All About Financial Matters

Save Money on Your Household Utility Bills and help the Environment

Save Money on Heating

(a) Loft Insulation

Make sure that the loft in the house is fully insulated; remember heat rises and most of the heat that you generate in your house is lost through the roof. It is simple to buy good quality loft insulation from all the main DIY superstores and this could be one investment very much worth making.

(b) Good Quality Windows

Ensure that your windows are in good condition, no broken or cracked pains, the wood surround is in good condition, the paintwork is kept in good order with regular refreshes of paint to stop rot and damp. Double glazed windows are a must if you want to keep the heat in and stop the cold and damp from coming through. If the budget extends then even some new replacement windows could be a great investment.

(c) Internal and External Doors

Make sure that you have good external doors, these should be double glazed also and be fitted properly with seals for the letter box and the surrounds. The internal doors in the house should all shut properly and make good seals and have draft excluders where appropriate.

Save Money on Electricity

(a) Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Fit energy saving light bulbs to all your main lights, this not only helps to keep your electricity bills down but at the same time you are doing your part for the environment. On average the light saving bulb will last up to 12 times longer than the normal light bulb and reduce the amount of electricity required by reducing the amount of electricity lost in heat compared to a standard bulb.

(b) No Electrical Equipment on Standby

Make sure you turn your electrical equipment and sockets off when you are not using them, especially television, videos, DVD players that have standby modes, these use more electricity than you would think.

(c) Electrical Safety Checks

Get your wiring and circuits professionally checked to ensure that your appliances are working to their optimum capacity.

Save Money on Gas

(a) Regular Gas Safety Checks

Make sure you keep your boiler serviced and well maintained in order to improve efficiency.

(b) Insulate the Hot Water Tank

Ensure that your hot water tank is also well insulated to keep the heat in and keeps the water hotter longer. You can buy a jacket for the tank from the DIY stores and remember that it is worth insulating the pipes as well.

Save Money on Water

(a) Toilet Flush

If you want to reduce the amount of water that the toilet cistern uses for each flush then there are devices available from DIY shops that can be used to reduce the amount of water used. These are easily fitted and can reduce the amount of water used per flush by as much as 1 litre.

(b) Shower don’t Bath

Take showers instead of baths this reduces the amount of water that is used and will save you money on heating the water and the amount of water used. A bath can take between 15 – 25 gallons of water where as a shower uses around 60% less water than the bath.

Summary

Doing just a few of these will help to save you money; some require more of an initial outlay than others but are well worth doing in the long term. If you own your own house then it could be a good investment and if you are renting a property then instruct your letting agent/landlord to make a plan of necessary changes to help protect the environment, their property and your pocket.

Chris Courtis is the co-founder of the Rentright Property Portal, find rentright.co.uk Property For Rent Advertised by Letting Agents. Rentright is the home of the RRPI (Residential Rental Price Index) and has houses for rent and flats for rent throughout the UK.

Filing Bankruptcy to Stop Foreclosure

Bankruptcy to stop foreclosure is possibly the least-understood and least-desired option for most homeowners, although it can provide them with the last chance they need to be able to save their homes. The drawbacks to bankruptcy are widely discussed and raise serious concerns for foreclosure victims who want to preserve as much of their credit as possible, but this option can also provide homeowners with a last chance that is not present in other solutions to foreclosure.

Bankruptcy can be used to set up a repayment plan that allows the homeowners to repair their credit and get back on track with their debts. Although it is usually an expensive payment plan, homeowners who have repaired their financial situations may be willing to pay more every month to fulfill their mortgage obligations. And once the bankruptcy is completed, homeowners can go back to paying their regular monthly payment without the threat of foreclosure hanging over their heads any longer.

In foreclosure situations, filing bankruptcy will put the entire foreclosure process on hold, which is very important for homeowners when the situation is getting out of control and they are running out of options at the last minutes. When a foreclosure auction is approaching, and there is no other way to stop the sheriff sale, filing bankruptcy will immediately put everything on hold, including putting off the sale of the property. In certain situations, this is the most important aspect of bankruptcy, as it just allows the homeowners to gain a little more time to put together or complete a more reasonable plan to save their homes.

However, there are also valid reasons why homeowners may want to consider bankruptcy to stop foreclosure as a last resort, rather than as their first line of defense. There are numerous methods that are available to stop foreclosure, and working with an attorney to file bankruptcy may not be the most appropriate solution in every case. Foreclosure situations are always unique, and deserve a serious evaluation to determine the best way to save the home.

Filing bankruptcy can be a complex process that is expensive and may not bring about the desired results, in addition to harming the homeowners’ credit. When the homeowners’ finances have not sufficiently improved to the point of being able to afford the repayment plan, the bankruptcy is doomed to failure from the very beginning. Foreclosure victims should not agree to a repayment plan that they know will be unmanageable in the long run, because missing a payment in bankruptcy means that the foreclosure process will start back up.

There is also the possibility of running across an unscrupulous bankruptcy attorney who does not act in the best interest of the foreclosure victims. Horror stories abound of homeowners who paid for the bankruptcy to be filed and the attorney simply did nothing with it, resulting in the loss of the home to foreclosure. Other attorneys have been known to advise clients to continually switch from a Chapter 13 to a Chapter 7 and back and forth over and over again, in an effort to have the clients pay substantially more in fees for each new filing. Although the vast majority of attorneys will act in the best interests of their clients, it is important that homeowners be aware of potential scams, even among bankruptcy lawyers.

Thus, bankruptcy is a solution to foreclosure that most homeowners should examine with a reputable attorney, even if it is just to have a last-ditch effort to stop foreclosure on their homes. Foreclosure victims need to be aware of the implications of filing bankruptcy, and do their best to avoid being taken advantage of by a scam, but this option should not be ruled out entirely. Despite its complexity, drawbacks, and potential pitfalls, filing bankruptcy to stop foreclosure may give homeowners that one last chance to put the foreclosure process on hold for just long enough to find a more reasonable solution. For more info check out ppi claims.

The ForeclosureFish.com website focuses on helping homeowners foreclosurefish.com/ stop foreclosure on their own by using the most relevant information and resources available to them. With a daily-updated foreclosure blog and literally hundreds of pages of foreclosure information on the site, ForeclosureFish.com provides homeowners with all of the tools they need to save their homes from foreclosure. Visit their website today to learn more about the foreclosure process and download your free e-book: foreclosurefish.com/ foreclosurefish.com/