MARCH 18, 2020 • Volume 12 • Issue 50
RE WEEKLY RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL • AREA DEVELOPMENT 515-233-3299 • 317 5th Street, Ames • All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
Online at www.AmesTrib.com/realestateweekly
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Herbs on a
theme Not sure where to start a garden? Here are 3 collections to try By Carole McCray | More Content Now
I
f you ever wanted several types of herb gardens, space might be holding you back. But even in a limited garden area there are ways to create themed herb gardens such as for culinary use, herbs for teas or a pampering garden to create recipes with herbs to relax. Herbs are the easiest plants to grow. They are nearly pest- and disease-resistant, and many of them are Mediterranean, so they like at least six to eight hours of sunshine a day. Requiring little watering makes them low maintenance.
A Pampering Garden Grow herbs fresh from your garden to indulge yourself with recipes you create. It will be like a spa treatment at home. Calendula, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, rosemary and scented geraniums are herbs with pleasing fragrances and are lovely additions to create lotions, splashes and scrubs. Some recipes:
A Cook’s Garden This garden should be in a sunny and handy location for the cook. Locating the culinary garden nearby means you will be more inclined to use the herbs. If space is limited, try a window box, a hanging basket or a large container to hold herbs. Chives, sweet basil, rosemary, Italian parsley, Container Herb Garden marjoram, winter [Gardener’s Supply] and summer savory, thyme and dill make a wonderful culinary garden. Think about the dishes you like to prepare, and that will guide your selection of herbs for your garden.
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals, free from pesticides or spraying • 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds • 1 tablespoon dried calendula buds • 1 cup cornmeal Grind dried herbs together until powdered. Add cornmeal and mix with enough water or yogurt to form a paste. Gently massage over face and neck; avoid eye area. Rinse off and pat dry.
Recipe from “The Herb Lover’s Spa Book” by Sue Goetz
Rose Petal Floral Splash • 1 cup fragrant red rose petals that have not been sprayed • 32 ounces distilled water • ½ cup vodka or pure alcohol (do not use rubbing alcohol as it leaves an unpleasant scent) • 15 drops rose essential oil
A Tea Garden If you like to drink tea, you might want to plant a tea garden and create your own brews. Mints such as orange, pineapple, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate and apple make soothing teas. Try flavoring lemonade and iced tea with different mints. Pineapple sage is a mint bearing scarlet flowers. Monarda, known as bee balm or bergamot, is a tea plant in the mint family with a pleasing orange flavor. Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to this herb’s pink, red and deep purple flowers, which will beckon visitors to your tea garden. Mints are invasive, so consider containing them in pots grouped together. With container planting, a large garden plot is not necessary. Experiment to find your favorite herbs for tea. How to brew herbal tea: Boil water and add about ¼ cup of fresh herbs for each cup of water and let the brew steep about five minutes. Use a strainer to remove leaves, or use a tea ball to hold fresh herbs. My favorites: lemon thyme and honey to sweeten; Monarda, mildly citrus-flavored; lavender buds and chamomile, ideal for relaxing.
Herbal Face Scrub
Add the distilled water to a large clean bottle. Then add the vodka or pure alcohol. Gently add the rose petals, and stir so they become wet. Add the essential oil to the mixture. Strain, and decant into clear glass bottles. I have found rose petals in the mixture darken after time, so I add fresh ones for a lovely presentation. Keep the mixture in bottles away from the light in a cool, dark cupboard for a week to 10 days. I love using this in warm weather and keep it in the refrigerator as a refreshing face and body splash.
Recipe from Carole McCray
Monarda “Raspberry Wine” makes a lovely tea. [Bluestone Perennials for Monarda]
SUE GOETZ/WILLIAM MCCRAY PHOTOS
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DEAR MONTY
Who pays the real estate commission?
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
R
eader question: We are starting to explore buying our first home. We have attended several open houses and spoken to several real estate agents. One of the questions we have asked is who pays the real estate commission. It is a question to which we have received different answers. In discussion with family members and friends about this question, we again have received a variety of opinions. Can you tell us which party pays the commission? Monty’s answer: Understandably, you are receiving different answers. In some ways, it is a question that is similar to, “Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?”
A moving target The value of any home is a negotiation that is inherent in all home sales. The definition of fair market value is what a willing buyer, fully informed and not acting under duress, and a willing seller, fully informed and not acting under pressure, come to agree. The motivation and circumstances of both parties influence the negotiation. As an example, it is common for a buyer and seller to agree on a price, but the transaction fails to close, and the home goes back on the market. When a new buyer negotiates with that same seller for the second time, the price is often different than the amount the first buyer agreed to pay.
The three possibilities Here are three possibilities: the seller pays the commission, the seller adds the commission to their price or the buyer and seller somehow split the commission. Regardless of which opinion you choose, buried in the sale price is the commission. Homebuyers are often not aware of this because the buyer is not privy to the seller’s closing statement. So who pays? When you buy a home, the moment you close, you become a future home seller. Assume that a few months pass, and an event occurs in your life that causes you to sell your home. Anecdotally, the significant reasons homes come on the market are illness, death, divorce or job transfer. It is quite unlikely that the home’s value has increased to cover the commission you may have already paid all, or part of, once. And be prepared to pay all, or part of, a commission out of your equity again. Richard Montgomery is the author of “House Money - An Insider’s Secrets to Saving Thousands When You Buy or Sell a Home.” He is a real estate industry veteran who advocates industry reform and offers readers unbiased real estate advice. Find him at DearMonty.com.
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