Charming 2 bedroom ranch styled home with a potential to expand to 4 bedrooms, offering flexible living space to suit your needs. With 2.25 bathrooms, main floor laundry and a spacious 4+ stall garage that is attached by a 4 season porch; perfect for a mudroom. This property is functional and convenient. The downstairs offers potential for a second living area with a bar set up - ideal for entertaining. This home provides endless possibilities and located near access to the city bike trial. Don’t miss out on making this your dream home!!
REAL ESTATE BUYERS’ GUIDE
Wood floor cleaning guide
Wood floors are coveted for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their aesthetic appeal. Many people prefer wood flooring because dust and dirt do not become trapped as they would in carpet fibers, seemingly making wood flooring easy to clean.
Most floors endure a lot of wear and tear. However, with care, wood flooring may last for decades. Part of that care includes understanding how to properly clean and maintain wood floors so they look their best. The following are some steps for keeping wood floors as pristine as possible.
• Remove shoes. It’s a good idea to remove shoes, particularly heels, when walking on wood floors. Sharp heels, cleats and other shoes can scratch or dent wood flooring. All shoes can track in excess dirt, which can contribute to a lack of luster as well.
• Sweep or vacuum frequently. The experts at The Spruce suggest sweeping, vacuuming or dust mopping wood floors daily. Dirt and dust make floors more slippery, and dirt or sand particles can lead to scratches on the floor.
• Learn your flooring type. Wood flooring is broken down into three main categories: solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring and laminate wood flooring. Traditional hardwood is made of planks or strips of any hardwood covered in a wood stain. Engineered flooring is manufactured by gluing together several thin plies of hardwood. Laminate flooring looks like wood but generally is a veneer or a photographic image of wood covered by a thick layer of melamine resin over fiberboard.
• Damp is better than wet. When cleaning wood flooring, use a damp rather than a soaking wet mop. Better Homes & Gardens says standing water can damage wood surfaces.
• Use the hard floor setting. When vacuuming, adjust the vacuum to a hard flooring setting, which will not engage the brush rollers on the vacuum head. Rollers can scratch wood and laminate flooring, advises The Home Depot.
• Use repair products as needed. Scratch and repair kits can fill in small scratches. Wood floor polish and wood waxes also can revitalize worn floors. Again, check that the product is safe for your particular flooring before use.
Wood floors bring warmth to a home and are very popular. Cleaning them correctly can add to their appeal and longevity.
• Skip harsh cleansers. Regardless of flooring type, most are covered by a sealant that can become streaky or dull if the wrong cleanser is used. Avoid chlorine bleach, ammonia, pine oil, or undiluted vinegar. Instead, choose a cleanser that is specifically recommended for the flooring type. Do not allow water or solutions to sit on the floor, as that can contribute to staining and warping. With laminate flooring, avoid wet mopping unless the flooring is specifically marked as being able to be wet. The underlayers of laminate flooring can warp if it gets wet.
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Types of home insulation and where to install them
thinking about renovating their homes, homeowners may imagine changing wall colors, expanding room sizes or upgrading appliances and fixtures. However, unless people take inventory of the less glamourous components of the home, such as structure, plumbing, heating and cooling, and insulation, other improvements may be for naught.
A home insulation project certainly doesn’t offer the wow factor of a kitchen remodel, but insulation serves a vital function in the house that helps keep people comfortable and reduces energy consumption. Insulation is typically placed in areas where air escapes, such as between the stud cavities inside the walls and in the attic, and serves to slow and reduce heat transfer.
The U.S. Department of Energy says between 50 and 70 percent of the energy used in homes is for heating and cooling. By improving home insulation, homeowners can make their homes more comfortable, consistent and efficient. In fact, the ENERGY STAR program overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says homeowners stand to save an average of 15 percent on heating and cooling costs by adding proper insulation. To do so, homeowners can take a crash course in home insulation and find the products that fit their needs.
Blanket batts and rolls
Blanket batts and rolls typically are constructed with fiberglass, so proper safety gear, such as a mask and gloves, is needed when handling them. Installing this type of insulation is relatively easy since the materials are designed to fit the standard width between studs, rafters and floor joists.
Loose fill
Loose fill is usually made of fiberglass or cellulose (recycled paper fiber). It is blown or sprayed into place with pneumatic equipment, according to The Home Depot. Loose fill can be ideal for hard-to-reach areas in attics or inside wall cavities. It’s good for adding insulation to irregularly shaped areas. Since it requires special equipment, this is a job best left to professionals.
Sprayed foam
Sprayed foam is just as the name implies, a foam made from polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, cementitious, or other materials that are applied by a spray container. DIYers who need only small applications can use canned products . Large quantities are pressure-sprayed by professionals.
Foam board/rigid foam panels
Ideal for unfinished walls, such as basement or foundation walls, floors and ceilings, these are boards of polyurethane or polystyrene. Foam boards tend to reduce energy consumption more effectively than other types of insulation.
Homeowners considering upgrading their insulation or amending existing insulation should do their homework on the type of insulation that will be most effective for their homes.
Protect pets in case of fire
A fire at home can cause fear and anxiety. When a fire breaks out at home, one’s initial reaction is to get oneself and one’s loved ones out of the house as quickly as possible. In such instances, the rush to get out of the house can sometimes cause families to forget their pets.
According to the home security firm Protect America, about 40,000 pets die in home fires every year. Many of those deaths are preventable. One of the best ways to prevent the death of pets in home fires is to devise a pet fire safety plan. Many parents devise fire safety and evacuation plans for their families, and it’s important to consider pets when devising such plans. In fact, the American Red Cross notes that the best way to protect pets from the effects of a fire is to include them in fire safety plans.
Prevention is an essential part of protecting pets from home fires. And many preventive measures are designed to keep pets from starting the fires in the first place, as the National Fire Protection Association notes that nearly 1,000 home fires are accidentally started by pets every year. The American Red Cross recommends the following preventive measures to keep pets from starting home fires.
• Extinguish open flames. Pets tend to be curious, and that curiosity may draw them open flames burning in candles, cooking appliances and fireplaces. Make sure pets are
never left unattended within the vicinity of open flames, and make sure all flames are thoroughly extinguished before leaving your home or going to bed at night.
• Install knob covers on your stove. The Red Cross notes that stoves or cook tops are the most common piece of equipment involved in home fires started by pets. Knob covers on stove knobs can prevent pets from accidentally turning burners on.
• Use flameless candles. Flameless candles can create a similar ambience as traditional candles but won’t pose a fire risk. When pets knock over flameless candles, the result is a minor inconvenience, not a home fire.
• Confine pets to secure areas when away from home. Use baby gates or crates when away from home to ensure pets don’t gain access to areas that may be vulnerable to home fires.
In addition to taking steps to prevent their pets from starting fires, pet owners can take steps to make it easier for firefighters to find and successfully remove pets from homes that have caught fire.
• Set up sleeping and lounging areas near entryways. A sleeping and lounging area near an entryway, whether it’s the front door to a home or a door that allows access to the backyard, increases the chances that firefighters can quickly find and remove pets in the case of fire.
• Make sure pets wear collars at all times. Pet owners can quickly attach leashes to pets who wear collars at all times. This can help pet owners gain quick control of their pets if a fire is scaring them or causing them to feel anxiety.
• Affix a pet alert window cling. The Red Cross notes that pet alert window cling on the front of your home alerts firefighters to how many pets are in the home and saves them time in regard to locating pets.
Pets are as vulnerable to home fires as humans. Including pets in fire safety plans can save their lives.
1260
1523 11TH AVE. FORT DODGE
Welcome home! This cozy 3+ bedroom, 1.75 bath home has a lot of offer: great neighborhood, well landscaped yard, eat-in kitchen, possible beauty salon or home businesses in back room, room to put laundry on main oor, and partially finished basement w/non-conforming bedroom. Seller is giving a $1,500 carpet allowance. Priced at $149,500. Call Gery @ 515-570-6208 or any Regency Realtor agent. MLS #24861
Must See to Appreciate Quality brick home sitting on nearly 2/3 of an acre lot. This home offers an oversize living room, beautiful oak kitchen with lots of cabinets, dining room, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths, family room with gas replace, 4th bedroom or craft room, nice size laundry room, attached double garage. Outside o ers a large yard, patio which o ers lots of privacy, and a gazebo. Priced at $249,900. Call Gery Cook @ 515-570-6209. MLS #25912 As a full time realtor I can assist in searching for the perfect home or helping to sell the one you are in. Stop into Regency Realtors or call me at 515-269-7907
Marcie Welter 515-269-7907 Cell Licensed in State of Iowa
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If you have a fireplace that burns wood, you know that it loses all of its heat up the chimney. Rick Titus has a wood burning insert that will burn with the efficiency of a wood stove and fit inside your fireplace so it keeps your fireplace look. The insert could heat up to 2,000 SQ. Ft and burn a third of the wood!
If you have a gas log in your fireplace it also sends all of its heat up the chimney. Rick has Vent Free gas logs that can burn as efficient as a gas cook stove and burn with the damper closed, thus keeping all the heat
in the house. The vent free gas logs could heat 1,000 SQ. Ft of your home
If you have one of the newer gas fireplaces that vents out the side of the home or up a chimney, Rick can convert it over to a Vent Free log and keep all the heat in the home.
So no matter what kind of fireplace you may have, Rick has an efficient solution for it. Call Rick or email him at yahtitus@gmail.com or go to his web site below. Rick even has new fireplaces and wood stoves that can heat your home even during a power outage.
