Preventing Backflow In Michigan Houses Water is supposed to flow in only one direction in a system. Backflow occurs when the normal water flow in a water system reverses. This can be a dangerous situation, introducing industrial waste, bacteria, and a lot of other unhealthy things into the water
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11/28/2010
Egress Windows In Michigan One of the houses I inspected last week was built in 2002. When I got to the basement, I was greeted by an area converted to a bedroom. Now, I'm not a code inspector, but I did see something wrong with this bedroom... primarily, there is no easy way to get out of Dodge
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11/28/2010
Controlling Wildlife Around The House Did you ever grow a garden, only to have the deer come by and eat your hard work up? Or do you step outside to enjoy the fresh air, only to discover a nearby skunk wasn't happy about it? Most of us enjoy wildlife, but certain species of wildlife, at certain t
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11/28/2010
Electromagnetic Fields and Houses -- Dangerous or Not? So what's the real story behind the giant powerlines? We've all heard the stories... cows producing milk that glows in the dark... elevated rates of cancer for those who live nearby... and so on. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) include electric
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11/28/2010
Keeping the Elderly Safe Each year, nearly 1 millions people over age 65 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with the products they use daily (source: US Consumer Product Safety Commission). The death rate from accidents in the home is about three times greater (60 dea
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11/28/2010
ENERGY STAR Excellence: Fact or Fiction? ENERGY STAR, the joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, says its goal is to help us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. But does it really? ENERGY
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11/28/2010
Saving The Mortgage Interest Deduction: Some Facts I wrote about the attack on the mortgage interest deduction here. Here are some additional facts that highllight why that deduction is so important: 74% of MID is claimed by homeowners less than 55 years old. These homeowners rely on the money to
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11/28/2010
The Mortgage Interest Deduction: A Relic Of The Past? I've been following the proposed elimination of the mortgage interest deduction (MID) with great interest. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has been going nuts over this issue, and many I know in the real estate business aren't
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11/28/2010
Back when I went to school, we learned about things like the planets in our solar system. We also learned about the Pilgrims, Native Americans, and the First Thanksgiving. Well, a few years ago, suddenly Pluto was no longer a planet... and now, the first Thanksgiving had nothing to do with New
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11/24/2010
The cold weather is bearing down on Michigan. And with the change in the temperatures comes the change in the pests we have to put up with in and around the home... rodents are going to try to make their way into nice, warm homes all over Michigan (and all the other cold states). I HATE rats and
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11/21/2010
