With iOS 17.5, Apple is adding a “Repair State” feature that is designed to allow an iPhone to be sent in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock. The fourth iOS 17.5 beta that came out today adds a “Remove This Device” option for all devices in Find My, and using it with an iPhone puts that iPhone into the new Repair State.
Right now, sending an iPhone to Apple to be repaired requires turning off Find My, and Apple says that it “might not” be able to repair devices that have Find My activated. Turning off Find My disables Activation Lock, an important anti-theft security feature that prevents an iPhone from being used with another Apple ID.
Apple currently uses Find My and Activation Lock as a way to ensure that a person sending a device in for repair actually owns that device, and that it’s not stolen. An iPhone sent in for repair with Find My disabled cannot be tracked, and it is not protected from theft, so if it is lost or stolen at some point in transit during the repair process, there is no recovery method available. Removing Find My also has a hitch with Stolen Device Protection, as there is an hour wait when turning off Find My, which can be inconvenient for repair purposes.
The new repair state leaves Find My turned on, so Activation Lock remains enabled, and the iPhone continues to be trackable with the Find My app while it is being repaired. When enabled, the device in the repair state has a “Ready for Repair” label. “This device remains fully functional in the repair state,” reads the text.
In the list of devices, an iPhone put into a repair state has a small stethoscope icon, and it can be marked as lost. While in repair state, the iPhone is fully functional.
As of right now, using the “Remove This Device” option in Find My to enable a repair state appears to be limited to the iPhone. Using it on other devices like an iPhone, Mac, or Apple Watch shows a warning that the feature will remove the device from the Apple ID account, allowing it to be used by someone else. Note that an iPhone must be online and trackable through Find My for the repair state option to pop up. An iPhone that is offline will display the standard removal text. It is also worth noting that repair state cannot be disabled at the current time.
Repair state is a feature that is still in development, so it might work with other devices when iOS 17.5 and its sister updates launch in May.
When Lisa McCorkell got COVID-19 in March 2020, her symptoms were mild. Her physicians told her to isolate from others and that she would recover in a few weeks. But the weeks stretched into months and McCorkell, who was working on a master’s degree in public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, started having debilitating and bewildering symptoms: fatigue, dizziness and shortness of breath. Previously an avid runner, McCorkell found her heart racing from simple efforts.
She struggled to find an explanation, and soon realized that her physicians didn’t know any more about her condition than she did. To complicate matters, the limited availability of high-quality testing for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the early days of the pandemic left many of her doctors wondering whether her symptoms were really due to COVID-19 at all. “I didn’t have health-care providers that took me seriously,” McCorkell says. “That largely pushed me out of the health-care system.”
McCorkell turned instead to those who were experiencing the same puzzling symptoms and frustrations, joining a support group for people with what would eventually be called long COVID. As they compared notes, McCorkell and a handful of others — many of whom had research experience — realized that the information they were sharing might be helpful not only for those with long COVID, but also for those looking to study the condition. So, they founded a non-profit organization, called the Patient-Led Research Collaborative (PLRC), to design, provide advice on and even fund basic and clinical research into long COVID and other chronic illnesses.
Four years on: the career costs for scientists battling long COVID
A survey run by the group and published in 2021 catalogued the more than 200 symptoms experienced by people with the condition (H. E. Davis et al. eClinicalMedicine38, 101019; 2021). It is seen by some as putting long COVID on the map. “They really jump-started the interest,” says Lucinda Bateman, a physician in Salt Lake City, Utah, who specializes in treating people who have long COVID and related conditions. “That was really a point from where more broad awareness arose.”
In the past few years, this study and similar patient-led efforts have helped to shape research programmes on long COVID and kick off some early clinical trials of therapies that might otherwise have gone unexplored. Many patient advocates see the efforts as crucial. They also think the results are more helpful for advancing the understanding of long COVID than the current findings from programmes funded by the US$1.15-billion RECOVER initiative led by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). People with long COVID and their advocates have criticized the initiative for not always listening to the needs of people with long COVID.
Getting involved in research is challenging, given the symptoms of long COVID, but many patient advocates say they have no choice. “They’ve got you over a barrel,” says Margaret O’Hara, who coordinates patient involvement in research for a National Health Service hospital trust in England. O’Hara is on medical leave owing to long COVID. Referring to the research, she says: “You have to do it, because you are the one who is going to suffer for it if you don’t, but at the same time, you’re in bed sick.”
A plethora of symptoms
The PLRC’s survey of long COVID symptoms was the first major research study of the condition. The premise was simple enough: authors surveyed almost 3,800 people in 56 countries, many of whom were members of various long COVID support groups worldwide, including the network Body Politic, from which the PLRC originated. When the authors analysed the data, they found scores of symptoms in at least ten organ systems.
The study showed that the most prevalent problems were fatigue, post-exertional malaise — a worsening of symptoms after exertion — and the cognitive dysfunction that came to be referred to as brain fog. Nearly 86% of participants reported relapses triggered by exertion; 87% said fatigue was a main symptom; and 88% reported brain fog, with no differences in cognitive issues across age groups.
NIH launches trials for long COVID treatments: what scientists think
The paper has amassed more than 1,000 citations, been mentioned in some 60 policy statements and is widely considered a seminal paper in long COVID research, owing to its in-depth analysis. For McCorkell, however, its impact is more fundamental. “What we demonstrated with the survey is that patients can lead high-quality research, and that it’s really necessary in order to have the most comprehensive look at a condition.”
The achievement is especially notable considering that the study was conducted by unpaid volunteers, most of whom identify as disabled, and it received no financial support. By contrast, many long COVID research initiatives have tended to focus on a subset of symptoms, which comes with the risk of missing the bigger picture, says McCorkell.
“There’s a lot of complexity in these illnesses, and I think it’s really important to embrace these complexities,” says Beth Pollack, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, whose work focuses on understanding long COVID and other infection-associated chronic illnesses. With conditions that have a range of symptoms, and for which there is only limited research, building a knowledge base starts by listening to patients’ stories and capturing the nuances of their conditions, Pollack says.
Desperate measures
In early 2020, Martha Eckey, a pharmacist in Minneapolis, Minnesota, developed a COVID-like illness. She experienced a crushing fatigue that no amount of sleep could relieve, and was bedbound for days at a time. The physicians she went to for help had no answers. In desperation, Eckey turned to the online community of people with long COVID.
She found people trying treatments from prescription medications to over-the-counter supplements. But the effectiveness of these was restricted largely to personal anecdotes.
In the hope of getting a more comprehensive, systematic understanding of what worked, Eckey designed a survey called TREAT ME, which asked people with long COVID and those with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), about their experiences, including whether they had tried any of a list of 150 medications and supplements. More than 4,000 people responded.
Martha Eckey’s TREAT ME survey found overlap between treatments people were using for long COVID and for other chronic conditions.Credit: John Karp
Eckey found overlap with other chronic conditions. Some treatments revealed by the survey as most effective for long COVID were drugs such as beta blockers and the heart-failure medication Corlanor (ivabradine). These are sometimes used to treat postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a nervous-system disorder that can be triggered by COVID-19. Eckey also found that a number of individuals reported relief after taking naltrexone, a non-opioid drug for treating substance-use disorder. When taken at low doses, it has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
Physiotherapist David Putrino, who specializes in rehabilitation and human performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, says that the TREAT ME survey captured something both simple and profoundly important. “It’s a very fundamental question of, ‘what are you taking that’s helping right now?’” he says. The results have helped to guide his research on long COVID.
Listening to patients
TREAT ME attracted the attention of scientists and research foundations, who soon realized that this information could help to shape their efforts. One was the Open Medicine Foundation, a non-profit organization in Agoura Hills, California, that studies infection-associated chronic illnesses such as long COVID and ME/CFS.
Linda Tannenbaum, a clinical laboratory scientist, founded the Open Medicine Foundation in 2012 in response to the difficulties she encountered while seeking a diagnosis and treatment for her daughter, who has ME/CFS. Its first double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial will explore low-dose naltrexone (LDN) and another drug, pyridostigmine, which is used to treat an autoimmune disorder that affects voluntary muscle movements. The medications will be tested separately and in combination. Tannenbaum credits TREAT ME for helping to shape which symptoms will be assessed during the trial.
“The reason we are doing LDN as our first trial is that patients asked for it,” she says. TREAT ME also showed that many people with long COVID said that LDN helped to reduce brain fog (see go.nature.com/3qy2tpj). Given these results, the Open Medicine Foundation also incorporated parameters in the trial to test cognitive function. Both LDN and pyridostigmine have been used to treat long COVID, but as many patients report, physicians are often reluctant to prescribe these drugs because of a lack of formal, randomized, controlled trials showing their effectiveness. “Doctors are very hesitant to go outside approved, or at least medically tested, medications,” says Bateman. In her experience, insurance companies also won’t pay for these medications for people with ME/CFS and long COVID without strong evidence to support their use.
Many patient advocates say that there is insufficient clinical research on the kinds of drug that people are already using. In February, the RECOVER initiative received a further $515 million over the next 4 years to test more interventions and investigate the long-term effects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. But so far, the only trials it has begun are of the antiviral medication Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), which started enrolling patients in July 2023, and of ivabradine and intravenous immunoglobulin, which recruited its first participants last month.
Lauren Nichols, a long COVID patient advocate, helped to lead the Body Politic support group.Credit: Lauren Owens Lambert/Reuters
“There are a lot of clinical trials that are focused on more behavioural and on non-pharmaceutical interventions, and that is really not a priority to the patient community,” McCorkell says. “It is a misunderstanding of how severe the condition is, and how much of an impact on people’s quality of life it has taken.”
A spokesperson for RECOVER told Nature that the clinical trial of a computer game has already started enrolling participants and that the exercise trial is still scheduled to begin. They emphasized that these are accessible interventions, which might help some people who are affected, given the wide range of symptoms. They also said that moving these trials forwards will help in developing the framework for testing more treatments.
Lifting the fog
In the weeks after her initial COVID-19 infection, Hannah Davis found herself struggling with severe brain fog, to the point at which she could barely string two sentences together. Davis, who at the time was working as a data analyst and artist, with a particular focus on addressing biases in machine learning, kept waiting for her cognitive function to go back to normal, only for it never to return. “I had, and continue to have, terrible, terrible cognitive impairment,” says Davis, who is one of the co-founders of the PLRC.
Long COVID exercise trials proposed by NIH raise alarm
Brain fog is having a significant impact on people’s livelihoods, says Wes Ely, a physician-scientist who works in intensive care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. People with long COVID have a form of cognitive impairment that is often “like mild and moderate dementia”, he says.
Ely, who studies treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, decided in 2020 to expand into studying the cognitive impairments associated with long COVID. He quickly recognized that the condition is deeply complex, with symptoms that go beyond cognitive impairment.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon, he turned to the patient community, eventually recruiting Davis and Jaime Seltzer, director of scientific and medical outreach at the non-profit organization ME Action in Santa Monica, California. Together, they drafted a clinical trial to test the medication baricitinib, an immunomodulatory drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia areata, and acute COVID-19 infections. “I wanted to learn from people who are living with this disease,” says Ely.
The trio, along with other US investigators, designed a 550-person clinical trial of baricitinib as a potential treatment for long COVID. The trial has now been funded by the NIH and will start enrolment later this year.
From Seltzer’s perspective, an effective collaboration between patients and scientists can help both sides equally, because it leads to more effective and targeted research. “We have the resources to help you do what you do even better,” Seltzer says. The lived experiences of patients can shape research priorities in several key ways, she says. These include finding the most efficient way to allocate limited funds on the basis of symptom burden; offering context on the prevalence and severity of symptoms; and identifying how the trial design can capture improvement most effectively. All of this can help lead to faster breakthroughs in treatments, which is of benefit to both patients and researchers, Seltzer says.
Microclot mystery
In late autumn 2022, McCorkell flew to New York City to participate in a trial being conducted by Putrino and his team. This study aimed to look for the presence of tiny blood clots, called microclots, in people with long COVID. It is thought that these cause symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog by impairing blood flow to the brain and body. There are still a lot of unknowns about microclots, including how many people with long COVID have them, how they form and whether the association is causal.
Long-COVID treatments: why the world is still waiting
McCorkell gave blood samples that were analysed using fluorescent microscopy, which confirmed she had microclots. McCorkell says it was “a wake-up call”. Until that point, she had been managing her symptoms mainly by avoiding overexertion. But the presence of the clots suggested to her that there might be active damage happening to her body. So, she started taking supplements that TREAT ME survey respondents reported as helpful.
Eckey’s results, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, show that of 668 respondents with long COVID, between 40% and 70% found some symptom relief when taking the supplements nattokinase, serrapeptase or lumbrokinase, individually or in combination (see go.nature.com/43xgyoq).
When Putrino saw these results, he decided it was crucial to conduct clinical trials of the supplements. He expects to begin a 120-person study on lumbrokinase in the coming months, and has involved patients at every step of its development.
“Every research trial that we run, we involve the patient community in the protocol,” Putrino says. This includes taking their advice on what trials should be prioritized, what symptoms to assess, how many clinic visits to require and what the testing environment should be like, to minimize the risk of exacerbating their symptoms, he says.
McCorkell says that the supplements she’s been taking have improved her general function by about 10%. Whereas that might not sound like much, she feels it is meaningful progress. Although the long COVID research has been difficult, she sees no other option but to stay involved. “We’re driven by desperation, out of improving our own quality of life.”
It sounds too good to be true. The ability to smoke meats, seafood and more inside your kitchen without risking your security deposit doesn’t seem like something that should be possible. GE Appliances begs to differ. The company debuted the final version of its GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker just before CES, quickly nabbing the attention of this wood-fired-grill reviewer. Thanks to a unique filtration system, the unit captures smoke while cooking and only expels warm air (out of the front). After getting a small taste (literally one bite) in Vegas of what the smoker could do, I’ve spent the last few weeks cooking a variety of proteins to see if the $999 device is as compelling as it seems.
Design
The GE indoor smoker has the stature of a small mini fridge. It’s not far off from the quick-cooking ovens behind the counter at Starbucks either. Its glossy front is two-thirds door, complete with viewing window, while the remaining space is dedicated to the control panel and pellet waste bin. Up top is a small sliding door at the front left for adding food-grade wood pellets. The sides and back look plain and boring, like a countertop oven or microwave, but that’s just fine. The contraption is short enough to fit under cabinets, but you’ll want to leave space on the sides and back for radiant heat.
GE
The smoker imparts noticeable wood-fired flavor into meats, seafood and sides, plus it offers some handy features. It requires a few extra steps grills don’t, but you also don’t have to venture outdoors to use it.
At the bottom of the front, there’s a vent where the GE indoor smoker expels warm air while it’s cooking. The company also provides a small drip tray that slides under the front edge to help keep your counter clean. Over to the right, a display sits up top to show you status, probe temperature, smoker temperature, cook time and smoke level. You turn a knob to navigate settings and menus and then press to confirm your choices. Back and Start buttons flank that dial on the left and right sides respectively. There’s progress and status lights that encircle the knob too, adding a visual cue during preheating, cooking and more.
Under the knob is a smattering of buttons to get to certain functions quickly. These include settings, cancel, the interior light, activating the Clear Smoke feature and toggling between probe temperature and cooking time on the display. There’s also a power switch in this group and they’re all touch-based rather than clicky physical buttons.
Inside, supports snap onto the sides to hold the three moveable racks in place. A drip pan slides into the bottom to catch grease and other debris. To keep tabs on food temps, a probe snaps into a jack at the top right of the cooking chamber and can be stored on the outside of the smoker via a magnetic holder when not in use. Lastly, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker’s prime piece of tech, the Active Smoke Filtration system, is on the back interior wall.
Setup and use
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
Another benefit of the GE indoor smoker is that it’s ready to go out of the box. There’s no seasoning or burn-off required to get rid of oils or other manufacturing leftovers. Simply snap the rack supports in place, slide in the racks, put the drip pan in the bottom and that’s it for the cooking chamber. Once you add pellets in the slot up top and fill the water tank to the indicated level, the smoker is almost ready to start cooking.
One more step you’ll need to do the first time you cook, or anytime you empty the pellet chute, is to prime the auger. This ensures that the device will start producing smoke quickly and efficiently, giving your food as much time as possible to bathe in it. Afterwards, you can choose a preset or opt to go full manual mode (called Customize) and you’re off and running.
GE has dialed-in selections for brisket, pork ribs, pork butt, wings, chicken and salmon. These offer the necessary time and temperature settings for proper cooking, including a recommended smoke level. Additionally, you can determine the duration of the cook based on time or internal food temperature. Once either of those are achieved, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker can automatically go into Keep Warm mode until you’re ready to eat.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
A word on larger cuts: you’ll need to portion them out in order to make them fit. For things like ribs and brisket, you can easily slice them in half and make use of the rack system. I did chuckle when reading the recipe book as GE says you can fit a 18-pound brisket in this smoker. That single cut of beef would take up most of the cooking area on some pellet grills, so you definitely have to cut it to fit here. And even then, the pieces will be quite large.
Pork butts fit with ease, as do whole chickens. If you prefer to spatchcock your birds to cook them, that won’t work here. However, you could easily do two chicken halves. I was also able to accommodate nearly four pounds of wings (flats and drums) across the three racks. Basically, any meat you’d smoke on an outdoor grill can be done on this unit, but some of them will take a bit of extra planning, and maybe a few cuts, to get them to fit.
How does the GE Indoor Smoker work?
After you’ve selected your preset or manually entered your cooking parameters and pressed start, the GE indoor smoker will ask you to confirm that you’ve added both pellets to the chute and water to the waste bin. From there, the device will preheat to the appropriate temperature before it begins producing any smoke. This will allow you to put your food inside without having to clear the smoke immediately. The last step is to push the start dial once more to begin the smoking process.
Before you open the door while things are cooking, you’ll need to activate the Clear Smoke function to avoid setting off any alarms in your kitchen. This takes 10 minutes, so you’ll have to plan ahead a bit – unless you don’t mind smoking up the room. I mention this because you will have to flip and rotate nearly everything you prepare in this thing to make sure it cooks evenly. I learned this lesson the hard way with a pork butt that burned on top but was undercooked near the bone. A simple flip and front-to-back rotation for everything about half-way through the process remedied the issue for everything I cooked after that, but it is an extra step that outdoor grills don’t require. You can leave a pork butt on a pellet grill unbothered until it’s done, but those have fans pushing heat around the cooking chamber. GE says it didn’t opt for a convection fan in this unit because of how it would’ve affected the flow of smoke.
Can you taste the smoke?
One of the biggest questions I had about the GE indoor smoker is if you’d actually be able to taste the smoke. The unit burns just enough wood pellets to fill the cooking chamber with smoke, which is enough to give proteins a kiss of flavor. It’s certainly not as intense as what you get on an outdoor grill, but it’s definitely there.
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GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker food samples
A single baby back rib bone, sliced to show the interior texture.
Since the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker does an excellent job of regulating temperature, the texture of all of those meats, and even seafood, is consistently moist and tender. Smoke flavor was most prominent in wings, chicken and salmon, but I could taste it in larger cuts of meat, too. GE allows you to adjust the smoke level from 0 to 5, so you can crank it all the way up to maximize the flavor if that’s your culinary preference. I almost always set it to level 5.
Let’s talk about smoke rings
One thing you won’t see on meat cooked low-and-slow in the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is a smoke ring. This is the pink area along the outside of sliced meats that most people think indicates how well smoke has penetrated the food. That’s actually a misconception. A smoke ring is caused by a chemical reaction with nitric oxide gas produced by burning wood or charcoal. It isn’t by any means an indication of the level of smoke flavor, or even good barbecue.
Outdoor pellet grills, offset smokers and even a Weber kettle with charcoal will create a noticeable smoke ring on things like ribs, pork butts and briskets. The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker will not. That’s because the appliance isn’t burning wood pellets as the heat source – it’s only using them to flavor the food. That takes very little fuel, and it also requires barely any heat to smolder them.
You can actually fake a smoke ring if you really want one for the ‘gram, but overdoing it can ruin your food, so tread carefully. For that, you’ll need a small amount of something that contains sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, like Morton’s Tender Quick. It’s the stuff that’s used to cure pastrami, where the pink color is essential.
Cleanup and maintenance
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
Unlike most outdoor grills, all of the racks and rack supports inside the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker are dishwasher safe – simply by virtue of being small enough to fit. Since you’ll have to wipe down the interior of the cooking chamber with a solution of either mild soap and water or vinegar and water, not having to hand-wash what’s sure to be the dirtiest part of the machine is a plus. The drip pan is made out of a similar material to roasting pans you’d use in an oven, so you can probably stick it in the dishwasher too. I have been doing this with no issues so far, but you can always wrap it in foil before you start smoking for easy cleaning.
You’ll also need to empty the water tank that collects and extinguishes the spent pellets after each use, though the smoker may ask you to do so midway through longer sessions. You’ll need to strain out the remaining wood particles from the water before discarding the cooled solids in the trash. Since the water container doesn’t touch any food, a quick wipe and rinse is all that’s needed here.
GE says you’ll occasionally need to clean the pellet ramp to ensure proper smoke production. The company includes a small brush that’s used to keep unwanted debris out of the cooking chamber. Simply lift the smoke inlet cover on the right side of the cooking area and use the brush to remove anything that’s accumulated there. The company also recommends that you wipe the interior light after each use. I assume that’s so you’ll be able to see well during the cooking process, but GE doesn’t elaborate on why you need to do it.
GE Profile SmartHQ app
The Smart Indoor Smoker works with GE’s SmartHQ app to allow you to monitor the small appliance over Wi-Fi. With this software, you can monitor smoker and food temperatures from anywhere, as well as activate the 10-minute Clear Smoke process from the sofa. The app also lets you turn the internal light on and off, but that’s really about it. You can’t actually adjust the smoker temperature without walking over to it.
The smoker comes with a recipe book, but it would’ve been great if those (and many more) were available inside the app. Those instructions, paired with the ability to send the appropriate cooking info to the device, would give new users a lot of ways to get started beyond the simple protein-specific presets. I would also love it if there was a way to trigger the Keep Warm function or shut down the smoker remotely. You know, for the times when I get too excited about putting pulled pork in my mouth and forget to turn the machine off before sitting down at the table.
Is it better than an outdoor grill?
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
While it’s tempting to compare the results from the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker to those of a pellet, charcoal or wood-burning grill, it would be like discussing apples and oranges. Since all of the other options have an open flame and use significantly more fuel as the primary heat source, the smoke flavor is much more intense. They also require a lot more planning. First, you’d need dedicated outdoor space where those grills and smokers will be safe to use. You’ll also need to consider the added cleaning and maintenance needed to keep them running well.
All of these outdoor grills have a wider temperature range, so they can be used for more than just smoking. You could use a pellet grill, for example, to do everything from brisket to searing steaks. Ditto for charcoal or wood-burning units. And if you factor in Wi-Fi-enabled features, outdoor grills typically allow you to adjust temperature in addition to just monitoring it. Some of them even offer advanced tools like the Super Smoke mode from Traeger or the ability to send recipes to the grill as part of step-by-step guidance.
All this considered, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is still a good option for people who can’t have an outdoor smoker due to rental agreements or a lack of space. You’ll certainly need to plan ahead on how to store the appliance when you’re not using it. But, the fact that you can put it in your kitchen opens up the ability to cook barbecue, smoked wings, tasty seafood and more that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It’s not entirely a “set it and forget it” type of device, and there are some hoops to jump through in terms of rotating things during the cook. However, you won’t have to spend hours babying the meats the cooking starts.
Wrap-up
The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker works just like the company describes. The only real nuisance is having to flip and rotate foods to make sure they’re cooked properly. I really wish the company was more up-front about this somewhere other than the troubleshooting table and recipe book. It’s a key action that shouldn’t be left to trial and error. Even with that caveat, the device produces noticeably smoky flavor in a range of foods, albeit in a more-subdued way than what an outdoor grill.
Presets make it easy to get started and the manual mode will provide an open playground once you gain some experience. This won’t replace your pellet or charcoal grill, but that’s not really the point. It lets people who can’t own one of those make some tasty barbecue inside their kitchens. You just have to find a place to store it, or give up previously allocated countertop space, between smoke sessions.
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GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker review
GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker has just started smoked chicken wings. Photo is from the left corner, interior light is on.
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Owning a home is often considered the ultimate dream for many, but it also comes with its fair share of financial burdens. As the costs of homeownership continue to rise, more people are looking for ways to sell their properties quickly and easily. One increasingly popular option is turning to cash home buyers for financial relief. This article will explore the various expenses associated with owning a home, and how companies can provide a lifeline for those seeking to sell their property quickly.
The Financial Burdens of Homeownership
Property Taxes
Property taxes are an unavoidable expense that can add up quickly. Depending on the location and value of your property, you could be paying thousands of dollars annually in taxes. These taxes often increase over time, putting additional strain on homeowners.
Maintenance and Repairs
As a homeowner, you’re responsible for the upkeep and repair of your property. This includes everything from fixing a leaky roof to maintaining the landscaping. Over time, these costs can add up, especially if you own an older home that requires more frequent repairs.
Mortgage Payments
For most homeowners, the mortgage is the largest monthly expense. As interest rates rise, mortgage payments can become even more burdensome. If you find yourself in a situation where you can no longer afford your mortgage, selling your home may be the best option.
Insurance and Utility Bills
Homeowners also need to account for insurance and utility bills, which can vary greatly depending on the size and location of the property. These expenses can become particularly burdensome if the homeowner experiences a job loss or other financial setback.
How Cash Home Buyers Provide Relief
Quick Sales Process
Cash home buyers like sellmyhousefast-charlottenc.com can expedite the sales process significantly. Traditional sales can take months or even longer, but cash home buyers can often complete the transaction in just a matter of days or weeks. This is particularly beneficial for homeowners facing financial challenges, as it allows them to access the equity in their home more quickly.
No Need for Repairs
One of the major benefits of selling your home to a cash buyer is that you don’t need to worry about making any repairs or updates to your property. Cash buyers purchase homes in their current condition, meaning you can avoid the time and expense associated with preparing your home for sale.
No Commissions or Closing Costs
When you sell your home through a traditional real estate agent, you typically have to pay a commission fee, which can be anywhere from 3% to 6% of the sale price. Additionally, you may also be responsible for closing costs. By selling to a cash home buyer, you can avoid these fees and keep more of the proceeds from the sale.
Traditional Sales
Cash Home Buyers
Longer sales process
Quick sales process
Requires repairs and updates
No need for repairs
Commissions and closing costs
No commissions or closing costs
When to Consider Selling to a Cash Home Buyer
Facing Financial Hardship
If you’re struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments or other financial obligations, selling to a cash home buyer can provide immediate relief. By quickly accessing the equity in your home, you can resolve your financial challenges and move on to a more affordable living situation.
Relocating or Downsizing
If you need to relocate for work or personal reasons, selling your home to a cash buyer can make the process much easier. Similarly, if you’re looking to downsize your living situation, a cash sale can provide the funds necessary to purchase a smaller, more manageable property.
Inheriting an Unwanted Property
Inherited properties can come with a host of unexpected financial and logistical challenges. If you inherit a property that you don’t want or can’t afford to maintain, selling to a cash home buyer can provide a quick and hassle-free solution.
Dealing with a Damaged Property
If your home has sustained significant damage from a natural disaster or other event, you may not have the funds or desire to repair it. In this situation, a cash home buyer can offer a way to sell the property without the need for costly repairs.
Tips for Choosing a Cash Home Buyer
Research and Reviews
Before selecting a cash home buyer, it’s important to do your due diligence. Research the company’s reputation and read reviews from previous sellers to ensure you’re working with a reputable and reliable buyer.
Compare Offers
When selling your home to a cash buyer, it’s a good idea to obtain multiple offers to ensure you’re getting a fair price for your property. Keep in mind that the highest offer may not always be the best one, so consider other factors such as the buyer’s reputation and experience.
Review the Contract
Before signing any agreements, review the contract carefully and make sure you understand all the terms and conditions. If necessary, consult with a real estate attorney to ensure your interests are protected.
In conclusion
homeowners who are facing financial burdens or simply looking for a quick and easy way to sell their property should consider the benefits of working with a cash home buyer. By bypassing the traditional sales process and avoiding costly repairs, commissions, and closing costs, cash home buyers provide an attractive solution for those seeking financial relief. Before making a decision, be sure to research potential buyers, compare offers, and review contracts to ensure the best possible outcome for your unique situation.
