Keeping Your Home Germ Free While Listed

Probably one of the most disturbing details to recently emerge about COVID-19 is just how long the virus can live on surfaces. Another scary thought? The fact that an estimated 42% of us aren’t even cleaning those surfaces properly.

This is all particularly unsettling considering that highly trafficked places like grocery stores and gas stations are teeming with germs, and now you run the danger of bringing it all home with you—on your clothing, your bags, your phone, and more.

Experts recommend to “ditch germs at the door” since germs are getting into your house the same way you are.

• Start a clean-hands routine in the entryway with sanitizer.
• Remove dirty clothes if you recently been in public.
• Focus on cleaning high-touch surfaces like railings, door handles, & faucets.

Builders Are Scrambling to Fill a Housing Shortage… But Then COVID Hit

Before most Americans had even heard of the new coronavirus or COVID-19, the nation was suffering from a severe housing shortage. Builders couldn’t put homes up fast enough to satisfy the hordes of eager buyers and renters. But what happens now that the global pandemic and ensuing financial crisis are setting stage for an economic recovery?

In most states, construction workers have been deemed “essential” and are becoming an increasingly rare and precious commodity in today’s housing market. killed workers such as home framers, electricians, plumbers, masons, carpenters, and HVAC installers are especially in demand, builders say. Despite the pandemic,

Refinancing Mistakes Homeowners Risk Making Right Now

Between low mortgage interest rates and the coronavirus pandemic sending our economy in a tailspin, many people have recently rushed to refinance their mortgages. But as we all know, haste makes waste—and many of those eager homeowners made mistakes that could cost them tons of money in the long run.

So if you’re tempted to jump on the refinance bandwagon, do so with caution. Two big mistakes homeowners make are 1. assuming that a federal rate of 0% means you can get a 0% mortgage rate and 2. forgetting about refinancing fees. It’s best to speak with your lender or real estate professional before committing, to make sure the time is right for you.

Heartwarming Ways Neighbors Can Help Eachother

The coronavirus has already caused so much destruction nationwide—not only among the many who have fallen ill, but also among those who are suffering from businesses closing and those who are struggling financially. While the news cycle has been filled with reports of fearful people panicking and hoarding necessities, countless stories have emerged of mutual love and care—especially between neighbors.

Write letters to the elderly in nursing homes. Nursing homes across the nation are putting heavy restrictions on visits from family and friends. This may be saving residents from being infected, but it’s leaving many seniors feeling isolated.

Create some inspiring window art. While kids can no longer go to school, they can still do school assignments, and one project in particular has taken off. In England, the trend of displaying window art is a way to visually bring hope at time when hope is fading.

Hold a different kind of block party. Residents in Eugene, OR, are making special accommodations to visit with their neighbors. One night, the neighbors arranged to have a dinner party, all from their individual front yards. Some ordered pizza to enjoy on their front steps, and others went all out, marking the occasion by setting up a dining table complete with a tablecloth.

Celebrate special occasions from afar. People may be keeping their social distance, but that doesn’t mean we have to skip celebrating together. One inspiring Spanish video taken in Madrid shows neighbors singing happy birthday to a woman named Charo on her 80th birthday. The neighbors had placed a cake at her door and told her to look outside for a surprise. When Charo found the cake, she began to cry as her neighbors started to sing her “Happy Birthday.” Talk about a sweet surprise!