What’s the Biggest Misconception Surrounding Home Warranties?

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What’s the biggest misconception surrounding home warranties? I’ve brought in Lisa Vizza of Fidelity Home Warranty to answer that question today.

According to Lisa, the biggest misconception is that home warranties cover everything under the home’s roof. That’s simply not true. There are limitations to what a home warranty covers. They’re more in place to offset the costs of homeownership. They’ll repair and replace the major systems and appliances in a home that fail due to normal wear and tear, but they don’t cover everything.

Still, home warranties are well worth having. I know from experience. After my family and I recently moved into our new home, our tankless water heater failed. Because we had a home warranty, though, we got it fixed instead of replacing the entire thing, which saved us about $2,000. 

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The purpose of a home warranty is to offset the costs of homeownership.

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Whether you’re in the middle of escrow or you’re already a homeowner, you can and should get a home warranty to offset the costs of the deferred maintenance you’ll have down the road.

If you have any stories where having a home warranty saved you a ton of cash, we’d love to hear them. If you reply to this email or comment on the video on Youtube or Facebook and we mention you in a future video, we’ll send you a $10 gift card.

If you have any other real estate questions or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us as well. We’d be happy to help you.

To Our Raving Fans: This Year, the Pie’s on Us!

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It’s very exciting for me to be able to give back to our past clients, friends, family, and affiliates—anyone who has helped our business grow and served our clients alongside us.

We really appreciate all of you and want to be able to give back to you in some way. So, once again, we’re holding our annual pie giveaway. That means you get to choose between a delicious apple or pumpkin pie to take home with you.

To claim your free pie, we need you to RSVP at LambRavingFans.com by November 16.

Your apple or pumpkin pie will be available for pick-up at our office Monday, November 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The address is 312 Cernon Street, Suite D, Vacaville, CA.

Again, thank you all so much. We appreciate everyone who has worked with us, sent us referrals, left us a great review, or has done anything to improve our business and grow the number of people we’re able to serve.

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You get to choose between a delicious apple or pumpkin pie to take home with you.

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We’ve never gone backward. We’ve only continued to serve more and more people every year, and it’s really a testament to our amazing friends and family. (And our raving fan club!)

As always, if you have any real estate questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Until next time, have a great one!

How to Stay Fit in Vacaville

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Many clients ask us how to stay fit in the Vacaville. For instance, military transfers want to continue a workout schedule they’re used to already. We want to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle! Today, we join Gordon from Gold’s Gym to discuss what separates their health club from the rest in town.

Foremost, they’re a family-oriented facility active in the local community. They can help answer any questions you have.

Gold’s Gym offers a month-by-month membership plan because they value earning business month to month from their customers.

They love the opportunity to meet new people. The gym offers discounts to anyone in the military, in addition to those who moved to the area. For those that moved to Vacaville recently, they offer a thirty-day free trial to try the gym out. You should be pleased with the facility before making a commitment. During my first visit, I received a tour of the gym in addition to a free personal training session. We encourage you to stop by!

Because you’ve stuck around this long, we’d like to extend a great offer to you. If you buy a home with us within the next six weeks, we’ll give you a pass for one free month at Gold’s Gym!

If you have any questions about real estate or fitness, give us a call or email today.

How to Keep Your Kitchen Up to Date

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Many homeowners have trouble keeping their kitchens updated, so today we want to discuss one of the most crucial components of any home: the countertops. Today, Tony from Carpets & More joins us to discuss some of the biggest trends when it comes to surfaces.

There are two different types of countertops that people are getting nowadays: granite and quartz. For a long time, granite was the more popular of the two, but quartz has started to take over. This is because the sheen is level throughout, so hot and cold items don't affect quite like they do granite at times. The two types of quartz are Cambria and Silestone, so keep those names in mind when looking at surfaces.

What is the difference between quartz and granite? Quartz is better as a cooking surface, as granite is porous, which means you probably don't want to put raw meat on there. Because the slabs come in smaller pieces than slabs of granite, quartz is more expensive. Sometimes, if a slab of quartz isn't big enough, another one needs to be shipped in; otherwise, the price is generally pretty close. Generally, quartz is also a bit more durable than granite, which is more susceptible to damage.

If you have any questions about floors or countertops, you can reach Tony at (707) 446-200. Of course, if you have any real estate questions, we're always available to chat. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Why Is Deep Cleaning So Important to Your Home Sale?

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Today we are once again talking about how to prepare your home for sale, but today we are talking specifically about cleaning your home. When you’re moving, getting your home sparkly clean and ready for potential buyers is tough work. By hiring a cleaning company to come in and do the job for you, the process is made much simpler in the hands of professionals who know exactly how to deep clean a home.

We are joined today by Ashley from Cleanest Maids, who is here to talk to us a little about what her company does, and how they help buyers and sellers ensure their home is spic and span.

One thing that Ashley recommends for sellers that are getting ready to put their home on the market is a classic full house cleaning. This is a top-to-bottom cleaning, starting with all the ceilings and light fixtures, working your way down to the walls, windows, and the floor. A lot of the things Ashley and her team do during a full house cleaning are things that most people wouldn’t even think of cleaning, like fingerprints on the walls or smudges on doors. We use HD photography and videos, and you’d be surprised at what can show up on film when you aren’t thorough enough with your cleaning. 

In addition to offering a full line of cleaning services, Cleanest Maids now offers solar panel cleaning. A lot of panels have been getting bombarded by wind, dirt, and ash from forest fires. Most people only need to clean them once or twice a year, but if they are dirty, they won’t work properly. 

Cleanest Maids is a full maid service, doing laundry, errands, and all of that. If you need any of their services, or want to learn more about what they do, visit their website here.

If you have any questions for us, just give us a call or send us a quick email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Save Money - Tips for Fixing Plumbing Problems

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Today, Bill from Elite Plumbing is here to discuss plumbing. Dripping faucets and running toilets can cost you a lot of money, so we'll go over some tips to save you money in the long run.

First off, you need to be proactive. Once a month, check on the toilets that aren't used as often. If you see any movement in the water whatsoever, something needs to be fixed. It could be a fill bottle or a worn out flapper. Usually, it's a five dollar part that can save you over ten dollars a month on your water bill.

If you can't tell if there's a leak, take some food coloring and put it in the tank. If the water in the bowl changes colors, then you know you have a leak.

If you have a leaky faucet and you're not comfortable fixing it yourself, at least shut the water off under the sink so you'll save money on your water bill.

Keep in mind that 95% of this stuff can be fixed by the homeowner.Don't waste money on a plumber for something you can fix for five dollars. If you aren't sure about something, every hardware store has a plumbing specialist who can help you. If you try to fix it and it doesn't work, then call the plumber.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Avoid a Devastating Problem with Your Home's Foundation

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Today I'm joined by Steve with Bay Area Underpinning. He's going to speak to us about issues regarding your home's foundation. 

Steve says that when you see a crack in a wall, you should not panic. This could be a lot of different things, but usually if there is one crack, there will likely be more. He recommends having someone look at it to make sure that it's nothing major.

Steve also commented on how the soil in our area is unique, and the drought we're currently seeing is definitely shifting the soil around which has been causing issues with home's foundations. This is why more homes are settling. When El Nino comes, Steve expects many people to notice their homes rebounding but eventually settling back down to where they once were.

Home inspectors will occasionally ask Steve to come out and do a professional study, and what Steve does is check the foundation for cracks and take a floor elevation survey in order to diagnose any issues with the foundation.

What Steve does when a home is uneven is dig down into the ground until they hit low-grain strata, and then they install steel piers which are controlled by hydraulics. They are set in place to level out the home and can be adjusted accordingly.

If you need assistance when having problems with your foundation, I highly recommend that you contact Steve. You can reach him on his website: http://www.bayareaunderpinning.com.

As always, please come to me with any and all of your Northern California real estate needs!