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Deserts and Rivers

Tue, 06 May 2025 18:37:47 GMT

Bet you can't list the top deserts and longest rivers in the world!

Just for some fun-

Now this seems like simple questions, but think before you answer.

Don't cheat and look them up, just go back in time, to early school days. . . what were they?

To my surprise the largest desert is not obvious and the longest river isn't either. Now, we all know that the Sahara and Gobi deserts are hot and dry but where are they on that list? We know that the Amazon and the Nile Rivers are likely on the list - but do you know which one is on the top and what other rivers are on that list? See if you can name the top 3 deserts and the top 3 rivers, I bet you can't.

Here is a small hint for the river, it runs north to south. Here is a hint for the desert, you need a coat! So, go ahead and see what you find out, next time you are playing Trivia you will know the answer!

In USA the longest river is the Missouri River with the Mississippi River flowing close behind with a total of 3710 miles if you put them together. The 3rd longest river is the Yukon River at 1979 miles with Rio Grande 1885 miles in 4th place. The Ohio River is about 981 miles.

I'll leave the deserts for you to discover!

Remodel, Yes or No?

Thu, 01 May 2025 18:34:15 GMT

We all want to remodel our homes but, on a budget, we can afford. . . but when damage occurs, we must dig into our money and find a way to pay for the repair needed. Sometimes we decide to tackle the job ourselves and sometimes we hire pros. It is often a hard decision. Here is a tale of a recent remodel.

The other day I was getting my key out to open the door when I noticed a lot of debris on the porch floor. I looked up and the bird nest that was over the light had a huge chunk torn off it! So, I thought, time to pull it down. But of course, I put it off for a few days and finally decided to do something about the mess. Sweeping the porch of the debris was first and then I would get a ladder and climb up to the light and pull the old nest off. This nest had been there for years, it needed to go. But wait, the entire missing side was repaired! Little sticks had been interwoven to fix the torn spot, it was built up to the level required and so neatly cleaned out as well! It looks like this old nest has been remodeled to suit a new bird's wishes by a pro. What an amazing feat! Imagine finding just the right little sticks and then weaving them in and out with just your beak? There were no eggs in the nest, but I could see that this newly remodeled nest was about to have eggs. . . There are none today and I have not seen any birds, but I assume that any day now, a surprise will arrive at my front door!

So, you see, even animals have to remodel once in a while! So don't fret about your project, just get to it and get it done! You will be very pleased when all has been remodeled just like these birds!

Underground Surprises

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 17:48:31 GMT

We know there are powerlines, water & sewer lines underground ... BUT did you ever consider what else might be under the ground? Let me tell you a story about just such event.

Living on a farm, we kept horses in stalls in our barn. They loved staying in there during the heat of summer, they even had their own fans which they would stand facing or put their rumps by it! It was always fun to see how they arranged their little rooms. But one day, I noticed a hole in the back of Brandy's stall. What was that? Could she have pawed that hole? I went into see it and it was huge running about a foot wide and going under the wall to the outside. What was it ..it wasn't there yesterday. It has to be animal and I had heard snakes make holes so I hurried to the house computer to see just what it could be.

Well, I found a picture of the hole online and knew that it was not a snake hole, thankfully! It was a groundhog. I knew I had to get rid of it or the floor might cave in. So just what do you do to get rid of a groundhog? I had never even seen it? Thinking, if I covered the hole back up, it would go away knowing it was not wanted here, so out comes the shovel!

Tapped it down and smiled thinking "that'll do it". But the next morning, there it was again- exactly like it was before! Now this means war. I won't kill it but I want it gone, so what next? I went back to the computer and read up on groundhogs. Did you know they are extremely clean creatures? They dig holes as deep as six feet and sixty feet long without even a shovel. They create cozy little rooms in this burrow with a bedroom, baby room and gathering room. They even have a bathroom...yes a bathroom. They dig a hole and line it with green grass - amazing! Don't believe me that they have a bathroom? I found that hard to believe myself, but it is true.

So, seizing on the "clean" word, tossed dirty kitty litter into the hole pushing down as far as it would go. Filled all the holes that I could find the same way. Next day ...it was still there but no signs of a groundhog and never did see it again. So it is true, they are clean and don't want messy homes. Great use for dirty kitty litter too!

Home Renovations on a Budget

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 19:14:52 GMT

You contemplating a home renovation because your home is outdated or you're just bored with it? Did you know an average remodel can cost anywhere form $10-$60 a square foot? By room the average cost are:

Kitchen $32,000
Bathroom $15,000
Basement $20,500
Living Area $8,000

Those numbers are intimidating but there are a few ways to lower those cost when you're on a budget. You need to evaluate which room to start with and access what needs to be done within that room. You'll need to access your own finances to see what you can budget whether paying for cash or using a credit option you will need to set an amount. The amount you set needs to be a set amount that is not budged. Another consideration is can you do the work or do you need a contactor? If you need a contractor make sure read over everything from who provides material to what they will be doing with reviews on work. Rent your own dumpster and do the initial clean up, this saves from hiring someone to do it. Make sure what ever area you'll be working in has a temporary area while the work is being done.

Remodeling the kitchen can be done in a more cost efficient manner if you're able to do a little extra work and have good "bones". Repaint your cabinets if they're in good shape but need a little lift. Add backsplash to give your kitchen and a new feel. Updating appliances can become costly. If you need to replace appliances look for deals available, shop around, and maybe check the scratch and dent discounts. If you're changing the countertop consider quartz over quartzite, quartz is durable and a little better pricing.

Bathrooms are smaller but can be quite costly to remodel. This projects cost will really be based off if you need a full remodel or a little face lift. Access what really needs completely replaced vs what just needs small adjustments. For instance: The cabinets can be painted, the hardware replaced on the sink and shower instead of new, paint on the walls, etc. Avoid layout changes if possible as this can lead to extra cost on plumbing and electric. If you absolutely need all new items look for bundle options.

Living area are a center piece within a home. Opening the space could cause it to not look so crowded and more open. Taking out a wall could really help this, double check the wall is non-weight bearing prior to taking it out. Tear up carpet, this really helps if the carpet is worn and damaged. Hardwood floor a relatively simple option for replacement flooring. You can find discounted options and discontinuing deals that could save money. You can install this flooring yourself as well and avoid paying someone else to do it for you. New flooring creates a completely different look within a room and can make it look completely new. Rearrange the furniture then clean it up or reupholster the furniture and refinish any wood.

There are many more hacks I'm sure I've missed! Just remember its the simple differences that really can make the biggest differences.

How to Start an Airbnb

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 17:49:59 GMT

Always wonder how Airbnb's get started? Well here is a run down on how to start an Airbnb:

If the home needs repaired or upkeep those issue will need resolved.
Fully furnish the home. This is where you will need to evaluate what style area you will have. Is this a cabin with bare necessities or a home with everything possible upgraded to the full extent?
Linens, utensils, cookware, cups, etc need to be purchased. Some get the bare necessities while others ensure that there is everything possible needed.
Keyless lock makes things more efficient for entry purposes. You can set/reset the code for each guest to ensure that only authorized people are allowed inside.
Find a Co-host. Most owners opt to allow a host to assist in taking care of guest needs and booking locations. This will cause less stress in ensuring guest have everything needed before and during a stay.
Set guidelines/ rules for the home. You will need to set guidelines to make sure your home is well taken care of.
Take a look around the area and see what would attract a guest to that location. This will be what you need to highlight to attract guest to your home.
Set a nightly minimum and maximum rate. You'll want to average other home prices within the area. Make sure to take into account if you have a hot tub, how big your location is, what you have to offer.
Take professional looking photos. Your photos need to show an accurate view of the home but in its best light. Make sure to add a layout of the home as well.
Determine who will clean the home. You can hire a cleaning crew or do it yourself. You can charge the cleaning fee straight to the guest so it won't come out of the amount owed to you.
Post your listing and be available to answer any questions. There will more than likely need to be changes made as you gain more guest.

How to Sell In As Is Condition

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:17:43 GMT

There are many reasons people may need to consider selling a home as is. The home around you may be outdated, you may have outgrown the home or the home may be to large for your needs, the upkeep may be too much, or life events may be making it difficult to stay where you are. If you're ready for a fresh start or simply need to relocate continue for tips on how to sell an as-is home.

Basic Tips on how to sell an as-is home:

Focus on the best features of the home

Historic value
Unique designs
Location in relation to surrounding areas
Size of property- can be a large property with room to roam or a small property with easy upkeep

Emphasize value/ investment opportunity

The value of the home may appear low currently but with updates will increase
Investing in a run down home now may mean a higher resale later

Clean up the exterior of the home

If anything is in the front especially move them to a different location
Clean up any trash
Do landscaping if possible
The first impression comes from curb appeal

Promote the neighborhood

Safe neighborhoods are idea, if your in a low crime area point this out
Showcase local amenities- shopping centers, parks, playgrounds, etc.
If the prospective buyer has kids mention the school district

Appeal to the lifestyle of your audience

Gardening, landscaping, do-it-yourselfers, etc.
Ex: Large plot of land could be idea for someone who wants to plant their own garden or a family who wants the extra land for kids to run on.

Find the correct price

Look at surrounding home values
Take into consideration that the buyer will need to put work and material into the home
Overpricing can detour people from taking time to actually look at the potential
Don't underprice, make sure you get the value but be willing to negotiate

Prepare for inspections

Even if you're selling as is the buyer may want multiple inspections to ensure they know what they're purchasing

Look at the property from a buyer's perspective

This is the best way to know how to market the home and what the buyer is going to focus on the most

Target the correct buyer

You can target specific crowds while you're marketing your home
Each crowd will look for different points within the home
Finding the correct crowd will significantly increase your chance of selling

TALL TALES FROM THE FARM

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 18:51:25 GMT

One Night at the Hen House

Living on the farm always brings stories to tell, here is another one you might enjoy! We raised chickens

and always allowed them to free-range during the day. That means they were free to roam anywhere during

the daylight hours but must be penned up each night. They soon learn this routine and would squawk

like crazy if you were late, the girls didn't need a rooster, they could make enough noise for an army

invasion. They also followed the daylight hours, so outside more in summer than winter. All you have to

do is open the henhouse door and they come running and pushing their way thru the door to spend a

wonderful day roaming all over the farm pecking and eating whatever they like. They do stay together

which I always found interesting. It didn't matter which breed or size they were, the gals all stuck

together and eventually seemed to elect leaders, guards and tattlers.

Now the leaders would be the ones who decide where to go roam that day, usually always within

eyesight of the peoplehouse. They loved roaming the barn and the gardens. I liked it because they kept

bugs population to nearly zero and snakes rarely came around the house because these hens would go

after it just like it was a tiny bug. One of their big treats was when we began cutting firewood. They

would hang around eating the fresh sawdust and all the ants we found within the wood! We enjoyed

watching the antics and the battle for a given ant or bug.

Now the guards were the ones sent to the outer edges of the flock and their job was to set off the alarm if

predators or anything worrisome appeared and that they did faithfully. It was the squawking of those

guards that would send us flying to their rescue from the hawks, raccoons, coyotes and other predators

that were always nearby. Once the alarm was sounded they would all gather together and run for a

safespot.

The last group was the tattlers, or maybe leaders? They would be the gals that would run up to us when

we came around, gather around us and all talking at one time but the two in front of the group seemed to

always be the same and look at us while talking constantly with different sounds and gestures telling us

of something important. Perhaps a giant bug someone found, or a intruding snake or perhaps something

that happened that day. We would stand there and listen and make comments like "Oh really - that was

awful - " or just nod our heads like we understood and when they felt that we had understood, they would

return happily to their roaming. And that is how our lives went every day. We so enjoyed their

conversations.

But one day something happened. We had to go away for the night and needed to have our friend come

and put them up for the night in their henhouse, closing the door so nothing could get in. He had

chickens so he knew exactly what to do and we were not worried about leaving them to his care. That

morning we let them out and made sure all the feeders and waterers were full so that all that needed done

was to pen them up that night. For this story, I will call our friend Bob. The next afternoon we returned to

find everything fine but when we got out of the truck, the hens all came running as fast as they could

and all chattering at once with the leaders peering at us and stretching their necks to tell the story. This

is what they said (or so I gathered).

"Some strange man came and chased us all around, trying to grab us as we tried to go into the

henhouse. He even took a stick and tried to hit us so we couldn't wander around. He didn't pick us up

and cuddle us or give us a goodnight kiss. His voice was loud and scared us so some of us ran and hid

but he came after us with that stick and grabbed some of us and tossed us into the henhouse. We were all

terrified and one by one we managed to get into the henhouse and hide from him. He growled and

snarled and slammed the door and left. We were all shaking and scared he would come back and

couldn't sleep a wink last night. When he came back this morning we all tried to hide from him in the

henhouse so he just grumbled and left the door open and went away. We didn't dare come out until we

saw your truck. Oh it was so scarry!"

And I swear that is what I heard ...so after consoling them and seeing them off to their roaming, I called

Bob and told him what they said about the nights events, he laughed himself silly and said it was just

about true. They had come to the henhouse but were roaming all around it rather that going in to it so he

picked up a long stick we use to corral them and tried to corral them but a few decided no way and ran

away. (after all you have to remember they did not know Bob, he might have been a big predator). He

had to chase after them and corral them to get them into the house and actually had to catch a few and

toss them in! So the chickens hadn't lied and Bob had done what he should have done, but they

interpreted it differently. All is well but Bob is still laughing about the story I told him and they told me .....

CPAP Sleep Machine Saves Family In Most Unusual Way

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 18:18:02 GMT

As we all are aware, the various nighttime sleep machines can help with sleep, breathing and more but in this case ...it was "more"

Around 4:30 am my brother woke up because his CPAP had stopped working and he had to go to the bathroom. Quietly he got of bed, still half asleep, headed to the nearby bathroom and quickly returned to bed trying not to awake his sleeping wife. He pulled the CPAP back over his face but noticed it still did not work. Routing around he checked the plug and switches but all was well, why wasn't it working? This all woke his wife who looks over at him to find out what all the noise was about and to her shock flames are pouring out of the bathroom floor vent! She quickly realized the house was on fire but my brother was slower at realizing what was going on . . . smoke was rapidly filling the bedroom. They needed to get out and now, no fooling! My brother quickly remembered his phone, wallet and keys were by the door and decided to grab them and go . . . still in underwear and yelling to his wife "go. . . get out now" and they did. As they entered the dining room, they passed by a door leading outside and headed for the "usual" door used everyday thru the garage. The smoke was getting harder to breathe and finding their way in the house they knew very well became more difficult. They had to get out as fire was now showing up everywhere. They managed to get to the garage and head out the people door and headed to his truck which was parked too close to the garage but alas, he had the keys. He dials 911 and the rest is history.

When you look back over the scene, if that CPAP had been working, he would not have waken nor would his wife ..they simply would have died of smoke inhalation or worse. But in looking back you also realize it was the fire that had turned off the electricity and thus the CPAP stopped working and thus he couldn't breath and thus he awoke and caused his wife to wake. But why did he manage to go to the bathroom and never see, hear or notice the house was on fire, the very same room that minutes later his wife points out the flames? Or why did they walk right past the exit door to travel through a smoke-filled, fire flaming house to find the door they "always" used. But thankfully they did do all this and saved their own lives.

They sat in their truck awaiting the fire department and watching as their lives were changing and that the lovely home they once owned, no longer exists. All those memories gone. The fire department came and did their best but the house was lost. They eventually determine the fire began in the basement just underneath where they were sleeping and quickly spread thru the house. Thank goodness that CPAP "quit working" as my brother says, for that saved their lives!

Rising Interest Rates-Inflation

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 16:23:08 GMT

Should I Buy a House Now?

With all the news stoking your fears, should you put off buying that house now? Or what about selling your house? What to do, oh what to do!

The first thing is look around you - the nightly news is for the entire country, so maybe your area isn't having the issues the rest of the country is. Are you seeing a lot of home building going on in your area? Lots of empty building or deserted homes? Is your job (hopefully) secure in such times and do you have the funds to buy now. Assuming yes, lets move forward. House prices have been trending upwards rapidly but maybe they will slow down that rise a bit. Let's think this over and see what you might consider. Let's go with yes, let's buy a house now.

First off, the home prices might have softened a bit but not likely that much. More likely the number of buyers per house has softened and that is in your favor as you won't be in a price bidding war. Also if the number of buyers has softened, then there will be less buyers so that opens up more houses for you to buy. Remember, houses come up for sale for many many reasons such as job changes, divorces, deaths, downsizing, upsizing, first time buyers and so on - so you can see that these things will continue to happen and houses will still come up for sale.

The interest rate hike does hurt you in the sense that your monthly payment may be more but consider if you can get the house a bit cheaper than you thought, you save money and thus your monthly payment will be lower than you planned since you are not borrowing as much.

Also consider if you are renting, those payments are going to go up and you are not getting any equity building. If you buy a house, you start building equity and can someday borrow back some of that money for any of a multitude of reasons. Consider it a safety net in many ways.

Realize too that whatever rate you borrow at today, they may go up in the future and thus you saved by buying now before that rate hike or they may go down and you can simply refinance. Rates are not locked in forever, they are constantly changing both up and down. The news would have you believe that once they go up, you will never ever have a chance to borrow again at a lower rate . . . simply not true.

Shop around for rates and offers from various banks and private companies and even government agencies that make mortgage loans. Today you have more choices than ever . . . shop around. Also watch out for "add-on" to your mortgage; check on what fees they might charge you or paperwork that might cost you more. These can inflate your costs and sometimes are not worth it, again, shop around! But sometimes, they are worth it and you can either pay those fees ahead or ask that they be added to your monthly payment. Don't just call the bank you have always done business with, they might not be your best option.

Also there is the possibility that home prices may drop and that would seemingly be another bad fear. But think about it, if you live in that house for 5-10 years, it will surely go up in value and if you do some upgrades, it can go up considerably. So you still do better by purchasing a house today and building equity, having a home to call your own, and opportunities to do many other things. Of course, we wish the rates would not go up but when they do, the house purchase should not be put off, just shop around and find a house that suits you. Maybe you can buy a cheaper house now while building equity to be a stepping stone to your next "forever" home with the equity you build! The house you buy today does not have to be the only one you will ever own...it's just the beginning!

Will Insurance Pay For A New Roof?

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 20:43:41 GMT

The answer may surprise you as it did me! Last summer we noticed that a 4x8 sheet of plywood had failed on our A-Frame roof and needed replaced. But after exhausting call after call, we could not find anyone willing to work on that steep A-Frame. We did get one estimate of $800-900 range which seemed fair but that person never returned our calls. So time passes and winter moves in. We began to worry that snow might cause more damage or even begin leaks into the house. What could we do, again we called and called even contacted some of those TV ad resources for handymen but alas nothing.

By the time spring came around we had several small leaks in the area and more plywood was failing. What is going on, we have to get someone out here to fix this soon. We finally called a reputable roofing company (one that we had not called earlier because we heard great things about them, but that they were very expensive). They said they would send out their appraiser in a few days to see what could be done. And that they did, they even called me the day and time! To make this story easier to read, let’s call him Jeff. Jeff arrived and came with camera, special roofing shoes, ladders and more. He got right to work climbing all over the roof of our 3000 sq ft house and after awhile came down with the bad news. He told us that the entire roof needed replaced and that the rot we saw was just the beginning and showed us photos. Our heart sank as we didn’t have that kind of money and we wondered if, just possibly he was trying to build up the sale. But then he said, you have lots of “hail damage” - you should contact your homeowners insurance company and see if they will help. What, insurance - that had never occurred to us! Plus just exactly what is “hail damage”.

Hail damage is something you can’t see from the ground, you have to climb up on a ladder and look for it. It is hundreds and hundreds of tiny dents in your shingles that washes away the gravel on the shingles and causes leaks to develop under the shingles, rotting away your underlayment! It also puts tiny dents and scuffs on your gutters and downspouts, something you don’t see. Likewise it tears up the rubber or metal pieces that go around your various vent pipes causing them to leak too. Over time a big hail storm can do a lot of damage and you don’t even know it! It devalues your house. That is what happened in our case. So if you have a big hail storm, you might have damage you don’t know about, it might be worth checking that roof and have an adjuster come out.

So taking Jeff’s advise we called our insurance company and instead of getting a “no, sorry” - they sent their appraiser out to see what they might do since hail damage is covered! The appraiser came and after looking over everything, came to the conclusion that we indeed would be getting a new roof replacement via insurance! Of course we would have some depreciation and a deductible, but there should still be enough left to cover the entire roof not just the damage plus new gutters and downspouts and all the things that help keep water from coming thru your roof, like around pipes and so on.

Could this be true, it can’t be true, am I dreaming??

We wish we had called “Jeff” sooner because he helped us solve the problem. The insurance company provided enough money to do the job and today we have a beautiful new roof, gutters, downspouts, caps on pipes, new skylights and more. Jeff and company were very professional in helping keep costs down, working with the insurance company and after it was all done, they cleaned up everything outside - you would never have known they had just done roofing!

I love my new roof and so glad I finally called the “too expensive” roofing company. I am also grateful for the insurance company treating me fairly and helping guide us through a difficult situation. Once in awhile things in life go right for a change!

A Midnight Apricot Tree Party

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 20:20:22 GMT

Another - Tall Tales From the Farm

Every Fall on the farm, we would harvest the various fruit trees bounty, freezing for the winter to come. We felt we took care of the trees all year and they, in turn, would take care of us through the winter months. This was our source for pies, turnovers, ice cream topping, jellies and jams - you can almost smell them cooking can’t you!

Several years ago we decided to add Apricot trees to our list of peaches, apples, grapes, raspberries, black berries and cherry. We bought two trees but alas after a few years, one died but the other survived and flourished. According to the tree tag and on-line research we should have a small crop in three years and we did, so small all you could do is get a taste of what they would become, nothing to spare. I must say they were delicious and we looked forward to the following year’s crop. But to our shock, we got nothing the following year, not a single apricot. Now this made me mad and I threatened the tree with cutting it down if it didn’t produce the following year an abundant supply.

Now jump forward to 5 years. Spring arrives and the tree is covered with fragrant blossoms and bees were doing their pollinating. Guess that tree took me serious (actually I was). There were literally thousands of beautiful apricots growing. Every day on my way to the barn I would stop by and tell it what a wonderful job it was doing and how grateful we were that it produced such an abundance!

Then came the day when they were nearly ripe, surely tomorrow would be picking day followed by canning and freezing. That night my husband and I went out to look at the apricot tree and sampled a few, yes they were ready and I had never tasted fresh apricots - what a difference, mouth water flavoring to die for ..seriously, we were just “a day away” as the song from Annie says. So bright and early the next morning I headed out to the barn and passed by that apricot tree, thinking about getting some buckets from the barn. But after a few more steps it dawned on me that there were NO apricots on the tree, what! That’s impossible - where did those thousand apricots go! Surely my eyes are playing a trick on me so back I went and it was true, not an apricot or even a pit on the ground! How is that possible? To this day I don’t know what happened to all those apricots but this is my best guess:

Last night Ricky Raccoon doing his nightly rounds, decided he too would look at that tree and see if things were getting close to ripe. But what he saw astonishing him and he let out the loud animal whoops call for all to come and feast tonight. A party would begin at midnight and you could have all the apricots you could eat and carry. Why even a few possums and chipmunks, squirrels and deer were likely to show up to join the party that would go until that magical hour of dawn when they all headed back home to sleep off their drunkeness and no doubt a bit of digestive problems! Wouldn’t you like to have seen them climbing all over that tree, eating, tossing, hanging from branches trying to reach the next apricot and all the little fellows below gobbling them up as fast as they hit the ground! Deers helping the small ones reach the limbs while others tossed the apricots on the ground for them to eat too. What a feast it must have been but you know, they even cleaned up any debris so by the time I got there absolutely nothing indicated a party had been held, not a trace!

Shiny Kitchen Sink

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 17:19:49 GMT

CLEAN UGLY STAINLESS STEEL KITCHEN SINK

So, you cleaned all the counters and all the appliances but there is that old looking stainless steel kitchen sink. No matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t come shiny, looking like new. Look around the drain and you see crud, ugh! Is there something out there that will really make this old sink shine? Here’s my story:

We purchased a new kitchen faucet, one of those with the sprayer in the faucet rather than a separate hose. I must tell you I like it a lot more, more control of spray and it reaches into areas I couldn’t get before when the sink was full or I was canning. Got it on Amazon for a great price and it was easy to install despite a few mutterings from my husband as he crawled under the sink. But that leads me to the problem. We removed the old separate spray attachment only to be left with a 1.5” hole in the sink, well that will not due so off to Lowes we went. Who knew there would be so many options! So we came home with two options we thought might work. The simple snap on did not. The other one, the one with the long screw, of course, works but you have to get back under the sink to screw it in, more mutterings for sure to come. But in the end, it looks great.

But that now made the sink look old and dull, a shiny new faucet and a shiny new plug for the hole. How can we make this sink shine too? The young man who helped us at the store mentioned he used Bar Keepers Friend on his and it was amazing, he said he did it again about every three months. He said get the powder type and sprinkle it around the sink and then spray a little water to make a “slurry", let it sit a few minutes, then use a soft scrubber and scrub the sink, then rinse and dry (wipe with towel). He wasn’t selling the product, just telling us about his experience. So we bought the Bar Keepers Friend for under $3 and headed home.

You know, he was right! Take a look at our 30 year old kitchen sink! No you can’t see your face in it but it looks like new. We did have to do the above a couple times since it never had such treatment but wow what a transformation. I’m not endorsing this product, just telling you what I learned and maybe it will work for you too. I also learned that young folks just might know things us older folks don’t know, amazing!

TALES OF THREE TAILS

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 16:02:16 GMT

OR what would you do? Another fun story from Tall Tales from the Farm.

While out walking around the farm tending to fence chores I noticed a large stick sticking out of the ground and didn’t want it to hurt one of our horses, so I went over to the fence and leaned over to pull that stick out of the ground it had buried itself into - or so was my intentions. Turned out it was a black snake’s backend sticking out of the ground with his head buried down into the hole and apparently he couldn’t get backed out! He was squirming and twisting but things were not going his way. Pondering the situation I decided that it was best if I left things alone because grabbing a snake by his tail and pulling him out did not sound like the wisest move. So the moral of this tale is just because a door is there, you should check before you leap …it just might be too small!

It was approaching evening and a storm was on its way so I went to the barn to get the horses inside As I slide the barn door open, much to my shock a fat skunk was in the entryway and took one look at me and headed down the barn aisle away from me as fast as his little feet could carry him (thankfully). When he reached the far side of the barn he turned back and saw I was still there so he headed over to one of the closed stall doors and ducked under it, but ouch, he didn’t fit, he was stuck! Now I didn’t dare go over there so I just stood in the doorway and watched. He squeezed and squeezed and his little pink toes dug into the dirt pushing and pushing but that fat little belly refused to fit under that doorway. All I could see was the backend - can you imagine how funny it must have looked from the other side of that door. I can just “see” his eyes closed and grunting as hard as he could to try to squeeze through but alas nothing was happening. What was he to do? I watched for a while and decided the best thing for me was to simply leave. I didn’t want to smell like a skunk and I certainly couldn’t help plus if I left him alone maybe he could back out or at least relax enough to think his way through the situation. I’ll never know how he did it but he was gone an hour later and the horses were safely put into their stalls to weather the storm. So the moral here is that no matter how hard you try sometimes things just don’t go the way you want!

And the final tale is about a silly squirrel. I was out riding my horse in the woods just enjoying the spring unfolding with all its beauty when I noticed a squirrel sitting on a log way over the far side of the woods. Now this squirrel is a long way away from the trail. There was a wide creek filled with large stones between him and I. Yet that silly squirrel took one look at me and charged across the log, the creek, the trail and crossed in front of me and dashed up the tree beside me on the trail! What in the world was he doing? He was just fine where he was and why come charging me and my horse as well? Who knows what squirrel’s think. Ever heard the expression “a bit squirrelly” ? Even my horse seemed equally puzzled as she watched the event. Now the problem comes that the hole in the tree that he had made the mad dash for was too small! He couldn’t fit inside, so there he was, arms and head inside the hole but body, back legs and tail outside the hole and those feet trying hard to squeeze into that hole but it was not working. He twisted and turned and shoved and pushed but there was no chance he was going to fit. From time to time he would stop squirming and you could see he was really breathing hard. Again, there was nothing I could do and I certainly wasn’t going to grab that tail either and pull! Moral of the story, think hard, maybe where you are is where you should stay.

Laundry Room Smell

Mon, 03 May 2021 19:03:00 GMT

HELP! Bad Smell in the Laundry Room

For a week now there has been a sewage type smell whenever I walk into the laundry room. At first, I thought it was where the washing machine drain goes into the vent pipe. After checking the hose and being sure it fit securely down the pipe, I stuffed a few hankies around the hose opening just to be sure there were no leaky areas. That worked - well, at first it worked. Sometimes the washer gets out of balance and jumps around a bit, so I just thought that was the issue and problem solved.

Next day, the bad aroma was back, ugh! It was horrible again, what is wrong? So, I called me husband into the room and said “fix it” and he looked at me like I was crazy. He looked at the hose, the connection, the pipe and even went outside to see if perhaps the vent pipe was clogged in some way, but results were nothing seemed wrong. So what is going on? The aroma seemed to float into the nearby rooms making things even worse. He finally pulled the washer away from the wall to see if perhaps a mouse had died or something moldy had fallen behind the machine, but again nothing. This was getting frustrating and we both were now worried that the septic tank was causing the problem or we needed a plumber. Tomorrow I’d try one last time before calling a plumber.

In the meantime I called my wizardry nephew who remodels houses and told him what was happening and he said try doing a hot water cycle with a cup of bleach in it, no clothing, just empty and see if that works. Even though you are doing loads of laundry, most are done in cold water today so hot water is rarely run through the pipes. It takes the hot water combination to clear out any mold or bacteria that is likely inside the pipes. If that works, then your worries are over - you have the solution. If not, better call the plumber!

Notice on my laundry machine there is an actual cycle button for sanitizing the hose, but you have to add that bleach to get this done. Well it worked! So if this happens to you, check the things I did earlier to be sure things are working properly and if so, do the hot water/bleach trick - problem solved! I’m lucky to have a wizardry nephew who can answer so many of my simple questions with easy solutions. Ah - sweet aromas again!

Cloudy Glasses

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 21:22:27 GMT

Cloudy Glasses & Bowls From Dishwasher!

The other day I noticed that the inside of my dishwasher was looking cloudy, not bright and shiny and that some of my glasses had a foggy look on them. And if that wasn’t enough …two of my bowls had a sandy feel to them! What is going on? My dishwasher is only a few months old, why isn’t it working?

For the moment, I decided to just rewash everything and so I did. But the same results… insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. To avoid that, I decided to find out how to remove those stains and grit, surely internet had the answer! Last summer we had county water added to our home and that brought lime stains which I had never experienced before. Surely I don’t have to live with this. I thought and went to the computer to find out how to remove or prevent them.

The overwhelming solution is to use a mix of vinegar and water, but not a lot of details. I took a bowl and filled it with warm water and just poured some vinegar in, then put anything that was clean but cloudy into that mix - leaving it to set for few minutes. Then I took the items out and rinsed them off, it worked to my delight! It even worked on those gritty bowls. So I had a solution but that didn’t change the inside of the dishwasher. This also means added work every time I do dishes, anything glass color would require that vinegar treatment and perhaps other things I hadn’t notice. This wasn’t the solution,

just a temporary fix.

Then, one day while visiting my family, we got to talking about kitchens and that lead me to my dishwasher not getting my glasses clean. A few others said the same thing. My sister-in-law said her son had told her about a product that worked on eliminating those nasty stains both on the dishes AND the dishwasher! A little known product named “Lemi Shine”. It says it is for hard water spots and film. For once, a product does what it says! I am not promoting this product but it solved my problems immediately.

For the first time you use it, you simply put some in the dish soap dispenser and run your dishwasher empty. That way it can get into all those crevices and hard to reach spots. Most importantly, it cleans the tough hard water residue out of all those holes at the bottom of your dishwasher!

I was certainly skeptical at first but honestly, it worked just like it said AND weeks later it's still great! No more spots on my dishes! You can also put it into the small dispenser in your dishwasher with dishes in it once in awhile to clean them back to being bright and shiny and grit free! The glass on the right was supposed to be clean, but after using Lemi Shine, look at the glass on the left - which would you drink out of?

Either of these products work but the Lemi Shine (in my opinion) does a better job with less effort! I have done the empty dishwasher once in 2 months so far and everything has been nice. I did put some Lemi Shine in the smaller dispenser the other day along with the normal soap just to “see” if my dishes could be cleaner and they were! (dishwasher was loaded with dirty dishes). You just don’t notice this film at first but every time you wash that item, the film builds up until finally you can’t see clear glass or the items become gritty. You can use the vinegar treatment but I think “Lemi Shine” is better! Get those dishes and dishwasher looking new, you’ll be amazed and if your house is for sale, they'll think your dishwasher is brand new!

What about that Shower Curtian?

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:08:48 GMT

So, you think you have everything ready to sell, to let buyers come and peer into all those corners? Here is something you may have overlooked, your shower curtain! You have become so used to it that you don’t see the stains or soil. What about the liner, I’ll bet it is really ugly.

If the shower curtain is vinyl you will need to just toss it out and replace it. If there are any liners, they all need to go into the trash. Do not try to save these, they will detract from the bathroom and often carry aromas. Just toss them and buy new ones even if only a clear shower curtain.

If the shower curtain is fabric and really looks nice with your accessories, you can try putting it in the washing machine on delicate and see if it comes clean. If it does you are lucky. If not, then you need to buy a new shower curtain that will go with your accessories and look fresh and inviting.

Remember to give the shower curtain bar a light cleaning too, it has been collecting dust and debris for years. Those cute little shower hooks may need replaced too. If you have decorative ones, try cleaning them with warm soapy water and a toothbrush scrub. Be sure you have all of them too - if one is missing you may have to toss them all and buy new ones. Tip: if you are missing just one, you can fold the end of the shower curtain over and put two of the rings on one hook. You can buy cute decorative ones or just go for plan simple rings, whatever it takes to make that shower curtain look great.

Don’t get carried away with shower curtain designs. There are hundreds to choose from but since you are selling, you want something that appeals to most buyers. Go for something basically white with some neutral tones that match your accessories. NO big designs, just keep it simple. You will be amazed at how much this improves your bathroom look even if you can’t update your bathroom.

Now I am assuming you have actually cleaned the tub or shower? Get all that old soap scum off the walls and edges. Look into the corners and joints to be sure they are clean. You may need to use a good little scrubbing brush to get those tight spots clean. This is also the time to put away the soaps, bottles, brushes, tubes and whatever else that you have in there.

Maybe get a few new towels and accessories for the bathroom, remember the bath floor mat as well. You can spend a lot or a little on these because you are taking them with you! Just be sure to coordinate with that shower curtain. The whole idea here is to make the bathroom and house look like a million dollars on a twenty dollar budget. So gather some brushes and cleaning tools and start cleaning, make it look beautiful! Or just sell your house to us and leave everything as is! Maybe that is a better idea!

Epic Battle

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 20:06:57 GMT

Tall Tales from the Farm

It was one of the beautiful Spring mornings when everything looks and smells wonderful! I am there washing some dishes and decide to open the kitchen window to let out the winter weather and welcome in the spring warmth. Of course we have a dishwasher but last night I had baked some delicious chocolate chip cookies and put the empty pans in the sink - so with a sigh I took to the task of getting them all washed and put away. There I am washing those things while looking out the window and wondering what this lovely Spring day will bring. What is that! There over by the old walnut tree, which sits by itself along a rock wall is something shiny. That walnut tree is always dropping limbs so I thought to myself, well add that to today’s chores. But before that thought finished in my head I saw this rather large brownish bird come fluttering low to the ground out of the nearby pine trees. Must be babies so I stopped what I

was doing and went over to the patio door so I could see better what was happening. She (I assumed) was fluttering in an erratic pattern above the ground and also making noisy chattering sounds. Still I could not see those babies, so I got my binoculars and looked around …nothing, nada, nil …nothing -- oh but wait, why is she circling that limb? Since it was early Spring, the grass had not been cut so I couldn’t actually see much on the ground around that limb. She was obviously stressed about something so I thought I will go out there and see if there is something I can do, maybe a baby is stuck in one of the downed limbs? Well -

wouldn’t you do the same thing? I got as far as the back deck when I saw what was happening, that limb was a black snake! Oh my, so that's what's wrong. Now, I am not going anywhere near that problem, snakes are not my thing. I guessed he had gotten into her nest and taken a baby or at least tried and she was seeking revenge. Before he could slither away, she attacked his tail and actually picked him up but of

course, he was too heavy. He wheeled around and struck at her but she was faster, she dropped him and backed off. Then to my surprise another similar bird showed up and while the snake was trying to reach the first bird, the second bird attacked the snake from the other side where the tail was now …so the battle between 2 birds and 1 snake began. I am totally mesmerized by this epic battle. The snake coiled himself and began striking at whichever bird he could reach but they knew exactly where to stay just out of his reach. When he would strike at one the other one would attack him. By now the snake realizes he was truly in trouble, he had been bitten many, many times and things were not going as he had planned so he decided to make a run for the small hole in that old walnut tree that was just a few feet away. But as he uncoiled himself, still under attack by those two birds, a third bird showed up and blocked the hole! Seriously, these birds where cooperating and planning their revenge. When I realized this was a coordinated attack by those birds, I was amazed as I never thought about animals cooperating in such a way. But there it was, proof. No matter how hard that snake tried he couldn’t get away from those birds or reach that hole.. this battle lasted 30 minutes and by now everyone involved was tiring. When one of the 3 birds was worn out, one of the others took that bird’s place and continued the battle giving the tired bird a few minutes to recoup and rejoin. Can you put yourself in that snake’s situation, he must have been miserable, bleeding, hurt and scared. What could he do, safety was just a few feet away. At this point I am amazed at what I have witnessed and actually feel sorry for that poor snake. I began to wonder if he could actually survive this attack. But then just as I was thinking that he made a dash for that hole and I mean a dash, I’ve never seen anything move that fast .. the bird guarding the hole was ready for him, but at the last minute he turned and slithered up the other side of that old walnut tree and the birds decided the epic battle was over and flew away. Waiting a few minutes to see if anything else would happen, I then went outside over to the walnut tree where the battle had just been and looked up into that giant old walnut tree, no sign of that snake, no bloody trail, no feathers, nothing. One would never have known what had just happened. There is no video, no photos, no witnesses, just me, 3 birds and one snake. However, it was an epic battle that needed to be told in the Tall Tales From the Farm. Look for more Tall Tales From the Farm in future blogs, the farm provides a lot of interesting and unbelievable adventures I will share over time. In the meantime, you might take a look at our other blogs about selling or buying a house. Until next time ……..

Sell My House Quick for Cash!

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 20:19:38 GMT

YES it can be done!

Sometimes things happen beyond our control and we just want to get our life back. Our company offers a quick and easy way to do that, if you are willing to sell your house in its current condition - often called “as is” to us. In many cases you don’t even have to move everything, just the things you want to keep. We pay cash and close within a few days so you get your money quick and can take care of whatever life is dealing you.

We understand this is a stressful and difficult time for you so we do our best to keep the entire process simple. You may need a little extra time to remove items from your home after the closing, we understand. Just let us know when you can vacate the property so we can begin our plans to rehab the house. Yes we will be reselling the house after we update it, solve any issues, and bring it back to a like new condition ready for a new homeowner to purchase and make it a family home once again. This process will take months to accomplish but once again, the house will become a home.

By doing this, selling your house to us, you free yourself of the pending burden of mortgage payments, insurances, property taxes, utility bills, liens and repairs. You can save yourself from foreclosure. It’s not a perfect solution for you but it certainly is a step in the right direction, giving you cash to payoff things and restart your life.

Sometimes you need to sell an inherited house you don’t want that might be in poor condition, we would also be interested in buying that house “as is” and again, close within days. Just give us a call to see what we can do, anything you tell us will be kept in confidence and of course, you do not have to accept our offer. Also, if you know someone who needs to sell a house quick, tell them about us and perhaps we can help them too. It really is that easy. Just give us a call, we look forward to hearing from you!

Under Kitchen Sink?

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 19:48:02 GMT

When I was a child I used to pile stuffed toys around me on the bed when I slept so the monsters under the bed couldn’t get to me and, of course, I never ever looked under that bed! That is absolutely how I feel about looking under the kitchen sink, who knows what could be there?

In talking to realtors I find that very often buyers look under the kitchen sink, they may not look under the bathroom sink, or even in all the closets but they almost always look under that sink! So do you think maybe I am correct and we all think there just might be monsters or something scary under there? What were those buyers looking for? This brings me to the point that when you are getting ready to sell your house and you have everything nice and shiny, did you remember to cleanup under that kitchen sink?

Okay, let’s look under there together - just in case. Open the doors while standing and give a quick peek and then slam close the door. Did you see anything or did anything happen? Of course not silly. So let’s brave it and kneel down and open those doors. What a mess you will see, junk piled or tossed everywhere. Old dirty bottles of who knows what, sponges that have been there for years, maybe a few rags that were put there damp or to catch some drips. What in the world is that green moldy looking thing in the very back, surely you don’t need that anymore!

So what should you do now? First off, get a trash bag and start pulling things out of there and tossing whatever is not absolutely necessary. Take a look and see if any leaks have happened and if so, it is time to remove any damaged wood and replace it with a new piece of plywood. Remove the old piece if possible but at least add a new piece over the top if necessary. Then toss away any old shelf liner and put in a new shelf liner (very inexpensive and you can use leftovers in your new home!). Be sure you wipe out the interior and remove any dead or alive bugs or debris before you put all those necessary things back inside. Sort them as you put them in, such as dishwashing things in one area, floor cleaning, trash bags and so on in their own groupings. Things rarely used put in the back. There you have it, a nice safe and clean “under the sink” where you can guarantee there are no monsters, safe to open the doors wide open and peek inside. Of course, you can’t guarantee they won’t come back when the new owners move in, but at least now you are sure the “under the sink” is nice! Maybe you should consider doing this to all your other sink cabinets?

Here are some great ideas on how to make that space very usable!

OR…you could just give Ohio Homes, Inc a call and they will buy it “as is” monsters and all!!

Finding the Right Realtor

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:36:25 GMT

You see “For Sale” signs listing real estate agents everywhere and may even know some realtors but where do you start when you are ready to list your own home? How do you pick out the best realtor for yourself? It can be a trying experience. This article is for Ohioans, I don't know what happens in other areas but probably the same issues occur.

Let us start with the basics. The time has come to put your house up for sale and you have done everything you can to make it look great and bring in top dollar. Of course, you could put a For Sale By Owner sign in your front yard but do you recall the fun you had when you tried to sell something else, strangers at all hours, broken appointments, discouraging remarks and just a plain miserable experience? It is no different with real estate. You will have people driving up your driveway, knocking on your door, walking around your property whenever they feel like it, not a comfortable feeling in this day and age. What if you are not home when they show up? There is just to many "ifs" attached to this and bottom line is, you are not likely to sell the house this way as realtors are not going to help promote your home within their own vast network. You won't be in the MLS listings which serves the entire country. All you have done is delay your sale.

Another problem is not having the knowledge of what comes next. If you do decide to try For Sale by Owner method, how do you handle the prospects and get them to actually commit to a purchase or at least an offer. Do you have a legal contract for them to sign? Are you comfortable negotiating as few prospects are going to offer you full price? Can you handle the negatives they will present about your lovely home? Your emotional attachment to your home will have to be kept in check during this process. Can you actually ask them if they want to make an offer? Can you provide them a way to finance the home? Can you show them reasonable proof as to why your home is worth the asking price? Have you done some shopping around in your own area to see what homes like yours are selling for? Have you had a professional home inspection on your home so that you can show buyer - making them feel comfortable knowing all is well? Have you done a termite inspection and so on? Do you know what legal forms are required? These are all things that a true professional realtor does for both you and the buyer. They are the go-between, they handle all this for you and for the buyer, advising you both along the way. So for sake of this article, lets hire that realtor!

Check with friends and neighbors or anyone you know in the area who has recently sold a house and find out who they used. Next look around for a "known" real estate agent. I have goggled "top realtor" or "top real estate agent" in specific areas and often find a rating system that helps guide me to the right person. Just because you know someone doesn't mean they are the best agent for you. Also remember you are looking for a realtor who sells homes like yours; in other words, not a commercial realtor or land speculator. You want a true "home" agent. It goes without saying that the known real estate companies do offer the advantage of popularity and knowledge. But that doesn't mean the little guys might not be a better choice. I can say that the amount of promotion and effort put out on your behalf may be directly related to what they can afford. Remember they don't get any money from you until the house is sold ...so consider that fact, can this agent afford to work for me?

What does the agent do - or might I say, should do? First off they will have you sign some sort of agreement that they are "the" listing agent for a specific amount of time. This means you can't hire someone else until that specified time elapses. Try to keep that time short, say 90 -120 days because if they don't do the job, you want to be able to move on to someone else. You need to be reasonable here, give them a chance. Home buying is a big investment and doesn't happen quick. Also home buying is somewhat seasonal with Nov-March being very slow.

Next the agent will take photos of your house, put out a For Sale sign, post your home on MLS and every other site they are connected to including Facebook etc. The wider the spread, the better the chance. They will also do a price comparison of the area to see what price is reasonable for your home and the two of you can discuss and work on this. Should you have something unique that adds value, you can raise your price but the realtor needs to know that. If your home is a bit out of date or has some issue, you need to tell the realtor and reduce the price. They have to have a reasonable price to attract buyers and close a deal. Let them guide you through this. They should now host an Open House as soon as possible so the neighborhood can come see what the home looks like and help spread the word. Don't overlook this as often prospective buyers visit the neighbors and ask about your home and you want your neighbors to give it a glowing review. Encourage neighbors to come see all you have done and try to eliminate any issues they might present prospective buyers. So the Open House both helps you promote to buyers who see the Open House sign and to the neighbors who are your best promoters (let them spread the word - rather pick their own neighbors)! Be sure your realtor holds this Open House. Also be sure you are not present during that Open House. It is hard to hear people say discouraging things, so best just stay away - after all, you are paying the realtor to work, so let them do it. You do not want an agent who won't hold an Open House. Don't be afraid to hold another Open House sometime later too.

Speaking of pay, your realtor will get a commission for 1) listing the property 2) selling the property. If they list your house and sell it they get the greatest commission but also do the most work. If they list the property and another agent from somewhere else sells the house, your agent gets a smaller commission. The problem with this system is that a lot of agents love listing houses and getting that small commission and then do nothing but sit around and wait for someone else to do all the work and then just collect their listing fee. You do NOT want this agent! You want a go getter, someone who lists your home and then goes out to promote it and finds a buyer or co-ops with other agents to find a buyer.

Another thing you want is for the agent to make any recommendations for your home that they think will help you sell it. Maybe remove some clutter or paint a room or add some flowers, just small things that would help. Hear what they say and try to do it. Their experiences help them know little things that really make a home attractive, take their advice where possible. Advice NOT to take is, dropping the price. It is all too easy to say the reason it didn't sell was too high price. Remember those sales comparisons you had in the beginning...if you are within that range and time-frame, your house will sell. If it hasn't sold, then look for another issue you overlooked before price dropping. Check Zillow, Truila, and other goggle sites for your home and see if the ad looks right to you, is something wrong? We had several issues here and didn't discover them until a month later! One said the house was NOT for sale and one had the house photos all wrong. Don't leave this up to your realtor - check it yourself right after they list it and keep checking. IF you find anything wrong, contact your realtor and anyone else involved - don't expect them to "discover" this and then correct it on your behalf, you do it and follow up to be sure it is done.

Last of all - be sure they call you with updates! If they do not return your calls or fail to keep you informed, don't renew. That is why I am saying keep that time-frame short for signing up with them. Ideally you want them to let you know that they have a showing and when. Obviously that would be nice because you might need to make a quick cleanup or need to request a different time. Do NOT be home during a showing. They also need to give you feedback both good and bad after a showing so you can try to find out what issues may exist you didn't see before now. Most of the time the buyer has already researched the home on the internet and done a drive-by and are interested. So now is the time to make your house shine its best.

So to sum up ..finding the right realtor isn't easy. You have to shop around, talk to them and be sure they do all the above. Check various commissions and costs. The cheaper agent might not be the best for you. Find a professional who will actually do the job, not just give you words you want to hear. Selling your home is an emotional roller coaster as well as stressful but in the end, if you did your homework, you should have your rewards. Hey if this realtor does everything we mentioned in this article why not use them to buy your next house and be sure to give them a glowing review, help promote them too.

Curb Appeal

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:36:24 GMT

First Impressions

When putting your house up for sale, curb appeal is the main attraction the first impression. When people drive by, they see the “For Sale” sign and then look up at your house, specifically the front door! I know you think they see the whole house but they don’t, they see your front door and then, if they like what they see, they look at the rest of the house and either say pretty or ugh. It is a bit like prom night for your house! So let us pursue the curb appeal for your home.

Today most homes are viewed on line and often on a cell phone, so that curb appeal is mandatory along with a fabulous photo or they aren’t even going to click on your house to read about all the goodies it offers. So what is curb appeal and what can you do?

Curb Appeal is the things that draws people into your house, grabs their attention. It can be design, color, style but above all uncluttered and clean. This means you have to do the following things during the entire duration your home is for sale. Start with the grand view: the grass, the yard, the gardens, the driveway, the garage, the path to the all important front door. Mow the grass, keep it weed wacked and fresh looking. Remove all trash and those cute little things you put in your yard, unclutter. Be sure the house number is visable on the curb, mailbox and house, repaint or buy new numbers if needed as they are cheap. Be sure the front porch or any solar and/or outdoor lights are working. Close the garage door and keep a minimal number of vehicles in the driveway, none if possible. Put gravel in the driveway if needed or have the blacktop resealed. If you have fencing, be sure it is freshly painted or at least in very nice condition, keep the gates closed except for the one leading to the house. You want the potential buyers to feel welcomed so you might even put a welcome sign on the gate. If you have storage sheds or other outbuildings, keep them clutter free, doors closed, freshly painted. Be sure the walkways are clean, well trimmed and have some landscaping around them. A few yellow or red flowers with lots of greenery help. Remember – we are talking about the outside of things here …we haven’t even gone inside yet!

If your house is looking a bit drab, get it repainted. Don’t let gutters and downspouts get clogged and have debris hanging from them. Keep them painted and in good working order. Be sure your roof looks safe and has no leaks, if so – get them fixed. If you have a deck or porch, re-stain or paint as needed and fix any rotten or missing boards, keep it fresh and uncluttered. Keep the windows clean and replace any missing or torn screens. I keep saying “uncluttered and clean” and that is probably one of the hardest things to do. You always seem to have more than you need in any given space and sometimes forget to throw things away. It is important that you unclutter – you are moving and need to get rid of these items anyways, so now is the time. If your house is in need of paint, get it repainted. I know this is a big project but this is what makes the difference between a sale and a no sale. Repaint or replace those shutters as well. Keep colors neutrals, stay away from loud or unusual colors as you want to appeal to as many people as possible. Trendy front door colors can be found that may work but just be careful. Take a look at your neighbors and try not to clash with their color schemes.

Now for the most important place, that front door. Once you un-clutter the walkways, yard and porch you arrive at the front door. If the wood is worn or the paint fading or chipped or just plain out of date, repaint. A gallon of paint makes a big statement, just stick to neutral colors. A white house always looks great with black shutters and a red door. If your door is wood, re-stain and finish to a fresh look. Be sure to repaint the surrounding trim too, don’t leave it looking drab, white is usually the best choice for trim. Wash the windows in the door and be sure the hardware looks good too. If the storm door is worn or has torn screen or claw marks, replace it even if you just buy a simple screen door. Make the entry look inviting. Be sure the porch light is working with a white or clean light – no color lights, and the glass on the light is clean. Brush away any cobwebs you find on the doors, lights, windows or porch ceilings. Make this area spotless. Put a new welcome door mat in front of door. You want buyers who are willing to buy your house at the price you want, this is what it takes.

Once all the above is done, you get to do a bit of decorating. Find a nice wreath that fits the season, is the right size for your door and the colors in the wreath go with your front door. Take a look at some of our front doors to see what we did. We keep our wreaths and decor fresh looking, vibrant and eye catching plus seasonal. When the flowers get a bit worn, we simply replace them – don’t keep worn looking wreaths. If you can switch them when the seasons change that is even better but hopefully your home will be sold before that new season arrives. This is what we call “curb appeal”.

Something you don’t want to overlook is the very first photo of your house, the one that will be used for that all important ad, the “attention getter”. It should be a nice day outside and you should remove any vehicles or clutter. Again, close that garage door, freshen up the yard, put that wreath on the door. Then step back and get the entire house in the photo frame but not any portion of your neighbor’s home. Sometimes if you have trees in the yard you have to step to the right or left to get the entire house but never take that photo if you can’t clearly see the front door. Move until you have a great view of the entire house and can see the front door, then click for the photo. Remember this is the first thing people see when they look at houses for sale and yours need to stand out and above everyone else’s ad. Most realtor and sellers don’t take the best photos nor really try for that great first impression so it is up to you. We call the first photo the “gallery” photo, the one that will be on the MLS, the one Realtor, Trulia and Zillow will post to show the house on their listings. If you have a great photo and have done the curb appeal, buyers will click on the listing and then be able to read all about your house and all the great reasons to buy it and that is the goal isn’t it! This isn’t hard to do, it just takes time and planning.

It may seem overwhelming at first but just do it. Start with something that isn’t too hard and work you way through the whole process. Once you have everything done, then you are ready to list your home providing you have done pretty much the same thing inside! If you don’t do these things, you won’t attract buyers and those buyers you do attract will make low offers. Of course you could just call us and sell your house for CASH and QUICK close and not do anything! Remember once you get the curb appeal and have their attention, you still have the entire inside to do! If you don’t want to mess with fixing your house and just want to sell it; visit our website.

Flipper wants to Flip

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:36:22 GMT

Not Flop

So you bought that just right house to flip and now you are going to make a ton of money or so you believe! According to radio ads and TV shows, buying a house to flip is easy and a quick way to make lots of money. And to be fair, it often is a great way to make money- but never quick unless you "flip" to us. Read on to see why you might rather give us a call and just "flip" it over to us and still make a profit irregardless at what point you are into your flip.

You found that perfect house to flip and now have the keys. So let's go inside and see what really needs to be done to make a profit. First off, you know it has to look great inside and out or no one is even going to look at it. Look around and see what needs fixed and now is the time to be critical of the house you bought. Don't look through dreamy seeing eyes. Look at everything and begin taking notes of the "must do" things like fixing holes, repairing roof, hvac and foundations, upgrading electrical and plumbing systems and disposal of trash. Forget painting and new carpet and that gorgeous chandelier and hardwood floors you plan to put in because before you get to that fun part, you have to do the above, the not so fun part. Ugh. Well who is going to actually do the work? Do you have the skills you are going to need to do a lot of this work to make that profit? Do you know the sequence of what to do when? If you hire everything out, your profits will shrink quick and of course, they might not do the job you expect or don't work on time or just plain don't show up! Now if you do the work yourself, you can control costs and "when" but are you able to put in the necessary hours? Do you have reliable people to help? Do they need supervision and do they have the necessary skills? Our experience shows it easily takes a minimum of two months IF you have a crew working every day and then there are still all sorts of things that happen like septic tanks failing inspections that occur to both delay your plans and add more costs. It's all those unexpected costs that soon wear you out, it is turning out to be a bigger problem than you thought and now you are not sure you really are going to make a lot of money. But you decide you can do this and are willing to take the risk at this time.

However in less than a month of trying to hold down a full time job, take care of your own home and family, it begins to become more of a burden than you thought. Someone needs to be there on such and such a day at a certain time for some reason, say a water inspection. Can you take off work and run over there? Are your family members and friends too busy to help like they promised or perhaps just no longer interested? Oh and one of the workers want to be paid, so that comes out of your pocket now. But then the roof needs replaced not repaired so that comes out of your pocket and there goes your vacation money. So borrow against your house or family member to get a funding source. You will be amazed at how fast that money goes and you still haven't gotten to the fun part. But let us say you manage to get through all this and are finally ready to do the fun stuff. You head off to the local home improvement center to look at lighting and kitchen cabinets and flooring and paints and whatever else you need. You spend hours on the internet researching colors and styles. And suddenly you realize there isn't enough money left to get those granite counter tops, white cabinets or farmhouse sink not to mention hardwood floors. And you don't have anyone but yourself to spend hours and hours painting walls, ceilings, trim, and perhaps floors - the whole house, not just one room! What about the outside, do you really want to climb ladders to above the 2nd floor to paint under the eaves? Maybe you should consider flipping this house to us. We buy "as is" houses for cash and close quick. If you do that, your burden is lifted and you actually do make a little cash profit. Wouldn't that be a much easier plan? Just give us a call and tell us what is happening and we can send someone to look over the house and see what we can work out. Whether you have just started working on the house or are midway through the project, you can give us a call and see what we can do for you.

If you have watched some of the home remodeling shows you are lead to believe that in a few weeks you can totally rennovate a home to look absolutely stunning inside and out and with all new stuff and upgrades. I am here to tell you that is not possible. It really does take a minimum of two months and sometimes three or four months of full time skilled and reliable crew to do a house and then several more months to get it sold. So if you want to be a flipper and not a flopper, give us that call! Take the profit you make and find another house to flip or spend the money on your family's missed vacation!

Inherited a house

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 15:36:11 GMT

Now What?

Do you sell it now, hold it for awhile and see if a family member will perhaps move in or perhaps rent it out? But what about your brothers and sisters, will they want to do that? These are the typical questions when you suddenly find yourself with a house you don't really want. Deep inside you probably would rather have the cash; but of course, the house could be full of wonderful family memories that tug at your heart strings and make it hard to part with. What do you do? Remember we buy houses for CASH and close QUICK!!

Here is the reality, the house will likely never be more valuable money wise than right now, why you say? Well who is going to maintain the house while you decide what to do? It doesn't take long for Mother Nature to take over things. Sure you can hire someone to cut the grass but they don't really do a great job and weed-wacking isn't exactly what they like doing either. What about weeding those gorgeous gardens? Then how many times a week will you have to pay to cut the grass during the fast growing summer season? Winter isn't any easier because you have sidewalks that need shoveling and heat bills to pay for an empty house. And what about the falling leaves? So don't pay for heat you say, well then the water pipes freeze when no one is around and flood the basement or floors. The woodwork curls up, the carpets mold and then spread mold throughout the house. Mold loves an empty house. So keep the heat on and pay the bills. Of course you have to keep the electric on or how will you be able to show to potential buyers! Remember vandels love an empty house. That nice copper plumbing, a/c parts and anything of value will be striped away by vandals. An empty house is a magnet for all sorts of critters to move in and squirrels and raccoons are masters at this sort of thing. Did I mention that the gardens overgrow with weeds and trees begin to push on the foundation and walkways. Bushes grow up past the windows and doors and the roof gets a hole in it from all the leaves in the gutters. So just how long can you wait to decide to sell, the reality is - not very long. It only takes a few weeks for any or all of the above to happen and when it does, the value of the house drops dramatically. Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE.

Okay, so rent it and avoid the pitfalls of an empty house. But they don't pay their rent on time or perhaps even at all. And how do you know they are taking good care of your beloved home? What if they have pets who use the carpet for a bathroom or the woodwork for a scratching post. Then there are the screens and window that get knocked out and turn up missing or damaged. Of course you will have to paint and put in new flooring every time a tenant moves out, which to your disappointment is all too often. Also you have the problem of no one living in the house while you are seeking another tenant. Who will handle the calls in the middle of the night when they are without electric or the toilet is clogged? As in one of our cases, they left the fireplace damper open and burned the entire house to the ground! Do you want the added financial burden this brings, are your siblings going to share in these expenses and actions needed? Truth is - no. Everyone has good intentions but in the end, the burden will be yours alone. Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE!

Are you beginning to see why the home will never be as valuable as it is the day you inherited it? Let's say the house is fairly nice, doesn't need any updates and all the bills are paid. You could hire a realtor and list the property and wait for a buyer to come along. Our experience shows that most houses don't close with the first buyer and you are months and months awaiting for a closing that doesn't happen. So you start all over. Then in the meantime that house is sitting vacant again. Of course you are in competition with all the other houses in the neighborhood and some of them will have more features or more current updates. Maybe you should update that kitchen or put in new carpet to help yours sell, but that is more expense out of your pocket and will your siblings agree and chip in? What if a problem occurs like a roof leak or squirrels get into the attic, who will pay for that? You end up dragging this out and incurring more expenses when all you really want to do is sell the thing and be done with it! Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE.

Okay let us now say that the house is out of date. Perhaps the owners stayed too long and couldn't afford the upkeep or let things go due to medical bills. Age creates all sorts of problem. What if ramps are now at the doorway and the bathrooms have been converted to wheelchair access? What if the house looks like the 1950s, hasn't been updated and is in great need of many many repairs? Should you take on these issues, spend the money or try to do it yourself? What if you don't have the time, your siblings won't help or the cost of repairs is prohibitive. All you want is to get the cash for the house in the less stressful way. I can't tell you how many times we have purchased a house due to the above, it is the most common problem we encounter. Let us handle these issues and you can be free of the stress! We buy ugly houses in need of repair all the time.

As executor of the estate, you have a responsibility to everyone. That makes it difficult to make a fair decision on the house. Usually one of the siblings wants the cash, one wants to hold the house, or maybe one wants to move in. We already decided that holding the house isn't a good idea for a lot of reasons. Maybe you should let the one move in, but how does this affect the other two? Does he/she buy the house at a fair market value that you all three agree upon? Does that person actually pay the full price and then once everything is settled, gets their share of the inheritance from the house. How do you know in advance what the actual settlement will be? Probably they want to reduce the price on the house by their 'probable' share but who knows what their share will really be until the end. Is it likely that everyone will want to do this, no. What if they can't afford the house or can't get a loan? What if they ask for things like new carpet because mom and dad had pets and their little boy is allergic to pet hair? You can see that a lot of emotions and uncomfortable situations will occur. Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE.

But let me toss in another issue, what to do with all that stuff! Surely you have already removed things you want to keep or distribute to others but what do you do with the leftovers. Garage sale, auction, donate are all good options and if you have time probably a great idea. But time is the key here and will those siblings help. Even after you do these things there will be leftovers, things no one wants and what about the food in the refrigerator? What if this happens in winter and you can't get any of this done quickly. Will your siblings help with this or is everyone too busy or doesn't really care, they just want you to get them their share. Reminds me the the fairy tale of The Little Red Hen who asked for help over and over but everyone was too busy and didn't help - that is, until the bread was baked and smelled ooh so good... well you get the idea. Also will they agree with the prices you get, likely not. What happens if one of them wants to have the bedroom set to give to their friend, do you sell it to them or give it to them and will everyone agree. How do you handle these stressful issues? Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE.

And all along you will have to continue paying any bills such as real estate taxes, insurance, electric, heat, water, gas, association dues and whatever else and none of that is going to get reimbursed unless you sell the house. So why not just make up your mind that the easiest and quickest and surely the least stressful is to just sell it to our great team! Remember we buy homes for CASH with QUICK CLOSE. We can close within days in most cases and the cash is yours to use as you please. We mean real cash, take it to the bank!

What happens afterwards. Our team of professionals will go through the house and fix anything that needs repaired, bring the house up to date on everything and eventually put it back on the market for sale looking for a new family to buy it and begin making their own memories. Often we have to update electric, plumbing, kitchens, flooring and other issues to bring a house up to code. No problem is too difficult for us so don't worry if you have a flooded basement or bowed wall, we can handle that. We offer a fair price in the "as is" condition and you no longer have the stress and responsibility. The folks who left the house to you meant for you to enjoy the house or cash, they likely never intended to stress you out. We have actually encountered all the stories above many times over the years.

We have been in business locally for over 30 years and have encountered many different situations, so don't think we aren't interested, just give us a call or email us. Let's talk over your situation and see what we can do. I might also mention that sometimes we help clear the belongings out of the house if the situation calls for such measures. Let us make this a stress free issue and let you and your siblings move on with their lives. Give us a call now. Like we said in the beginning, your house will never be worth more than the day you inherited it!