At a Standstill...

Today is the first day of Spring.  Warmer weather and more daylight to get stuff done, right? A friend asked me two days ago why I hadn't posted any recent updates on our bathroom remodeling project.  Well, to be honest, progress has been slow.  No, let me rephrase that, progress has come to a complete halt.  We can't even blame the unnamed home improvement store because the materials have been stacked up against the wall in our basement family room since late February.  This photo shows where we are at currently (and have been for some time):

Notice all the glue on the walls

The builder loved glue

Someday we'll be back to fully functional

Don't get me wrong, it's not that we don't want to be working on this, but when it's 70 degrees outside, a wagon ride around the block with an almost 2-year old sounds a bit more exciting.  When I really want to spice things up, my family and I take on a large bunch of rowdy yearling cattle after work to see if we can time the head gate on the squeeze chute just right so we can insert an ear tag before they decide to run straight through.  Laugh if you want, but it's not so funny when your sorting the whole herd for the second time to catch those two lovely ladies who managed to sneak through the first time.

Despite the after work shenanigans, the at work demands have been increasing steadily since the first of year.  We've been working overtime trying to keep up with the volume of new listings, showings, and sales the past few weeks.  So, if the shower isn't getting installed it might be because of this,

1006 Brooke Drive (Sale Pending)

 or this,

719 Hillside Drive (Sale Pending)

 maybe this one too,

1000 & 1002 Sunnyview Drive

 here's another good one,

905 Lincoln Street

 or possibly this,

105 West 4th Street

 this one for sure,

57745 847th Road, Wayne

 don't forget this little guy,

307 West 1st Street

 and you're sure to love this one,

920 Douglas Street

 and this beauty, too!

502 West 1st Street

But don't forget about these moments,

Logan calls baby lambs "pigs." I can't make this stuff up.

Nobody at 1st Realty could have guessed it wasn't spring yet by the volume of home sales and listings we have experienced during this first quarter of 2015.  So far this year we have had nine closings, which is, by far, the most closings we've seen during the first quarter in the last five years.  And, not surprisingly, we have more come (keep watching for updates)!

For the time being, the improvements on our home will just have to wait. My husband and I have more important things to do at our jobs and with our family farming operations at the present time.

Tonight, we get to work with these lovely ladies to get them prepped for baby calves set to arrive in about 12 days (or sooner).  As all of you expecting mothers will understand, these bosses are "nesting" now, so let's hope they cooperate with those of us messing up their typical evening routine.  For me, it's a little needed outdoor therapy.  I'll keep you posted on how things are going, but don't be surprised if we are talking selling, buying, and baby calves rather than remodeling at least in the near future.  Welcome Home.

Here We Go Again

It seems as if homeownership has a certain ebb and flow as the years go by.  Some years seem rather mundane with not many changes occurring in the landscape of life while others seem to hit you with ten projects needing done all at once.  My husband and I started our quest in homeownership with a major remodeling project, and after a short hiatus to start our family, we are back at it again.  This time, we are taking on the basement.

Before Demo

My husband and I have been carefully watching a developing bulge in our basement shower wall for about a year's time. It is a unique shower in that the builders of the home made it partially out of concrete block.  The other half was fashioned out of plain old sheetrock and some sort of laminate wall covering that isn't designed to repel water the way a shower insert should.  Over the last three years, that wall covering has slowly deteriorated and started to absorb and retain water during each shower.  Plus, it is lime green.  All in all, it has seen better days.

Shortly after the first of the year, I mentioned to him that we should do something about it.  His response was, "So long as it's done by planting time.  Once that hits, I'm out!"  Take it from me, if this thing drags on through planting and calving season, I might just be out!

The project started out with quite a bit of internet research on customizable shower remodeling inserts.  Let's just say that options are limited, and the inserts aren't manufactured here in Nebraska.  We found a product that seemed like something a do-it-yourself-er could install and a nearby home improvement store distributed, so that's where we set our sights.  We started taking measurements and making a list of the supplies we would need to get started.

Then, we made our first trip to the home improvement store, which shall remain unnamed, to start getting some more ideas and prices.  The only thing we came home with that night was defeat.  So many things to pick from, yet nothing in a complete package.  Everything would need to be retrofitted or pieced together to work properly due to the abnormal size of our shower and the complicated network of pipes, electrical wiring and duct work hiding in our basement ceiling.  We were back to the drawing board to decide what we needed to do to make the master plan pan out.

By the next weekend, we had regrouped and regained some confidence after going over our options and gathering ideas from our resident handy-people.  Off we went to the unnamed home improvement store to buy our supplies and get this thing started.  Thinking that we had everything figured out, we started in the plumbing and bath section to get the shower ordered.  Fun fact: did you know that a plain white shower insert costs far more than one that is supposed to imitate travertine?  Neither did we.  Our simple plan to buy a plain white shower insert was then turned into a 20 minute debate over which design to special order.  Plus, you have the buy the shower kit.  And, the trim kit.  And, the adhesive kit.  Attention product manufacturers: When something has "kit" in the name to start with, put everything in the "kit" rather than making three other "kits" to go with it!  Ridiculous.

From there, we moved on to the lighting section which killed another hour picking out which type of recessed lighting to put in the basement.  Fun fact: did you know that recessed lights cannot be purchased as a "kit?"  Neither did we.  First you have to pick out the style of cans that you want to use, then you pick out the inserts/trim to go with them, and then you pick out the lightbulbs to go with those.  But, be careful, my friends.  Some of the trim inserts come with built-in LED bulbs these days.

Two and a half hours after arriving, we were forced out of the store by the repeated requests coming over the intercom that the store would be closing in 5 minutes and we needed to head to the checkouts immediately.  The greeter literally locked the doors behind us.  Three things were clear at this point: 1) we were easily going over budget on this project 2) we had a tired, screaming toddler who wanted chicken nuggets and 3) his mother wanted a margarita.  Both of which my husband quickly found.

As a saving grace, we started demo this past week, and my husband is already liking the added space in the bathroom from taking out a large closet that he used mainly to hang up his towel.  Nonetheless, upon opening up the side of the shower showing evidence of the water seepage, we found that the hot water line is leaking in addition to the shower walls.  Removal of the sheeting behind the toilet also revealed evidence of seepage from some secret surprise still buried behind the moldy sheetrock that is not only nailed, but glued onto the studs as well.  It's as if the builder was thinking to himself, "Good luck to the schmucks that wanna tear this wall off. Muahhahahahaha!"  Everytime I remove sheetrock at our house, I feel like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes as she takes a sledgehammer to the bedroom wall and yells "Towanda!"

At this point, I can't make any guarantees the neighbors won't hear some yelling throughout the course of this project, but so long as they hear "Towanda," rest assured everything is going OK.  Welcome Home.

Remodeling...Again.

It's official. My husband and I have not celebrated a New Year yet without having some sort of major home remodeling project in the works.  We ended 2013 with the joy of replacing our 13 month old water heater which unexpectedly started leaking right after Christmas.  If you remember, in November of 2012, we switched out the old-as-the-house-gas-hog for a more efficient electric model.  Guess they just don't make 'em like they used to!  We rang in the New Year in style by prepping for new windows and doors which were installed last week.  No more draft coming in under the front door (and judging by the amount of dust coating our living room furnishings, the saws-all must have let that door know who's boss), no more frozen midnight toilet seat from the draft in the bathroom, and no more curtains blowing in the south wind.  At least we didn't end up replacing windows on the coldest day of the year thus far!  Our new energy efficient, argon filled, double paned windows were certainly put to the test this week.  So far so good.  This year's resolution is to not have any more projects in the works by 2015 (yeah, right)!

Many of you have also probably made some resolutions of your own.  I'm hoping a few of you have set a goal to buy or sell a home this year.  Even though it is cold outside, now is a great time to buy and/or sell.  Sellers are  motivated to get their homes sold this time of year.  As mentioned in a previous post, fewer buyers are in the market for homes during the long winter stretch from January to March.  This motivates sellers to strongly consider any and all offers.  However, you have probably noticed that housing inventory is low as we start out the new year.  This means that those of you on the fence about listing your home until the weather warms up also have less competition right now.  This increases your odds of selling in a shorter period of time and commanding a higher price for your home.  We have buyers waiting anxiously for new listings, and now is the time to get your house in front of them while those resolutions are still fresh in their minds.

Let me help you keep your New Year's resolution to buy or sell a home in 2014.  Contact me at 1st Realty by calling (402) 375-1477 or e-mailing tpeters@1strealtysales.com to get the inside track to our new listings.  Cheers to a wonderful year ahead!  Welcome Home.

Home Remodeling: Year-end Review

I was hoping that I would be writing a conclusion to our remodeling/ construction saga sometime soon, but we are content keeping pace with our "slow and steady" progress theme.  The plan for 2013 still involves insulating our home from top to bottom as well as finishing up a couple of very minor weekend projects.  We have been in our home for just over a year, and we have made it all the way from this...

...to this...   

                                ...and finally this...

New Years Day 2012 was spent working on demo projects, while, ironically, New Years Day 2013 was spent putting pieces back together.  The trim we had selected for our home was on back order when we started the first round of installation.  The extra pieces we needed finally came in sometime around August.  Amazingly, we found the time to get things wrapped up roughly five months later.  We were successful in completing the installation of the baseboard, door and window trim in the final two rooms on the main floor with a little help from my husband's folks, my brother, and the nifty finish nail gun my husband got from Santa this Christmas (like a kid in a candy store).  This means that the home office that I "just had to have" is finally ready for some work to be done, with the exception that the window treatments have not been installed. As of right now, the desk is still sitting in the middle of the room amongst a jumble of paperwork that needs to make it to the accountant.

My husband has already spoken for a large majority of the space in the office, but I suppose I can share considering that it has largely served as a room to store my desk, printer, and papers that need to be filed away from the kitchen counter when they start piling up.  Let's face it, I feel too disconnected from the world when I'm actually in my home office.  My office space of preference typically rotates between the living room coffee table, couch and floor.  Lack of productivity is merely a side effect of being able to annoy...I mean, spend quality time with...my husband by complaining about how ridiculous reality TV is getting these days.:)

In the next few weeks, we have duct cleaning on the agenda as it is time to rid the house of all of the construction dust and dirt that accumulated throughout the year.  I'm hoping that we will notice a difference in the amount of particles floating through the air and settling on the furniture.  Kleinschmit Air Duct Cleaning of Wausa will be helping us with this project.  Turns out the owner is related to some friends of ours so he is able to make it a dual-purposed trip--small world!

And, as we proceed through the New Year at full-speed, I haven't set any hard and fast resolutions for myself. The real estate market has been very active all through the holidays and into the New Year which is very encouraging for both sellers and buyers.  Taking everything as it comes seems like a good plan for right now as it seems this year will be a busy one filled with many blessings yet unknown.  I did hear a short piece of advice yesterday that I will adopt as my mantra for 2013, though:

"When in crisis mode, think to yourself, 'In five years, will this really matter to anybody?'  If not, don't sweat it."

Welcome Home.

Out With the Old...in With the High Efficiency

Paranoia sometimes has a way of giving us premonitions of things to come.  Lately, my anxiety had been revolving around our ancient relic of a furnace that, until yesterday, sat complacently in our basement furnace room.  That beast would groan like a 92-year-old man trying to get up from his rocking chair each time the thermostat told it was time to go to work.  The number of turns the giant squirrel cage inside the belly of the beast had taken over the years was no small feat.  Just the sound of it firing up was enough to make you jump if you were someplace nearby.  What it gained in sound, it lost in efficiency each day.  The living room and the storage room adjacent to the furnace room were always toasty.  However, the weak puffs of air that made it over to the more remote areas of our home were hardly enough to keep the icicles off our noses as we slept each night.  This could be due in part to the fact that I am a total gas miser, and we literally have to play "freeze-out" in our house.  Nevertheless, my husband and I were still reluctant to install a new heating and cooling system despite the fact that we had two estimates for new units already.  After all, our existing relic had been with the house since its date of construction.  Removing it would be like taking a worn blankie from a thumb-sucking toddler (or like using a crowbar to pry open the checkbook of young couple who thought their major home remodeling expenses were over).  I rationalized that throwing an extra quilt on the bed and wearing coveralls in the house would be more efficient than turning up the heat.  By some twist of fate, our paranoia peaked over the weekend and helped make up our minds.

Upon returning home from a two day stint in Omaha for continuing real estate education, I was welcomed at the door by the smell of natural gas.  My instant thought was, "Don't turn on the lights!"  My second thought was, "Oh, your nose is playing tricks on you, don't be paranoid and turn on the lights."  I listened to my first thought, left the door open and walked down to the basement furnace room to see if I could locate a source for the leak (big no-no according to the gas leak professionals at Black Hills Energy http://www.blackhillsenergy.com/safety/gas/smell/).  Actually, the smell became less noticeable the closer I got to the furnace room.  So, I turned on the lights as my fears subsided and ruled it as a false alarm.  I left for work shortly after my investigation and shut the house up again for the day.  Low and behold, Tim came home later that afternoon and claimed that he, too, smelled gas in the house.  It couldn't be that both of us were wrong?  He followed the exact same procedure that I had performed just hours before and came to the same conclusion, but the paranoia had spread.  Being that it was late on a Saturday afternoon by this time, we convinced ourselves not to contact a professional to inspect for a gas leak.  Instead, we decided to replace our ancient gas-hog-faded-yellow relic of furnaces past with a new furnace and heat pump.  That's right folks, we cashed out the old beast for a modern, high efficiency Amana furnace.  Time to get out the checkbook again.

As mentioned, we had two experienced professionals within the last two weeks who had given us estimates for the new unit.  In the end, we decided to go with Jeff Brown Plumbing, Heating and Cooling here in Wayne because of his promptness, professional advice, and price.  Jeff handles a few service calls for us down at 1st Realty, and he is always easy to work with and ready to help in a pinch. We called him on Monday and by yesterday, he had the furnace and new electric water heater installed.  We can already notice a big difference in the consistency of temperature in our home.

With the new furnace and heat pump, we are hoping to recoup some of the expense of the unit by saving on our utility bills in the upcoming months and years.  We made sure to write the date of installation on our new unit to ensure that potential buyers in the future would be able to identify when the work was completed.  I advise all of my clients and customers to do so even if you aren't looking at buying or selling anytime soon.  This will help you avoid having to do extensive homework and receipt digging when your agent asks you the age of your furnace and water heater.  For the time being, our paranoia has subsided, and we are putting that crowbar in a secret hiding spot in hopes that we won't have to pry our checkbook open for anything else at our home for a very long time.  Welcome Home.

Something to Get Excited About!

That's right folks!  I'm posting pictures of ceilings now, and I am soooo excited!  For 180 days, my husband and I have been living in a dark, ceilingless basement (and yes, ceilingless is the word of the day).   I take that back, we "officially" moved upstairs on Sunday, so technically, we were down there for 177 days.  Still, we've been staring at the open floor joists under two dim lights for purt near half a year.  I'm loving the new recessed lighting, which wasn't a part of our original plan.  We have also eliminated those two large, pesky piles of ceiling tiles that had become a part of our decor for the past six months.  We still have the kitchenette and bathroom to tackle...lots of cutting and tight installation spaces we've been putting off, but the basement is starting to shape up.  In fact, my husband says it looks good enough to move back down there.  He can go right ahead. I'll live in luxury on the main floor where I have developed a new relationship with the sunshine as I finally get to wake up to it each morning streaming through our main floor windows!  Considering it was our goal to have the transition made by March 31st, being three months behind schedule isn't too bad, right?  Trying to do some of the work ourselves has not been ideal with the mild winter we experienced which carried into a busy farming and real estate season.  Time to work on the house has been at a minimum.  Throw in a Master's degree and everything else that needs to be done in life, and those one or two hours we've had to work on it each day don't go very far. 

I've been itching to get to the blog this week. (Literally. From the dust that falls on you when you are trying to replace ceiling tiles).  I've got lots of neat things to post about our place and in the local real estate market.  Stay tuned for a bush that looks like a McDonald's happy meal character, lawn crises, tree diseases, and so much more in and around our humble abode.  Welcome Home!

Psychedelic Shelf Paper

 I had to share my most recent discovery at our home.  Raise your hand if you have ever moved into a home with retro shelf paper lining the kitchen cupboards, bathroom drawers, or closet shelves.  We have it all!  The purpose of lining shelves and drawers with paper years ago was to prevent the wood from being stained or discolored by household products that had a tendency to leak.  Most modern cabinetry has a melamine resin coating that makes shelf paper obsolete, but many people still use it in cupboards where oils, cleaning products, or other liquids may leak.  It is also useful in kitchens with metal cabinetry which has a tendency to rust when exposed to liquids. 

I ran across that beautiful remnant of days past in our master bedroom closet.  With 14 feet of hanging space, dual overhead shelving units, built-in dressers, and double doors, I have no complaints about dealing with a little shelf paper.  The closets are also equipped with lights!  As I was wiping out the drawers, I ran across the awesome shelf liner pictured above.  Thankfully, it was not stuck down on the wood, and it still had the "instructions and uses" on the back side.  I thought some of you might get a kick out of seeing what the Clopay Corporation's recommended uses were for it.  I particularly enjoyed their suggestions for valances, headboards, and entire walls.  Psychedelic!  Welcome Home!

Living in a Fish Bowl

My husband and I have been living in a fish bowl.  My mom came home from a church function last week, and proceeded to tell me that several of the church ladies commented on our home and EVERYTHING that has been going on there.  Mom was kind of surprised because she hadn't been given a progress report recently.  I didn't think people were paying that much attention to our dog and pony show.  I guess those gutters we installed last week were as awesome as the salesman said they were going to be!  Then I got to thinking...maybe it's because we are living in a "fish bowl" for everybody to see what we are doing.  After all, I took our curtains down on the main floor the day we moved in, and I have yet to put new ones up.  I'm thinking I might invest in one of those castles, some seaweed plants, a hollow log, and some colorful pebbles to spread on our living room floor so we can truly make it look like home.

Back in January, we (meaning "I") decided to replace many of the window treatments in our home (my husband would be fine with a bath towel hanging over the window).  I had a definite budget in mind, and I wasn't looking to break the bank.  I started researching online, and shopping around for styles and designs that matched our decor.  As many of you know, window treatments are difficult to purchase until you have furnishings, carpet, and all of the other essential items picked out.  And guess what, they don't sell inexpensive curtains to fit on those funky rods with the string on the end that our grandmas put up back in the 60s and 70s.  You know, the ones that hung out about a foot past the edge of the window on either side so as to let the maximum amount of light in and trick visitors into thinking a person could afford windows the size of a side of a barn.  My first thought was to retrofit modern curtains to work on those rods.  I started by spending one whole Sunday afternoon carefully pinning the material and making each pleat 5 1/4 inches apart only to find that the one panel that should have covered half the window would only cover a small fraction of the window when complete.  No wonder custom curtains are so expensive!  It takes a small army to weave all the fabric needed to stitch them all together!  Needless to say, I scratched that idea and dashed my hopes of opening a custom curtain shop on the side.

Now that I wasn't able to use the existing curtain rods, the task of picking out curtain rods loomed before me.  I looked everywhere trying to find something suitable and reasonably priced only to find exactly what I needed on a last minute trip this weekend to none other than Wal-Mart where I was looking to purchase an ice cream maker and ended up with curtain rods instead.  Hallelujah!

With the promise of using power tools, I conned my hubby into helping me hang the curtains in the living room last night.  The poor guy was covered in grease from head to toe (even in his right ear) from a transmission project earlier in the afternoon, so he even had to change clothes to help because I didn't want my new curtains all greasy.  After a couple of small disagreements about the proper way to go about the job, and a few "I really don't care" comments from the male's point of view, the job was complete.  We can now pull the shade on our fish bowl in at least one room.  Only five more to go. Welcome Home!

A Tribute

I've been absent from the blogging scene for a few weeks due to some drastic changes that have occurred in our lives.  My grandfather passed away on March 26th after a short battle with cancer and emergency surgery.  In many respects, the timing was not good, but then again, it never is when you lose a loved one.  In the midst of everything, we are still working slowly on the house.  I must commend everybody who has helped us during the past few weeks and who has provided understanding during the times when Tim and I couldn't be there to give our assistance.  Particularly, the Karpet Shop of Norfolk for finishing our tile work and carpeting, Doescher Appliance of Wayne for installing and moving our appliances, Discount Furniture of Wayne for delivering our living room and bedroom furniture that has been stored in their warehouse for 3 months, and Russ Loberg Electric of Wisner for putting the finishing touches on the wiring.  It was a relief to know that I could trust these folks to handle the work without us being present, and it was nice to come home to the finished product after the long days prior to and following the funeral.

This house is my tribute to Grandpa and the many things he taught his grandchildren throughout the years.  The day after grandpa died, we installed a flag pole in our front yard in his memory.  He was always proud of his country and the service he and his older brother, Dale, had given it during World War II.  Dale was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for valiant actions on Okinawa just days before he was killed in action by a sniper.  My younger brother is also named after him.  Grandpa taught us the meaning of service, valor and honor.

My grandfather was bit of a perfectionist, and I must admit that I inherited the same gene (much to my husband's dismay).  With the remaining cement from setting the flag pole, we also fixed broken section of the curb that borders the street running north of our house.  Grandpa couldn't stand it when his curbs had chunks of broken cement missing out of them, and my dad, brothers, and I spent a few Saturdays helping him replace portions where the snow plow or a car tire got a little too close.  I am thankful that he taught me and my brothers how to do this task.  He instilled a sense of pride for owning your own property and keeping it in good shape. 

Grandpa told me several times after we purchased the home that he was coming down to see it after we were finished with the remodeling.  He insisted on waiting until we were done because he didn't want to "bother" us.  He understood that we were busy, and he always felt like he was in the way if we were in the middle of a project.  I would always laugh when he interjected about the way something "should be done" versus the way we were going to do it.  He liked to share his knowledge, and he enjoyed being able to have a say in what was happening. We should have made a point to have him visit sooner.

As I've said many times before, a house is more than shelter.  It is a place of great memories and good times with family and friends.  Don't put off those visits from loved ones because you feel like you don't have the time or things aren't in the order you want them.  All they care about is seeing you.  I know that Grandpa is proud of how far we have come with our house and in some way, he is talking to us to make sure we are doing things right.  We wouldn't have it any other way.  Welcome Home.

"Excuse Our Mess...

...we're under construction!"  I'm not sure how many times I've said this since the first of this year.  In all honesty, I might miss that excuse when I no longer have it.  After all, it has made my life easier.

Didn't make the bed this morning.  No problem.  "We're under construction."  Didn't do the dishes last night.  "We're under construction."  Didn't fold the clothes in the laundry basket or clear the papers off the table before company showed up.  "We're under construction." 

Do you see where I'm going with this?  When you are in construction mode, it doesn't matter if your house is a mess.  And even though the things I mentioned have nothing to do with the construction happening on the main floor, I still get away with that excuse.  Everybody understands!  I mean, why clean up when you are just going to have a puff of drywall dust finely coating everything the next day anyway?  After all, life is about more than just cleaning up those everyday messes.  Your home is built to "live" in and life is messy!

So, remember, the next time you have some unexpected guests show up and the house isn't looking just right, say, "Excuse our mess, we're under construction."  When your guests question what you are actually constructing, all you have to say is, "I'm building a life."  Trust me, they'll understand. Welcome Home.

Jimmy-Rigged

My husband and I left two weeks ago for a honeymoon trip to the National Farm Show in Louisville, KY (exotic, I know!)  We had our electrician lined up to wire our kitchen and back office with new outlets, GFCIs and recessed lighting while we were gone so we could proceed with drywall this week.  My brother was gracious enough to offer to help during the process and to make sure our plans were carried out to specification.  Our hope was to come home to a kitchen with a whole new look including recessed lighting and insulation.  Well, it definitely had a whole new look, alright!  Wood shavings, plaster cutouts, attic insulation, and a tangled mess of old wiring and electrical boxes greeted us in the kitchen.  In the defense of our electrician and my brother, they were working on a tight schedule.  To their credit, this turned into a way bigger job than any of us truly anticipated.  You see, our house is what I will call "jimmy-rigged."  We had lights in the bedrooms connected to outlets in the kitchen, and fixtures that were grounded while others were not.  The stove, fridge, dishwasher, disposal and kitchen lights were all on the same circuit.  I can just imagine that five years ago, the owners had to be careful not to have the kitchen lights on while cooking or else they would blow a fuse (OK, maybe not that extreme, but it is not a wiring system that would work for today's modern appliances and home computers.)  

Fast forward to this week where we have seen our drywall going up.  The third coat of drywall mud is going on the seams as we speak and the look of the house is really starting to change.  It is amazing how recessed lighting can modernize the look of any space.  We have almost every inch of flooring pulled out on the main floor, and we are working on getting the baseboards and trim pulled off in the rooms that didn't need new drywall.  New windows are coming next week along with the kitchen cabinets.  Once we get the green light that the drywallers are done, we will be pushing to get the kitchen and laundry area painted to stay ahead of the cabinet installers.  Don't be surprised if I'm sporting some paint highlights in my hair when you see me in the next couple of weeks!

Now, comes the issue of where to stop with the trimwork.  We have one area of our kitchen where the carpet was literally glued to the plaster wall in the place of wood trim.  I scraped for an hour on that glu-ey, sticky mess last night trying to make it so the drywallers might be able to skim coat over it and even out the imperfections.  The rest of our existing trim was installed with an overabundance of 2.5 inch finish nails, which caused the brittle wood to split in several places as we were removing it and also left big holes in the plaster that isn't getting replaced.  We were warned that the fellow who built this house never intended for it to come apart, and that is no joke!  They should use our building materials to line the vault of Fort Knox! Unfortunately, trimming is tedious and exact work that requires precise cuts to get everything to fit just right. I'm going to warn everybody right now that our house will be the one that you come to 5 years from now to find that the trim still hasn't been installed.  We've all been there before!

For those of you who were concerned that you hadn't heard about the house for a couple of weeks, we are still alive and we are still married.  On a side note, I had the privilege of sharing my real estate experiences last weekend at a women's conference, and I think the attendees enjoyed hearing that we are all in the same boat when it comes to making a house a home.  The important thing to keep in mind is that these things don't happen overnight.  It is so rewarding to see the progress being made at home each and every day.  My husband even admitted earlier this week that he has stopped dreading coming home each night (I'm still not quite sure how to take that comment).  For the time being, I'm going to assume he means that although he loves his wife, it is hard to come home each night and be faced with the daunting task of putting a puzzle back together again while living at the mercy of contractors, deadlines and other commitments. ;)  Just remember, despite what happens each day, life does go on.  You'll get through it so long as you remember to take one step at a time and enjoy the little victories.  Welcome Home.

Progress Report

For the last month and a half I have been wondering when everything was going to come to a head with our new home.  By that, I mean, when would our cupboards come in, when would the plumbing get fixed, and when would I generally need to have my act together?  It appears that it was this week, and it came just as I was getting used to dodging the handle on the toolbox that kept gouging my leg each time I stumbled to the garage door as I was leaving for work.  

We received the call that our cabinets and countertops had arrived from the factory on Monday, so I anxiously sprung into action to see what our plumber and electrician had in mind for the next couple of weeks.  Our plumber, Chuck, showed up the next day to reevaluate our game plan.  He has pretty much finished with everything he can do until the cabinets are installed.  Our flooring installers were scheduled to start with underlayment next Tuesday.  Due to a cancellation, they showed up yesterday!  Tim and I frantically worked into the night on Wednesday to get the subfloor prepped and get all of the tools out of the way so they could do their job with little obstruction.  This entailed removing the existing floor boards, vent covers, toilets, and other miscellaneous things that were in the way.  Without hesitation, Tim pushed the old dishwasher and disposal line through the existing hole in the kitchen floor because those will now be in a different location.  As soon as he did it, I heard the sound of rushing water, and I saw him put his eye up to the hole in the floor to see what was happening in the basement below.  This was followed by an expletive and a dash down the basement steps.  Neither one of us even considered that the line would contain some of the stagnant water that didn't drain when it was unhooked. There it sat in a black puddle on our orange, black and gold carpet which has lovingly been deemed our "tiger" carpet.  The horrible smelling concoction managed to also splatter into two pairs of my shoes, one of the cushions on our brand new folding chair set and a basket of dirty clothes (thank goodness they weren't washed and folded already!)  Considering it was already late in the evening, it was not the type of mess (or smell) that either one of us wanted to deal with.  I immediately grabbed some paper towels and extra strength carpet spot remover to see if I could mitigate the damage.  After three spot treatments and about an hour's worth of time, you can't even tell it happened!

I thought I might share a few photos to document our progress.  Pay particular attention to the beautiful mosaic of colorful flooring we currently have in our basement.  I am growing more and more attached to it each day because it gives our house its own personality:

Dining Room on closing day.  Water damaged carpet removed and new subfloor already installed.

The pretty in pink bathroom on closing day

Our original "drive-in, back-out" kitchen with new subfloor on closing day.

The office: paneling and burnt orange carpet soon-to-be drywall and new carpet!

Our "tiger" carpet in the basement family room.  Looks as good as the day it was installed in 1968.

Floral design shag in the basement bedroom.  Lots of color combinations for decorating.

Yellow-green shag in basement bathroom.  Warm and comfortable on the feet!

Kitchen with plaster/drywall and cabinetry removed plus new flooring underlayment installed. Imagine the 6' eating bar and new chestnut stained oak cabinets!

Living Room drop zone looking into the dining room/kitchen

 For those of you who have taken on a remodeling project, I salute you.  The value it adds to your home and your personal life is a good investment in today's market.  Tim and I have learned a lot about each other during our short stint so far as husband and wife.  He's particularly impressed that I actually do know a little bit about houses and construction (considering I'm a real estate agent that sells houses rather than builds them), and I'm in love with the fact that he can tackle almost any project and figure out how to get it done on a budget.  Stay tuned for next week's post about the interesting ice sculptures that form when your gutters leak and the water refreezes in the bushes that sit underneath them!  Welcome Home!

Our 1-Bedroom Basement Apartment

Tim and I have been jokingly referring to our new home as our 1-bedroom basement apartment for a couple of weeks now.  I keep waiting for a sweet little old lady to holler down the basement steps to let us know that she has some homemade cookies fresh out of the oven (but that would require having an oven first).  We have visited with many a married couple that started out their lives this way.  In some ways, it feels like we have reverted back to our college days (sans the afternoon naps and generally carefree lifestyle).  Back then, we would put up with pretty much anything just to have a place of our own.  The one-basin cast iron sink would have held at least a week's worth of dirty dishes, the loveseat and TV stands would have made for some elegant dining, and the electric blue shag carpet would have hidden a year's worth of not having time to vacuum.  I didn't know Tim back in college, but I'm guessing that so long as he had a place to sleep at night, he was fine.  Really, he would probably be fine living with the bare plywood subflooring upstairs, but there is always a woman to mess up a guy's plan for life.


As time goes on, we are both adapting the changes that moving created for us, and we are also liking our home more each day.  It has many great features, and a little tweaking will make everything perfect for us.  I have worked with many home buyers and sellers over the years, and this experience has made me appreciate the ability to see the potential in a property.  One of the best parts about working with buyers is getting to see a home once they have added their own personal touch to it.  Whether it's paint colors, carpeting, window treatments, or a complete remodel, a home really can take on an entirely new personality once someone with a vision goes to work on it.  A home, in many ways, defines a person's style, taste, and character.  It provides insight and serves as an oasis of solitude and comfort.   When it comes right down to it, there really is no place like home.

So far this week, our home has proven to be watertight.  (Chalk one up for Tim and Trish!)  After having a near miss with the partially opening garage door on Monday morning, Tim did spend some time fixing the tension to make it open all the way.  We have both continued to fill every nook and cranny in the basement with our "stuff," and it looks promising that we might actually be able to squeeze it all in down there until the upstairs is ready for us.  When we first moved in, it seemed like we had a ton of space, but now that we are starting to fill in the gaps with the "stuff" of two households, we are lucky to keep a path through the living room.  We've considered setting up a maze and charging admission to our dog and pony show to help pay for the remodeling!  Luckily, we are on schedule so far with our plans.  As soon as the plumber and electrician have a chance to do their thing, we will be ready for the sheet rock.  The kitchen cabinets and flooring have been ordered and should arrive mid-February.  Until then, we are content in our 1-bedroom basement apartment and patiently wait for those fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies to show up.  Welcome Home!

Plaster Dust and Shower Heads

I left off last week with things in a bit of disarray at our new home.  Friday night, I opened the basement cupboard door to reach for a plate, and I noticed that we had sprung yet another leak.  This time, it was coming from the 1/2 bath off the main entrance from the garage.  I love this feature because it is near the laundry area and it makes for a great place to wash up after working outside.  However, that loving relationship soon turned to despise as it was Friday night, I was tired, it was late, and we had nowhere to go to get parts to fix the leak.  I was beginning to think that we should have bought a boat to float us down the Elkhorn River on the stream of water that seemed to be coming from every orifice in our house besides the ones it needed to go into or out of.  Nonetheless, Tim was able to loosen the shut off and tighten a nut underneath the sink and stop the leak enough to allow us to get some parts on Saturday. 

My little brother and I worked on taking the remainder of the plaster out of the kitchen on Saturday afternoon.  We can't do anything without a power tool, so we had plenty of dust flying throughout the main floor by the time Tim got home from work.  Of course, he was ready to go to Menards before I had a chance to clean up, so we left for Norfolk in a hurry with me looking like Casper the ghost due to the plaster dust.  Wouldn't you know it, we ran into three other couples we knew while we were shopping.  You can about imagine that every conversation started out, "So, uh, did you have a fight with a flour sack?"  If I would have been dressed to the hilt, we wouldn't have run into anybody we knew.  The Law of Personal Encounters always works that way.

After getting home from Norfolk, the first plan of attack was to install a new shower head to replace the one that sprayed an enormous amount of water pressure on everything except the person showering.  Tim grumbled a little bit because it was late, but it was a 2-minute project that made his wife very happy.  No more sopping wet bathroom floor, no more moving the head all around to rinse the shampoo out of my hair, and no skin indentations from where the three or four working water spouts hit me.  It's like a totally new shower!

On Sunday, we made a second trip to Menards to get everything that we forgot on Saturday night.  We had purchased several doorknobs the week of closing only to realize that apparently door knob sizes have changed a bit since 1968.  The one doorknob we bought on Saturday was the right size, and we found that it fit perfectly in the basement walk-out door.  Thinking we had scored a victory, we decided that we should purchase more knobs to put on the main floor doors so we at least had more than one working lock to get into the house.  We started installing the new doorknobs only to find that the main floor doors were fitted slightly different than the basement.  Who would have guessed that 1/16 of an inch could make so much difference?  And, again, the hubby was grumbling.  We got all five knobs changed with a little help from a reciprocating saw and a few less-than-desirable words being said.  At least nobody lost a finger to the saw and a door knob covered one little "whoopsie" we had.

All in all, we accomplished everything we set out to do this weekend, and my socks didn't even get soggy walking into the bathroom this morning.  Life is good.  Welcome Home!

Taking Things for Granted

As my husband and I are settling into the basement of our new home, I've noticed many things that I have taken for granted.  You see, the first home I purchased in back in 2005 was a spec home which was nice and new and didn't need a bit of work besides seeding a lawn, installing window treatments, and moving in furniture.  It has been a great home, and I'm glad that my brother and his soon-to-be wife will be purchasing it.  From a sentimental perspective, many great memories come from a person's "first" home, and I hope they have those same memories to share with their new family.  From an ownership perspective, I know that they will take great care of it, and I won't have to worry about driving by someday to see that the yard is overgrown or it is in a state of disrepair.  No homeowner wants to see their first home go that route.

And so, onto our home in Wisner, and the many things that I have taken for granted during the past six years. I've compiled a list of items that I didn't realize I relied on so heavily until they were gone:

1. A toilet paper holder and towel bar in the bathroom.  I've heard many people complain time and again about their kids or spouse leaving their wet towels on the floor.  What's even more annoying is when you have no other option and you have to use a vacant door knob or the back of a chair in the living room to hang up the towels.  Nothing says, "Come on in and have a seat" like a damp bath towel soaking through your shirt.

2. A microwave.  An electric skillet (a big shout out to the person who gave us that for a wedding present) will have to do until we have one installed.  I learned how to warm up some leftover mashed potatoes along side some Hamburger Helper last night.  The trick is to make a sturdy dam out of hamburger to keep the items separated in the pan.

3. A dishwasher.  Right now, a one-basin metal sink with a broken strainer is keeping the paper plate companies in business.  My new motto is, "Wash fast or don't wash at all!" 

4. A washer and dryer.  Has anybody ever wondered why a place that is designed for cleaning clothes can be so dirty?  Nothing like trucking all of your personal items to a laundromat where you pick the only washing machine that doesn't spin out and the dryer that doesn't heat.  Plus, everything came out smelling like a smoky bar.  Again, hanging all of the Tim's jeans and t-shirts around the lower level of our home has created a welcoming atmosphere for guests.

5. Garage door remotes.  An attached garage is wonderful, but if you have to get out of the car to make the door open and close, it really defeats the purpose (especially when the door doesn't go up all the way, so you have to stand on your tippy toes to give it that little extra nudge so you don't give the top of your truck a close shave.)  The seller told us the remotes were in the house "somewhere," and we're still holding out hope that we will find them.  We still have a couple of walls on the main floor that we haven't pulled the plaster off of.  I'm sure that's where they left them.

6. Keys.  At least the one we have came with a big smiley face key ring holder that politely says, "Have a Nice Day!"

It might sound like I'm complaining, but I'm really just trying to share the humorous side of home ownership.  If somedays it feels like you have taken a step back in time, you probably have.  Don't worry, the "honey-do" list will eventually get completed.  This weekend will be filled with the excitement of installing towel rods, toilet paper holders, and door knobs!  Just remember to appreciate the little things in life.  Welcome Home!

New Year...New Home!

Many things have changed since my post last week.  My husband, Tim, and I are the proud new owners of a home in Wisner, Nebraska as of December 30, 2011.  We finally have a place to call "ours" rather than "yours" or "mine."  It even came with a tower which rivals the tallest building in town next to the leg on the grain elevator.  Our magnificent tower holds what I'm claiming to be the tallest TV antenna in town. We soon learned that there was a reason behind it because of the absolute lack of any sort of reception or contact with the outside world while standing inside the house.  With a little ingenuity, Tim was able to rig up the antenna to our 13-inch TV so the guys could at least watch the Nebraska bowl game while working yesterday.  Owning a home together is a wonderful feeling, albeit rather scary for us as we are undertaking our first home improvement projects as husband and wife.  We did agree to close despite the water damage on the condition that the sellers would have to keep some money in escrow until the insurance had settled.  At least we are sharing the risk of loss with everything that needs to be done.

This past weekend was designated in my mind as "moving weekend."  Essentially, we would get everything prepared to move into our basement.  I have been dodging packed boxes at my home in Wayne for nearly a month and a half, so I was ready to get things loaded up and moved out!  Friday, part of Saturday and most of Sunday were spent scrubbing, cleaning, and removing damaged ceiling tiles.  We also met with a few contractors to discuss some needs with the electrical, plumbing, etc.  The water damage that the sellers experienced prior to closing quickly began adding up into some additional projects that are somewhat related, but not entirely.  We figured so long as the main floor was in disarray, we might as well take on a couple of other needed improvements.  So, we are considering new windows to replace those that are leaking air and water as well as a kitchen remodel.  I'm not sure if this is what we signed up for as newlyweds, but we are going to test the marriage vows out right away!

I mentioned earlier that this weekend was my proclaimed "moving weekend."  Not everybody else was on the same page.  It was actually "moving-tear-out-a-kitchen-deal-with-leaky-pipes-remove-hideous-wall-paneling-knock-out-damaged-drywall-troubleshoot-internet-problems-scrub-the-basement-from-top-to-bottom weekend."  We even squeezed in a New Year and helped my family sort and ship hogs in between.  Needless to say, we were both ready to go back to work this morning to regroup and reenergize.  We certainly made progress, and at least we got a bed moved to sleep in last night because we were exhausted!

On to this week and the many new things that lie before us.  So far this morning, I have spoken to the cable/internet company, an electrician, a new cell phone provider, the appliance store, the window contractor, and the post office.  Moving is tough!  I can empathize with all of you who have been through this before.  It is all worth it in the long run, though.  Just waking up next to my husband this morning in "OUR" home was all I needed to remember the good things about my life and my work.  Welcome home!

I Can Relate

The last two months have certainly been months to remember for my new hubby and I.  For the past three years, we have been going back and forth about where we should live, what we should do with our lives, and who we wanted to be when we grew up.  After getting engaged in July, the reality set in that we really needed to do something or live an hour apart FOREVER.  The biggest hangup is that we both love our jobs and our families and the places where we grew up.  The best solution was for both of us to make a move, give up a little bit of home, and make a new home together.  Simple enough, right?

So, we decided that our triangle of acceptable places to live was somewhere between Dodge, Wisner, or West Point, Nebraska.  We started our home search online through local agents in those communities, but couldn't find anything that we thought would work.  Then, we resorted to the for-sale-by-owner route.  Low and behold, we looked at a house in Wisner and decided that it would work for us!  The price was right, the space was good, and we could make it our own!  Hurray!  The search was over!  Soon, we were on our way to a November 30th closing date.

That was our train of thinking at the beginning of November.  Fast forward to November 21st when the dreaded call came, just days before Thanksgiving and our big announcement to the family that we were closing on a home soon.  The owner of the home we had painstakingly searched for called to inform us that the kitchen faucet had sprung a leak and water had saturated the main floor and basement living area as the home sat vacant.  Our momentum literally came to a screeching halt and we could hear the wind getting knocked out of our sails.  Closing was off for the 30th, and so began process of insurance, adjusters and mitigation/remediation.  (Not to mention we were getting married in just under a month.)  On the bright side, we were getting new flooring and a new ceiling in the basement, and things didn't seem quite as bad then.

So, in between wedding plans, we waited...and waited...and waited....to hear if the house was salvageable for a closing in the near future.  We searched for carpeting...and paint...and ceiling tiles....and countertops...and kitchens...and contractors...and estimates...and did I mention we were quickly approaching the big day??  Finally, the day before the wedding, we received word that the house was "dry" and we would be closing on December 30th.  Without much time to think things through, we agreed that was a plan, scribbled some signatures on an addendum and got hitched.  Life was good!

We spent our short honeymoon making official flooring and paint decisions so work could begin the second we closed (we envisioned all of the contractors lined up in the driveway just waiting for us to call from the attorney's office that it was safe to go in and begin working.)  The day after Christmas, we were allowed to see the house for the first time since the water was dried out by ServiceMaster.  And, our hopes were somewhat dashed again.  Nothing much had been completed except the main floor carpeting had been removed and a less than perfect job installing some new subflooring had been completed.  We saw the paint peeling off the walls, the uneven flooring gaps, and the halfway removed and damaged ceiling in the basement.  And, we were closing in t-minus 5 days.  Through it all, my new husband was a pillar of strength and soothing reality as I melted down into what my dad labeled as a "house-zilla" (most recently deemed from the previous week's "bride-zilla.")

This week has been a flurry of phone calls to the insurance agency about settlement amounts, estimates for repair work (which we didn't know were suddenly our responsibility to provide), and trips to and fro trying to coordinate everything.  And we don't even own the house!  The sellers are pushing us to close on Friday without anything but a handshake and prayer that the insurance will pay out for the necessary repairs.  But, guess what, those checks aren't coming to us as the buyers, they are going to the sellers.  We get the bills, they get the money...sounds like a normal day.

We finally put on the brakes today to try and get some peace of mind regarding the predicament living together as husband and wife created for us (many people have told us that living apart could lead to a better marriage - LOL!)  As I sit here typing this, we have three options:
1) Close on the house with the handshake and a prayer mentality that the insurance will come through.
2) Reduce the price we pay for the house to reflect the damages and close as planned.
3) Pay the price we agreed for the house and have the attorney handling the closing hold some of the money in escrow until the work is complete and the final insurance settlement is issued to protect us and the sellers from unforeseen issues with the insurance and the repair work.

And this is where things stand 2 days before closing.  No resolution, but some viable possibilities are on the horizon.  The reason I am sharing this with all of you is because it has truly opened my eyes to the many stresses that go with buying or selling a home.  It has certainly served as a reminder that a road paved with good intentions may still have several bumps in it.  This is a lesson to me that is already making me a better agent, and it will allow me to provide my customers and clients with the service they should expect.  In other words, I can relate to what you are going through.  The emotions, the paperwork, the glitches, the compromises...we've seen it all in the last six weeks.

We are unsure what tomorrow holds for our first home buying adventure as husband and wife.  We know that whatever happens was meant to be, and we look forward to keeping you informed of our progress.  If anything, it will make a great story to tell our children when they ask us about our first home.

Welcome Home!

The source of all of our problems!