These past weeks I have been in nearly every type, age and price range of homes in Mason City and North Iowa. I have to keep my mouth shut sometimes because I know sellers do take some of my comments personally.
I sold a home some years ago to a young semi-professional couple. The home they purchased was of sound construction and well maintained. There were some changes that needed to be made to meet the demands of today’s lifestyles. Well, I happened to view the home several days ago and I was shocked to see the supposed improvements they made. The wooden floors were poorly re-finished and showed deep power sander marks, the door hinges, strike plates and door hardware were all painted the same color as the doors, and the remainder of the improvements showed limited quality as well as design and appeal. I walked away from the home feeling sorry for it. Such a grand home that was abused.
Replacement windows. Yet another personal gripe. Everyone thinks that replacement thermal windows are all the same—they are not. If you think you’re getting a bargain on replacement windows then I think you’d better do your homework before signing a contract. Windows are like anything else. You can buy low quality or you can buy higher quality. After your investigations, you will find that there are reasons why windows vary in price.
You all will probably think I’m deep into Feng Shui when I say that the curb appeal and entrance to a home must always be welcoming. So many times I find cluttered yards, dirty steps and thresholds, and sticky door knobs. The endless number of cheaply constructed front entry doors that I see are scary. Likely the doors they removed were more weather proof than the ones they replaced.
The information is out there so please do your research and step back to see in your mind what an improvement will really look like before you move forward. Let’s all work and make whole-hearted attempts at improving our homes here in Mason City.
