Own a House? You may want to own Life Insurance too

Buying a home is a large purchase, often someones most expensive purchase they'll make! You worked hard to save for your home, rental property or second home. So what happens if something unexpected happens to you? Your surviving family members will be emotionally stressed and grieving, having life insurance can hopefully eliminate any extra financial stress during this time.

I'm a worse case scenario person and I do think about the "what ifs'." (That can be good and bad depending on the situation, I know) I have many friends, acquaintances and colleagues that tend to block out the thought of unexpected illness and death. It is not pleasant to think about, but I truly believe it's necessary to be prepared.

Essentially you purchase mortgage life insurance so that in an event of sudden death, funds are available to meet your outstanding mortgage balance. This type of insurance can greatly affect your surviving spouse, partner and family options.

I'm not an insurance broker nor an expert. But I'm confident Alison Hartrum with New York Life can help you and your specific needs. There is no harm in asking!

Alison M. Hartrum

Financial Services Professional
Agent, New York Life Insurance Company

Registered Representative offering securities through NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), A Licensed Insurance Agency

555 East City Ave

Suite 800

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Cell: (908) 752-7646

Office: (610) 617-4493

Be sure to 'like' her Facebook page!

Smelly Smoke Houses

As a non cigarette smoker, you may not realize or believe people still smoke in their homes.  I've even spoken to smokers and some have stopped or never did light up in their home or even car. But trust me, over the years I've shown many smoke filled houses. 

While house hunting, have you ever walked in to a house and couldn't bear the smell? Maybe it's even turned you off from looking at the rest of the property. Honestly, it shouldn't be a deal breaker (maybe a negotiating tool though!) if you know what can be done to eliminate the smell. 

Smoke stays in furniture, clothes, window drapes and rugs. Once the home is vacant of those items, the smell honestly may not be too horrendous. 
I've researched some tips on getting the smell out of a home after it's empty:

• Walls Scrub your walls with a mixture of ammonia or vinegar and water.
• Carpet Spread a dry carpet cleaner with granules on your carpet and let it sit for an hour. When done, vacuum it up [source: Heloise]. 
  
• Furniture Simply sprinkle baking soda on your furniture, and allow it to sit for a while, soaking up the smoky smell. Vacuum up the baking soda after a few hours, and the smoky smell should be gone [source: Reader's Digest].
• House Place several bowls of white or cider vinegar, which have the strongest scent of all vinegars, throughout the house. The vinegar odor will permeate the house, and the smoke odor should be gone in less than a day. If you want to speed the process, soak a towel with vinegar and wave it around the room [source: Readers Digest].

Wiki also has a step by step tutorial:

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Smoke-Smell-out-of-Your-House