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Iowa’s Longest Garage Sale

Author:eisenlauerteamadmin
Categories:Blog
  The longest garage sale in Iowa is a trail of fun and quintessential Midwest-America sites.
  • Homemade pie.
  • Every socio-economic group buying AND selling!
  • Farm antiquities.
  • Clothes – old and new.
  • Almost cheap and very expensive prices.
  • Clean garages and road-side stands.
  • 4-H food stand
  • Towns you never new existed – Dawson, Bouton, Jamaica, Bayard, Bagley and more.
  • Pickled green beans, cucumbers and salsa.
  • Bars and resturants and town halls welcoming visitors from across the country.
  • Deals and steals and high-priced rip-offs.
It was a great daytrip, fun adventure and yes, we’ll do it again next year!
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Iowa’s Own Longest Garage Sale

Author:eisenlauerteamadmin
Categories:Blog,Events
  7147853You’ve heard of the worlds longest garage sale that starts in Michigan and stretches across several states and ends in Alabama? You might not know that Iowa has it’s own “longest garage sale”. It’s stretches across towns along HWY 141 and starts Friday Aug 7 and ends Sat Aug 8. If you dream about scavenging good deals, this is the Queen Mother. You can visit towns in Iowa you never knew existed – Dawson, Ute, Jamaica. And some you’ve driven through before, Perry, Grimes, Granger, Bayard and Bagley. You can eat home-made pie and beef burgers along the way!  Would love to see what treasures you find. And we’ll post pics of our favorite finds.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month AND…

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog

IMG_20121011_170213October has so many perks!  Beautiful colors,  lots of sunny days with cool sleeping-with-the-windows-open evenings, football, crunchy leaves, homemade soups, breast cancer awareness and Taste of Altoona!  What more could a person want?

The Eisenlauer Team will be at Taste of Altoona, Thur. Oct 17 from 5:00-8:00.  We will be doing a pink theme again to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. We will have PINK bags for you to pick up, pink cotton candy and be ready with any real estate needs you might have.

Here’s my rant about “themes of the month”.  Often, we are so inundated with themes and colors and special days that we become immune or de-sensitized. It’s just more “noise” that we have learned to shut out.  I understand that. I have gone for an annual mammogram for the last 10 years, at least. I have been called back for abnormalities. But 4 years ago, I was called back and then scheduled for a biopsy. The biopsy was positive for cancer and I prepared to “fight like a girl”.  We have been told by the press that annual mammograms are not necessary. I wonder if I’d had the same prognosis if my small lump had gone another year?  I say if there’s a female in your life – a mother, a sister, a wife, a neighbor, a co-worker – make this the month you’ll hold them accountable. Make sure they schedule the test. Make it an outing – take them to the appointment, then go to lunch, go shopping, go to a movie – but get it done!

Stop by the Eisenlauer Team booth at the taste of Altoona. Get your pink bag, cotton candy and ask us Real Estate questions. Hope you see you there!

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Not One, But Two Art Festivals!

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog

How fortunate are we here in the central Iowa to have TWO major art festivals to attend. Even if you don’t have original art in your budget, there are so many reasons to attend!

  • Art Demonstrations
  • Live Music
  • Free interactive exhibits for children.
  • Food vendors
  • Film Festival
  • Sculpture Park
  • Unlimited People Watching
  • Downtown Art Festival website has schedule details.
  • Climate controlled shopping
  • An array of local artists, as well as out of state.
  • Hot chocolate chip cookies in a bucket ( a teaser to hold you over to the state fair!)
  • More free children’s activities.
  • Lots of free parking.
  • The Other Art Show ‘s schedule and additional information on their website.
  • Free shuttle bus between the two.

However you feel about the highbrow art, the abundance of out-of-state artists, the high price tags – you have to admit that if gives Des Moines notoriety, showcases our town, and gives us a great opportunity to experience a fun, exciting, affordable weekend. Hope you partake!

And in case you’d like the Eisenlauer Team’s opinion on that work of art before you buy, be sure to give us a call.

Bill  770-2455   Bob 979-2883

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What’s cooking in Kitchen Design?

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog
We’re doing some updating in our home kitchen, so I’ve been looking at the current kitchen trends. The National Kitchen and Bath Association does a survey every year and publishes their findings. They calculate the rise and fall of  trends in components of kitchens and baths. When making changes,  you should consider doing what’s coming up, not what has been. Here’s some of the findings of the NKBA.
  • White-painted cabinets have been very popular. Cherry is the number one wood choice,  maple is second.
  • The clean simple lines of the shaker style cabinets are still the #1 choice. Contemporary is #2. Designing cabinets to resemble furniture is also very trendy.
  • Satin Nickel has been the top choice for fixtures since 2011. Oil-rubbed bronze is gaining in popularity.
  • Granite is still the #1 choice for counter tops, quartz is coming in second and gaining popularity. It is not cheaper, but better for color control and consistency.
  • Glass is becoming very popular for back-splashes.
  • Gray color schemes, in both kitchen and bath, have seen a marked increase in the last 3 years.
The good news is, remodels are increasing. Home sales are rebounding. Interest rates are low. Whether you’re making improvements to sell your house or to update, pay attention to what’s trending in the market now. And if you have questions about what the market is doing in your neighborhood, give the Eisenlauer Team a call. We’re Easy to Work With…Hard to Beat!

Bill  770-2455   Bob  979-2883

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Local Real Estate Buzz

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog
Facebook plans to build in Altoona. North of I-80 and Bass Pro will be the new home of Facebook’s Tech Center.  There is some controversy about how much of an economic impact this will have on our local economy.  They will be building a “data center” – whatever that is.  It probably will not be built by local contractors. It will employ fewer than 30 people.  They are not elite tech positions – salaries expected to be $50,000/yr. They’ve received $18 million of incentives to locate in Altoona.  It looks like, at least on paper, Hubbell Realty is making a profit. Hubbell purchased the 197 acres in 2005 for $2.5 million with the intent to develop for residential construction. They sold to Facebook for $4.8 Million. Mortgage rates dropped again this week, according to CNN money.  You can get a 15 yr. fixed rate loan for a record low of 2.56%. The most popular term for a mortgage is 30-yr, that was at 3.35%. Greater Des Moines foreclosure rates decreased in February over the same period last year, according to real estate analytics firm CoreLogic Inc. The rate of foreclosures among outstanding mortgages was 2.3 percent, down from 2.65 percent in February 2012. The national foreclosure rate was 2.85 percent in February. The delinquency rate also dropped in Greater Des Moines, to 4.23 percent from 4.7 percent a year ago. Feed Energy’s parent company – Riley Resource Group has begun remodeling work on the former Lakeside Fitness Center building in Pleasant Hill.  30 of the 100 employees will be located in the newly remodeled building. The north side of the this building is predominately glass. Wouldn’t that be a great work view? Home ownership statistics for the 30-35 yr old age group still needs a boost. This is the age group that is typically  looked at, as an indicator of the housing market. If you’re in this age group and don’t yet own a house – give us a call and we’ll help you define the advantages of buying a home in today’s market. Eisenlauer Team, Easy to Work With…Hard to Beat!

Bill 770-2455  Bob 979-2883

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What to do with your Lawn??

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog

I think it’s finally spring here in Polk County. I visited the Iowa State Extension website to see what tips I could pass onto homeowners concerning spring lawn care. Here’s what I found from my research:

  • Clean Up. Clear away branches that have fallen, sticks, litter that accumulates in snow drifts. Rake it all up, so the fresh grass comes in strong.
  • Aerate.  You can rent an aerator or hire someone with equipment to do the job. This breaks up the thatch and decompacts the soil.
  • If winter has killed some areas of grass – it’s  a good time to re-seed those areas.
  • The best time to fertilize is in the fall, but if that didn’t happen, do it now. 
  • When you start  mowing, remember to set your mower at about 3″.
  • After your lawn has been mowed a few times, spread broad- leaf herbicide. Liquid is most effective. If you use granular, wait till the lawn is wet so it will stick to the leaves.
A clean, green, neatly manicured lawn is always enticing to a new buyer. So, if you’re thinking about putting your house on the market, don’t neglect the first impression your lawn makes. And when you’re ready to list – call the Eisenlauer Team.

Bill – 770-2455   Bob 979-2883

 
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Design Trends 2013

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog
The speaker at our local Chamber lunch club talked about the Design Trends for 2013. Apparently there a couple groups of elite people somewhere in Germany and another remote location who get together behind closed doors and decide for all of us – This Year’s Trends! Well, the information has been gathered and some of the trends we are to follow are:
  • Tactile Texture – objects that beg you to reach out and touch them. They could be soft, rough, bumpy – texture in the visual and literal sense.
  • African inflluence – beyond the animal prints, carved pieces and wrought iron frames perhaps covered with animal skins.
  • Floral prints with white background – sort of Granny’s shabby chic.
  • Pastel colors – think shades of Easter.
  • Graphic Retro – chevron, stripes with a modern updated twist.
  • Hand sketching and wall writing – think blackboard walls with lines of handwritten verses, the words create a pattern, even on a ceiling.
  • DIY – Re- purpose old one-of-a-kind items into a current use creating unique decorative items.
  • High gloss paint. Try it on an accessory piece for a pop of accent color.
What’s your favorite decorating idea? Would love to hear from you, see photos etc.

The Eisenlauer Team    Easy to Work With…Hard to Beat!   www.eisenlauerteam.com

Bill  770-2455   Bob  979-2883

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Iowa Foreclosures are on the Decline and other little-known facts!

Author:myrna
Categories:Blog
The Iowa Business Record reports that the foreclosure activity in Iowa has declined to 2.1% of all outstanding home loans for Sept. The figures are from CoreLogic Inc. Our state is not amongst the best or worst (depending on your viewpoint) of the American states for number of foreclosures. Lenders completed 3,380 foreclosures in the state of Iowa during  Sept 2012. Trends in first-time home-buying – home ownership rate of 30-34 year old continues to fall. This is a critical age range to track because this is the age group that is typically first-time home buyers.  This is also the age-range that are most likely to be burdened with student loans. When this number begins to grow again, that will be a good indicator of economic recovery. Nearly half of the homes in the United States have inside stairs.  Renter-occupied houses are more likely to be without stairs. Here in the Midwest, 65% of our homes have indoor stairs. In comparison, the South and the West have 35% with stairs.  This has absolutely nothing to do with economic recovery and is only mildly noteworthy! Another totally useless bit of information – The average man in the United States weights 195.5 pounds. The average woman is 166.2. This is actual weight, not “reported” weight. If you want more information about any of these facts and statistics, don’t call the Eisenlauer Team. BUT, if you want to know about the local real estate market – we’re the go-to team!

Bill 770-2455  Bob 979-2883

   

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