Consolidated Kansas

[lizzyGSR]

22qzoo, Our soil is too lime and doesn't drain enough to grow blueberries. I wish I could. I love them. In fact most of what I plant that wasn't native has a hard time here.

Have you heard of the Saskatoon blueberry? They aren't truly a blueberry but are actually a native bush that produces fruit that is incredibly similar to a blueberry in size, color, and taste. The plants themselves aren't nearly as picky as real blueberries are and are pretty hardy. Here in NW KS, our soil is way too alkaline for blueberries. However, the extension agent thought that the Saskatoons would work for us. The information about them says that they are susceptible to cedar apple rust (cedar-saskatoon rust, I guess it's called), but the extension agent said that he's seen them growing on the K-State campus near cedar trees with no problem. My DH and I decided to try them and bought a pair from Gurneys. We just planted them a week or two ago and they are starting to bud out. I am excited to see how they do. If you're interested in researching them yourself, their scientific name is "Amelanchier alnifolia".

 

[Hawkeye95]

Deb516-- so glad that your chick is okay!

HeChicken - no fun being sick, it sounds miserable. And still have to take care of animals. I hear that. If our DH's get sick-- they do nothing. Or at least mine does nothing. If I'm sick, he still thinks I might cook dinner and of course, take care of animals. He's usually disappointed...

Danz, sick again. I'm sorry your sisters are mad at you, it sounds like you do an awful lot as it is. I get a little annoyed (or angry) with people that get upset with me because I've got a full plate of taking care of things around here. I enjoy it and I chose this, so yeah, that means I can't go taking off on a whim without finding someone to watch the animals.. or it might mean I have to change plans if I have a sick animal. It's tough when you're not fully understood. Hang in there, I know you love your dad, and he knows it too.

Josie, glad that you are figuring out the washing methods for the cloth! It takes some getting into the groove of it before you start to realize what works for you and what doesn't. Also knowing what to expect and how to deal with it when it happens is a big help that will keep you from being over whelmed by the care of them. Glad your little princess is bringing you joy! I'm sure you're already one heck of a fantastic mama!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


So I've had two realtors out to the house already (from different companies). One of them was awesome and told us what points of the house was going to make it sell and what points were going to hold us back AND how to fix them or make them more appealing. So we're on the job doing some light remodeling to the kitchen (removing backsplash and countertops, etc and doing some updates to the hall bathroom). The second realtor came out yesterday and he was just AWFUL! I mean... the first thing he said when he walked in the door was "I hope this wood flooring doesn't go through out the entire house!".... WHAA?????? I immediately said, it does and that we'd done everything, except the bathrooms and kitchen which were in tile. And then he was totally umimpressed and told me that at our price point, we didn't need to bother with anything other than vinyl flooring and that EVERYone loves carpet, not wood and that people will be annoyed to have to lay carpet over our floors. (??) Seriously.... whaaaat?? He then continues on to say that the house is sold by square foot, not by how nice it is on the inside. That all of our new fixtures, tile, flooring, paint, etc... it means nothing.

So now I'm off to a bad start with this guy and I'm ****** off. I was fully expecting to be told what things in the house need to be changed or what people want to see... but this guy wasn't doing that at all, he was just attacking and telling me everything we'd done was pointless! He was telling me that country homes are no longer selling well and that people don't want to live on dirt roads and they are sitting on the market forever. He brought comps for me to look at to show me where my market was. And I don't know where the heck he dug up those comps-- but they didn't have the same things my house had or horse barns, or... (on and on). I was getting more upset. So I started arguing with him that those houses weren't realistic and yeah, sure, if I was looking at 3 acres of land and a crappy house (sorry) then I get it, my home would fit right in. This guy just had no clue what the heck he was doing. And keep in mind-- my DH and I had already sat down with the first realtor and had spent over an hour and a HALF talking about the sold comps and we even went picture by picture on tours of the insides of these homes to figure out a price range. This guy comes in $53K LESS than the first guy. It wasn't even realistic... I then argued with the realtor that a home only 2 houses down from us (and is in the same neighborhood) sold for about $60K above what he was telling me. I asked him to explain that one to me! He then got really flustered and told me he was going to have to consult with his team and get back to me. Well, he can shove it, I'm not talking to him again, except to tell him he did NOT get the job. What an A-hole.

So frustrating... because I'm listing all of these improvements like our tankless water heater, solar panels, etc... and he shrugs his shoulders and tells me they are worthless in the grand scheme of things-- even went so far as to tell me that my horse barn (with electric and running water in it) would only add about $3K to my property. And just so no one else uses this idiot company-- it was Jeff Lange Realty. I mean, I guess if you want to under sell your home and fight with the realtor and have him come tell you your home is crap, then enjoy. Sheesh!!!

Okay... vent over. LOL

 

[HEChicken]

Wow, Hawkeye - I can't believe that guy. He has signs all over too so you would think he would have a better 'bedside manner". Wow - I just can't get over that. Yeah, no kidding he's not getting the job. Sheesh. It doesn't sound like he's very tuned in to what buyers are looking for. Square feet is only a tiny fraction of the equation in my opinion. I mean, sure, for the average family with 2-3 kids, a 600sq ft home is not going to work, but I can tell you when we were house shopping, square footage was NOT the primary thing that we were looking at. It was all about the layout of the house, its amenities, closet space, bathrooms, living areas, KITCHEN (big one for me after the galley I had at the old house), plus outbuildings, space for us to do the things we like to do like keep chickens and grow a vegie garden etc. We looked at houses with a huge variation in square footage, figuring that a house that is too small but otherwise perfect, can always be extended, and a house that is larger than we really wanted, well, we'd probably expand into the space over time. For the record, I love wood floors and I think a lot of other people do too. When I built my house in Wichita, the realtor told me I had a carpet allowance and sent me to a certain store to choose the carpet. Other options were never discussed so I didn't realize I didn't have to do carpet. It wasn't until my neighbor's house across the street was finished and they moved in and I went over to visit them and they had wood floors, if not for the whole upstairs, at least the living areas. I really loved it and wished then that I had known it was an option instead of just picking out the carpet like a good little girl when the realtor sent me down there.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

So frustrating... because I'm listing all of these improvements like our tankless water heater, solar panels, etc... and he shrugs his shoulders and tells me they are worthless in the grand scheme of things-- even went so far as to tell me that my horse barn (with electric and running water in it) would only add about $3K to my property. And just so no one else uses this idiot company-- it was Jeff Lange Realty. I mean, I guess if you want to under sell your home and fight with the realtor and have him come tell you your home is crap, then enjoy. Sheesh!!!

Okay... vent over. LOL

Wow - Jeff Lange is well known for selling country homes/property - I'm shocked.

I hope things go well for you!

 

[lizzyGSR]

So I've had two realtors out to the house already (from different companies). One of them was awesome and told us what points of the house was going to make it sell and what points were going to hold us back AND how to fix them or make them more appealing. So we're on the job doing some light remodeling to the kitchen (removing backsplash and countertops, etc and doing some updates to the hall bathroom). The second realtor came out yesterday and he was just AWFUL! I mean... the first thing he said when he walked in the door was "I hope this wood flooring doesn't go through out the entire house!".... WHAA?????? I immediately said, it does and that we'd done everything, except the bathrooms and kitchen which were in tile. And then he was totally umimpressed and told me that at our price point, we didn't need to bother with anything other than vinyl flooring and that EVERYone loves carpet, not wood and that people will be annoyed to have to lay carpet over our floors. (??) Seriously.... whaaaat?? He then continues on to say that the house is sold by square foot, not by how nice it is on the inside. That all of our new fixtures, tile, flooring, paint, etc... it means nothing.

Sheesh! Sounds like a realtor to avoid! A couple years ago, DH and I were in the market for a country house. In this area, country houses are VERY hard to come by and are usually a pretty penny for one in good condition. I can tell you that the amenities definitely DO help sell a house. The first house we looked at was being lived in at the moment. The couple that lived there said they wanted to sell the house, but you honestly couldn't tell by looking at the house or the asking price. There were moldy bread crumbs on the pull out bread board and behind the items on the counter. There were drawers that were sitting in their slots very crooked (obviously broken), holes in the linoleum, carpet and counter-top, items in disrepair, no dining room to speak of, partially finished basement, decor was very outdated, etc. They weren't willing to drop their price on the house either, because they were asking what they had left on their loan for it.

Then, a couple months later, our realtor found a rural house that was in the same price range as the first, but was completely finished, in great shape despite its age (original house built in 1910's with several additions since), all wood floors (which were a plus for us), lots of room, very well insulated (double layer of stucco on the outside), nice metal roof, etc. We were happy to give that seller their asking price because the house was in such great shape. The first house had outbuildings and a 2 car attached garage, all of which were things we would've liked to have had. However, the 2nd house was in much better shape, was well taken care of, modern and updated/remodelled, and definitely did not look its age. WE bought the 2nd house at just below the asking price and paid to have a barn built (not nearly as nice as your barn though) and are very happy with our purchase a couple years later.

It sounds to me like that 2nd realtor you had needs to get out of the business because he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[Trish44]

Deb516-- so glad that your chick is okay!

HeChicken - no fun being sick, it sounds miserable. And still have to take care of animals. I hear that. If our DH's get sick-- they do nothing. Or at least mine does nothing. If I'm sick, he still thinks I might cook dinner and of course, take care of animals. He's usually disappointed...

Danz, sick again. I'm sorry your sisters are mad at you, it sounds like you do an awful lot as it is. I get a little annoyed (or angry) with people that get upset with me because I've got a full plate of taking care of things around here. I enjoy it and I chose this, so yeah, that means I can't go taking off on a whim without finding someone to watch the animals.. or it might mean I have to change plans if I have a sick animal. It's tough when you're not fully understood. Hang in there, I know you love your dad, and he knows it too.

Josie, glad that you are figuring out the washing methods for the cloth! It takes some getting into the groove of it before you start to realize what works for you and what doesn't. Also knowing what to expect and how to deal with it when it happens is a big help that will keep you from being over whelmed by the care of them. Glad your little princess is bringing you joy! I'm sure you're already one heck of a fantastic mama!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


So I've had two realtors out to the house already (from different companies). One of them was awesome and told us what points of the house was going to make it sell and what points were going to hold us back AND how to fix them or make them more appealing. So we're on the job doing some light remodeling to the kitchen (removing backsplash and countertops, etc and doing some updates to the hall bathroom). The second realtor came out yesterday and he was just AWFUL! I mean... the first thing he said when he walked in the door was "I hope this wood flooring doesn't go through out the entire house!".... WHAA?????? I immediately said, it does and that we'd done everything, except the bathrooms and kitchen which were in tile. And then he was totally umimpressed and told me that at our price point, we didn't need to bother with anything other than vinyl flooring and that EVERYone loves carpet, not wood and that people will be annoyed to have to lay carpet over our floors. (??) Seriously.... whaaaat?? He then continues on to say that the house is sold by square foot, not by how nice it is on the inside. That all of our new fixtures, tile, flooring, paint, etc... it means nothing.

So now I'm off to a bad start with this guy and I'm ****** off. I was fully expecting to be told what things in the house need to be changed or what people want to see... but this guy wasn't doing that at all, he was just attacking and telling me everything we'd done was pointless! He was telling me that country homes are no longer selling well and that people don't want to live on dirt roads and they are sitting on the market forever. He brought comps for me to look at to show me where my market was. And I don't know where the heck he dug up those comps-- but they didn't have the same things my house had or horse barns, or... (on and on). I was getting more upset. So I started arguing with him that those houses weren't realistic and yeah, sure, if I was looking at 3 acres of land and a crappy house (sorry) then I get it, my home would fit right in. This guy just had no clue what the heck he was doing. And keep in mind-- my DH and I had already sat down with the first realtor and had spent over an hour and a HALF talking about the sold comps and we even went picture by picture on tours of the insides of these homes to figure out a price range. This guy comes in $53K LESS than the first guy. It wasn't even realistic... I then argued with the realtor that a home only 2 houses down from us (and is in the same neighborhood) sold for about $60K above what he was telling me. I asked him to explain that one to me! He then got really flustered and told me he was going to have to consult with his team and get back to me. Well, he can shove it, I'm not talking to him again, except to tell him he did NOT get the job. What an A-hole.

So frustrating... because I'm listing all of these improvements like our tankless water heater, solar panels, etc... and he shrugs his shoulders and tells me they are worthless in the grand scheme of things-- even went so far as to tell me that my horse barn (with electric and running water in it) would only add about $3K to my property. And just so no one else uses this idiot company-- it was Jeff Lange Realty. I mean, I guess if you want to under sell your home and fight with the realtor and have him come tell you your home is crap, then enjoy. Sheesh!!!

Okay... vent over. LOL

Oh boy Hawkeye, you knew this guy was a loser before he even came & he sure turned out that way. I wouldn't listen to a thing he said, if you watch the shows on TV where they show what people are looking for in houses they definitely aren't looking for carpet & in most cases they say the carpet has to go. Any updating you have done or will do just gives more value to your home & is definitely a selling point. I don't agree that country homes aren't selling either. There is always someone looking for a place outside the city & your place has been updated & has nice outbuildings too. That guy was totally full of bunk.

Well it's a lot nicer here today than I expected it to be after yesterday, the sun is shining & it's already 53 here. I'm so glad to see that sun!

 

[AmySG]

Wow, wood floors a huge minus for a country home? When I bought this property I wished they would remove what carpeting remained! Electric AND water to the barn?? Mother load!!!!


Maybe he only wants to sell fancy McMansions

 

[cherwill]

my little 6 week old polish is doing great this morning. She warmed up, ate, drank and has been chirping up a storm following me around this morning.

That's great news!

So I've had two realtors out to the house already (from different companies). One of them was awesome and told us what points of the house was going to make it sell and what points were going to hold us back AND how to fix them or make them more appealing. So we're on the job doing some light remodeling to the kitchen (removing backsplash and countertops, etc and doing some updates to the hall bathroom). The second realtor came out yesterday and he was just AWFUL! I mean... the first thing he said when he walked in the door was "I hope this wood flooring doesn't go through out the entire house!".... WHAA?????? I immediately said, it does and that we'd done everything, except the bathrooms and kitchen which were in tile. And then he was totally umimpressed and told me that at our price point, we didn't need to bother with anything other than vinyl flooring and that EVERYone loves carpet, not wood and that people will be annoyed to have to lay carpet over our floors. (??) Seriously.... whaaaat?? He then continues on to say that the house is sold by square foot, not by how nice it is on the inside. That all of our new fixtures, tile, flooring, paint, etc... it means nothing.

What a jerk. The condition of the house always matters; square footage and property area are the starting point. Also, everyone does not love carpet. We have two indoor dogs (at times, we've had three) and prefer hardwood floors for many reasons. When we bought our house, we didn't really care what was on the floor as long as there was hardwood underneath it. Older homes and country homes seem like natural places to have the hardwood instead of carpeting.

 

[StelleKitten]

Thought I would post this link for you guys too. A BYC interactive member map! If you are interested we would love to see your dot added. A member named Ken started this map and it has been in use for a while in the Tx thread.

 

[JosieChick]

Hawkeye- That is just ridiculous. Don't waste your time and energy getting upset over that realtor. We had the same problem with a realtor when we were looking for one up at the house in Rantoul. He was way lower than we thought especially since the entire house is brand new, plumbing electric, central heat/air, new flooring, stainless appliances and so on. He pretty much told us that nobody would want to buy a one bedroom house and that we should just find our bottom dollar price now in preparation!! Second realtor is awesome (she got the gig!) super positive, loved the charm of the house, made recommendations on paint colors to appeal to a bachelor or young couple. AND she was about $35,000 above the list price of the first realtor!! It is just craziness. I don't know where some of these people come from. Your house is gorgeous and I bet even nicer after all the work you guys have been doing. And it has an awesome barn and fencing. Very valuable in the country!!!

Who has carpet in the country anyway?