Stephanie is a long time client and supporter of New Avenues for Youth. We can’t thank you enough for being such an important part of our community through your friendship and healing services!
Read MoreHow has your neighborhood held home values? Follow this link to the complete article.
How to Choose the Right Homeowners Insurance Deductible Explained
Homeowners insurance deductibles are an essential aspect of owning a home. With insurance owners select the amount of coverage they want to help protect their home and belongings, and the cost for this coverage is included in the monthly mortgage payment. While homeowners insurance is a common piece of the real estate puzzle, there are some components of the insurance coverage that are not so cut-and-dried.
The homeowners insurance deductible selected by the homeowner can change the financial responsibility of both the insurance company and the owner, as well as dictate the total cost of coverage over time. For these reasons, it is important to know how to choose the right homeowners insurance deductible from the start. Here’s what you need to know about your deductible.
Homeowners Insurance Deductibles
As part of each homeowners insurance policy, the insurance company offering coverage allows homeowners to select the deductible they prefer. A homeowners insurance deductible is the amount of money paid by the homeowner out of pocket when a claim is made. All other costs associated with a claim are paid by the insurance company, up to the policy’s limits.
To put a homeowners insurance deductible in real-life terms, think of it as the amount a homeowner must contribute to a financial loss due to fire, theft, or another disaster. For instance, if damage to the home took place and the insurance company estimated the repairs to cost $8,000, that amount would be covered by both the insurance company and you as the homeowner. With a $2,000 deductible, you would pay the first $2,000 related to the repairs and the insurance company picks up the remaining $6,000.
There are two types of homeowners insurance deductibles to be aware of as a homeowner. The first is a dollar-based deductible, which follows the example listed above. You select a dollar amount that you are comfortable paying from options provided by one of the best homeowners insurance companies.
The second type is a percentage-based deductible. With this option, you choose a percentage you are willing or able to pay should a claim be made against the policy; the insurance company pays for the remaining percentage of the claim. Homeowners pay the deductible, whether dollar- or percentage-based, each time a claim is filed for damage or loss.
Read Full Article: How to Choose the Right Homeowners Insurance Deductible Explained
We had a wonderful night creating vision boards with Sarah Love of I Stand for Love! It was so wonderful sharing such a powerful exercise and connecting with everyone around their goals and intentions for the year. Thank you all!
We’d like to introduce Heather and James Roth to you and the Nurture Community! James and Heather just moved to Portland and were introduced to us by some close friends and community members. The Roths are currently looking for new career opportunities and we are hoping to make some connections through the power of our community! Bios below, but let me say that these people will be a blessing to anyone they work with. They are enthusiastic, kind, and so very interesting. Check out their amazing work history and life experience below. Thanks for spreading the word and keeping your ears open for any opportunities! Thanks, all!
Heather Roth is a woman who defines grit. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Heather graduated from Clark University in Worcester, MA with her degree in Government and International Relations. After graduation she moved to Washington, DC to work on Capitol Hill for former New York Senator Daniel Patrick “Pat” Moynihan.After four years on Capitol Hill, Heather joined Share Our Strength, a non-profit, working to ending childhood hunger and poverty. As a Program Manager for their national food and wine event, Taste of the Nation, she worked with hundreds of local volunteers in all aspects of event production from logistics, marketing, to corporate sponsorship. In this role she was exposed to some of the nation’s best chefs and restaurateurs in the hospitality industry; inspiring her to make another leap – this time pursuing a career as a Pastry Chef.
Heather was quickly recognized as a leader in the industry being named Rising Star Pastry Chef by StarChefs. Over the next few years she went on to serve as pastry chef at several prominent restaurants in DC, including the famed Michel Richard Citronelle, received the award for Pastry Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and was named by Gayot as one of the top 5 pastry chefs in the nation. In 2009, Heather would meet James Roth, and they would marry the following year. 2010 proved to be an exciting year, both personally and professionally, as she was selected participate in a new Bravo TV series, “Top Chef: Just Desserts.
As much joy as working in the kitchen brought her, over time Heather started thinking about her next step. In 2011, Heather joined L’Academie de Cuisine, a prominent culinary school in the DC area, as Director of Career Services. In this role she was able to put to use her skills in recruitment, placement and relationship building for students, and recent graduates, entering the culinary scene.
During this time Heather was often approached for specialty cake and dessert orders and decided to put a name to this “side hustle”; Wildflour Fine Baking Company was born. In 2016, Heather and James moved to Florida to care for her ailing father. While there Heather continued to do pop-ups and special orders through Wildflour as well as freelance food styling and visual merchandising. After his passing, Heather and James embarked upon a cross country roadtrip to regroup and heal. It was on this trip when they instantly fell in love with Portland and decided to relocate to the area. Heather is currently seeking to put her cumulative strengths to use in Events, PR, Marketing or Human Resources. Heather is excited for this new chapter and the adventure that lays ahead.
James Roth is the embodiment of a creative thinker and entrepreneur. Born and raised in West Hartford, CT, James is a graduate of University of Connecticut. After college he moved to New York City to work on Wall Street at Bear Stearns. After three years of trading, James stumbled on what would become a passion and inspiration for his future business, wine. Over the next five years James worked at Morrell & Company, as a wine auction specialist, while moonlighting at the Windows on the World Wine School assisting famed wine expert, Mr. Kevin Zraly. James would attend New York University to focus on his business plan, management and operational skills.
In 2007, equipped with a passion for wine education and entrepreneurship, James relocated to the Washington, DC area where he would later meet his wife, Heather, and open his business. In 2008, he opened Red, White & Bleu, a gourmet wine, craft beer, farmstead cheese and small batch charcuterie retail and catering company. The shop thrived through the great recession and gained recognition from several publications such as The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Northern Virginia Magazine, Culture Magazine and the Falls Church Press. Through his approachable attitude, fun blog and newsletter, and contributions to Edible Chesapeake James quickly created a following of gourmet enthusiasts. Always searching for high quality and exciting new products, James was the first retailer in the Mid-Atlantic to introduce Portland’s Olympic Provisions and Hotlips’ sodas.
James continued his business education as a consultant; assisting in the launch of three restaurants within two years time. When his father-in-law became ill, James and Heather temporarily moved to Florida. In 2019, left the east coast and relocated to Portland. They are both optimistic about their new beginning, appreciative to be in a place that resonates with them. James is currently looking to pursue a career in sales or marketing within the technology industry.
Are you ready for this?! It’s the video you’ve been waiting for! All of your Portland real estate questions answered in a tidy little video from your trusted advisor, Eric Cavanaugh! If you’d like to discuss specifics of selling your home or the best way to take Eric’s advice to buy now before rates increase, don’t hesitate to call or email for a meeting. We’re never too busy to chat with you or your friends and family!
Happy New Year! We miss you! Lots to share with you about the upcoming year, including our new video editing skills! We'd love to hear what you think and please respond with any suggestions for our class series on goals setting and financial planning. Cheers to a prosperous 2019 full of great friends and growing together every day! <3
Hey, friends, Shanan here! It’s cold outside which means the furnace is working overtime and everyone wants to take a steamy, 30 minute shower. We knew we had a problem when one kid didn’t have any hot water after the other kid took a shower….we have an 80 gallon water heater…. good lord! Low flow shower heads are on the list ASAP! Here are some other energy saving tips to help your monthly bill and carbon footprint. Stay warm out there!
Water: Showers account for 32% of home water use, so consider installing a high-efficiency or low-flow shower heads. Also, get those leaky fixtures repaired and save up to 20 gallons of water per day (or 200 gallons per day, if it’s a defective toilet).
Thermostats: Installing a programmable thermostat to keep air conditioning at 78F when it’s hot outside and, and your heating system at 68F when it’s cold can help save ups o 20% in heating and cooling costs. If every family in the US did this, we would reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds.
Water Heaters: Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs, so turn your water heater down to 120F or the “Normal” setting when home and to the lowest setting when on vacation.
Light Bulbs: According to climatecrisis.org, energy-saving compact florescent light bulbs (CFL) last 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs, use 60% less energy and can save 75% of lighting costs. If every home replaced five incandescent bulbs with five CFL bulbs, we would save a s much as $6.5 billion a year in electricity costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that from more than 8 million cars.
Utilize non peak hours for electricity: Here are the links to our local companies and there rates for peak and non peak hours. You’d be surprised the drastic difference in how much they differ! PGE Pacific Power
Nurture Realty is hosting another movie night at our office at 1100 SE Division Suite 120. Sunday December 16th. Doors open at 4:30, movie starts at 5 PM. The bar will be open and non alcoholic beverages available as well. Please bring a snack to share or keep for yourself. Check our Facebook event on our page for more details!
Homelessness is on everyone’s mind. Whether your concern is property values and safety or social services for the needy, it’s something that effects each of us every day. The link below will direct you to the City of Portland’s quarterly newsletter on homelessness. There is excellent information on how to report problems, where to find help, and what the city is doing to combat the problem.
What's even better than buying local? Buying from someone in our community with free mimosas and wine! Please visit the Nurture office to browse the unique and lovely handmade gifts from several Nurture community members. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season!
Your community is where you look when hit with a tragedy or hard times. We support each other through good times and bad. We grieve with each other and celebrate each other's accomplishments. We are all in this together. We are all extraordinarily fortunate to have a community like this one.
It's time to be there for one of our own who is about to experience the hardest holiday season of their lives.
Many of you know the Wall Family. Lara, Charlee, and Harper lost their husband and father, Greg, unexpectedly this summer. If you'd like to contribute a gift to their holiday please click on the link below and you'll be directed to the google doc sign up sheet.
Thanks so much for being our community, where we take care of each other <3
Take a look at the list of holiday events that start tomorrow! Christmas Ships are back! Also, a handy list of Christmas Tree Farms. Happy Holidays!
It’s getting cold and that is a solemn reminder that there are so many people struggling with homelessness and hunger in our city. It’s a Nurture Realty tradition to assemble bags of essential food and cold weather items to hand out to people in need. Our assembly station is stocked and ready to go, we hope you can stop by and take some to hand out on your commute.
Shout out to Sarah Love and istandforlove.com where I printed our I Stand For Love Manifesto
The holidays are right around the corner! Here are some great events and activities happening in November!
November Events from First American Title
Green Tips for the New Homeowner
By Nicholas Wineland 10/18/18
Making the shift to be green and eco-friendly can be difficult, but conveniently enough, a new home is the prime opportunity to do so. In your new home, you can start making some energy-efficient habits to hopefully keep and change your lifestyle for the better. However, some are going to be easier than others, so this list has taken the time to break down some green tips from the easiest to biggest projects. Take your time to comb through and see what changes you can start with now, and what goals you can make to have the greenest, most environmentally friendly home in the neighborhood.
The simplest and smallest changes for your home start with things like opening your blinds. You can spend a lot of money and energy just trying to heat your home to that perfect temperature, and some natural sunlight through your windows will make that less costly. In addition to that, you can start replacing your standard incandescent bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs, which use fractions of the energy it takes to light an incandescent one. Likewise, other small things around your home can be replaced to be greener: paper towels can easily be substituted by cloth hand towels, leading to less waste and less expenditure. You can also adjust your appliance use in subtle ways; particularly with your big spenders, the refrigerator, freezer, washer, and dryer. The ideal temperature setting for most fridges and freezers is 40F and 0F, respectively per the FDA’s guidelines. Any lower and you’re wasting energy for minimal effect! Likewise, curb your usage of your washer and dryer for full loads to limit water and energy consumption and save a few extra dollars on your bills.
If you’ve got the time and money to spare, you can get a little more intensive with your eco-friendly changes to your home. In homes with a lot of wooden flooring, you can invest in some floor rugs to help insulate and keep your home warm without having to adjust the thermostat. If you’re in the market for new furniture, try to seek out environmental alternatives to the usual wood furniture. Purchase from brands that specifically do sustainable wood harvest, or buy bamboo-based furniture for something unique, and inherently sustainable. You can also invest in wool or organic cotton-based blankets and sheets, avoiding polyester and other chemically treated products that damage the environment during their production.
The big changes for making your house the pinnacle of eco-friendly are going to zero in on your appliances and electronics. Unfortunately, these are the largest energy sinks, and even small adjustments to them can greatly change their relationship to your bills and your carbon footprint. Your water heater is probably the most influential among all these—nearly your entire house is going to be affected by it. If you don’t have one already, replace your water heater with an energy-efficient electric water heater. Your other appliances are also suspect to some scrutiny; older models of stoves, washers, and dryers can be inefficient power drains. Look into replacing those with newer models and be on the lookout for models with energy-efficient settings, like eco-warm washers or high heat retention in ovens.
As said before, not all of these are going to be overnight changes. But plan out stretch goals for how you can help both the environment and your energy bills in the long run. Eventually the smaller habits and changes are going to become second nature, so that you’ll be used to the bright open windows and blinds and the regularity of your wash cycles. Going green is a commitment, but it’s one that gets easier the longer you keep at it.
Providence hospital is offering an amazing program for all teenagers! These screenings are advertised mostly to athletes, however, any teenager can sign up. No referral needed from your doctor. Spread the word!
The long, lazy days of summer are over. This time of year, crisp mornings fold into football afternoons and bonfire nights.
Driving down the road, you see trees covered with layers of beautiful fall leaves. Then you pull into your driveway to find blankets of leaves covering your lawn—not quite so beautiful, right? While watching this change of season from behind the wheel or on a leisurely walk is fun, proper lawn and garden care can be daunting. Check out these tips that will reduce your stress and help you enjoy the season with a great looking yard and garden.
Rake Leaves, Remove Dead Plants, and Compost
Forget about your old rusty metal fan rake and get the right tools for your yard. The Lee Power Rake along with various rake alternatives such as push-power leaf collectors can take the backache out of raking. If you choose to rake manually, remember that raking leaves can be quite a workout. Just like when you lift other heavy items, bend at the knees before you pick up that tarp or bag of leaves. Rake when it’s dry and don’t be afraid to cheat a little by using a mulching mower.
Rake around plants and shrubs carefully to avoid disturbing fragile plants. Instead of damaging the plants with your rake as you remove the leaves, consider leaving some leaves where they are. They will eventually break down and nourish the soil.
After you’ve raked up all those leaves and dead plants, composting is a wonderful way to recycle organic waste by returning nutrients back into the soil. According to recycleworks.org, finished compost looks soil-dark brown, is crumbly, and smells like a forest floor. Guidelines for composting include factors such as regular fresh air, adequate water, a proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, small particles, and adequate amounts of soil.
Keep in mind that even after you rake the yard, your garden also needs tender love and care to survive the harsh winter. Remove plant matter from your garden and compost it along with those fall leaves. If you leave dead plants behind, you may face some plant diseases in the spring.
Rototilling in the fall will make your spring gardening work go much easier. To protect your topsoil from old man winter, plant a cover crop for large beds or apply a mulch. Also use this time of year to clean up perennial garden beds.
Aerate, Fertilize, and Trim
Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots to alleviate soil compaction. Before you get started, make sure the soil is moist enough. It helps to break up the thatch layer that may prevent water and nutrients from getting into the soil. Determine if the turf needs a good de-thatching because even if you are using a bagger when mowing, it will still eventually build up and create an impenetrable layer.
According to Better Homes & Gardens, fall is the best time of year to fertilize your lawn if you live in the North. Cool-season grasses, such as bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass, respond well to feeding in early September and again in late fall (late October or November). It helps them turn green earlier and look better in spring. Avoid fertilizing dormant warm-season grasses in the South unless they have been overseeded with winter ryegrass.
Remember to lower your lawn mower blades one notch or set the blades at the lowest mowing height recommended for your grass type. Cutting your yard slightly shorter in autumn helps prevent the grass from matting down under leaves and snow.
Even though fall is here, your lawn and garden work isn’t done. Before winter hits, make sure to rake leaves, remove dead plants, and compost. And when it comes to your lawn, aerate, fertilize, and trim. You’ll notice the difference come springtime.
Article by Paul Denikin
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Since everyone is craving pumpkins and apple cider, we’ve got a wonderful list of local October activities for all ages!
Batsons will be at the apple fest at Portland Nursery on Sunday October 14th if anyone wants to try all the apple varieties with us!
http://www.firstamtech.com/index.php/2018/09/october-calendar-of-events-in-portland-4/
