Broken Seals in Windows

Do you have a foggy window that will not wipe clean with Windex? You wipe the glass on the inside and outside and the moisture is still there. That's because the seal between the two panes of glass is gone. Many windows are argon gas filled -- the seal fails, the gas escapes, and moisture enters. There is a change in temperature between inside and outside of the home and the glass fogs. It's ugly.

What should you do? Inspectors will tell you that the insulating value does not change significantly when the glass fogs. However, most people do not like looking through fogged glass. We have had great luck bringing windows to a glass store (in Burlingon, VT, we use Able Paint and Glass). They can replace the glass only. I don't think they replace the gas, but the glass itself looks better when they are finished. For an average size double hung windows, the cost was about $75 to $100 per section of window.

If you are talking about a fogged sliding door, the cost will of course, be higher. You might even investigate whether it is more cost effective to replace the door itself -- the glass is bound to be less than a new door but if the door is old, it might make more sense to spend your money getting a new door.

If you are selling your house, buyers make a bigger deal of the fogged glass than is needed. They "horriblize" the situation and think it will cost a fortune to fix. So before you put your house on the market, fix fogged windows. While you are at it, cracked storm windows (triple track type) are also easy to fix at the same glass store.

Easy Mudroom Details

Most Vermont houses have a mudroom -- Mud is the Fifth season in Vermont! You many have to be creative finding a space. Or, if you already have one, make it organized and neat. We have a small mudroom, so we put a board horizontally across the space in our entryway. We screwed in knobs that you would use for cupboards in a kitchen, ones that stick out far enough to be able to hold a coat. Then we screwed the board into the space.

You can build a simple open bench in the space. Put baskets under the bench (you can get great rectangular baskets at Michael's.) Put mittens, hats, boots, lunchboxes, etc. in the baskets. Or, you could leave an area open, cut a boot tray to fit. Perfect for snowy boots.

A mudroom is not only good for organization, it's something buyers want. If you don't have one, make one out of any usuable space. If there is no space in an entryway, make it in a section of the garage by the stairs into the house. It doesn't have to be a separate room, a dedicated space will do.

Little Details that Make a House - The Kitchen

I've seen some houses in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range that have made modest changes that have helped the overall functionality of the home. The costs have been minimal. Today I'm going to write about easy kitchen ideas.

If your cabinets are old and unattractive, take off the doors and enjoy open shelves. Maybe you have been thinking of getting new dishes -- this is a good time because these dishes will now be seen and you want them to be attractive. Get square baskets, put coffee mugs inside and then put your silverware in the mugs. Now you can use a drawer for something different. If you want to keep the cabinets but they are dated, just change the knobs. Make sure you know the spacing between the screws of the current knobs if they are attached in two places because it is easier to attach them in the same holes. If you take the cabinet doors off, be sure to fill in the holes where the hinges were with wood filler and paint if they are painted cabinets. I bought my knobs online by googling "Arts and Craft Kitchen drawer pulls." We sanded and painted our cabinets and then changed the knobs They are great and make the kitchen look more authentic to the style house.

Have a nook in the kitchen that sits there with no purpose? Put shelves across and make that your pantry. Don't want to look at your canned goods? Put a curtain across.

You've decided to change your countertop and you don't have a breakfast counter? Put in an 11' overhang. Just get the contractor to cut a piece of Formica larger than you currently have. Then get a couple of chairs and it's the perfect place for quick meals or homework.

Hard to see to work on your countertops? You can get lights that are battery operated and attach them under the counter.

Need some more space? I know you love your cookbooks, but these days, so many recipes can be found on epicurious.com Use your space for more important items that you use every day -- pots and pans if you don't have a rack, Pyrex baking dishes, etc. By the way, when you have a small kitchen, a pot rack is a great space saver. I've seen some that hang flat on the wall or hang above the stove or sink. We removed a corner cupboard dividing the space in our kitchen and I found a square one that perfectly fit the footprint of the old cabinet.

Lastly, speaking of pots -- are there some you use once a year? Other fun items that you don't use often? (Pasta maker, panini machine, waffle iron) Then put some shelves in your basement or buy metal baker's shelves and put all that rarely used stuff down there. Add the boxes of bulk food you buy at Costco. Unfinished basements can be such wasted spaces.

Keep your kitchen counters clear of "stuff" and the space will look bigger. Look for places to tuck items. And you'll be more organized in the end.

Great Store to Help Furnish Your New Place

If you don't mind continuing to check every week, The Goodwill Stores on Shelburne Road and in the Taft Corners area (kind of behind Bed, Bath and Beyond) are wonderful places to pick up furniture and home goods at great prices. Most of the home goods are brand new -- glasses, dish sets, towels. The furniture is of course hit-or-miss, but worth going checking to see what new pieces have arrived. The stores are new, clean, bright, and well organized. Bring the items you don't want and bring home new ones.

If you are looking for clothes -- it's predominantly a place to find used clothes. This is a great way to recycle!

Feb 14, 2012 Free Americone Dream Ice Cream? Another reason to love Burlington, VT

I don't know if this is happening at the scoop shop in Burlington, but considering Ben and Jerry's started in Burlington, I am hoping there is free Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream being given away. Don't hold me to it! I've been trying to call the local shop.

Here is the link to Stephen Colbert's fight with Jimmy Fallon regarding ice cream flavors. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/407604/february-01-2012/colbert-super-pac---americone-dream-super-pack It's all in fun and a way to market our favorite ice cream and the success story of two friends who started a huge ice cream company in an old gas station in Burlington, VT. Check out their history. http://www.benjerry.com/company/history/

I love walking down Church Street in the summer and seeing the long line at Ben and Jerry's. I especially love their free outdoor movies for kids. A few summers ago we bought a brownie sundae to share and sat down to watch "Up." People walked up and down Church St stopping to chat with friends as the movie played on. Great fun!

There is always something going on in Burlington, VT. That there might be free Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream on Feb 14, 2012 is a great bonus. No promises, but I'll keep you posted!

Showing Property if You Own Pets

There is nothing worse than getting to a showing and hearing a growl from behind the front door! It has happened more than once and I have to call the listing agent and tell him or her that we are not seeing the property after all.

Once, a cat started growling and when I talked softly to it, it leapt at me! Another time, one jumped from under a bed and grabbed a client's leg.

Another difficult aspect of pet owning is... stinky litter box or stinky dog smell. We all love our pets, but let's face it, sometimes they have an odor about them.

What should you do? For your dog, either come early and take the dog for a ride, or put a child gate across the boiler room or another room in the basement and leave them there. Be sure to put a sign up on the kitchen counter letting the agent know that the dog is safely behind a gate. A crate is a great solution. Again, leave a note for the showing agent.

Keep the litter box clean and fresh and leave it in a far corner of the basement. I've seen it in the bathroom before and that is not very inviting. Another bad place to leave it is at the bottom of the basement stairs.

Not much you can do about attack cats if that is what you have, other than leaving a note to "ignore the cat." Most agents are not afraid of cats, but the dogs can be serious threats if they are protecting the house. Best to take the really aggressive ones out of the house.

On another note, a friendly old Golden Retriever type can make new buyers feel at home. There is nothing sweeter than a wagging tail in your "new home."

Winter Safety

I've been thinking a lot about safety in the winter since an elderly friend of mine said she slipped on black ice walking to her mailbox. Idea #1 Volunteer to pick up an elderly neighbor's mail and walk it to their front step. They could put out a basket expressly for that. Idea #2 Buy an elderly friend (and yourself) a box of rock salt that is light weight and has a handle for shaking out the salt in front of you as you walk on your driveway.

Idea #3 The other thing I always do -- and encourage my father to do -- is to hold onto a railing whenever going down stairs. It has saved both of us!

I have wondered what I would do if I got stuck in a snow bank in the middle of nowhere. I drive a lot of country roads and while I have four studded snow tires, I never know when an accident could occur. I'm sure you can all relate to the fact that there is a lot of spotty cell coverage in Vermont. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I googled "survivor kit for cars" or something to that effect. I read several of the results and loved this one: Idea #4 http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago104.html His goal is to make people safe but he encourages buying the supplies at a store rather than a pre-made kit. The cost of his kit was $25. I am not sure the article mentioned a fold up shovel, but I think that should be one of the items.

Idea #5 If you have a direct vent furnace, make sure snow is not piled up and covering the vent. Idea #6 Make sure your carbon monoxide alarms have fresh batteries and your smoke alarms are of the Photo Electric type required in Vermont to be installed prior to closing -- why wait until you sell? We changed ours over to Photo Electric. We change our batteries at daylight savings and when the time comes off daylight savings. Idea #7 Have your furnace inspected and/or cleaned every year.

My motto -- better safe than sorry!

Website for Family Activities

I was searching for a website to send people to for activities in the Burlington area and stumbled upon this one right away: www.findandgoseek.net
Wow! There is so much mentioned in this website -- farm tours, places where kids can eat free, diaper services, school vacation camps, places to buy discount ski tickets! It made me wish I had young kids again!

These kinds of activities and offers are a reason why I love living in the Burlington, Vermont area. Check out the website and let me know what you think. I was impressed!

Enjoying Church Street in Burlington

I love going to Church Street and at this time of the year the lights are out on the trees. There is even a canopy of lights over Cherry Street. Even with the cold weather, people are gathering on the street. This weekend is a winter festival but all I saw tonight was a light show (very cool) and an ice sculpture outside of The Scuffer.

I love Leunigs (my favorite restaurant) and also The Scuffer. I love the Scuffer for the "comfort food" of macaroni and cheese -- high calorie but high comfort. And on Wednesdays there are two for one hamburgers, including their veggie burgers.

The Penguin Plunge was today and there were 76 teams and about 1000 participants. Our daughter jumped in the cold Lake Champlain to raise money for Special Olympics. A great day in Burlington, VT: Penguin Plunge and dinner at The Scuffer!

Testing Your House for Radon Gas

What is radon gas? It is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause lung cancer. It comes from the deterioration of uranium in soils, rock, water and can accumulate in your home without you even knowing it.

It can be anywhere -- when we lived in Grand Isle, we tested for radon in our house and it was well below the EPA standards. But the people who lived right behind us, about 100 yards away, had high radon. Everyone should test their homes for radon gas and it's very easy.

If you want a short term test (48 hours) the cost is $50 for two test cannisters. You need two to make a comparison in case your testing technique is incorrect. The test is very easy to do and the directions that come with the test are very clear. I always get them in Burlington, VT at the Health Department at the corner of Colchester Ave and East Ave. They also have free long term tests. After setting the cannisters according to directions, you leave them for at least 48 hours (follow directions carefully) and then bring the closed cannisters back to the Health Department. They will send them off to be tested and send you the results.

If your levels are too high, there is a fix to get the levels to a safe reading. The fix is relatively inexpensive.
For more information about the dangers of radon gas, about safe levels, and how to test for radon gas, please go to this site:

http://www.epa.gov/radon/

Rent vs Own -- What Can You Afford to Buy?

From Kelly Deforge of Shelter Mortgage comes a fabulous chart that shows your buying potential if you were to take your current rent and put it toward buying a home. Why pay your landlord's mortgage? No down payment you say? Talk to Kelly about Rural Development loans that can be 100% of the purchase price. No closing costs? We can talk about how to get those also. Check out the chart below and call Kelly if you have questions. Then call us to help you find a home! Already own? Please pass this on to a friend!

From Kelly Deforge of Shelter Mortgage:
Rental payments and their equivalent purchasing power for a home.
Owning vs. Renting a Home

Monthly Rent --------Home Loan Amount
$800-------------------- $167,000
$1,000------------------ $210,000
$1,200------------------ $251,000
$1,500------------------ $314,000

Contact Kelly to get pre-approved for your new home today!
Taxes and insurance are not included in these calculations.
Subject to change without notification. Information provided should not be considered as a commitment to lend. Offer subject to property and credit approval. Program and other restrictions may apply.
Please contact your Loan Consultant for further details. ©2012 GB Shelter Mortgage
Work with the lender you can trust!
Kelly Deforge Senior Loan Officer
Phone (802) 881-1517 Fax (800) 481-3604
kelly.deforge@gbmail.com
www.kellydeforge.com