One way to insulate the space between existing walls is to blow in cellulose fiber loose-fill insulation by way of pneumatic equipment. This method is a fast, effective way to fill the stud cavities of houses built with regularly spaced studs. It is less effective for post and beam houses, which have irregular framing that results in odd-shaped spaces (such as triangular spaces between the braces) that are hard to fill.

Blown-in insulation works best where the wall cavities are empty. You won't gain much insulating value if existing insulation already fills most of the cavity. But even when there is no insulation in the wall, some cavities will always be partly blocked by pipes, wires, and built-in obstructions such as horizontal fire-stops. Sometimes, the blown-in insulation will fill around the blockage. Usually, however, a new hole will have to be drilled higher on the wall to feed insulation into the blocked section.

The proliferation of services that help homebuyers and sellers complete their own real-estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real-estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commissions that many real-estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go — and could end up being more costly than a commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial and emotional undertaking. Find out why you shouldn't discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.

1. Better access/more convenience

A real-estate agent's full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents and will know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real-estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers' agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you're shopping for homes that are for sale by owner.
What's your home worth?

Back in the dark ages when I took my first job out of college at the Sun Sentinel daily newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., I rented an apartment on the Intracoastal Waterway in the city. Its owners decided to convert to condominiums and offered me a deal to buy in — $20,000 for a two bedroom. My dad was over the moon. “Buy it quick,” he told me. “I’ll give you the down payment.”

I was 21 and a know-it-all. “What would I do with it?” I asked him, rolling my eyes. “I don’t want to own anything,” I said firmly.

Last year, I drove past the place. The units were selling for about a $1 million – even after the real estate downturn. I said a little prayer to God and my dad, who I’m sure is up there close by, asking for forgiveness for being so stupid and letting an amazing opportunity pass me by.