Owning a Home

34 articles on everything owning a home involves — maintenance, insurance, and the ongoing realities of homeownership.

Which Home Records to Keep, and for How Long

You’ll learnWhich purchase and closing documents to keep for as long as you own the home

Ordinance or Law Coverage: The Rebuilding Cost Many Homeowners Policies Limit

You’ll learnWhy repairing to current building code can cost more than repairing what you had

Home Maintenance

Fall and Winter Home Prep: What to Do Before the First Freeze

You’ll learnWhy heating service, alarm testing and dryer vents come first, before the first cold night

Leaving Your Home Empty? How Vacancy Clauses Can Limit Your Insurance Coverage

You’ll learnHow many policies define vacant (no one living there, few belongings) vs. unoccupied (furnished, no one home)

Buying a Condo or HOA Home: What to Read in the Documents Before You Commit

You’ll learnWhat the declaration, bylaws, rules and architectural guidelines actually control

Selling a Home You've Already Moved Out Of: Risks, Costs and How to Manage Them

You’ll learnWhat selling vacant makes easier, and what it makes harder

Property Tax Assessment: How to Check Yours and When to Appeal

You’ll learnHow a property tax bill is generally built from value, exemptions, and local tax rates, and which part an appeal can address

Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value: How Claims Are Settled

You’ll learnHow replacement cost and actual cash value differ, and why depreciation is the dividing line

Home Maintenance

Septic System Maintenance for Coastal Homeowners: What Most People Get Wrong

You’ll learnHow a septic tank separates sludge, scum and effluent, and why solids left to accumulate eventually clog the drain field soil

Landlord Insurance for Rental Properties: How It's Different From a Homeowners Policy

You’ll learnWhy a homeowners policy is written around owner-occupancy, and how leaving a carrier uninformed of the change can be treated as misrepresentation

Home Maintenance

Exterior Paint and Caulking: When It's Maintenance vs. When It's Cosmetic

You’ll learnWhy chalking and fading alone are largely cosmetic, while cracking, peeling or bubbling paint means the surface is no longer sealed

Home Insurance Deductibles: How Choosing the Right One Changes Your Premium

You’ll learnHow a flat-dollar deductible differs from a percentage deductible, which is calculated against dwelling coverage rather than the size of the claim

Prefer to browse just one topic? See Insurance or Home Maintenance on their own.