VIRTUAL TOUR

• Map
• Schools
• Financing
• Walkability

Location Map

- Main Marker

Here it is!  The acreage you have been waiting for.  Immaculate home nestled away on over 10 acres of wooded and some tillable ground.  Whether you are a nature lover, hunter, or just want to get away from the city, this is it. This home features a large kitchen with breakfast bar and dining area.  Walk out onto the deck and enjoy the beautiful views of the rolling hills and wild life.  Spacious Living room with  large south facing windows.  Both upper and lower bathrooms feature tile flooring, cherry cabinetry with comfort level counter tops and bathroom fixtures. Upstairs bathroom includes a large soaking tub; downstairs bath contains ceramic shower with glass door. Ground level Family Room features a built in brick fireplace with wood burning stove insert surrounded by cherry cabinetry.  Cherry French door to walkout patio.  Office off of Family Room remains consistent with Cherry cabinetry and can be easily be used as 4th bedroom.  Basement provides adequate storage with build-in closet, huge laundry room with utility sink, cabinets/counter and additional shelving for storage. Three stall opened shed initial build for horses but can easily be closed in. Outside yard provides numerous sitting areas with newly designed cement work and open-pit fire place. Three parcels will be included with this property that total approx. 10.25 acres!

Virtual Tour

• Map
• Schools
• Financing
• Walkability

Location Map

- Main Marker

Here are some lifesaving tips on how to prevent a garbage disposal disaster and save your wallet:

• Potato skins should not be sent down the garbage disposal.  Makes disposal work too hard and plugs the trap under the sink.
• Also avoid egg shells, onion skins and banana peals
• Celery is a DEFINITE  NO!

When this happens, here’s what you can do:

• Remove the trap (curved pipe under your sink) and clean out the gunk.
• Set a container on the cabinet floor to hold the leaking water from the pipe
• Turn slip nuts counterclockwise to loosen
• Take out p-trap, clean out and reinstall (be sure to tighten the slip nuts).

Get your disposal ready for work:

• Use the red button on the bottom to reset internal breaker (press until you hear a click)
• Turn on disposal
• Fill sink half way with water, turn on disposal, unplug your drain and let water flush.
• Check for leaks under the sink again.

Your disposal should be ready to go.

If it doesn’t work and buzzes instead, use the hex wrench that came with your disposal.  Insert it in the center hole on the bottom of the disposal and turn it back and forth to allow the blades to turn again by losing any possible obstruction.

Next time you clog your drain, you’ll know what to do.

Keystone Turner Hall is having a Valentine’s Dinner

Friday February 10th.

Your choice of Beef Tenderloin, Shrimp, or Chicken.

Serving from 5:30-8:30

Call 319-442-3212 for Limited reservations!!!

So, what are they going to check out? Better yet, you should ask what they won’t/don’t inspect and will that be a worry for you? If they specifically don’t check for Radon and you want to have your home checked out for Radon, you will want to find an inspector who does check Radon.

So, what are they going to check out? If they specifically don’t check for Radon and you want to have your home checked out for Radon, you will want to find an inspector who does check Radon.

Your home inspection will not cover septic or well inspections. Those are other inspections overseen by the county and another future blog article.

So, what should I expect them to inspect during the whole house inspection?

Here is a checklist according to the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors:

General Home Inspection Checklist Items

Structural Elements.

Construction of walls, ceilings, floors, roof and foundation.

• Exterior Evaluation.
  Wall covering, landscaping, grading, elevation, drainage, driveways, fences, sidewalks, fascia, trim, doors, windows, lights and exterior receptacles.
• Roof and Attic.
  Framing, ventilation, type of roof construction, flashing and gutters. It does not include a guarantee of roof condition nor a roof certification.
• Plumbing.
  Identification of pipe materials used for potable, drain, waste and vent pipes. including condition. Toilets, showers, sinks, faucets and traps. It does not include a sewer inspection.
• Systems and Components.
  Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning, duct work, chimney, fireplace and sprinklers.
• Electrical.
  Main panel, circuit breakers, types of wiring, grounding, exhaust fans, receptacles, ceiling fans and light fixtures.
• Appliances.
  Dishwasher, range and oven, built-in microwaves, garbage disposal and, yes, even smoke detectors.
• Garage.
  Slab, walls, ceiling, vents, entry, firewall, garage door, openers, lights, receptacles, exterior, windows and roof.

Home Inspection Checklist Items Needing Service

Home inspection reports do not describe the condition of every component if it’s in excellent shape, but should note every item that is defective or needing service.

The serious problems are:

• Health and safety issues
• Roofs with a short life expectancy
• Furnace / A/C malfunctions
• Foundation deficiencies
• Moisture / drainage issues

Next week – Once the home inspection has been performed, then what happens?

Whether you actually need a home inspection does depend on several things. First, the age of the home. If the home is new construction, this decreases the need of a professional. However, inspections can detect faulty construction work. Generally with new construction, the builder warrants the construction and material for a certain period of time, thus negating any inspection.

If you are purchasing a home with some age, the need for the inspection is greater. Inspections generally reveal defects in the home that usually aren’t noticed when first walking through the home. Inspectors are generally looking for termite damage, water damage, foundation defects and roof problems. Although the inspectors are generally not certified in areas other than home inspections, they will point out areas of interest recommending further investigating done by  professionals in those areas.

If you don’t have experience in a lot of home maintenance, or your budget doesn’t allow for extensive and expensive repairs, it is a good idea to hire an inspection. If you know a head of time what kind of time line repairs may be needed, you would be able to plan for them.

If you haven’t owned a home before, walking through with a home inspector gives you a great introduction to your home and quirks it may have before you move into it. If you know there is a lot of lime built up around your faucets and it’s nothing to be alarmed about, it is a much better feeling than wondering if there is a leak in the plumbing.

I have a list of home inspectors you can contact. Many have construction or other professional backgrounds.

Contact me if you have more questions. I can give you a lot more details and answer any concerns you may have.

The desired down payment today is 20%. If you qualify for an FHA, Rural Development, VA or other program, down payments range in the single digits.

Either way, if you don’t have a mattress stuffed with cash, large piggy bank or enough in savings, where do you come up with the down payment?

Your rich Uncle – Uncle Sam, that is. You’re going to receive a tax refund. Save that and put towards your down payment.

Ask Mom & Dad ….. No, really! Tax laws allow your parents to GIFT you a certain amount of money each year. Best to ask their or your CPA to find out the details. If your parents won’t gift you cash, ask if you could borrow it and then set up a payment plan with interest to pay them back.

Start SAVING!! Take some from each paycheck and put it away – don’t touch it! Over the course of a year if you save $100/week, you’d have $5,200 saved up within 12 months!! The secret? DON’T TOUCH IT!!

Sell things!! Ebay, Craigslist or a garage sale. If you haven’t used it in the year, you won’t want to move it to your new home!!

Seller Pays closing. But check with your loan officer before you do to make sure what guidelines you have to follow. Let’s say you want to purchase an $80,000 home and your closing costs are $3,200, if you offered $83,200 with Seller pays closing, then you have a down payment.

Government Programs. And you can either call me or your loan officer to find out what you qualify for.

Work a Second job. Even a short-term job in the evenings will give you enough in a short time for that down payment.

As your boss for a Raise!

Get a better paying job!

Consider 100% financing – some lenders are still doing that if you have excellent credit.

I don’t recommend tapping into your retirement funds, like your 401K, but if you do, check with your CPA for the current regulations. Line up your down payment before you start looking for your home. While you’re qualifying for your loan, you will have a better idea of how much you’ll need.

Feel free to call me at any point. I will be able to give you ideas that will make this process a whole lot easier!

Sold and closed xXXX, 2012. Shannon represented the Buyers and he can represent you! Contact me today to get results!

Narrow your search. The internet can be your BFF when it comes to finding homes, but searching on the internet can be extremely overwhelming! Suddenly, you may have 11 to 20 houses in your “favorite” file …. and they are scattered all over town!

Make a list of “gotta haves”, “kinda gotta haves”, “would lika haves” and “it’s okay if it has, but really needa haves”. Stick to to your list! If there is a home that is a “kinda lika have”, but has NONE of the “gotta haves”, don’t look at it. Recycle the listing write up and don’t look back. Stick to home with the most “gotta haves”, you’ll be a lot happier with your purchase.

How many homes should I look at before I submit an offer? When you find the perfect home – BUY IT! No matter how much more you continue to look you will not find a home better than your perfect home. PLUS, if you don’t stop and put an offer on your perfect home, someone will come by and think it’s their perfect home and THEY will buy it.

What should you bring when you look at homes?

• Bring your camera  (A digital one would be the best) and start snapping away.
• Bring a notebook and fill it up! Write as much as you can!! You will be glad you did later when you are comparing homes.
• Take pictures of the exterior, including the neighborhood and what’s around it.
• After leaving each home, rate the home from a scale of 1 to 10.

Make your selections for the Second Viewing.

Walk through your top 2 home picks for a second time. Take your time walking through! Look at the home from top to bottom. This may be THE ONE and you want to make sure.

To help make the process a whole lot smother, contact me. As a licensed real estate agent, I  can help alleviate the fears & possibilities for mistakes. I will be here to advise, answer questions, recommend vendors and show homes with all your “gotta haves!”

Imagine that.

Ask me what great kitchens I have listed! You’ll love to cook or just hang-out in these!!