SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 • Volume 14 • Issue 38
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
O n l i n e a t w w w. A m e s Tr i b . c o m / r e a l e s t a t e w e e k l y
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Treat yourself Gardener gifts for a job well done By Carole McCray More Content Now
T
reating yourself to a new gardening tool, garden ornament or exotic houseplant is the reward for hours in the garden. Here are some ideas for treats for gardeners:
• Buy houseplants to keep the gardening spirit alive, with a visit to your favorite garden center. Houseplants help purify the air indoors. Bromeliads, orchids, palms and ferns are lovely for a touch of the tropics in the home. • It is not too early to look at spring bulbs such as hyacinths and tulips to force for blooms in the winter. Fall is a good time to make an early purchase for the best selection of paperwhites and amaryllis for holiday blooms. • An indoor water fountain for your home or office is another consideration to gift yourself. On a wall or tabletop, an indoor fountain’s sound lends a relaxing and calming ambience to the environment. • A watering can might be needed to water the new houseplants. A traditional English steel can is functional and a beautiful garden ornament. It usually comes with brass trimmed handles, and the detachable roses have brass face plates. • Outdoor ornaments are popular with gardeners. A garden bench, a sundial and garden statuary, as well as glazed and stone gardening pots, are wonderful gifts to look for on a shopping spree to treat oneself.
• Clothing suited for gardeners can always be put to good use. Pants, shirts, hats, garden boots and garden clogs make gardening more comfortable, especially clothing meant for repelling bugs and the sun. • Grow lights help gardeners get a head start on growing seedlings indoors.
some of the choices to add a finishing touch to a garden. • Bird feeders and baths make birdwatching fun. They are a treat for gardeners as well as for the birds.
• Ergonomic tools make gardening easier. Thick padded handles on trowels and wristfriendly pruners are types of tools that are kind to gardeners. • Decorative garden markers for perennials and herbs are useful. They make plants easy to identify and are attractive. • Subscriptions to gardening magazines are a welcome gift. Reading them provides information and offers inspiration for new gardening projects. • Structures in the garden lend a new dimension to the landscape. Pergolas, arbors and gazebos are
Or you can really go on a shopping excursion, one ending like this: You are watering your exotic houseplants while you are listening to the pleasing sounds of your water fountain. Then you check on your seedlings under grow lights as you peek at the birds visiting your feeders. Finally, you sit on your new garden bench under a pergola and take time to peruse the latest garden catalogs and magazines. That might be a bit over the top. But do take time to find a garden trinket, big or small, to reward you, the gardener.
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TIPS OF THE WEEK TIP OF THE WEEK
HOME SELLING
RENOVATION
FALL DEEP CLEANING CHECKLIST
HOME PRICES ON THE RISE
TIPS FOR PROJECT BUDGETING
We have all heard of spring cleaning, but the fall season is also a good time to get caught up on some deep cleaning. Here are a few fall cleaning tips, according to RealSimple.com:
According to a recent CoreLogic survey, older millennials are helping drive home prices higher. Although home price gains had shrunk in the past year, prices were up 3.6% in July compared to July 2018. The survey also found that more than a quarter of older millennials said they were interested in buying a home in the next 12 months.
Before starting any home renovation project, it’s important to create a budget. According to HouseLogic.com, here are four steps to set up your budget. Ballpark the costs of your renovation, figure out how much you have to spend, get quotes from contractors, and set priorities and trim the project to fit your budget.
• Wash windows: Using glass cleaner or one squirt of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle filled with water, wipe down windows with a microfiber cloth. • Vacuum fabric blinds: Use a low setting with a brush attachment to clean fabric blinds. Vinyl blinds can be wiped down with a dampened microfiber cloth. • Clean the walls: Dust, wash, rinse and dry painted or wood-paneled walls. • Vacuum/spot clean upholstered furniture and cushions.
— More Content Now
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DEAR MONTY
Home improvements can create unintended consequences
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
R
eader question: I blacktopped my driveway and turnaround area to my garage. My house was for sale and several people objected to the gravel drive. The house went under contract as soon as the work was completed. It looked great and the buyers loved it. A month after closing the new owners contacted me saying the garage was getting water into it due to poor drainage. They want me to pay to fix it. They believe I lied on the disclosure form about water intrusion. I never had a water issue in the nine years I lived there; thus, I answered the questions honestly. I suspect it is the grade of the driveway and the now impervious surface. Am I responsible for the fix? Monty’s answer: Every state has different laws and administrative rules. In some states, the seller has a responsibility to report changes in the home’s condition up until the time of closing. This update is not a requirement in every state. In my opinion, many buyers, sellers and real estate agents are not aware of all the nuances in real estate law. You have three choices: 1. Fix the problem: You caused it (maybe your contractor has some responsibility here). 2. Negotiate: I could argue the buyer (or the buyer’s inspector) should have caught it. 3. Tell them “no”: Consider asking an attorney in your state to review the
documents and render an opinion before taking this approach. There are many variables not mentioned in your email. If the buyers were easy to deal with and you were happy with the financial outcome, is that worth considering? If we reversed the situation, how would you feel? In any event, based on your email, they can install a French drain themselves or you can pitch in and help. This solution is far less expensive than tearing out the blacktop, regrading the slope and re-blacktopping the driveway. Without seeing the situation, the French drain may be the best solution, and French drains are readily available. Alternatively, a local junkyard may have one or be able to weld one up. I am not endorsing any particular solution, just suggesting that different contractors will have different ideas and different prices. Your situation is not all that unusual. There are many areas when homeowners are seeking to improve their property and the improvement creates a new problem. 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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