Watch the video on YouTube https://youtu.be/eJQpUgDitMU

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks about how to avoid getting taken advantage of by a dishonest contractor, especially if you are having your HVAC, gutters, or asphalt looked at.

Thank you to the Moolah Shrine Center of St. Louis for providing the filming location. Consider becoming a Shriner today.

1:08 Pick up a copy of Troy’s book at https://www.amazon.com/Building-Confidence-ESSENTIAL-Contractor-Hiring-ebook/dp/B0CYXPY63S

6:38 HVAC Cons

7:50 Ultra high-efficiency HVAC system con

10:50 Must upgrade HVAC NOW con

13:23 Cheapest contractor isn’t always the best

16:00 Freon con

21:17 Warranties not backed by the manufacturer

25:38 Gutter guards

31:46 Sewer lateral cleaning and camera scoping

32:27 Small cutting tool to clean out the drain

36:38 Paying extra to locate lines

39:43 6 tips to remove tree roots in a sewer line

42:34 Blacktop asphalt driveways

43:18 Not filling in the cracks

45:30 Watering down asphalt coating

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

Watch the video on YouTube https://youtu.be/GCMvZ5LJQUg

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks about how to avoid getting taken advantage of by a dishonest contractor.

Pick up a copy of Troy’s book at https://www.amazon.com/Building-Confidence-ESSENTIAL-Contractor-Hiring-ebook/dp/B0CYXPY63S

2:15 A portion of the proceeds from Troy’s book will go to the Moolah Shriners of St. Louis

5:17 Insurance certificates

7:37 Faked references

9:46 Written estimates

13:25 Warranties

17:20 Building permits

21:22 Payments and down payments

25:16 Scheduling

27:38 Bait and switch

30:38 Taxes on labor

32:00 Liens

34:19 HVAC

39:03 Freon

40:57 Dirty HVAC air filters

42:54 Foundation repairs

52:38 Cracks in the foundation

54:37 Foundation settling

58:12 Adding chemicals to shorten the drying time

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

Pick up a copy of Troy’s book at https://www.amazon.com/Building-Confidence-ESSENTIAL-Contractor-Hiring-ebook/dp/B0CYXPY63S

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks to Michael Caples about the different ways insurance protects your home including when you hire a general contractor to renovate your home.

Find out more about Mike Caples at https://agents.farmers.com/mo/arnold/michael-caples/home-insurance/

https://www.facebook.com/michael.caples.insurance/

2:15 A portion of the proceeds from Troy’s book will go to the Shriners.

3:29 Mike Caples has been in insurance for over 25 years

5:00 Most home insurance claims in the Midwest involve the roof

13:20 How do you assess if a roof was installed correctly?

14:25 Avoiding “storm chasers” who prey on homeowners after a bad storm

16:00 Ask to see a contractor’s proof of insurance

18:30 Workman's comp

21:18 Contractor licensing

26:10 Subcontractor contracts

28:20 Undocumented laborers will not have a tax ID

30:00 Will insurance deny a claim if renovations were done without permits?

31:00 Story about bad wiring injuring a cable guy

34:00 Terrorism coverage

36:00 Don't rely on FEMA to take care of you

38:00 Flood insurance

40:40 Sewer and sump pump endorsement

42:40 Rebuilding from the ground up

43:40 Call the insurance company when you get your declaration page

47:05 A lot of policies don't cover mold

48:30 What if a contractor cracks my driveway?

50:20 Removing snow

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

Pick up a copy of Troy’s book at https://www.amazon.com/Building-Confidence-ESSENTIAL-Contractor-Hiring-ebook/dp/B0CYXPY63S

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks to Rebecca Ulsas of Champion Floor Company about some of the different ways to make your floors more appealing. Find out how Champion can help even if your wood floors are stained from animal urine or suffering from termite damage.

Find out more about Champion Floor Company at https://championfloor.com/

3:18 Fixing damage from pet urine and termites

4:30 Sand and finish vs prefab floors

6:01 Pull up your register vent to see if you have wood floor

7:30 Hollywood stairs

9:20 Rugs

12:10 Luxury vinyl

15:00 Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair, and Painting

19:10 Padding

19:45 What makes carpet good quality

21:00 Nylon and SmartStrand carpet

22:30 Fleck carpet

22:50 Come visit Champion’s showroom

23:26 Rug artist at the Champion showroom events

24:05 Linoleum

24:16 Floor samples

26:00 Wood patching

27:05 Kilz used for the pet smells

31:33 A horror story about a lady with 10 cats

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks to Kevin Pannebecker about home repair services and his company Mister Fix-It STL. Find out why you may not want to work with a fly-by-night handyman who won’t accept credit cards.

https://misterfixitstl.com/

info@mrfixitstl.com

636-486-1011

Check out Kevin’s first visit appearance on About the House back in September of 2019

1:22 Pick up Troy’s book, Building With Confidence: The ESSENTIAL Contractor Hiring Guide

1:55 Mister Fix-It is a handyman service on steroids

8:10 Carpentry projects

9:36 Deck repair and rotted wood replacement

10:55 Window repair and replacement

15:26 Electrical technicians

16:08 GFCI

21:14 Non-tip oven

21:52 Smart thermostat

22:43 Plumbing contractors

22:53 Bathroom Remodeling

24:31 Drywall and painting

29:18 Replacing light fixtures, screens, faucets, baseboards

33:12 Hanging pictures

37:07 Accepting credit cards

Watch the full presentation at https://youtu.be/Fmpw9lk5Pk0?si=nM4nGDQcXNsI1SEW

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy gives a live presentation to members of the St. Louis Real Estate Investors Association on how to be your own general contractor, how to hire a contractor, and his book ‘Building with Confidence’.

To find out more about the St. Louis Real Estate Investors Association, check them out at https://www.stlreia.com/

10:33 How are we going to pay for the project

11:56 Know what your project will look like

14:04 Types of building contractors

20:00 Where to find contractors

25:26 Contracts

38:10 Insurance requirements

44:41 Equipment, materials, and storage

48:52 Access to other areas of the home

51:16 Designated smoking area

55:57 Communication

59:55 Pets

1:03:49 Lien waivers

1:10:41 Penalties

1:12:40 Change orders

1:15:17 Permits

1:23:00 Bidding requirements

1:24:29 Conditions of the contract

1:25:00 Drawings and blueprints

1:26:28 The Golden Rule

WATCH ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/IKgHO21RcAQ

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks to Richard Brown about Reverse Mortgages a.k.a. HECMs. Find out how you can use your home’s value to pay for medical expenses and in-home healthcare.

Contact Rick Brown, Reverse Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS #247348

C : (314) 249-3418

F : (314) 334-2919

rbrown@university-bank.com

https://www.university-bank.com/reverse/about-reverse/rick-brown/

DISCLOSURE: University Bank – Reverse Mortgage Division, Equal Housing Opportunity - NMLS 715685, 2015 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 – (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), Member FDIC that operates in various states. For a complete list of the states University Bank can operate in please visit https://www.university-bank.com/licensing. This is not a commitment to lend or an offer for a rate lock agreement. All Mortgage transactions are subject to verification of application information, satisfying all underwriting conditions and requirements. Restrictions apply.

3:00 How long has Rick been doing Reverse Mortgages A.K.A. HECMs?

4:47 How does Rick explain Reverse Mortgages to new clients?

6:35 Rick has to read a disclosure. The numbers presented today are examples and do not reflect what your numbers will be.

34:26 Rick begins his slideshow presentation

34:30 Introduction to Reverse Mortgages A.K.A. Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (H.E.C.M.)

34:39 What is the definition of a Reverse Mortgage or H.E.C.M.?

36:20 What are some issues to think about when considering a Reverse Mortgage?

39:30 Adjustable and fixed-rate Reverse Mortgages

39:43 A brief overview of Reverse Mortgages

42:23 The mechanics of a Reverse Mortgage

45:13 An example of a HECM with a $300,000 home

50:05 What happens if the home value does not appreciate after a Reverse Mortgage is put in place?

50:59 A chart showing the home appreciation rate being less than expected

53:03 What if there is an average 3% increase in interest rate?

55:03 How/why might a senior borrower use line of credit funds in the future

55:18 Potential future uses of growing line of credit

58:15 Delaying commencement of social security

58:56 One spouse dies

1:00:14 Directing all proceeds to a guaranteed monthly payment

1:03:57 What are ill-suited quarters?

1:05:51 HECM for purchase

1:06:43 Rightsizing to a new home

1:07:14 Impact on retirement success likelihood

1:08:55 Sampling of potential HECM users

1:09:23 Why not wait to get a HECM until I know I need it

1:10:36 Reasons to get a Reverse Mortgage today rather than later

1:11:58 Reverse Mortage VS a home equity line of credit

1:12:30 FHA HECM guarantees

1:13:00 How does the FHA prevent insolvency?

1:13:43 Qualifying requirements for a HECM

1:14:19 What seniors are good candidates for a Reverse Mortgage?

1:14:45 What do financial planning gurus think of HECMs?

1:15:00 HECMs and the financial planning profession

1:16:03 What is the FHA’s 60% year 1 proceeds limitation rule?

1:17:26 How do adjustable rate mortgages work?

1:18:12 What is the story with non-borrowing spouses?

1:19:26 How do Reverse Mortgages work in a Grey Divorce Settlement?

1:19:41 Adjustable and fixed-rate HECMs

1:20:20 Expanded HECM overview

1:20:26 More questions? Contact Rick at rbrown@university-bank.com

This episode of About the House is brought to you by the Construction Consumer Advocacy Institute https://constructionconsumeradvocacyinstitute.com/ ⁠

In this episode of About the House with Troy Galloway, Troy talks to water specialist and chemist Jeanne Carton about getting the best water for your home or business.

Find out more about what Jeanne at https://www.h2onlywater.com/ or 3328 N Lindbergh Blvd, Northwest Plaza, MO 63074

3:00 Jeanne “The Water Genie” Carton is originally from Belgium

5:33 Why do we need a water softener?

7:20 How can water from the same river taste so different in another city?

8:30 Why is there lime in the water?

9:20 What is chloramine?

10:15 Kineteco Water Softeners

12:14 What is the National Sanitation Foundation

13:29 Mike Holmes is a spokesman for the Kinetico products

14:00 Well water

18:00 Lime buildup in pipe

20:00 It costs more money in electricity to heat hard water

20:45 Jeanne will not sell a water softener to someone with galvanized pipe

31:25 Spindown filter

34:16 Reverse osmosis drinking water

48:39 Bottled water chemicals

51:30 Tap water vs bottled water