Smart Homeowners
Daily tips and resources to help you improve, care for and protect your home.
I will give you something every day so you can live smarter. With my team of experts, we’ll cover what matters to you: security, energy efficiency, maintenance, home improvement, finance and insurance.
📷 Get the pictures
Create a habit of taking a series of pictures of your home. Why it matters: Time and date stamped pictures can help you in the event of an insurance claim or in a dispute with a contractor. ⚙️ How to get started: First, create an album on your phone using your address as the name of […]
🛑 Stopping junk mail
You can stop receiving the majority of junk mail with a few easy steps. Why it matters: Unsolicited catalogfs and credit card offers create clutter and can increase your exposure to identity theft. ⚙️ How it works: Use these free or low cost options for the following: 👉 Credit and insurance offers 👉 Catalogs and other junk mail […]
🤔 Is that air getting in there?
Since our homes aren’t as air tight as they should be, we need to be aware of the contents in the connected spaces. Why it matters: Air is moving from your connected garage, attic and/or crawl space into your living space. 🖼️ The big picture: Reducing the number and kind of pollutants in connected spaces leads […]
🏠 🫁 A house needs to breathe?
I’m spending the day with a building science expert and author of A House Needs to Breathe … Or Does It? Why it matters: We spend the majority of our lives indoors and a huge percentage in our homes. 🔬 Zoom in: What is home performance? A high performing home is … 👉 Comfortable — Where you […]
🏭 Getting ready for summer grid outages
The Texas power grid operator (ERCOT) is predicting record demand this summer. Why it matters: If peak demand is greater than the grid’s capacity we will experience brownouts. 🥊 The bottom line: If you have experienced brownouts in the past, you are likely to again. 💡 Know your options. 👉 Use one or more UPS Battery Backups to […]
🥷 Ransomware attacks: What’s happening?
At the time of this writing, the City of Dallas is still working to contain a ransomware attack it suffered Wednesday. Why it matters: Some city services temporarily shut down, including the courts and Dallas Water Utilities billing department. 🖼️ The big picture: Individuals are not likely to be targets of a sophisticated attack like this. […]
💡 Upcycling your jars
Upcycling is the process of reusing an object or material in a way that creates a higher value or quality than the original. Why it matters: Instead of discarding or recycling, you can put some items to good use. 🤔 Glass jars can be used in lots of creative ways. 🔬 Zoom in: To clean and prepare […]
🐖 The insurance process — Part 3
Catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 Filing a claim requires the right mindset. Why it matters: Homeowners often approach claims with a passive and trusting mindset that results in underpaid claims. 💡 Know your rights. 🐖 It’s your piggy bank 🥊 The bottom line: Insurance companies are represented by powerful and well funded lobbyists looking out […]
👏 Only 1 password to remember
With an ever increasing number of online accounts, smart devices and apps, the number of passwords we need has become unmanageable. Why it matters: The old method of creating a few memorable passwords to use on multiple accounts puts you at risk. 🥊 Reality check: Using a password manager is the easiest and safest way […]
🗳️ What’s on your ballot?
Statewide elections are being held May 6, 2023 for mayor, city council, school board and ballot measures. Why it matters: Odd year elections see low voter turnout giving your vote a greater impact. 💡 Vote411.org is a nonpartisan resource to give you information for what’s on your ballot. ✅ For your Smart Homeowner list Best, Travis