Water, water everywhere … and not a drop to drink

Water, water everywhere … can cause a house to sink !

The picture does not do the transformation justice.  Real estate agents are very familiar with the before status.  We probably see more homes over the course of our career than any other industry.  We visit homes that might be listed with us. We visit homes that our buyer clients want to evaluate.  We tour homes en masse during broker opens.  We visit homes on the market, previewing them for potential clients.  We visit homes that are on the market to measure them against listings we may take.  Some of us even do BPOs (Broker Price Opinions) for banks that are preparing to sell foreclosed properties or mortgage holders that are evaluating short sale offers.

Agents see homes and we see everything.  I have noticed one common thread to most problems that home owners face in the maintenance of their home. WATER. Water is at the root of the majority of problems encountered when evaluating homes.  Most states have a standard disclosure form. It is used by the home owner to advise a potential buyer of any existing problems. (Of course, banks and corporations and mortgage holders are exempt from filling out this form.  In fairness to them, they probably don’t know of any existing problems. I would not be opposed to having this loop hole closed by legislating a local government inspection certificate when the seller is exempt from disclosure, but that is the topic for another blog.)

Basic physics determines that water falls. It lands on the roof. If the pitch is sufficient, it flows down the roof to the gutter.  If the gutters are clean, the water flows into the gutter.  As the gutters fill, the water goes into the downspouts.  If the downspouts are not clogged, the water flows down to the ground level.  The water then seeks the lowest point.

Any disruption in this process causes problems for the homeowner.  If there is any access area on the roof (broken shingle, old caulking of flashing, nail holes, etc.) that allows water to seep into the house, problems will follow. If the water is not captured by the gutters, for any reason, the subsequent water fall is directly below onto the area surrounding the house. When the water reaches ground level, if it is not diverted away from the home, it will seep into the area around the foundation.  All of these events can cause problems.

• moisture and mold in the attic
• leaks in ceilings
• mold in drywall
• wet or damp basements
• flooding in lower level
• uneven or dangerous settling of the structure

These things happen.  We see the dark spots in ceilings.  We see the stress cracks in the walls. We see the old water lines in basements.  We smell that foreboding musty aroma in dark spaces.  We can picture what might have  been and think of  the value lost because of poor maintenance.

It is never too late to have your home evaluated.  I work closely with a firm, The Landscapers, LLC.  I know the owner and I know his track record of correcting problems before they become a larger issue.  Recently, their work was featured in the Washington Examiner. I have reprinted the article. If you are concerned, you might want to give Evan Brown a call at 240-388-7979.

Transforming a mud pit into an outdoor paradise

By: Dean Bartoli Smith

Special to The Examiner

January 21, 2010

Moving into their home in 2001, Sam and Eric Smith of Aspen Hill knew they faced a challenge with a sloping backyard and beech trees that provided dense shade. When it rained, the area turned into a mudslide. The Smiths tried growing grass — even shade grass — to no avail. Rain had washed away the topsoil. They needed a place for their two young children to play. A garden was out of the question. The entire yard was useless.

“It would take five minutes for the rain to come down through the trees,” said Sam Smith. “Then we would watch the chaos. It was a mud pit.”

Working with Evan Brown of the Landscapers, the couple developed a staged approach to correct the problem — with places for the children to play and the parents to entertain.

“They drew their own designs,” said Brown, “and they were very hands on.” Sam is a computer designer and Eric works in IT.

At the top of the slope, a pond-less waterfall made of rounded tan stone blocks flows into a basin of loose stones to help with the drainage.

Winding brick pathways section the quadrant into spaces for a sandbox and a shed. St. John’s wort, hydrangea, heavenly bamboo, Virginia creeper, climbing roses, and ferns — including autumn, ostrich, and Christmas — fill in the areas. The massive beech trees at the back of the property are linked by a hammock.

“The beech trees are great,” said Eric Smith. “I wanted a koi pond for the kids, but the stones are better for drainage.”

They transformed the lower patio area into a formal outdoor living room partitioned off from the rest of the yard by a standalone fireplace. Going for earth tones, they selected “South Bay” building stones for the sitting wall and fireplace and lighter colored Copper Bay flagstones from China for the patio. The sitting wall features an inset grill.

A ceramic-and-steel, face-of-the-sun artwork punctuates the relaxing spirit of the landscape design.

“It gave us an outside room that we could enjoy and entertain in,” said Sam. “We love our fireplace, inbuilt grill, and all the stonework. The fireplace was something we decided to add later on into the plans. I’m glad we did.”

Hand built by Brown, the flagstone fireplace presented several challenges. On one side, it supports an arbor made of cedar wood from Alaska and it couldn’t generate too much heat or it would burn the wood.

Evan researched fireplaces and modeled it after the Orson fireplace system, but had to create his own design because of its size and the angle on the property. Brown sculpted and poured the concrete mantel and built a pocket to store wood underneath with a metal frame to support the whole structure.

“We call it ‘The Brown Fireplace System,’ ” said Brown. “We had to wait two weeks to light it. I was praying that the smoke would travel up.”

It did. Now, there is abundant outdoor space for the children to explore nature and for the adults to invite friends over and entertain at the same time.

reprinted by permission from Washington Examiner

(Text) Books Cost too MUCH…

Years ago,  Bobby Haft ran Crown Books.  The chain was part of an empire built by his dad Herb Haft. They had a slogan “Books cost too much in Washington”.  Commercials were aired with Bobby pronouncing that “Books cost too much …” and advising savvy shoppers to visit his discount book store. They had a run of success and then faded from view.

Books, especially text books still cost tooooooooo much !

Students in college face a large expense each semester when they have to pay for the books for their classes.  A visit to the college book store reveals that new text books for one semester can range in cost from $700 to $1,000.  Most book stores have a “used” area where the books can be purchased for a discounted price. Even at a discounted price, students are faced with a large expenditure. For example, “Social Psychology” would cost about $142.65 if purchased new. A used version of the same book goes for $107.00.  You can purchase a version of the book as an e-book for slightly under $100. (Note: This is just one textbook for one class. Some classes require more than one text book.)

At the end of the school year, new and used books can usually be sold back for a fraction of the initial cost.  The money invested in having the textbook for one semester is severely devalued.  This system is wonderful for the publishers and an unfair burden on students and those that support students across this country.

Someone thought about it and THERE IS A BETTER WAY !

A new company is gaining traction in the textbook world.  In a market that was pricing itself out of the reach of the average student, a company came up with a better way.  They rent the textbooks to the students for a fraction of the cost of purchasing the same textbooks.  Students, already burdened with higher tuition and housing costs, now have a more cost effective way of achieving their scholastic goals.

Chegg.com has rented more than 2 million textbooks to students at more than 6,400 schools since it was launched nationally in 2007. Students can rent books by the semester, quarter or summer at rates that vary depending on the popularity of the title and when the semester starts.  It is like the Netflix of textbook rentals. The cost is usually a bit less than half of the retail price.  The books are picked up in orange boxes. The students hang on to the orange boxes and mail the rented books back at the end the rental period for free.

Students can even become “student ambassadors” for the company and they are paid $5 for every customer they recruit.  The company has promises to plant a tree for every book rented. Entering it’s third year on solid ground, the company seems to have opened another logical venue for students.

It is important that you share this information with any freshmen or parents of incoming freshmen before they begin seeking textbooks.  Chegg.com is in direct competition with university book stores (although they are welcome on campus and can be checked out at the university bookstores).  If you don’t know of the company or the program, you might spend $1,000 before beginning to research other avenues.

As mentioned before, every text book is not available.  It is fair to say that every text book that is available represents a sizable saving on the cost of a college education.  For more information…visit Chegg.com.

T’was the night before Shanahan

T’was the night before Shanahan and all through the park

not a creature was stirring , all cubicles were dark

the season now finished with results so bleak

no one realized that week two was the peak

the players were gone, looking forward to spring

a season in upheaval with no chance for a ring

bruce allen had only two weeks under his belt

even a novice could determine the stench he smelled

the sports radio jocks all began to chatter

opinions so varied that none of them mattered

snyder turned down the volumn and looked to the sky

realizing failure with crocodile tears in his eyes

a blue moon now fading lit early january skies

his team had won but 4 in 16 woeful tries

his coach now dispatched remained a likable guy

he was hated, not revered, it caused him to sigh

this wasn’t my dream, it was never my plan

my ego is large but i’m just an ordinary dan

i wanted championships and i dreamed of glory

my failures are chronicled in an unpleasant story

I paid the price and I absorbed the loss

I learned lessons even while I was the boss

I paid every free agent, flew them all into town

if they were the circus……..i was the clown

my hires were legendary and still make me sick

no one ever mentioned statistics are a trick

i always had faith each would perform

10 years later i can only mourn

deon was flashy and three steps too slow

bruce smith was mugging for the end of his show

adam archeleta, jason taylor two more of the dogs

i never could find upgraded hogs

coaches came and were soon to be fired

even joe gibbs failed the second time hired

through it all, vinny was by my side

loved his praise through the tears i cried

the decade was ending with my team in the tank

game seats went empty as well as my bank

i was losing control of my cash cow fan base

invectives were being hurled, some in my face

so now we face another off season of scorn

like phoenix from ashes, new dreams will be born

next year will be better, the refrain remains the same

let the past go, there is always another game.