You did what????

Pumpkin Pulp Will Scare Your Disposal to Death

By: Dona DeZube

Put your pumpkin pulp into the trash to spare your disposal (and other plumbing pipes) a horrible death.

The pulp, seeds, and other guts you’re scraping out of pumpkins this week can kill your garbage disposal, so toss them in the trash or the compost pile instead.

In a press release, Roto-Rooter warns home owners about the dangers of pumpkin pulp, saying its plumbers “remove gobs of it from clogged drains” during the Halloween season.

“Plumbers know that frantic home owners will soon be complaining about pulp-clogged garbage disposals and stopped-up kitchen sink drains leading up to Halloween,” says Larry Rothman, Roto-Rooter’s plumbing director. "It's stringy and sticky, and when it dries and hardens it’ll choke off drainpipes and garbage disposals, creating all sorts of havoc."

Pumpkin guts haven’t been an issue for my household. But then again, we don’t have a garbage disposal. Year before last, we never got around to carving the pumpkin. It sat on the front porch, eventually shining in the glow of our Christmas lights. By January, it had rotted and fallen into the front flower bed, which led to a spring bumper crop of pumpkin vines. I did keep one of the vine sprouts and it produced a nice little pumpkin by fall.

Evidently, people flush pumpkin guts down the toilet, too, Rothman says, leading me to wonder if parents somewhere are trying to multi-task by combining bath time and pumpkin carving.

"The toilet is not a better option,” he says. “It just means the clog forms a little further down the pipe."

Read more: http://members.houselogic.com/articles/what-can-go-in-garbage-disposals/preview/?cid=eo_em_mkt_rcrnewsletter#ixzz3oZtjCA00
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You really should!

‎5 Reasons You Should Sell Your House TODAY!

Selling your house in today’s market can be extremely difficult. It is for that reason that every seller should take advantage of each and every opportunity that appears. Each fall, such an opportunity presents itself. This fall, that opportunity may be just too good to pass up.

Below are five reasons you should consider when pricing your house to sell in the next 90 days. Meet with LISA BEAR and mortgage professional today and see whether it is the right move for you and your family.

1. Entering this time of year, the buyers are more serious.
We all realize that buyers are not quick to pull the trigger on the purchase of a home today. There is no sense of urgency with the supply of eligible properties at all time highs. However, at this time of year, the ‘lookers’ are at the stores doing their holiday shopping. The home buyers left in the market are serious and are more apt to make a purchasing decision. Less showings – but to more motivated purchasers.


2. If you are moving up, you can save thousands.
The Chicago Tribune stated in an article last week that sellers who want to ‘trade up’ should act now:

It could be a bigger house, different neighborhood or a better school district, but it comes with a higher price tag. Do the math; this might be the right time.

A home that was once worth $300,000 may now be worth $240,000 in a market where prices have fallen 20 percent. Wow, you think, the seller is taking a bath. But that seller may also be a prospective buyer who wants a house that once was valued at $400,000. With an equivalent market drop and a realistic listing price, that house may now sell for $320,000. So, in effect, the person is losing $60,000 on the sale of one home but coming out ahead $20,000 on the purchase of another.

Keep in mind the spread may be even greater. There’s a smaller pool of potential buyers for more expensive homes, so sellers may be more willing to cut their price to get a deal done.


3. Interest rates just fell again – to 4.19%.
Professor Karl E. Case, the founder of the Case Shiller Pricing Index in an article in the New York Times last month actually did the math for us:

Four years ago, the monthly payment on a $300,000 house with 20 percent down and a mortgage rate of about 6.6 percent was $1,533. Today that $300,000 house would sell for $213,000 and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with 20 percent down would carry a rate of about 4.2 percent and a monthly payment of $833 … housing has perhaps never been a better bargain.



4. You beat the rush of inventory that is coming next year.
Every year there is an increase of inventory which comes to market from January through April as homeowners put their houses up for sale in preparation for the spring market.

You won’t have to worry about this increasing competition if you sell now.

5. You have less ‘discounted’ inventory with which to compete.
This year, sellers of non-distressed properties have been given an early holiday present. With banks declaring a suspension on the sale of many distressed properties (foreclosures), there has been a large supply of discounted properties removed from competition. No one knows how long this self imposed moratorium will last. However, while it does, every homeowner has a better chance of selling their property.

Bottom Line

If you are looking to sell in the near future, there may not be a more opportune time than this fall. Serious buyers, great move-up deals and less competition from foreclosures creates the perfect selling situation. Don’t miss it! 




Article compliments of The KCM Crew 

Home For Sale: 311 S Montgomery St. Watertown WI 53094 by RE/MAX Realty ...

It's a Dirty Job...

Today's wind should take of the rest of the leaves left on the trees!!! Hopefully they have also been blown out of the gutters ---- but just in case....

It's a Dirty Job...
How to keep your gutters and downspouts flowing

Cleaning gutters is one of those lovely fall tasks
Gutters and downspouts work hard to protect your house from moisture damage. If gutters leak or downspouts are clogged, water can spill out and accumulate near foundations, soaking the soil and causing foundation walls to settle. In worst-case scenarios, moisture-laden soil presses in on basement walls, causing bulging and cracking. Water can even be forced inside by means of hydrostatic pressure.

Keeping gutters and downspouts in good condition requires regular maintenance.  I advise doing this chore twice each year—in spring and in the fall. "Yes, it can be messy, and you might get dirty. But it's definitely worth it."


Steps to clean your gutters
•Clean leaves, sticks, needles and seeds from gutters, scooping out debris with a garden trowel or gloved hand. Don't try to remove the debris with a hose because that may cause downspouts to clog.

•Remove the pasty goo made up from the tiny granules from asphalt roofing shingles that have mixed with dirt and water.

•Flush out residual matter, using a garden hose.

•To clean downspouts, turn on the hose full blast and thread it into the drain opening.

•Check gutters after flushing for pools that indicate low spots. Gutters should be sloped about one vertical inch for every 15 to 20 horizontal feet so that they drain properly. Adjust gutters as necessary. 

 Repairing gutters

Install new hangers to hold gutters firmly in place. Typically, gutters are attached with straps, hangers or long nails inserted through metal collars—a system called "spikes and ferrules." Gutter screws hold better than spikes.Don't bother replacing straps, renailing old spikes or adding new spikes. Because you must pry up roofing materials to replace straps, it's easier to make repairs using individual gutter hangers with self-tapping screws, available at home improvement centers.

Also replace spikes with gutter screws and matching ferrules. "Over time a spike is always going to push out, a gutter screw really has holding power."


Fix leaks

Fix leaks at seams with silicone sealer. Although patch kits are available for repairing rust holes in steel gutters, the patches will prove to be only temporary. "If you've got rust holes in steel gutters, they're pretty much finished. It's better to get new ones."


Replacing gutters

If you need to replace your gutter, steel gutters generally perform better than aluminum or vinyl. "Aluminum gutters move too much during weather changes, the expansion and contraction causes nails and screws to loosen up. And vinyl comes in 10-foot lengths, meaning there are lots of seams that need to be sealed."


Both steel and aluminum can be installed without intermittent seams, and the best steel gutters feature baked-on enamel finishes with 40-year warranties. Expect to pay about $450 for a professional to install new gutters and downspouts on a typical two-story suburban house.

A safety tip

Remember that gutter maintenance often means working on a ladder. As you work, make safety a priority. Make sure your ladder is firmly planted, and don't stretch to make repairs.

Picture says it all...

Be a good neighbor...

Halloween Decorations: 5 Reminders to Be a Good Neighbor

Halloween’s a great time of year to get to know your neighbors. Decorating for the holiday can be a fantastic way to express your creativity, but don’t forget common sense. A few reminders:

1. Kids can scare easily.
Remember, on Halloween night and during the weeks leading up to the fun, young children will see your decorations. Skip the carnivorous bunny rabbits and too-realistic skeletons.

2. Be mindful with volume (and song selection).
Be respectful if you play scary music on Halloween night or use display motion-activated decorations with soundtracks. Trick-or-treaters in the next county do not need to hear “Monster Mash” on repeat. And your neighbors certainly don’t want to hear it past midnight, at the latest.

3. Check in with the HOA.
Before you invest in constructing the best zombie apocalypse your neighborhood has ever witnessed, make sure your HOA doesn’t have any restrictions around decorations, lights or sound effects.

4. Choose family-friendly themes.
Have fun but don’t offend the neighbors. Avoid things like fake tombstones with real politicians’ names or decorations featuring religious icons.

5. The witching hour ends at midnight.
Please try to take down decorations shortly after the holiday. Don’t despair, it will soon be time for winter holiday decorations.

Looking for a home with a porch that’s perfect for trick-or-treaters? A buyer’s agent can help

RE/MAX

Do you have an extra dollar?

Wow -- I have an extra $1

$14M Alabama ‘mega-mansion’ to go under the hammer starting at just $1

The largest home in Alabama, described in some reports as a “mega-mansion” will be put up for auction at the end of the month, with the bidding starting at just $1. Little wonder some have been calling it the “buy of a lifetime”.

Alabama mega mansion

As fantastic as that sounds though, it’s very likely the 37 acre, 15-bedroom home at 7 Montagel Way in Shoal Creek, Alabama will end up being sold for significantly more than the starting amount. That’s because the property was originally listed for a whopping $17.9 million when it first went on sale in 2011, although the owner Larry House failed to find a buyer on that occasion.

Last year, House once again listed the home, which includes dramatic waterfalls, a horse riding arena, cabanas and a pool, a barn, a garage with room for 12 cars, a small cinema with room for a 170-inch TV screen complete with theater-style seating for 25 people. House listed the “Guitar House”, so called because of the guitar-shaped driveway, for $13.9 million in 2014, but again were unable to find a buyer.

http://realtybiznews.com/14m-alabama-mega-mansion-to-go-under-the-hammer-starting-at-just-1/98730278/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realtybiznews+%28RealtyBizNews%3A+Real+Estate+News+and+More%29

Buyer demand continues to outpace inventory of homes for sale.

New Home Sales Surge

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New Home Sales Surge   According to the latestreport from the US Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, newly constructed home sales jumped 5.7% month-over-month and 21.6% year-over-year to an annual pace of 552,000. Many buyers are looking to the new homes market to make up for the lack of existing home sales inventory. National Association of Home Builders Chief Economist David Crowe explains: "Today's report indicates the release of pent-up housing demand as the overall economy strengthens, consumer confidence grows and mortgage interest rates remain low. The housing market should continue to move forward at a modest but more persistent pace throughout the rest of 2015." Regionally, the Northeast led the way with a 24.1% increase in new home sales, followed by the South (7.4%) and West (5.4%). Sales in the Midwest declined by 9.1%. The inventory of new homes for sale currently sits at a 4.7-month supply down slightly from July (4.9) and significantly from August 2014 (5.4). Buyers who purchased a new home were willing to spend more to get the amenities that they wanted. The median home price for new homes was $64,000 higher than existing homes in August at $292,700! Approved applications for building permits increased 3.5% over July and 12.5% over this time last year. Permit applications are seen as a strong indicator of builder confidence in the market. Bottom Line Buyer demand continues to outpace inventory of homes for sale. If you are thinking of selling your house this year, now may be the time to list before builders have a chance to replenish the supply of new homes. Want to know more about New Home Sales?