Virginia Development Projects Take Their Toll on Homeowners’ Neighborhoods | Virginia Homeowners Alliance

{{desc}}

via Virginia Development Projects Take Their Toll on Homeowners’ Neighborhoods | Virginia Homeowners Alliance.

Don’t be afraid of a stucco home, just give it a little attention!

If you are looking to buy a stucco home don’t be alarmed by all the class action lawsuits or the problems you might have heard about leaks and rotten walls.  The technology and the installation process has come a long way.  Just like any product, brick, stone, vinyl and stucco you ahve to keep water outside and have ways for it to channel out, so it doesn’t get inside.

Stucco has done a remarkable job in designing systems to not let water penetrate the interior of your walls.  However, it is not a build and let it go kind of product.  You have to continually check the exterior areas of your home that have been caulked.  Around windows and doors, kick out flashing around the gutter and roof lines, around outlets and receptacles and light fixtures, areas around attached decks, chimneys, crickets and flashings. All these areas need to be well caulked about every 3-5 years.

In a nut shell look for areas where water can penetrate the walls, where the stucco meets a different material and caulk.  Go to   MositureFree Warranty to find lots of helpful information on the level of maintenance of a stucco home.

Don;t be afraid just give it a little attention.

Beware of Estate Tax status in 2010

Beware of Estate Tax status in 2010

The federal estate tax is dead — at least for now. It’s 2010, and the temporary, one-year repeal of the federal estate tax is in effect.

The failure of Congress to either extend the 2009 estate tax rules into 2010, or to enact a permanent estate tax law has created several unfortunate consequences.

Here are some things you need to know to protect your family and your assets.

• Both the federal estate tax and the federal generation-skipping transfer tax (a separate tax on property given to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) are repealed for 2010 unless Congress enacts legislation to reinstate them, retroactive to Jan. 1, or otherwise.

Read the full Daily Press column..

VDOT Reassures Public on Snow Removal

VDOT Reassures Public on Snow Removal

The Virginia Department of Transportation has amassed its resources and is ready to address yet another major winter storm expected to impact much of Virginia on Friday and Saturday. VDOT crews are still completing cleanup efforts from two other winter storms that impacted parts of the commonwealth in the past week. As of February 1, VDOT has already expended the $79 million budgeted for statewide snow-removal efforts this year and has now tapped into emergency maintenance reserve funds to pay for snow removal. “We will not reduce service levels or scale back on snow-removal efforts regardless of how much it costs this year,” said Gregory Whirley, acting commissioner.This will hopefully allay the concerns of many homeowners wondering whether the state’s current budget woes would impact core services this early in the year.

Dangers of Household Radon, Inspections Recommended | Virginia Homeowners Alliance

{{desc}}

via Dangers of Household Radon, Inspections Recommended | Virginia Homeowners Alliance.