Autumn Inspiration

As I drive to work each morning, I can't help but notice all of the colors that abound this time of year in the Elkhorn River Valley. I'm not really sure why I missed this for the past few years, but it seems like I have really taken notice of the colors of the trees and the changes in the farm fields throughout the past month.  Maybe it was the fact that my previous home was situated on a street with few mature trees, or maybe I need a distraction to keep the daily drive interesting.  Irregardless, harvest has already wound to a close at the Hansen farm and will soon be done further south at the Peters farm where my in-laws and husband have waited patiently for the crops to dry down in comparison to their northern neighbors.  They were fortunate to catch a few timely rains in their area, so the yields are slightly better and the corn is taking longer to mature. Nonetheless, this is a year like none many of us have ever seen, and we certainly hope that we do not experience the extreme drought and heat again anytime soon.  The devastating results were evident as farmers discussed their 1.5 bushel/acre yields while I waited in line on Monday morning at the County Treasurer's office.  My husband is thankful this week that harvest hours are starting to wind down as he continues to trek across Northeast/Central Nebraska and Eastern Iowa to service and maintain harvest systems.  (This wife is thankful for some downtime to have her husband help with fall projects around the house.) 

The fall weather has put me in the mood for making all kinds of soup, canning tomatoes, and changing decor around my house.  In a world where the average human does up to 300 routine things during any given day, a little change in life might be just what the doctor ordered.  I'm noticing scarecrows and pumpkins adorning front stoops all over town, and I'm anxious to start digging into my basement store room to see if I can find my fall decorations.  The mums along the south side of our home are a welcome surprise this fall, so maybe I'll have to renege on my previous comments about a "total" landscaping makeover for next year.  Despite the drought, our landscaping has provided us with some beautiful surprises!

The falling leaves have added beautiful contrast to the green grass in our yard at home. 

 Speaking of inspiring autumn surprises, don't forget the huge yard and extensive landscaping potential at 803 Grainland Road.  Priced at $125,000, it is a great deal for a 3-bedroom, 3 bath home (including master bath with walk-in shower), main floor laundry, and large rear deck.  Cozy up by the gas fireplace on these crisp autumn nights!

Your very own autumn inspiration is waiting for you at this beautifully updated acreage located just 3.5 miles north of Wayne on Highway 15.  Plenty of room for a hobby farm, garden, and all the perennials you can imagine.  Buy it this fall and start dreaming about your spring landscaping plans while the snow is on the ground.  Price reduced to $165,000!

Now is also a good time to get inspired about investing your money in something more profitable than a CD or the stock market.  Check out all of 1st Realty's investment listings like this one at 608 West 1st Street for $67,500.  New roof, new kitchen floor, mostly new interior main floor paint, and it is rented for $650/month through May, 2013.  This property has not been vacant for more than one month since 2007! 

You can also get inspired to start making those rent payments go to work for you by checking into a manageable 2-bedroom home like this one located at 1007 Poplar Street.  With 900 square feet, a full basement with egress window, a newer roof, and a large deck, this home has great possibilities.  Enjoy the shaded, fenced backyard and the attached garage for your fall projects.  It is a great home for a first-time buyer!

Wherever you find your inspiration, always make sure you have a place to call home to re-energize your spirit.  Stay in touch with 1st Realty for your autumn home buying or selling inspiration!  Welcome Home!

Childproofing...

The topic of childproofing has been on my mind for a couple of weeks.  You see, I'm going to be an aunt for a second time this year.  My brother and his wife are expecting their first child within the month, and I'm planning on being the aunt that spoils the dickens out of their little bundle of joy.  For some reason, the idea of having a small child around the house has me thinking about all of the things that can happen (my first stab at being an aunt came with my 9-year-old step-nephew, so these things didn't seem as necessary).  The biggest thing that has been bugging me is that we have no smoke detectors installed on the main floor of our home.  I mean not even one!  While we were focusing on getting all of those "other" things done with our house, we basically have disregarded all personal safety for ourselves.  So, I purchased the smoke alarms last week. Check that off the list. Did you know that as a home seller, you have to have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home?  (More is better and it is recommended that one be installed in each bedroom and any hallways leading to bedrooms.)   

I also started checking around the house for so-called choking hazards and other small objects that are not kid-friendly.  Guess what, our house is filled with them.  We will be moving those up a couple shelves from "baby-level."  We also do not have any outlet plug covers, but for some reason, our electrician decided to install the outlets that you can't plug anything into without just the right finesse and cord to plug alignment (extremely frustrating for small children, the elderly, and wives trying to use the hand mixer on a time schedule.)  I'm not sure of the exact name of the electrical genius who invented those outlets.  If anybody can electrocute themselves in those, let alone figure out how to plug-in a lamp, they need to be awarded a medal.  Those outlets are the bane of my existence, and installing plug-in covers in those tricky plug-in holes will be quite the task which I will save for a day when nobody else is around to laugh at my hardship.

At the present time, the only steps in our house are closed off by a locking door, so we can prevent falls that way.  Many of us have to rely on child safety gates to block of hazardous areas of the home.  If your home is currently childproofed, leaving the safety gates can often be a selling point for young families.  Many people ask for permanent gates attached to walls to stay along with other personal property listed in the purchase agreement.

The other thing we are lacking are door knob covers and cabinet door locks.  Nonetheless, as our little niece or nephew grows older, we will probably have to take measures to ensure that the little tike doesn't have access to harmful chemicals under the sinks and in the laundry area.  For the time being, I'll make it easy on Uncle Tim by avoiding those tricky door handles:).  Again, young families appreciate viewing homes that already have the child proofing measures taken, so don't get rid of these features for showings.  (Well, maybe the door knob covers.  I don't care how old you are, those things can be difficult to operate!)

As you can see, I am very excited for the new addition to the Hansen family set to arrive on October 20th.  Even though he or she will not have a permanent residence at our home, we hope to make it safe enough that Mommy and Daddy will trust Aunt Trisha and Uncle Tim with some babysitting duties in the future.  The new changes might not go with the feng shui we are used to, but I think we can make an exception.  I'm all about sacrificing style for a few baby toys laying around anyway.  Make your home a safe place to land by following these tips, too.  Welcome Home.

"You're no bother at all."

I am always astounded by the number of clients and customers who say goodbye each time they leave my office or an appointment by saying, "I bet you'll be glad when you don't have to deal with us anymore." Another standard goodbye when a transaction closes is, "Aren't you happy that we won't be bothering you everyday?"  And I always answer, "You're no bother at all."  The truth of the matter is that I enjoy it when people come into the office to "bother" me.  If I'm not getting phone calls or drop-ins, I'm not doing my job.  And if I'm not doing my job, I'm not learning how to make things go more smoothly for the next person that walks through the door.  I don't want anybody out there to forget what I am here for and that is to make your day a little bit easier by bearing the weight of the good, the bad, and the ugly of your home sale or purchase. 

The second truth of the matter is that there is something to be said about being able to close a difficult home sale versus an "easy" home sale.  A sense of accomplishment accompanies a closing that requires hours of additional time and patience throughout the process because of a fly-by-night lender, an inefficient government agency, a home inspection filled with bad news, or a botched communication somewhere along the lines.  In fact, that is why you should strongly consider having a REALTOR_® help you through any home sale or purchase.  My job is make things work out for all of the parties involved, and my experiences have taught me that no sale, closing, or negotiation is impossible.  It just might seem like it at the time.  I used to get really worked up when something didn't go according to plan.  In most cases, the things that we want to happen in perfect order are completely out of our control.  A multitude of puzzle pieces have to fall together in order to make a closing happen.  If things don't work out according to plan, the best we can do is evaluate the situation and head towards Plan B.  The combined knowledge from all of my real estate experiences is designed to help you and me make wise decisions about buying and selling homes.  This knowledge also makes everything go better the next time around when someone else faces the same problem (and I guarantee that you are not alone in your mission to buy or sell under difficult circumstances.  Someone out there will benefit from the expertise gained from your transaction). 

So, please, stop in anytime.  Bother me.  I'll be glad you did.  Welcome Home.

FIRE HAZARD!

My family started chopping corn this week, nearly a month ahead of schedule.  If you've been wondering why I'm so hard to get ahold of this week, that's why.  I'm running the silage wagons between the field and the silage pit to help my dad and brothers.  Silage chopping is something that generally gets done around Labor Day each year, however, the unusually dry conditions have pushed harvest ahead.  The corn looks OK in some spots, not so OK in others, but everybody can see that for themselves.  I'll digress to a larger issue that came to the forefront yesterday as I was driving into town after we had finished chopping.

Many of you probably heard the fire sirens going off in town around 12 p.m. yesterday.  Those fire trucks were heading 9 1/2 miles south of town to put out a fire alongside Highway 15 which could have been started by any number of things...a spark from an exhaust, an errant cigarette thrown out of a passing car window, or some other freak accident. I passed the fire just as it was getting going, and I did not hesitate to call it in to the 911 dispatchers.  Luckily, someone else had already notified authorities and fire trucks were on their way.  I was amazed at how quickly the fire took off in dry, drought scorched grass along the highway.  The current weather conditions are providing the perfect storm for something like this to happen, even in town.  My advice to everybody is to protect your real estate investments and make wise choices when it comes to open flames of any kind.  Fire pits and open burning should be a major concern for everybody, and the dry conditions are providing plenty of tinder for a fire to immediately become out of control. 

If you must burn an open flame, be sure to keep extinguishers or water nearby in case of an emergency, and never leave a fire unattended.  The warning I heard on the radio just this morning says it best, "If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave."  An uncontrolled fire can mean significant property losses for you or your neighbors.  Keep this in mind as we try to deal with the drought as best we can.  Welcome Home.

Put a Jacket On!

Morning temperatures in the 60s??  Feels like jacket weather today!  Despite the fact that we have not received any measurable rain since before Memorial Day, the cooler days are a wonderful relief from the 100+ temps we have been experiencing.  The crops, the trees, the lawns, and the people are all just a little perkier today! 

Quite a few of you have been asking me what effect the drought conditions are having on buyer and seller confidence in our local real estate market.  In all honesty, buyer traffic has been high during the past few weeks.  We tend to see a lull in activity in mid-July due to the heat and other activities that typically take place this time of year (i.e. Chicken Days and the Wayne County Fair).  Nonetheless, showings have been consistent throughout the month of July, which is good news for sellers.  The homes pictured below have become pending sales during the past two weeks.

1021 1st Avenue

206 Wilcliff Drive

1407 Linden Street

 

408 Douglas Street

As you can see, a wide variety of homes have sparked interest in buyers from ranch-styles to multi-levels and two-stories to townhouses.  In fact, several buyers have inquired as to whether or not we anticipate new listings in the next few weeks/months.  Our home inventory is down considerably from where it was three or four years ago which is somewhat limiting the selection we have available for move-up and first-time homebuyers.  Investment properties have also been moving throughout the spring and summer.  If you are contemplating a move, it is a great time to list your home!

As for the current weather conditions, it is hard to guess what effect the drought will have on the local market at this point.  The most glaring hold up to purchasing homes during hot spells is simply the heat itself.  Let's face it, who wants to move when it's 110 degrees in the shade?  The distinctive "crunchiness" of the dried lawns around our homes this year is a little discouraging.  In any given year, heat generally prohibits both buyer traffic and seller traffic.  Psychologically speaking, the weather can significantly influence buyer confidence and the  willingness to purchase homes because of the long-term impact it might have on our local economy.  With a largely agricultural base, Wayne is positioned to be heavily affected by a prolonged drought and poor harvest.  Water and energy concerns also factor into buyer decision making and can impact their interest in acreage properties and other properties with private well systems as well as homes that are not energy efficient.  Planting shade trees and installing high efficiency air conditioners are important things to consider when trying to cut back on cooling bills.  Many buyers today are requesting energy usage figures when they purchase a home of any shape or size.

For the time being, we will continue to look to the sky for precipitation in hopes that we can measure the next rainfall in inches rather than in drops.  Whether you farm, work in construction, or have an office job, the prospect of rain can help all of our attitudes and improve our confidence in the local housing market.

As a side note, all of us at 1st Realty welcome everybody to Wayne this weekend for the Wayne County Fair, and we hope you take advantage of the cooler weather to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair.  Welcome Home.

Grimace

The excessive heat and drought conditions are having a physical effect on the area crops and landscaping as well as a psychological effect on us human beings.  As we continue to hope and pray for rain and cooler weather to relieve our weary souls, I thought I would share a couple of photos from around my home to help take your mind off the conditions (if even for a minute).

Those of us who are children of the 1980s remember the lovable purple character known as Grimace in the McDonald's commercials.  At our house, we have a Grimace of our own.  Take a look at the photos to see if you notice a resemblance... 

 

Grimace the Ornamental Bush is strategically placed right in front of the outside water spigot on the front of our house, so I have to battle for turf whenever I need to fill my watering can.  You'll notice that I became frustrated with the little guy earlier this spring while trying to mow, so I took the hedge trimmer to him and knocked off a portion of the bottom branches.  I assumed they would fill in, but the bush is still sporting a large bald spot several months later.  On the other hand, the rose bush that you see on the right hand of this photo is clearly out of control again and does not hesitate to grab anybody that walks too close with its thorny branches.  It has made me bleed profusely on a few occasions despite being trimmed down to the ground this spring. As you can see, our landscaping is in need of an overhaul, so what you see now will most likely have a date with a skidloader this fall.  The weed barrier (where one was installed) is no longer working and we started out with a serious wild lettuce, Creeping Jenny, and Morning Glory problem in some areas around the foundation.  I know many people do not consider these weeds, but my background has taught me that any sort of invasive plant such as these must be destroyed for the sake of the crops.  All of these plants can be brought under control by using any product containing 2, 4-D to spray the unwanted weeds. 

For the time being, I will continue my struggle with Grimace to water my flowers.  Now that the majority of the inside work is complete, it seems that our plans have spilled over to the outside.  By this time next year, I hope to have a whole new landscape and a new look to the curb appeal of the house.  I'm pretty good with a hedge trimmer!  Welcome Home!

Free Labor

As childless newlyweds, my husband and I might be a bit naive about what it takes to raise children.  About a month and a half ago, we had the opportunity to have a sleepover with the newest addition to our family, our 9 year old step-nephew, Anthony.  We soon learned how much energy it takes to keep up with a 9 year old.  I figured since everything was so "boring" at our house, the best thing to do would be to work outside in the yard and catch up on some fertilizing and weeding.  Anthony was excited by the idea of fertilizing the lawn once he saw the fertilizer spreader.  I was excited to have some free child labor helping around the house.

We filled the hopper up with granules, placed it in the start position and showed him how to operate the trigger to release the granules.  Little did I know that he didn't let the trigger go after the lesson was over, so the rotary spreader filled with granules, which were spread in a heap at the starting point.  The damage did not show up until about 2 weeks later when I noticed the grass was burning a strange circular pattern.  I thought the aliens had landed and were producing some mysterious lawn circles.  Burned spots showed up here and there on the edges of the front lawn, but nothing appeared in the back lawn.  My husband and I had fertilized the back lawn because Anthony soon grew tired of this "hard job."  He was mad because we hadn't disclosed how "hard" it would be prior to him taking the controls of the spreader.  However, the puzzle pieces soon fell together.  The burn spots were all in a circular pattern and all in areas where Anthony had stopped to take a break from manually propelling the spreader forward.  Exhibit A represents the consequences of free child labor.  Be careful about the rate of application for nitrogen based lawn fertilizer products.  "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" (English Translation-Burns, 1785).  Welcome Home.

Exhibit A: Mysterious lawn circles appeared a couple of weeks after fertilizing.