old home comes with a myriad of potential challenges.

Along with cooler temps, the changing of seasons means the beginning of flu season. Getting the flu is not fun and, for some people, the symptoms can keep them home from work or school for weeks. There are various things you can do to improve your immune system to prevent the flu in the first place. There is also natural cold and flu medicine for those who are unable to avoid getting sick.

To help cope with flu season, there are certain essentials everyone should  have. Some are good to take along with you, while others are good to have at home.

Take-Along Essentials

For people on the go, there are certain essentials that help fight off the flu and other viruses. One of the biggest prevention practices is good hygiene, such as washing your hands, but this can be more difficult without access to soap and running water. You should always carry hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes or both to use when regular soap is unavailable. These should be used frequently to prevent the spread of germs.

You should also carry a package of facial tissues with you. Germs spread through coughing and sneezing, and using a tissue as a barrier helps to prevent the spread to others.

One of the most important things you can do to improve your immune system is to eat properly. This, too, can be more difficult when you are out and about, but proper planning helps. Pack healthy snacks that are easy to eat on the go. Examples include fresh fruit and vegetables, almonds or other nuts and bottled water.

For those who have flu or cold symptoms, the best thing to do is to stay home, but that is not always possible. Keeping cough lozenges, pain relievers and other symptom fighters on hand can make things more bearable.

Home Essentials

Just as you should carry healthy snacks with you, make sure your kitchen is stocked with unprocessed food that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. If you are experiencing flu symptoms, drinking tea, soup or other warm liquid can help improve throat irritation and reduce nasal congestion. Stock your medicine cabinet with flu-fighting supplements such as vitamin C, echinacea, vitamin D, elderberry and zinc.

Another way to strengthen your immune system is to keep stress to a minimum. Some home essentials that may help include meditation CDs, a yoga mat and a stress-relieving journal. There is also non prescription anxiety medication for those who struggle to lower stress naturally.

Another home essential, especially if there are young children, is a thermometer. Fever is a common flu symptom, and it is a good idea to monitor your fever because if it is too high, a visit to the emergency room may be in order.

Protect Yourself from the Flu

Take steps this flu season to keep yourself healthy. Whether you are on the go or are staying home, there are certain essentials, such as Brillia for adults, that can keep your immune system strong, prevent viruses or manage flu symptoms. Make sure you have what you need to stay strong.