Be a Smarter Homeowner
19 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsWelcome to Be a Smarter Homeowner podcast, where hosts, Beth Dodson and John Bodrozic are dedicated to helping you save money and get organized while managing, maintaining, protecting, improving, and eventually buying or selling your largest financial asset and biggest expense, your home.
Discover how easy it is to be a smarter homeowner.
Having worked with homeowners for over 20 years, your co-hosts are two of the three co-founders of HomeZada, a digital home management software platform that helps you to manage everything about your home in one digital place.
Episodes of Be a Smarter Homeowner Podcast will feature John and Beth as they explore all the different aspects you need to know while owning a home; from home maintenance, home improvement projects, tracking your home finances, storing important documents, to creating a home inventory. With a focus on the financial impacts all of these things have on your home’s value and the expense to own it, turn the complexities of homeownership into solutions that will make your life easy and stress free.
Being a homeowner can be costly and frustrating if you're not in the know.
How do you know what maintenance tasks to do and when? Most homeowners forget or don’t know what to do which ends up costing you more money in repair and energy costs.
Do you understand your insurance policy? Save your wallet and home from taking a hit. Make sure you have the coverage for your belongings, with the liability protection you need.
Love DIY and home improvement? Plan and manage all your remodel, landscaping, and design projects. Discover how to hire contractors, stay on budget, track your costs, and save information for future tax, insurance, and resale purposes.
What financial info should you know? Stay in control and up to date on various financial metrics such as home values, mortgage balance, home equity, household expenses, completed projects and maintenance costs.
Where are your home documents? More disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and house fires cause home damage and destruction. Learn the value of having a home inventory using photos, videos, and documents of your home and your personal property.
Looking to buy an investment or rental property or vacation home? Discover important strategies on how to manage multiple homes by staying organized and in control.
Intimidated by being a first time homeowner? You're excited for your new home, but now what? Accelerate your knowledge on what it takes to manage your home and avoid costly mistakes.
How to get top dollar when selling your home? Get insights into current market conditions for your home and strategies you can take with your real estate agent to market your home.
Planning for retirement? Get prepared with financial planning on your home equity and even include estate management plans on how to disperse your home and your assets to your heirs.
Have an aging parent? Get information on downsizing or aging in place and more data on how to remotely manage your elderly parents’ home for them.
The podcast will feature experts in the industry. And with your home likely being one of the largest purchases of your lifetime, these experts will keep you informed, offer you tips and tricks, and weigh in on the risks and benefits of all things related to homeownership.
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Episodes
How to Manage a House Flip
June 23, 2022 10:00 - 28 minutes - 51.9 MBOn today’s episode, we discuss our tips for house flipping. Most people are aware of the HGTV version that shows a complete home remodel in a 1-hour episode. This conversation helps to peel back the layers and walk-through the financial and physical aspects that are crucial to executing a flip. Listen to learn the steps and processes to know what homes and locations to invest in, how to plan ahead for taxes, and what projects make a home more valuable. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:01] Wha...
How Health and Home Maintenance Go Hand and Hand
June 02, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 57.7 MBWe want to speak about how your home can impact your health. You might not realize but regular home maintenance plays an important role in protecting you from illness. On today's episode, we discuss four key components to consider when thinking of your health as it relates to your home. Listen as we give helpful tips related to air, water, fire and earth and the damage they can cause. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:20] What is a healthy home and why it’s important. [2:45] How to protect ...
Projects You Can Do Yourself During Home Remodeling Month
May 12, 2022 10:00 - 28 minutes - 52.4 MBMay is Home Remodeling Month but we don’t need to always do large and expensive projects. We can transform our homes with simple, low-cost, DIY projects. In this episode, we discuss the different types of projects you can do that are affordable, easy and can often be completed in a weekend. Tune in to hear our tips to refresh your home with simple DIY projects. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:50] Cost-effective exterior project ideas. [05:37] The benefits of installing low voltage lighting...
How to Get Your Home Ready to Sell or List With Jill Elliott
April 21, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 59.2 MBFor homeowners getting ready to sell their homes, what can or should you do to get your home ready to list? On today's episode, John and Beth are talking with Jill Elliott, a Broker Associate with over 10 years of experience in all aspects of real estate. Jill brings her realtor experience to share tips on what homeowners can do to list a home. She also shares stories of her experiences and suggestions from her own client's journeys through real estate sales. Jill offers advice on how to wor...
How to Interview a Contractor for a Remodel Project
March 31, 2022 10:00 - 27 minutes - 51.1 MBInterviewing a remodeling contractor for some may seem challenging. But we have some simple tips to help you have a fabulous relationship with your contractor. In today’s episode, we walk through the steps to consider before, during, and after a remodel project. Listen in to learn the tips and tricks on how to start your project off on the right foot and end on a good note! Questions to consider when starting a project: What should a homeowner do before researching for a remodelin...
Managing Multiple Homes
March 17, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 53.9 MBMany homeowners are investing in vacation homes or rental properties. And because they are investing in owning multiple homes, they have added concerns. We are going to talk about these additional concerns and what you need to do in order to successfully manage more than one home. Listen as we discuss maintenance schedules, the benefits of hiring a property manager, and the importance of a home inventory. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:27] Beth’s experience with managing more than one home...
The hybrid home, what does it look like?
March 03, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes - 45.7 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the face of America’s workplace. In fact, an increasing number of folks might find their “new office” feels a lot like home – because it is literally their home. Our post-pandemic “return to the office” may look different with hybrid or fully remote work models rapidly rising in popularity. Studies from Accenture support this trend with 83% of workers believing a hybrid model would be optimal going forward. Further, 87% of managers believe working...
What to Expect as a First-time Homeowner
February 17, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes - 55.9 MBWhen it comes to homeownership, first-time homeowners often have challenges. These challenges often surround home maintenance. Understanding the types of home maintenance that are necessary to manage a home and why home maintenance is important to keeping a home operating properly. If as a first-time homeowner, you need to hire someone to help with these tasks, how do you contract and interview these service providers? What can first-time homeowners look for when it comes to home management?...
Get Your Home Organized with Susie Hayman
January 27, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 59.2 MBJanuary is Get Organized Month. With that one of the best places to start is by taking a home inventory or organizing other areas around the home. In today’s episode, Beth is talking with the past president of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), Susie Hayman to discuss organization and what we can do to be better organized. We will cover how Get Organized Month came to be, how HomeZada can help you become better organized around your home. We will discuss physical and dig...
Staying on top of Home Finances
January 13, 2022 10:00 - 33 minutes - 61.5 MBIn today’s episode, John and Beth talk about home finances. Which includes more than just the aspects of buying or selling a home. We discuss the financial nuances of home buying, but we also talk about the importance of tracking and managing ongoing finances as a homeowner. We break down common homeowner’s expenses, how to prepare for them and save money, why you should keep track of the value of your home, and ultimately, how to make smarter financial decisions related to your home. ...
Staying on Top of Home Finances
January 13, 2022 10:00 - 33 minutes - 61.5 MBIn today’s episode, John and Beth talk about home finances. Which includes more than just the aspects of buying or selling a home. We discuss the financial nuances of home buying, but we also talk about the importance of tracking and managing ongoing finances as a homeowner. We break down common homeowner’s expenses, how to prepare for them and save money, why you should keep track of the value of your home, and ultimately, how to make smarter financial decisions related to your home. ...
Managing Home Improvements
December 30, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 58.7 MBIn today’s episode, John and Beth talk about how to manage home improvements. We talk about the culture's obsession with home improvements and discuss some of the most common problems that homeowners face with home improvement projects. John and Beth talk about budgets, hiring contractors, and how to make a plan for your home projects. At the end of the episode, we share several easy and important action items that will help be more successful with home improvement projects. IN THIS EP...
Are You Tracking Your Home Documents?
December 16, 2021 10:00 - 37 minutes - 68.2 MBIn today’s episode, John and Beth talk about how to manage the ever growing accumulation of home-owning documents. From mortgage contracts, appraisals, and home warranties to important receipts and owners manuals – the stack usually grows faster than we can manage. While the bulk of home documents may still be in paper format, there is an appealing draw to convert to a more digital strategy. In this episode John and Beth share tips on how best to organize your documents, the pros and cons of...
The Value of Maintaining Your Home
December 02, 2021 10:00 - 31 minutes - 57.4 MBJohn and Beth are here to share with you their tips and suggestions, as well as interviews with industry experts, with the goal of helping you become a smarter homeowner. Once we buy a home, we now ask ourselves the question... Now what? Today’s episode focuses on the value of maintaining your home, including home maintenance and all the different things that we as homeowners need to do to maintain our home. Tune in for advice on everything from preventative maintenance to standard maintenan...
What is a home inventory and why you need one?
October 21, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutes - 55.8 MBWelcome to the Be A Smarter Homeowner Podcast, today your hosts John Bodrozic and Beth Dodson are focusing on what a home inventory is and the reasons why they are recommended. As a homeowner, you may have not even thought about doing an inventory on your home, but if you need to make a claim it can be very helpful. Not just for insurance claims, home inventories become handy in managing money and estate planning as well. Tune in to this episode to get organized on maintaining and protecting...
What is a Home Inventory and Why You Need One?
October 21, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutes - 55.8 MBWelcome to the Be A Smarter Homeowner Podcast, today your hosts John Bodrozic and Beth Dodson are focusing on what a home inventory is and the reasons why they are recommended. As a homeowner, you may have not even thought about doing an inventory on your home, but if you need to make a claim it can be very helpful. Not just for insurance claims, home inventories become handy in managing money and estate planning as well. Tune in to this episode to get organized on maintaining and protecting...
What is Home Management?
October 21, 2021 09:00 - 32 minutes - 58.7 MBThe Be A Smarter Homeowner podcast is hosted by John Bodrozic and Elizabeth Dodson, the co-founders of HomeZada. The word ‘home’ means different things to different people. In this episode John and Elizabeth discuss various types of homes, from farms to townhouses as well as all aspects of home management. Home management includes collectibles, the physical structure of the home and keeping track of finances and documents. To save money and time, a digital home management system could ...
How it all Started!
October 19, 2021 20:02 - 34 minutes - 63.5 MBIn today's episode, Beth Dodson and John Bodrozic share a bit of their background in entrepreneurship and their journey as homeowners. Then, Beth and John explain the inspiration behind HomeZada and what the process was like developing an all-in-one suite of apps to manage your home. Then, the two discuss why they wanted to start the Be A Smarter Homeowner Podcast. Tune in as Beth and John talk about what type of homeowners they typically work with and what you can expect from future episode...
How it All Started!
October 19, 2021 20:02 - 34 minutes - 63.5 MBIn today's episode, Beth Dodson and John Bodrozic share a bit of their background in entrepreneurship and their journey as homeowners. Then, Beth and John explain the inspiration behind HomeZada and what the process was like developing an all-in-one suite of apps to manage your home. Then, the two discuss why they wanted to start the Be A Smarter Homeowner Podcast. Tune in as Beth and John talk about what type of homeowners they typically work with and what you can expect from future episode...