If you are planning on making what is likely the biggest purchase of your life by buying a home, you will definitely want to consider how to protect it. When you get your mortgage, your lender will require you purchase insurance, but don’t think this is just a box to check on your way to moving in. Insurance is important, and getting the right coverage is crucial to your future stability and security. Consider the landscape, the surroundings, the location and more. Should you consider flood insurance? There are many considerations, read more here.

If money is no object, then anytime you want. But for most of us, money is an object, so some months may be better than others to buy your new home. There are a lot of misconceptions about when the best time is, with many thinking it’s spring. While that might be true for people with kids, it might not be the best time for everyone. Consider what’s important for you and you might find that moving in the fall and winter months offer a better match. Pricing, location, reason and more go into determining the best time. Read more here.

There are areas you congregate or where you stay for long periods (home office anyone?) that you love, but where you just can’t keep out the cold of winter. The ideal solution is to tuck a space heater into those areas and warm them up. Unfortunately, those heaters tend to be ugly little things that can be a safety concern as well. But a new generation of heaters is changing that perception and changing the way you might consider using them. Cheap oil might not be the case next winter, so consider a new space heater now for next winter. These heaters are cutting edge.

It appears that launching a mortgage payment calculator may have only been the first step in a much longer journey for Google into the mortgage market. The US version of Google’s Compare service lets consumers compare different credit cards. The UK version of the same service, the version that is making its way to these shores, allows consumers to compare much more, including car and travel insurance, credit cards rates and mortgages. The UK version can offer a choice of up to 81 lenders. Read more about the changes ahead here.

With the chances that another winter storm is on the way to the East, you may be right in thinking your normal winter routine preparations might be reaching their limits before the winter ends. Keeping an eye on your roof, keeping heavy snow and ice clear from exterior walls, and inspecting the entire property for possible damage that could worsen are all activities vigilant homeowners should consider. Keeping your house safe from winter weather this year may take some extra effort. Read more on what you can do here.

As part of National Consumer Protection week, it might be an opportune time to have a look at mortgage fraud and modification scams. Many Americans suffered during the collapse and many are still in full recovery-mode, looking for any port in the storm. Unfortunately, some groups and individuals find that situation to be a perfect opportunity to con desperate individuals out of whatever they have left. To keep yourself safe from fraudulent activities, you should keep yourself informed. Read more about loan modification scams here.

Starting any project on your home is a commitment of time and energy. When you handle everything by yourself, there are less moving parts in the system. But when you need to hire a contractor, you face a unique set of challenges. Hiring the right contractor for the job requires you to do your homework before you hire. First stop can be with your friends and family for referrals. You might want to check National Association of the Remodeling Industry. These 5 tips will help too, read more here.

Google is upping its interest in solar by increasing its investment in Solar City. And when it does, you can benefit directly. All you need is a home, and a desire to save on your power bill. The promotion is designed to work like this: contact Solar City, work with them to design the right solar array for your house, and then sit back and enjoy the savings. Solar City will design a system that you lease, install it for free, and maintain it for the life of your lease. Even with the lease payments, it’s designed to save you money in the end. Read more here.

The recession was a hit to every sector of the economy and took its toll on every household across the country. In some areas, the fall was more drastic than in others, and so too, the recovery has arrived unevenly. Homes in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods have rebounded more slowly than comparable homes in White and Asian neighborhoods. The causes and effects of policy, society, and economics are all on display, and each has an influence. Zillow provides more information on the uneven recovery here.

A fresh coat of paint is a quick way to give any room a new look. But it might not be so easy. Painting interior and exterior surfaces takes a bit of preparation and craft to get it right. If you don’t have the time or the expertise to do it right, you probably want to hire a pro to do it. Knowing what’s important in your search for the right person to handle the job is key. You need to know the right qualities to look for in order to make the right hire. Read more here.