That was quite the thunderstorm we had last night. While driving to work, I noticed a considerable number of small branches in yards as well as on the streets. I figured that wind was going to do some damage because of the color of those clouds. They reminded me a little of that horrible windstorm which took down trees and power lines on the 28th of May. Believe it or not, people are still dealing with the damage done by that wicked storm. Come the end of this year, don’t be surprised if you see many of North Iowa’s arborists driving expensive new pickup trucks and/or pulling new equipment behind them.
Compared to yesterday, I’d say I was busy enough to consider having compressed two days into one. Considering the activity I’ve been having, I’d say the market is getting back up to a normal speed, but unfortunately most of the buyers are looking for move-in condition homes. Just for example, I received a text this afternoon from an agent who showed one of my lower priced listings which went something like, “My buyer is passing on it because he feels it needs too much work.” After I read that, I thought to myself, “Too much work? That home has newer siding, newer roof, newer windows, and an furnace less than ten years old!” All I could see it needing, is a really good cleaning, painting, and replacing floor coverings in the few rooms that don’t have hardwood floors. Oh Mercy! How much more lazy and/or blind is our general public becoming? For me, bringing that home up to speed would be a cake walk.
Please put the word out on 716 S. Taylor’s price reduction today. It’s now reduced to the bargain basement price of $78,500. If that rock solid home doesn’t get sold, I’ll be fully convinced there really are no buyers left with vision. That home has NEVER had any water in its basement which is nearly unheard of in our City. The current owner lived there from the time it was built. With its basement being dry, there’s all the more available square footage of worry-free living. I warn nearly everyone about finishing off basements by saying, “You’d better be near-absolute positive your lower level doesn’t take in water, because if you finish it off and later find water, you’ll have a “yell” of a mess.” Don’t you think it’s always better to measure twice before sawing once?
One of my clients who’s been working on his house called yesterday asking me to drive over to his home and look at his flooring project, so off I went early this morning before the phones started ringing. Having not been in it for years, I’d forgotten how spacious it was. His call was to get my opinion on what to do with his kitchen and back entry floor. He’d originally planned on putting down laminate, but when he took up a loose corner of that once popular roll linoleum behind the stove, he discovered there to be an underlayment, and below that, a small exposed patch of hardwood flooring.
It took some convincing to get him to realize that hardwood floors of that quality would be considered a sin to keep covered. He insisted there must be something wrong with them due to one of the previous owners having installed linoleum. Since he’s not old enough to remember that back in the 60’s and 70’s, people were continually trying to make their old homes more “modern”, and nearly always just to impress family, friends, and guests. Why do you think there are so many beautiful old homes in our City with painted over woodwork? Whenever I find gorgeous oak and maple woodwork encapsulated with layers of ugly paint, I just want to ride back in a time machine and shake some sense into those people.
Isn’t it amazing how tastes have changed? Thirty or forty years ago people believed hardwood floors to be out of style and too hard to keep clean. Now it’s the opposite. Buyers pay big premiums for natural wood floors and woodwork. None of the corporate cabinet makers want to admit that nearly all of the pre-painted cabinets are made from compressed and glued sawdust, which they loving call “composite” materials. Now wouldn’t you rather have something made out of real wood instead of particles of wood and glue? Thank goodness the lightbulb went off with my client when finally making his decision to jerk up the lino and underlayment and refinish those original hardwood floors. Weeks from now, he’ll likely be calling to thank me for steering him in the right direction. Thank goodness there still are people who can flip their en-visioning switches back to “ON”.
Tonight’s one-liner is: Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like nobody’s watching.
