Real Estate Information Archive

"I love removing old wallpaper!" said no-one ever. When it comes to removing old wallpaper, most people would put it up there on the "not fun" list with getting teeth pulled.

But alas, removing old wallpaper is a task that must be done sometimes, especially if you buy an older home in Omaha. So how can you remove it an keep your sanity as well?

Check to See If Your Walls Were Primed

If your wallpaper is primed, that's a "prime" situation, as it will definitely speed up the removal job. Priming paper became a common practice in the 1990's, as it kept the glue from forming too strong of a bond with the plaster.

It's easy enough to check if your walls are primed. Just loosen a corner or seam with a putty knife and pull. If it comes off in one sheet, success!

With well-primed walls, dry stripping should work for the entire job and you could finish a room in a couple of hours at most.

Water Works Miracles

If your wallpaper is not primed, all is not lost. Wallpaper glue is water-based, so you can still remove it if your walls are not primed.

Here's a technique the pros use:

• Score or perforate the paper and its backing in sections so water can soak through and loosen the glue. The pros recommend a scoring tool called the PaperTiger (under $20) because it doesn’t harm the wall.
• Douse the perforated paper with hot water using a pump or compression sprayer. The big mistake most people make is using a regular old spray bottle or damp rag to wet the paper. This leads to hours of fruitless scraping because the paper and its backing don’t get sufficiently saturated. The sprayer, on the other hand, gives you the firepower to really soak the glue.
• Let the paper soak for about 15 minutes and scrape it off with a putty knife.

This process will take about 6 hours for an average room, but it's better than how long it would take if you didn't know how to do this.

Avoid Chemical Strippers Because of the Fumes

You can go with chemical wallpaper strippers, which is what the pros use. But the downside is the fumes, and it costs more than using water (of course).

Don't Try the Fabric Softener Trick

You may have heard that using fabric softeners with diluted water will remove wallpaper. Yet, no expert agrees with that method.

In fact, fabric softener makes removing wallpaper even more complicated and messier than just using water, as it ends up mixing the glue with the fabric softener. The fabric softener can also harm drywall.

So when it comes to removing wallpaper, the happiest journey (assuming your walls aren’t primed) involves water — and patience.

Have your home needs changed in the past year? Perhaps you’ve outgrown your present home, or need to downsize to a more suitable home. If you’re ready to make a move, let’s connect and talk about all the amazing opportunities that are available to you!

The holidays bring so much joy and fun to our homes and families, but when they are finished, the clean-up begins. And let’s be honest, this clean up isn’t the ordinary ‘after a weekday meal’ clean up. It’s time to do some heavy-duty cleaning to get your home ready and running efficiently to take on the new year. Let’s look at the 5 most important areas to focus on for the ‘deep clean’ after the holidays.

1. Dishwasher- If your home is anything like ours your dishwasher has probably been running non-stop. Especially if you’ve hosted overnight guests as well. Think of all the food residue from your holiday dishes that your dishwasher has scrubbed through?! Remember, all that gunk can build up on the inside walls, racks, and bottom of the dishwasher itself as well. However, there’s good news! It’s easy to clean and get rid of that and have your dishwasher looking and running like it's brand new again. You’ll want to start by handwashing all removable filters.  Then put together 1 scoop of dishwasher-approved cleaning solution into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run on your dishwasher’s hottest setting. Voilà - that’s it!  When finished it’ll be good as new and ready to tackle anything you toss in it.
2. Refrigerator- First and foremost, start by tossing out all the old & expired foods and any bottles or containers that are empty or nearly there. Then set aside all remaining items in your refrigerator so that you can clean inside.  Start with a cleaning solution and hot water.  Wipe down all shelves and bins. Remove any pieces possible to scrub thoroughly. Once everything has been scrubbed inside, organize and replace foods and condiments back in. Place a baking soda deodorizer inside to eliminate any future odors. Not done yet. If you haven’t already done so, pull out the refrigerator and vacuum off the vents in the back. They tend to get very dusty and gunky which makes it more difficult for your refrigerator to run efficiently.
3. Oven- Not my favorite, but has to be done, especially if you’ve had spills cooking or baking those delicious treats for the season. Whether you choose to use an oven cleaner or opt for a natural solution, make sure you have a pair of rubber gloves handy. Remove racks before starting. If you’re interested in a natural solution, here’s some to try:  Oven Cleaner- ½ C Baking Soda, 3 Tablespoons water. Mix in a small bowl then use scrub brush and sponge. For Degreasing your Oven try 1 C White Vinegar, baking soda, and water. First put water in the spray bottle and spray your oven. Sprinkle baking soda onto the wet areas and let stand for about an hour. Empty the water from the spray bottle and put in the vinegar. Spritz the vinegar onto the baking soda and it will begin to bubble. Use a sponge to wipe away all residue.
4. Stove Hood- This is one area that captures a lot of greases, so it needs a great cleaning after the holidays. Use your cleaning solution and hot water to submerge the filter for 20 minutes. Then scrub clean and replace back into the hood.
5. Bathrooms- Whether you’ve just entertained for an evening or two or had overnight guests for days at a time, your bathrooms are in desperate need of a deep clean and sanitizing. Again, mix your favorite cleaning solution with hot water, grab some clean towels and wipe down counters, drawers, handles, toilet surfaces, and tub & shower. Once finished, spray on a sanitizing solution and let dry. Next using a sanitizing cleaner, scrub toilets until they sparkle.

Have your home needs changed in the past year? Perhaps you’ve outgrown your present home, or need to downsize to a more suitable home. If you’re ready to make a move, let’s connect and talk about all the amazing opportunities that are available to you!

Now that the winter season is upon us, it is important to ensure one of your most valuable assets is protected during this frigid period. Ice dams are a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of your roof from the water of melting snow that is draining off your roof. The water that can back up behind the dam can then leak into your home and cause damage to ceilings, insulation, and walls. If that were to happen it can also cause a buildup of mold & mildew and lead to respiratory issues.

If surface temperatures of the roof are not uniform in nature, this will cause melting to occur in spots and water to run down the roof and freeze again in the areas that are below 32 degrees. What causes uneven roof temperatures? Heat loss from your home, combined with snow covering the roof, combines to increase the likelihood of ice dams forming.

What can you do to prevent ice dams?

1. Make sure the ceilings in your rooms are air-tight and no warm air can flow into the attic. The attic space needs to remain at an even cool temperature.
2. If you find any areas of leakage, seal them immediately.
3. You may also want to consider additional ceiling and roof insulation. Consulting with a professional on the grade and amount would be advised.
4. Always remove excess snow from your roof. Roof rakes & push brooms can be used for this purpose, however, depending on the roof, could damage roofing materials. Consulting with your roofing professional would be a quick phone call and could potentially save money in the future.

Roofs built to code should not have a problem handling the snow load, but removing the snow helps with the temperature control of your roof and the possible formation of dams. Warning signs- watch for the formation of the ice edge and icicles.  While icicles look beautiful in the glistening sun, they can also be a sign that heat is escaping your home.

Doing an inspection now could save you many headaches and expenses later. Additionally, sealing any escaping heat will also help you save on your heating costs for the season.

As always, we recommend you speak with a contractor or roofing professional for advice when dealing with an ice dam or roofing issue.

If you are looking for a reference for a great local professional, please reach out to our team. We work with trusted local professionals and have a vast network at our fingertips.

Today more than ever we are all looking for ways to save money and one of our largest expenditures is our mortgage. While monthly budgets can get tight, utilizing a little extra money to pay down our largest expenditures can pay off BIG in the end. Here we’re going to look at ‘principal only’ mortgage payments and the effect they can have on your finances.

When you purchase a home and secure a mortgage through a lender, you are paying several components of that mortgage.

1. The principal- the amount of the loan needed to purchase the home.
2. Interest on that loan- a monthly interest payment calculated on the interest rate accessed to the loan.
3. If you put down less than 20% you are also paying PMI (private mortgage insurance)
4. Property taxes
5. You may also have your Homeowners Insurance tied into the loan as well and pay a monthly premium for that.

These 5 components make up your monthly mortgage payment. However, the principal component of the mortgage represents the amount of equity you accrue each month and essentially ‘buy-back’ from your mortgage lender.

If you currently have a 30-year mortgage, and never make any additional payments, it will take you 30 years to pay off the mortgage in full and pay the full amount of interest associated with the mortgage. For example, a $350,000 loan with a 5% interest rate would be $17,500 a year paid in interest alone!!!

By making a principal-only payment, in addition to your monthly mortgage payment, you are paying down the principal amount of your mortgage faster. If you were to pay a $100 principal-only payment today at the 5% interest rate, you’ll save $332 over 30 years. Now imagine doing that every month, or more if you can. It will put equity in your pocket much quicker, pay off the principal and loan faster and save you thousands of dollars in interest over the course of your loan.

Please don’t confuse making additional mortgage payments with a principal-only payment, as they are very different. If you choose to start making principal-only payments- in addition to your regular monthly mortgage loan payment, we suggest you call your lender and have them walk you through the process, so it is done correctly, and the monies are applied appropriately. Remember, a principal-only payment NEVER takes the place of your regular monthly loan payment. That must always be made monthly and on time. This would be an additional payment to help pay down the principal amount of your loan. Any questions regarding your loan should ALWAYS be directed to your lender.

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Are you looking for a home in the Omaha area right now? Our team is ready to be our local experience knowledge and expertise to work for you!  If you’re ready to begin the exciting home-buying journey, reach out!  The Heim-Berg Team- 402-677-9024

Did you know that Fall is a great time to de-clutter your home? As we begin to approach the holidays and the extra guests they bring, it is the best time to rid your home of all those unused, unwanted, and extra items. However, too often many of us fall prey to these mistakes before we even begin the task! Let’s check them out to ensure we maximize our efforts and really make the de-cluttering task worthwhile.

1. Work at your own pace. Stop looking at the clock. This cannot be stressed enough. Too many times we put unreasonable expectations on ourselves when we set out to de-clutter our homes. If we really want to get rid of unnecessary or unused items, we must take our time to do it right. That means taking off the watch and pacing ourselves.
2. Make a plan. What are you trying to achieve? If you don’t know, it's going to be hard to stay motivated to keep going! Are you striving for a more orderly home? Easier ways to keep your home clean and organized? Or really want to get rid of the unused and unneeded items in your home…maybe to downsize? Whatever your reason is, define it first.
3. Storing de-cluttered items. This is a biggie! How often have you “de-cluttered” a room, only to move those items to another room, closet, or storage box? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. If you think about it, this really defeats the whole idea of de-cluttering because you’re just moving the objects from one location to another.  Instead, what you need to do is divide these items into 3 different categories: selling, donating, or going into the trash. Once you’ve done this, the task becomes much simpler. Go room by room and divide into one of each category, then get those items out of your home as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you’ll start going through them again and want to put them into storage boxes or closets and start the whole cluttering process again.
4. Engaging others in the process. While family members are obviously part of the process in a home, don’t go outside that circle in soliciting advice on what to keep and not. Everyone will have differing opinions and it's only your opinion that counts. You will end up keeping many more unwanted, needed, or unused items when soliciting outside advice.
5. Lastly, stop buying things you really don’t need! That may sound obvious, but how many times do we shop and impulse buy? That tends to give us many items we may use a few times and then find ourselves looking for places to store them. Also, try tracking spending and see where your dollars are going and what you really need.  It’s also a dynamite way to save money!

The holidays are just around the corner, so getting our homes deep cleaned and super organized now will be a game changer as the days arrive. Not to mention to peace and calm it brings into our homes. Happy de-cluttering!!

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