{Healthy, Wealthy, & Happy Living in Omaha}

Detecting “Unwanted” Visitors

            Could you be sharing your home with uninvited visitors – like mice, squirrels, birds, or even termites?  Pests are a common problem for everyone, so here are a few tips to spot them and what to do:

Where you might find them.  Look for animal droppings, signs of chewing, and odor in your kitchen, basement, closets, and attic.  Check any moist areas like around air conditioning units.  In the case of termites, look for “dirt tubes” around your home’s perimeter, particularly in cracks or crevices.

What to do.  You know how to trap mice in the kitchen.  After you trap them, be sure to clean up crumbs and keep food sealed up.  When it comes to larger animals, like squirrels, birds, or snakes, don’t try to remove them yourself.  They can be dangerous when cornered.  If you suspect you have the larger visitors or tiny bugs like termites, hire a professional animal catcher or pest control company.

SOLD: Grammercy Park

2 1/2 Story in Grammercy Park

SOLD in 20 days

If YOU are looking for these results interview Dan Nord for the job.  402-881-0758

Quotes to live by...

Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.

–John Locke

Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing.

–Dodie Smith

Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's your favorite quote?

Quotes to live by...

Quotes To Live By…

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.  
–Oliver Wendell Holmes

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. 
–Winston Churchill

Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.  
–Doug Larson

What's your favorite quote?

[Real Estate Corner] Homework to do before getting a loan

Q.  What homework should I do before I get a loan to buy a home?

A.  Here are three big tips many people don’t consider when buying a home:

·    Understand how much home you can afford.  Calculate the two numbers bankers and mortgage lenders use to determine the how much they will loan to you:  payment-to-income ratio and debt-to-income ratio.

·    Understand the basics of home financing.  Your ability to afford a home will be related to its price, your down payment (and the amount you’ll finance), the interest rate and points of your loan, the term and the type of your loan.   Study these items and the relationship between them.

·    Save thousands by making your own mortgage acceleration payment schedule.  Take your current monthly mortgage payment of principal and interest and multiply that number by 13.  Divide that total by 12 to get your new “accelerated” monthly payment.

Want to learn more ways to save money?  Ask for my Free Consumer Report called “7 Secrets For Saving Thousands When Financing Your Home.” 

Do you have a real estate question you want answered?  Feel free to call/text me at (402) 881-0758 or email me at dan.nord58@gmail.com.  

{Healthly, Wealthly, & Happy Living in Omaha}

Who’s Giving Drugs To Kids?

Recent studies reveal that many times drug use in kids begins at home, while under the care and guidance of parents. 

            Starting as young as 12, kids are more likely to get prescription or over-the-counter drugs and alcohol at home than to use “street” drugs.  They get these household drugs in the medicine and liquor cabinets.  Here’s how to approach this situation if your child, or one of their friends, acts suspicious:

Ø  Know the facts.  This isn’t just an urban problem.  Suburban kids are just as likely to abuse.  Plus, the teenage brain is much more prone to addiction and susceptible to peer pressure.

Ø  Have the drug conversation with your kids.  You can find good information for the discussion at www.theantidrug.com. 

Ø  To be on the safe side.  Consider locking up the liquor cabinet and keeping all prescription drugs in a lockbox.  Ask your friends and family members to safeguard their prescription drugs and alcohol as well. 

Ø  Properly dispose of old medicines.  Don’t just toss them in the waste can.

SOLD: South Side Acres

Sensational Split-Entry Home

SOLD in 51 days

If YOU are looking for these results interview Dan Nord for the job.  402-881-0758

{Healthy, Wealthy, & Happy Living in Omaha}

How To Find An Auto Mechanic
That Won’t Rip You Off

The best way to find any service provider, including an auto mechanic, is based on referrals from friends and family.  But automobile breakdowns rarely happen at convenient times or places, and you may need to select from repair shops within a few miles.  Look for these five things to find a good mechanic:

1.      Certifications:  Look for a plaque on the wall for ASE certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.  Remember that not every mechanic in the garage will be certified for your particular type of repairs.  If they have the ASE Blue Seal of Excellence it means that at least 75 percent of the techs have been certified and each area of service in the shop has someone certified in that area.

2.      Length of time in business:  Experience helps.  Look for a shop that has been in the same location more than five years.  If you see a shop, you can search for user reviews of their work at a site like www.yelp.com.

3.      Billing Rate:  If you can, talk to the owner of the garage.  One of the questions to ask is whether they charge a “straight hourly rate” based on the actual time spent on the repair or “book rate” that can be higher. 

4.      Referrals and opinions from the web:  If you have a smart phone, get other opinions by searching an online forum about your issue.  A good place to start is at www.edmunds.com/forums.  For another viewpoint, ask a mechanic from another auto shop who does not work on your type of vehicle.  The shop specializing in European cars can probably tell you the best mechanic for a Japanese vehicle.

5.      Getting the right thing fixed:  Once you find a shop, don’t be fooled into fixes you may not need.  You can find tools for diagnosing symptoms and estimating repair costs at www.automd.com.  You’ll also find quick online advice at www.repairpal.com, which has a useful question and answer tool.