DECEMBER 26, 2018 • Volume 13 • Issue 52
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
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• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the
RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL 515-233-3299 • AREA DEVELOPMENT • 317
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Page RE4 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, December 26, 2018
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REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, December 26, 2018 • Page RE5
Merry
berries Decorate your home with the fruit of showy shrubs By Betty Montgomery More Content Now
Bringing berries into the house from the landscape is a treasured tradition, particularly during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. There are dozens of different shrubs that bear showy berries starting in late fall and some going into the New Year. Growing a few bushes in the garden that produce berries can give you pleasure with harvesting and arranging them in your home. Some berries will even lure birds into your yard. As the carol exclaims, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly!” The glistening green leaves of the evergreen hollies, with their shiny red berries are a perfect addition to any garden or arrangement. The leaves make a statement during the winter and the berries are an extra bonus that will add a visual flair to your garden. I have seen exquisite arrangements made when you take a Burford holly (Ilex contra “Buffordii”) branch that is laden with berries and strip the leaves. This makes a stunning effect when added to other greenery or left as is and put in a vase. Burford hollies are easy to grow and unless you have a late freeze in the spring, they are filled with shiny red berries at Christmas. If you happen to see purple berries, sparkling in the autumn sun, these are called beautyberry (Callicarpa). These brightly colored berries fill the stem with an unusual color and make a stunning display for the Thanksgiving table or in a Christmas arrangement. They are native and grow quickly when planted in a sunny damp location. As with the Burford holly branches, I strip the leaves to expose the berries. Beautyberry also comes with white berries and they are dramatic too, but less commonly grown. Our front porch has two containers that I fill with greens each winter. For an added touch, I add branches of winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) to give the greenery the extra punch it needs to be festive. I also use them in a vase where they are an eye-catcher by
themselves. They grow in moist soil and full sun. I have part of mine next to the pond and I love to see the dramatic reflection when the pond surface is like a mirror and the reflection of the berries is vivid. One of the oldest traditions is to use cedar at Christmas. The pleasing scent of the cedar gives a refreshing aroma to the house and the texture of the cedar adds a different feel than other greenery. An additional bonus to cedar is to find the perfect tree that is laden with blue berries. Not all cedars produce berries. There are male and female trees and if you are lucky, you will find a female tree that is loaded with these lovely blue berries that can add a perfect touch to your holiday decorations. Cedar is one of the most used greens at Christmas. I grew up seeing Pyracantha in many gardens as I walked to school each day. This plant is known for a plethora of orange or orange-red berries. Today, thanks to nurserymen who hybridize plants, there are newer varieties that have a profusion of berries and in different shades of red and orange than the old-timey ones I used to see in neighbors’ yards. The shiny bright berries can set off an arrangement when placed among leucothoe, Poet’s Laurel or other greens that are you have available to use in an arrangement.
Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) is a plant that I rarely see growing in the home landscape. Poet’s Laurel was used in ancient times in Greek and Roman culture representing praise for a victory or great achievement in the form of a laurel crown. It is one of my favorite greens to use in flower arrangements because of the arching habit and long vase life. I have a large group of these plants planted on a bank above a stream. Half of the plants are male and half are female with lovely red berries that are present during the holiday season. Of the berries I use in the house, these are the ones friends comment on the most. They are larger than the other berries I have mentioned and perfect to use to create an elegant floral display. With few flowers blooming this time of year, berries are a wonderful addition to use in decorating. They make an arrangement special, plus it is nice to be able to bring the landscape into the house. Betty Montgomery is a master gardener and author of “Hydrangeas: How To Grow, Cultivate & Enjoy,” and “A Four-Season Southern Garden.” She can be reached at bmontgomery40@gmail.com.
Page RE6 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, December 26, 2018
TIPS OF THE WEEK TIP OF THE WEEK
PRUNING
DECOR
HOLIDAY PREP WORK
WINTER IS BEST TIME
MIX IN METALS
From whipping up a feast to toasting to the new year, here are some ideas from American Standard for getting the kitchen and dining spaces ready for holiday entertaining.
Pruning during dormancy is the most common practice among arborists, and It usually results in vigorous growth in the spring. There are a number of reasons why pruning in the winter is best.
• Simplify cooking with tech. Now you can even get a touch faucet with adjustable dials to provide a precise amount of water on demand, giving holiday cooks accurate measurements faster than using measuring cups.
• The wounds heal faster, which keeps the plant strong. • Pruning a tree helps it maintain its shape and appearance. • There is less risk of disease or infestation.
• Clear clutter from common spaces where guests will congregate for refreshments, meals and more. Focus on the dining room and kitchen.
Here are some tips from Lumber Liquidators to add metals to your decor: • Avoid mixing the same color family — such as gold and brass, or nickel and silver. Rather, choose one metal that can serve as the dominant and another to complement it. • One way to bring shine to a room is with flooring that reveals hints of a glimmering gold stain. — Brandpoint
For more information, visit greenworkstools. com.
DEAR MONTY
Unsold home frustrating - should we give up?
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
R
eader question: We interviewed multiple agents, and all agreed the house would sell fast because of price and the neighborhood. Several prospects have objections, including price. We cannot control the objections; the busy street and the bedrooms on different floors. The market has cooled off. Is it worth taking the house off the market and revisiting next year? Monty’s answer: You interviewed
multiple agents and none of them mentioned the objections? Either you were not asking the right questions, or you weren’t listening.
object. For example, a single workfrom-home entrepreneur may view the first-floor bedroom as a perfect office space.
The prologue
Five steps to take now
Families with children will likely eliminate your home just learning the address. The buyer pool was partially drained the day you started. Because the pool is smaller, it may take more time as new prospects are entering the pool regularly. You may miss the best buyer if the home is not on the market. With conditions outside of your control, there are two basic options: • Keep reducing the price until the house sells. As the price decreases, the objections vanish. Only do this with a powerful need and a healthy pocketbook. • Be patient and wait for a buyer that likes the house. Some buyers may not
• Gather market data: Your agent should pick the best three or four comparable sales that includes cost adjustments for the differences between each similar property and your home, identify your direct competition, and calculate the sales rate. • Think marketing: Build a buyer profile and advertise to appeal to them. Promote what initially attracted you to the home. Some buyers want a “different” floor plan or will choose a busy street. All your neighbors did. • Take a hard look at your agent: It is odd that none of the agents mentioned the objections. • Review your situation: On one hand,
you want to sell quickly, and on the other, you consider exiting the market. Those thoughts are conflicting. You want your actions to match up with your goal. • Develop a specific action plan. Data generated by the MLS drive these decisions. Reexamine the price and expect an extended market time.
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.
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, December 26, 2018 • Page RE7
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Maybe all your business needs is a strong cup o’marketing.
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Page RE8 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, December 26, 2018
TIPS OF THE WEEK FIRE SAFETY
BATHROOM
HOLIDAY DECOR
HOLIDAY HAZARDS
MODERN TOUCHES
KEEP IT SIMPLE
About 30 percent of all home fires and 38 percent of home fire deaths occur in December, January and February, reports the Electrical Safety Foundation International. Consider these safety tips:
A bathroom is an ideal spot to experiment with modern designs without undergoing a major renovation. According to DeltaFaucet.com/ InspiredLiving, one way to add contemporary elements is to accessorize simply.
When it comes to the holiday season, opt for easier decorating with these tips from Kodak Moments and CVS.com:
• Monitor space heaters for overheating, sparking, tipping over and/or igniting combustibles.
Choose simple and polished accessories that complement the aesthetic of the room. Incorporate sleek, angular towel bars or an elegant robe hook.
• Consider battery-operated instead of openflame candles. • When decorating, check for loose or bare wires, cracked or damaged sockets or wobbly connections.
• Sprigs of holly added to vases can bring a flora component to any room and infuse a seasonal dash of color. • Check out photo panels that provide you a fun way to display your favorite family moments. — Brandpoint
DEAR MONTY
Money traps with home additions or remodeling
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
R
eader question: We have enjoyed our home for over five years. However, we need more room as our family has grown. We are well situated financially, but we do not want to have wasted capital when we sell the house in the future. Do you have suggestions on how to evaluate a significant update and possible addition? Monty’s answer: It can be challenging to stay on the conservative path
once you have physically initiated the project. Unknown circumstances, inside and outside of the house, can disrupt the process. Homeowners often know a remodel or addition is risky but go ahead regardless with the justification that “We don’t care if the investment does not pay off.” While easy to say at the time, 20 years later they often regret that statement. Here are the four money traps. 1. Overbuilding: No matter the price range, overbuilding is likely the most common error committed by homeowners. It happens with new construction as well. If the homes in your area are predominantly a certain size, and you want to double the size, it is likely to cause financial pain in the future. These square footage sizes are readily available in your local multiple listing service records. 2. Architecture: Sometimes, entire communities will have a common
architectural theme, and straying from the traditional theme can be costly. If all the houses in your neighborhood are colonials, the beautiful contemporary design you saw in a fashion magazine may not fit in well. Be aware of the neighborhood architecture. 3. The floor plan: Existing footprints in homes offer up challenges and restrictions as to how and where to add on. Even if the remodel is entirely within the existing walls, the location of windows, stairwells and more influence design. These constraints can compromise floor plans that solve one problem but create a new one. Beware of a layout that creates a poor traffic pattern. 4. Odd room size and placement: When you draw a plan and end up with an eight-foot square bedroom, or a living room 30-feet long and 12-feet wide, it portends a financial loss in the future. It is possible to create a floor plan that flows well but flows into a room or
rooms that are out of place, too large, or too small. As you draw on professional advice and gather more necessary information, the picture of how much to invest will become clear. Only then can you decide if cost doesn’t matter. 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.