Dashausfeb2014

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DasHaus February/March 2014

Preserving history

McCracken woman makes her home among treasured childhood memories

A TIME TO BUY Real estate agents offer outlook for winter real estate market

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Quick tips to help growyour family’s savings

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CONTENTS

Food for thought......4 Easy tips to help grow your family’s saving account.

At home8

A season to shop.......6 Winter could work to home buyer’s advantage.

McCracken woman working to restore childhood haven.

Das Haus is published and distributed by The Hays Daily News, 507 Main, Hays, KS 67601. Find it online at www.HDNews.net/DasHaus.

Copyright © 2014 Harris Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Das Haus is a registered trademark of The Hays Daily News.

Printed by Northwestern Printers, 114 W. Ninth, Hays, KS 67601, northwesternprinters.com.

Publisher, Patrick Lowry, plowry@dailynews.net

Upcoming trends......14 Experts offer tips on what’s new in home decor.

Advertising Director, Mary Karst, maryk_ads@dailynews.net Designer, Kaley Conner, kconner@dailynews.net Account Executives: Joleen Fisher, Sandra Harder, Eric Rathke Creative Services: Juno Ogle, Tiffany Reddig

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT Linda Beech is a family and consumer science agent with K-State Research and Extension in Ellis County.

Make saving a priority

Pay yourself first

By Linda Beech

S

aving regularly is key to building financial security. That’s why Feb. 24 through March 1 has been designated as America Saves Week, a time to draw attention to the financial security that can come from developing a regular savings habit.

Waiting until the end of the month, when you might be short on cash, to make a savings deposit can shortchange your financial future. That’s why financial experts say “pay yourself first.”

Making regular saving a priority — and doing it first before other spending occurs — means you can start to build a more secure financial future for yourself and your family.

To ensure regular saving, consider these tips: 4 DAS HAUS February/March 2014

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Treat saving like another bill.

Put a portion of each paycheck, even if it is a few dollars, into a

savings account and leave it alone.

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Make it automatic. Set up

an automatic transfer at your financial institution to have money moved from your checking account into your savings account each pay period. Those who save automatically are more likely to be successful long-term.

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Take advantage of payroll deduction plans. Many people

eliminate the temptation to spend their savings by never seeing it in the first place. Check with your employer to see what saving or investment options are available to you.

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Participate in an employer’s retirement plan. Through payroll deductions, you can start to build a retirement nest egg. Many employers even match employee contributions. On some types of accounts, funds accumulate tax-deferred for retirement.

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Save “extra” paychecks. If you’re paid biweekly, in two months of each year, you will receive three paychecks. Employees who are paid weekly will receive an “extra” paycheck in four months of each year. Save at least part of this money.

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Save all or part of your tax refund. Tax refund time is one of the few times when households receive a sizable amount of money all at once. With IRS Form 8888, you can divide the refund among as many as three direct-deposit accounts, or you can order a U.S. savings bond for yourself or someone else.

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Break costly habits. Do you really need to buy a soda or coffee everyday?

Are you trying to stop smoking? Save the money you normally would spend on habits like these.

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Set savings goals. Trying to save for a house or car down payment or a vacation? Hope to contribute to your child’s college education? You’ll be able to save better if you know what you’re saving for. If you don’t yet have a list of short-term and long-term financial goals, make one. Write down

your goals where you often will see and remember them. $$$ You work hard for your money, and you and your family deserve a secure financial life.

Making smart saving decisions is not always easy, but it definitely will benefit you and your family over the long term.

For more information about the America Saves campaign, including ways to accumulate wealth and tips from other savers, visit the campaign’s website at www.americasaves.org.

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Bank a windfall. Whenever you receive unexpected money — an inheritance, bingo winnings, overtime pay, a rebate, an insurance dividend, etc. — put at least part of it into savings.

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Save your change. There is an estimated $10 billion in loose change hiding in America’s homes, cars and couches. That is an average of $85 per household. Add 50 cents per day, and you’ll accumulate another $180 per year in coins that never will be missed.

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Continue paying yourself a loan. When you finish paying an installment loan or long-term bill, continue making the same monthly payment to yourself. For example, when you finish paying off your car, continue making “car payments” to your savings account to build up funds for the next car or other future needs.

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REAL ESTATE MARKET

A time to shop

By MATTHEW KENWRIGHT mkenwright@dailynews.net

Buying a home can be a stressful process, but it might be a less rushed process during the winter.

Kris Dewell, associate broker with Dean Ellner Inc. Realtors, said generally there are fewer houses on the market during the fall and winter months than spring and summer.

“It’s often times a more relaxed shopping experience because you don’t have to hurry,” Dewell said.

Although there is less of a selection, there is more time to weigh options.

“In the spring and summer when there are lots and lots of buyers out, you get this, you know, ‘Oh, I got to get this house before someone else does,’ and so the shopping experience sometimes isn’t as enjoyable or isn’t as relaxed,” she said.

Prices do not vary much between colder and warmer months, but there tends to be multiple offers on a home during spring and summer. There are less homes on the market during winter because realtors tell clients there are more buyers later, and house hunters are less likely to brave the weather while they search. The holiday season also can be disruptive, and some buy-

ers prefer to schedule a move around the school year.

“If you’re a family with children, are you going to try to move in the middle of the school year, or are you going to wait and try to move at the end of the school year?” Dewell said.

Winter’s gloomy weather does not mean a house cannot be aesthetically pleasing. Many buyers research houses online, and realtors post more flattering images of the home’s exterior on their websites.

Patty Stull, broker sales associate with Coldwell Banker Executive Realty, said maintenance is a factor buyers should consider.

Sellers might not be able to repair damaged roofs during the winter because of weather conditions, so they can place money to fix it in a special account for buyers. Also, air conditioning cannot be tested until warmer weather arrives.

Buyers can capitalize on rushed sellers.

“The best opportunities lie during the winter months because sometimes people really have to move, and they don’t have time to wait for the market to be more aggressive in the spring time,” Stull said.

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Q&A

Realtor’s corner

With Lyn Klein

Sponsored by Advanced Real Estate Co.

Finding a Good Home Inspector

You’ve found the house, your offer has been accepted, and funding is in place. But before you start packing, be sure you hire a professional home inspector to make sure your house doesn’t have any major defects that could cost you down the road.

A home inspection typically includes an examination of heating and central air conditioning systems, interior plumbing, electrical systems, the roof, attic, visible insulation, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, foundations, and basements. Inspections may also include appliances and outdoor plumbing.

Once the inspector examines the house, he or she will write up a report with findings. If there are any major problems, you‘ll need to negotiate with the seller to either lower the sale price of the home, or determine how the problem will be fixed.

When you make an offer, it’s

wise to have a contingency clause based on the home inspection. In other words, if the inspector finds $10,000 worth of problems and the seller doesn’t want to provide the fix, you can rescind your offer.

In fact, two in five resale houses will have at least one major defect that could cost you from a few hundred dollars to as much as $15,000 to repair, according to the 2000 HouseMaster Resale Home Deficiencies Study.

Spending a few hundred dollars for a home inspection is well worth the peace of mind. If you don’t know where to find a home inspector, be cautious. Tyson and Brown say the American Society of Home Inspectors is a good place to start.

Just because an inspector is an ASHI member doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a good inspection, but it certainly increases the likelihood that you’ll be working with a qualified professional.

Signs That You’re Ready to Buy Figuring out whether you’re ready to buy a house — whether you’re a renter or are aiming to move up or size down — can be a daunting task, but there are signs that will indicate whether you’re ready to take the buying plunge.

If you are thinking about buying, you’re not alone. So are you ready to make the move? You might be if you: 1. Are you familiar with the market?

2. Have the money for a down payment and closing costs?

3. Know how much you can afford?

4. Know what additional expenses will come with owning a home.

5. Have your credit in good shape, and make sure your credit report is accurate.

6. You haven’t made any recent major purchases, particularly a vehicle.

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AT HOME IN McCRACKEN Anita Butler jumped at the chance to purchase her uncle’s old home for a rural retirement house

Preserving history M

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cCRACKEN — Jack Wilson used to joke with his family he was going to move to New Mexico someday and retire.

One of his nieces, Anita Butler, used to tell her uncle she wanted his house when he moved.

Wilson, who died in early 2006, never made it to his retirement destination. But Butler got the home she wanted, one filled of childhood memories galore.

After Wilson’s wife, Verlene,

moved to WaKeeney about a year after his death, Butler bought the farm she remembered frequenting as a child when her grandmother lived there.

Butler and her husband, Jeff, live in Solomon and plan to make the farm — approximately 2 miles north of the small town in northwestern Rush County — their retirement home.

While Butler enjoys the peacefulness of country living, she also finds

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the history of the home intriguing.

The original section was built in 1878. And the first school in Rush County was held in the basement of the home, with classes taught by Butler’s great-great-grandfather, Levi Wilson.

“We were told that as kids,” she said. “We knew a lot about the history of this house.”

Butler said she feels lucky to live in a home so full of history — and fond memories.

“We were the first grandkids (in the Wilson family), and we were just doted on,” she said of herself and two younger sisters. “We were so loved, such great memories.”

“We went there for Christmas, Easter, birthdays, all the holidays,” Butler said. “I remember it all.”

The original 16- by 20-foot limestone house has been added on to several times.

One of Butler’s favorite spots in the house is to sit in the 18-inch window sills of the original house; another is upstairs, where she and her sisters slept during their overnight visits.

Jack Wilson, who still lived with his parents at the time, occupied the bedroom to the left, and the one to the right

Story by Diane Gasper-O’Brien Photos by Jolie Green

was for visiting relatives.

There also was a door at the top of the steps that remained closed.

“It was a storage room, and we girls called it the ‘secret room,’ ” Butler said. “After I went to look at it (with the realtor), the first thing my sisters asked as if I went in the ‘secret room.’ ” “I told them, ‘I did; I saved it for last,’ ” she added.

After Butler married and started a family of her own, she didn’t make it to Rush County as often. >>>>>

10 But she never forgot her grandparents’ home.

Butler’s mom, Marlene Wilson, lives in WaKeeney. And when the home went up for sale, she told her daughter.

“I called the realtor immediately,” said Butler, who offered to buy the house sight unseen.

“He insisted I come look at it, even though I told him I didn’t need to, that I knew what it was,” she said.

“And I knew what I wanted.”

Butler has furnished and decorated the home with nostalgic memorabilia.

An old wooden high chair sits in the kitchen, and one of Jack Wilson’s cowboy hats is among the items sitting on a built-in shelf in the dining room, and another of Wilson’s hats hangs on the back porch.

She someday hopes to pull up the carpet that covers original wooden floors.

“I remember those wood floors,” Butler said.

The Butlers come to their homeaway-from-home on weekends, and they have relatives and tenants who rent from them watch it during the week. >>>>>

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“I knew what I wanted.”

Anita Butler

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Pictured is the door to the home’s basement, site of the first Rush County school.

It also serves as a weekend hangout for visiting rodeo queen royalty during the annual McCracken Rodeo, which Jack Wilson was instrumental in starting and for whom the rodeo arena in town is named.

That secret room now serves as another large guest bedroom, which the queen candidates enjoy.

Inside the front door of the house, decals with the saying “Home is where your story begins” can be read just above framed photos of construction of the original house and the barn, as well as one when the two were completed.

But Butler’s favorite saying, she admits, is engraved into a wooden plaque that hangs on a wall of the back porch — another spot that brings back good memories.

It reads: “On a farm so long ago, all my fondest memories grow.”

That enclosed porch leads directly into the kitchen, where Butler remembers everyone gathering.

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“It was such a family place, so welcoming.”

Anita Butler “I remember when neighbors would come down and playing pinochle,” she said. “It was such a family place, so welcoming.”

Butler said plans are to restore the old barn.

An old milk shed will be remodeled into a garden shed.

“It makes me so sad to see these old places torn down,” she said. “I didn’t want to see that happen here.

This was always home; it was the go-to place.”

It still is.

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INTERIOR DESIGN

Associated Press

Ask a Designer:

2014 decor trends

By MELISSA RAYWORTH Associated Press

With a new year comes new trends in home design and decorating. Among them: paler walls contrasted with colorful furniture, and plenty of personal expression, design experts say.

Coolest colors Whisper-soft, ultra-pale shades of pink — described by designers as “blush tones” — are back. But the ‘80s haven’t returned, designer Brian Patrick Flynn said, at least not entirely.

“What’s different about blush this

time around is what it’s paired with. In 1985, you’d find it paired with mauve and black, with tons of shiny brass accents. Flash forward to today and blush is likely to be paired with preppy, masculine tones,” said Flynn, founder of Flynnside Out Productions.

His favorite blush paint is Barely Blush from Glidden, which he contrasts with navy blue: “The deep, rich personality of the navy actually washes out the blush, almost causing it to look white, and the overall effect is fresh and gorgeous.”

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15 Speaking of white walls, Los Angeles-based designer Betsy Burnham sees those coming back in a big way.

“I used to think white walls looked unfinished,” she said. “But I’ve completely come around on this one, because white is the ultimate palette cleanser. It gives every space — even the most traditional — a modern edge, and sets the stage wonderfully for layers of color in upholstery, accessories, area rugs and art.”

But while wall colors are getting softer and paler, the opposite seems to be happening with furniture.

“Strong colors on upholstery are becoming more of the norm,” said Kyle Schuneman, founder of Live Well Designs, who spent a chunk of 2013 designing his first line of furniture in collaboration with retailer Apt2B. He opted to create sofas in bright blues and shades of orange because “a bright sofa is no longer just for a creative office waiting room,” he said. “People are bringing them into their homes.”

One bold color to approach carefully this year: red-violet.

“Red-violet is the Pantone color of the year for 2014,” Flynn said. “My trick for using it right is pairing it with black, white and brass,” he said. “It’s not all that overwhelming, since it’s balanced by the neutrality of the black and white, and made a bit more chic and regal with the brass.”

Top textures “For accessories, the trend seems to be getting away from color and going more into rich textures like horn, aged metallics and linens,” Schuneman said. “The absence of color is becoming chic for smaller items.”

One texture Flynn said will have a big moment in 2014: felt.

“Have you looked at Pinterest lately? It’s like every fifth photo you see involves felt. Ever since the handmade movement kicked in back in 2010, felt has been used in unexpected ways and in a modern fashion,” Flynn said.

An easy project for even the DIYchallenged: “I modernized the classic kindergarten felt wall in a boy’s room by covering a wall with batting, then literally upholstering it with white and blue felt, then cutting tons of felt into random objects and characters to give the kids something interactive and stylish.”

Fresh inspirations “The idea of personalization is

Associated Press becoming stronger and stronger,” Schuneman said. “People are wanting their homes to reflect a more unique perspective.”

So rather than assuming everyone will be buying the same popular items, “stores are doing limited runs on items more often, like art in series or a special brand collaboration for just a season,” he said.

Burnham agrees. Homeowners are increasingly looking to “large-scale wall hangings” and other pieces of art to express themselves, she said, rather than doing it with bold wall color.

“Boy, am I sick of accent walls. I really believe that trend is out. I vote for art every time,” Burnham said. “If you’re looking for something to cover big, blank areas, shop on Etsy for macrame pieces. They add such wonderful texture to your walls, and artists like Sally England have brought them back

into vogue.”

She also recommends hunting for vintage posters that speak to you.

Find them through online dealers and auction houses, and then frame them in a group.

“While the vintage ones are a bit of an investment,” Burnham said, “they can be a lot more reasonably priced than large-scale paintings and photographs.”

Another way Americans are increasingly customizing their space, according to Flynn: Western-inspired décor.

“For years I’ve seen taxidermy make its way into mainstream design, yet reinvented in new ways. Lately, I’ve been looking to Ralph Lauren-like cabins of the Western United States for inspiration in my own home. I think a lot of cabin-inspired colors such as pea greens, hunter greens and camouflage-inspired prints will become super popular.”

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