Lauri Bessey's Blog

My Marine

Lauri Bessey (Dark Horse Realty & Property Services) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:20:22 -0800

A Big Veteran's Day Thank You to those who have served and are serving. We appreciate your service and sacrifice!

Here is a photo of my nephew Darin, who is serving currently in Iraq. We miss you Darin, God Speed

Those Pesky Heating and Electric Bills

Lauri Bessey (Dark Horse Realty & Property Services) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:28:54 -0800

It's not a surprise that the first question most buyers I have met with lately are asking is "how much does it cost to heat this house?". We are all pleased that oil prices have gone down a little bit......but I have been looking around my own home to see just where I can save a little on my electric and heating bills. Here are a few thoughts my husband and I came up with that I have shared with customers:

Replacing the air filter in your furnace frequently not only keeps your furnace working efficiently, but will also cut down on the dust blowing through the air vents
Insulating the heating ducts keeps the air warm and will cut down on leaks while air is transferred from the ducts in to the rooms of your home
Are your air vents or baseboards blocked by furniture or curtains? Keeping heating vents exposed will help the warm air circulate through the house
How old is your furnace? how old is your hot water heater? Our hot water heater was more than 15 years old. There have been such energy efficient changes in these products it is a good idea to see if you can get one or both replaced and START SAVING MONEY and the ENVIRONMENT! I find myself sounding very much like my parents when I say, if you are chilly, PUT ON A SWEATER! I remember growing up in Claremont, NH, my father would keep the thermostat on 62 degrees. He'd always remind us that when it's 62 outside we all run around in shorts and t-shirts. So set that thermostat to a lower temp.....and put on a sweater if you are chilly! Who knew Dad was so smart.
Solar gain........Mark and I cut down a couple of trees that were blocking the sun coming in to our living room. We have achieved some wonderful solar gain. The house stays very warm during the day....not to mention we got a cord or two of wood to burn over the winter. We replaced the trees with some nice, but shorter, shrubs.
Weather stripping.......of course we can all check the weather stripping around our doors and windows.....re-caulking can be done if necessary. Check out your local hardware store for those window insulation kits.

These are just a few things everyone can do. How many more can you think of?

The Truth About Underground Oil Tanks

Lauri Bessey (Dark Horse Realty & Property Services) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:18:31 -0800

Over the last few months, I have heard that more and more insurance companies are unwilling to issue homeowner's insurance polices for properties that have an underground oil tank.

Several insurance agents have mentioned to me that the day may come when it is impossible to get such coverage.

The tanks, usually made of steel, are prone to rusting. Rusting leads to leakage which can lead to pollution of groundwater and wells. A huge concern for all of us.

Due to the potential problems with the tanks, many home buyers are putting a contingency in their purchase and sales contract requiring the seller to have any underground oil tanks removed before closing (this happened during a sale of mine last June in Weathersfield, Vermont). It was not insurmountable, but did take some extra effort to coordinate.

Any tank that is out of service for more than one year must be permanently closed.

The cost to remove a tank can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 depending on the location.

The State of Vermont does have a program which provides a grant of $1000 to qualifying homeowners to have these tanks removed. The program has a $100,000.00 limit per year beginning on July 1st. I am told the funds run out quickly.

The State of Vermont maintains a list of contractors who will remove the tanks.

For more information about the grant program or to get a list of contractors, you can contact the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation at (802) 828-3888.