• ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Better Judgements eZine Terria Judge, Realtor CRS, ABR, GRI, Broker Associate Better Judgements is a newsletter on home matters, from Terria Judge, your Garden City, KS real estate agent! Contact Terria Judge at 620-271-2129! Terria Judge Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Shoppe, Inc. John P. Judge, Broker 1135 College Dr. Suite E Garden City, KS 67846 620-275-7421 x 223 http://terriajudge.com http://gardencityksrealestate.com http://gardencityrentals.com Terria@TerriaJudge.com --NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!! Subscription Management at end of newsletter. Thanks for your subscription to Better Judgements, the newsletter from your Garden City Kansas Realtor, Terria Judge. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- In this Issue ============= 1. Important Changes at TerriaJudge.com 2. Featured Listings 3. Article: Installing a Toilet 4. Article: Will The Real Home Buying Guide...Please Stand Up? ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Important Changes at TerriaJudge.com ==================================== Terria Judge knows how important the Internet is for home buyers and sellers. She has had her own website for the past 5 years. Recently, Terria had some changes made to http://terriajudge.com to better serve her clients. Ever wonder how much house you could afford? Now you'll know with the handy mortgage calculator found at http://terriajudge.com/calculator.html. Wondering when Terria has some open houses? Terria now has an events calendar at http://terriajudge.com/calendar.html. Terria also features Real Estate news, and articles of interest to home buyers and sellers. And the best change for Terria's clients? She now creates an individualized website for featured listings! See this month's featured listing to see what we mean. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- FEATURED LISTINGS ================= 1. http://5765dolittle.com 2. http://702nseventh.com 3. http://1919pioneer.com If you're interested in listing your house with Terria, you might be able to have your own website like www.123yourstreet.com! Just visit Terria at http://terriajudge.com/marketevaluation.html to fill out an interest form! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Installing a Toilet by Mark Donovan The installation of a toilet is a relatively easy job for a homeowner. With a couple of wrenches, a screwdriver and a few shims a new toilet can be installed in about one hour. Toilets can be purchased at any home improvement store or plumbing supply center. Typically a gravity flush toilet costs between $150 and $300, however the price can double or triple for more elaborate units, such as pressure flush systems. Today's toilets are mandated to use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush, where as older units used as much as 5 gallons. The initial 1.6 gallon toilets were notorious for frequently clogging, however over the past several years suppliers have improved the performance of these low water-use systems. Setting the Toilet A toilet usually consists of two main parts: a bowl and a tank. It is best to first install the bowl. Prior to seating the bowl, check if the closet flange has been temporarily plugged with insulation or a rag to prevent sewer gases from escaping. Remove this. Next set the bowl on top of the closet flange to determine if it sits level. If it does not, prepare some shims to use later. Next remove the bowl, and insert the closet bolts (approximately 2" long bolts) into the slots on the closet flange. Then turn the bowl over and install a wax ring gasket over the outlet of the bowl. This outlet is also know as the "horn". Place the bowl onto the closet flange. Make sure the bowl is well seated by rocking the bowl down. Once the bowl has been seated, place a level on it and use the shims as necessary. Next, using nuts and washers tighten up the bolts. Note: be careful not to over-tighten these bolts as it could crack the bowl. Next attach the tank to the bowl using the tank bolts, nuts and washers. Again, do not over tighten. Installing the Float Supply Unit Install the float supply unit into the tank and hook up the water line to the tank inlet. Again, do not over tighten and make sure to use the washers supplied. Next, turn the supply line on and adjust the float as necessary. Finally, caulk around the base of the unit and you are done. About the Author Me_Donovan@comcast.net http://www.homeadditionplus.com http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. Mr. Donovan's formal education and profession have been as an Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Will The Real Home Buying Guide...Please Stand Up? by Don Berthiaume Use Google right now and do a search on, "Home Buying Guide". Take a few minutes to check and see what's out there and then come right back. Now, try "Home Buyer Guide" and check to see what's out there for that. Overwhelming, isn't it? And that's exactly the problem facing today's prospective homebuyers; not knowing how to sort through all of the information that is offered to them when buying a home. Do you know what the other problem is? Ironic as it may sound, just as prospective homebuyers have too much information on topics such as: how to find a real estate agent, how to find a mortgage, how to fix your credit or how to get the lowest possible insurance, and on and on...they are faced with just the complete opposite when it comes to having information on the main focus of their quest - specific information on the house they want to buy. In a survey conducted by Key Findings, it was found that "Prospective home buyers say they are unhappy with the information available to them. Some don't think they are seeing all the homes available in their price range and complain about how difficult it is to find detailed information about the homes they are interested in buying." If you're thinking about buying a home right now do you feel you're as informed as you could be about the house you may be interested in buying? If not, would you even know where to go to even begin to get it? Do not despair because there is hope! You would be surprised to learn that you can get alot of answers and information simply by observing and asking the right questions - and many of them. You also need to be sure you're asking the right person, to get the right answer. A couple of sources of information include your local municipal Offices or County Courthouse, neighbors and yes, even the actual seller(s). You also need to spend time investigating the neighborhood and, once you actually decide on a home you're interested in, spend as much time there as possible. Doing so will allow you to get the feel for the property and view things you may normally miss if you're just simply herded through the home. Here is a brief list of some of the things you should be able to uncover with a little poking around: - What work has been done to the home? - What work needs to be done to the home? - Is it a good neighborhood? - How can you tell if it's a good neighborhood? - Who can tell you the truth about the neighborhood? - Is the house you're looking to purchase built on a former dump site? - Is something going to be happening with all that vacant land next door? - How long have the current owners owned the home? - How much did they pay for the home when they bought it? - Why are they selling now? - Is the price they are asking for the home too high? The key is: Don't be afraid to ask the questions you have and, for the questions you do have, make sure you're asking the right person and make sure they get answered to your satisfaction BEFORE you make your purchase. Become a real estate insider and don't be at the mercy of unreliable real estate agents or untruthful sellers. Discover just how easy it is to get all the information you need on the home you want to buy and not get stuck having to deal with those post-purchase nightmares, as most uninformed homebuyers do. ******************************************************************************* Don Berthiaume has been involved with real estate for over 21 years. He is the author and publisher of the "Home Buyer Defense Guide". http://www.HomeBuyerDefenseGuide.com/valcontent.html He can be reached by email at: don@homebuyerdefenseguide.com ******************************************************************************* ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- This newsletter is compiled and published by Mitone Griffith, http://brightideagraphicdesign.com

  April 1st, 2005 at 6:25 pm

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