Dino's Storage – Page 28 – Where your stuff's in the doghouse, so you're not!

What’s in Your Street Name?

Value. Turns out that your street name has much to do with the value of your home.

Online real estate broker Zillow.com put together a survey of how property values relate to the street names they’re on. The survey team discovered that there’s a lot of power in a name. Street names can indicate whether a neighborhood is old or new, rural or downtown and, often, expensive or cheap. In fact it turns out that property values can swing pretty widely, predicted by nothing more than the street where they’re located.

“We looked at years of data about sales and listings,” Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff wrote in The New York Times. “We learned three things about the relationship between home values and street names: First, names are better than numbers. Second, lanes are better than streets. Third, unusual names are better than common ones.”

How much of a difference can this make? Sometimes enormous.
The most common street name in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 2nd Street. There are roughly a thousand more 2nd Streets than 1st Streets across the country, suggesting something about our matha abilities.

Nationwide a house located on 2nd Street is worth about 48 percent less than the national average, all other things equal. Spell out Second Street and you make matters worse, those homes sell for 60 percent less than average.

In fact, numbered streets turn people off everywhere in the country except for Atlanta, New York City and Denver. InDenver it seems folks actually prefer streets with numbers instead of names.

Main street is a minus
By Zillow’s estimate a home on Main Street loses 44 percent of its value just by dint of the mailing address. As Rascoff noted, common names in general suffer this fate, and Main Street is one of the most common a town can have. Occupiers everywhere will be pleased to know that Wall Street, while fairly common, tends to have homes worth about 60 percent of the norm.

So where are values above average?
It turns out that every developer who named his subdivision “Shady Acres” was actually on to something. Descriptive names like “Lake Front” and “Sunset” often are indicators of high value, as are unusual names and “Ways,” “Drives” and “Boulevards.” Homes located on Sunset Way, for example, tend to be about 76 percent more expensive than average while Lake Forest Drive gets an 11 percent bump. Idiosyncratic history buffs can also take heart: homes on Verdun Avenue cost 123 percent more than the national average. (The latest Battle of Verdun was fought in France in World War I.)

Don’t read too much into this data.
Rascoff warns readers not to confuse correlation with causation here. In reality, it’s pretty unlikely that home buyers pay close attention to the street signs. Far more likely, they pay attention to what those street signs reflect. Lake Shore Drive has more value because, odds are, that house is somewhere close to a lake and people like water. Mechanically numbered streets may reflect a grid-like or heavily planned development, and older neighborhoods are more likely to end in “Street.” Still, the numbers are there and names have value. They say something about a neighborhood, and might even be a good place to start if you’re looking for a home.

No Surprise: Study Shows Men More Narcissistic than Women

News from the world of psychology: Nearly every stereotype about the gender gap with regards to narcissism, ambition and leadership is right.

That’s according to a study in the March issue of the Psychological Bulletin, the journal of the American Psychological Association. In a review of three decades of survey data from nearly half-a-million participants, researchers found that men are more likely to demonstrate narcissistic behavior than women, regardless of generation or age.

The researchers examined some of humanity’s least-attractive characteristics – manipulativeness, self-absorption, aggression and arrogance among them – and looked at how people responded to statements that included “If I ruled the world, it would be a much better place” and “I know that I am good because everyone keeps telling me so.”

They then qualified “narcissism” according to three facets: entitlement, leadership/authority and grandiose/exhibitionism. Men scored measurably higher than women in the first two categories, and were more likely to agree with phrases like “I like having authority over people” and “I insist upon getting the respect that is due to me.” They were also more likely to exploit others and to believe that they were entitled to special privileges. But there was hardly any deviation between the two genders in the grandiose/exhibitionism category, which includes qualities like vanity and self-absorption.

Higher levels of narcissism have been a helpful adaptation for men, the study said, boosting their self-esteem and emotional stability and making them more likely to take on leadership roles. But it has its drawbacks.

“Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression,” lead author Emily Grijalva, a professor at the University of Buffalo, said.

The study doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already assume, but it is the first systematic review to back up the magnitude of gender stereotypes with actual data, according to Grijalva. It also looks into why those stereotypes exist in the first place.

“Individuals tend to observe and learn gender roles from a young age, and may face backlash for deviating from society’s expectations,” Grijalva said. “In particular, women often receive harsh criticism for being aggressive or authoritative, which creates pressure for women, more so than for men, to suppress displays of narcissistic behavior.”

Stereotypes about the way men and women exhibit entitlement and leadership can be self-perpetuating, the study said. For example, women score lower on the leadership/authority facet, meaning that they are less likely to wind up in leadership roles. But the resulting lack of female leaders could then reinforce the idea that women are worse leaders and less authoritative, pushing women to suppress those aspects of themselves to conform to gender expectations.

“For a woman who has deeply internalized a feminine gender identity, endorsing gender-stereotypical occupational preferences might be a mechanism used to avow her femininity to herself and to others,” the study said.

The study did include one piece of good news: neither female nor male college students are any more narcissistic now than they were in 1990.

Satisfied Customers Comments Music to Our Ears

When any of our customers move out from our storage facilities, we ask them to complete a survey which includes asking for their honest opinion about our facilities and customer service. We want to be sure we are always on our A-game, taking advice from the negative comments and learning more about our customers from the positive comments.

One of our surveys was recently filled out by Rachel A., who told us she had purchased a new home and was taking her belongings there. On a scale of one to four, with four being the best, Rachel gave our Elkhorn staff a four for being friendly and helpful.She noted that our manager, Diane, “has been helpful and friendly anytime I contacted her! She was the reason why I chose this location over other ones!”

Another customer who recently moved out from our Elkhorn facility, Richele M., said she “Really loved Diane. Great place, very clean & safe. I would recommend this place to anyone.”

We’re pleased to hear Rachel and Richele’s comments and are very happy to have received similar comments from customers at our other facilities. It’s music to our ears!

Here are a few of the things our customers had to say:

“I just wanted to say thank you to whoever puts Bible verses on your sign every few days. I drive right by daily and it has often been an encouragement to me to read those few lines. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been blessed by your willingness to share some of God’s words. Keep up the good work and may God bless you for spreading His promises a few words at a time.” – Heather

“Great place to store!” – Terri S. ■ “Excellent!” – Kevin V. ■ “You rock!” – J. ■ “Carrie was very friendly and helpful. Great experience.” – Krystin R ■ “Great facility and service. Thanks, Kerry!” – Fred S. ■ “Outstanding service.” – Janice S.

“Tammy was very friendly and helpful.” – Marcus J. ■ “Thanks for keeping our items safe and secure.” – Keith B. ■ “I’d like to thank all the staff , they were very helpful.” – Brian T. ■ “Dawn has always been very friendly and helpful. You are very lucky to have her!.” – Gretchen S.

“Great staff, very helpful.” – David W. ■ “Awesome.” – Ken C. ■ “Diane was extremely helpful during my entire move. Thanks!” – Reed R. ■ “Keep up the good work!” – James C.

“Excellent staff and facility.” – Linda D. ■ “Was treated very well by staff and will always recommend Dino’s to my friends. Thank you.” – Clyde K. ■ “Good customer service. Thanks a lot!” – Michelle M.

“I love the words of advice on the advertising boards on the side of your buildings. I read the boards every time I drive by and think about the phrase. I appreciate how they aren’t specifically religious and are sound words. Please continue to have these messages. It is more beneficial than to display weekly storage specials and much more interesting. I absolutely love the message on Douglas!” – Sean H.

Our thanks to all of our customers for choosing to store at Dino’s and for their kind, encouraging and helpful comments.

We’re Glad to Help!

The Clive, Iowa, Fire Department uses locks in training their personnel, so when one of our former renters, Clive fireman Jeff Price, called to ask if we had any locks we could donate to the department, Jill Madonia, manager at Dino’s Storage at 5327 SE 14th St. in Des Moines, was happy to oblige.

Jeff came in and Jill gave him a box of 10 locks, along with what might be a better idea for cutting them open. Jeff showed a video on his phone to illustrate how the department uses a saw to cut different locks. Jill showed him how we cut locks with a grinder. Jeff took a video of our way noting that it is much quicker and easier than using the saw. He’s suggesting to his captain that a grinder be carried on the fire truck.

As always, community service is a top priority with Dino’s and it’s great to have the opportunity to help out those who put their lives on the line to protect our lives and property.

Dino’s has three locations in the Des Moines metro. The others are at 2725 2nd Ave. In Des Moines and at 411 Brick St. In Bondurant.

Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Nearly every country on earth – aside from the United States – measures temperature in Celsius. Celsius is a reasonable scale that assigns freezing and boiling points of water with round numbers, zero and 100. In Fahrenheit, those are 32 and 212.

Only four other nations join the United States and its territories in using Fahrenheit – The Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands and Palau. Canada sometimes uses Fahrenheit, but the official temperature scale is Celsius.

America’s stubborn unwillingness to get rid of Fahrenheit temperatures is part of its refusal to change over to the metric system, which has real-world consequences. One conversion error between U.S. and metric measurements sent a $125 million NASA probe to its fiery death in Mars’ atmosphere.

Why does the United States cling to its antiquated system of measurement? Blame two of history’s all-time greatest villains: British colonialism and the U.S. Congress.

Back in the early 18th century, the Fahrenheit measurement system was actually pretty useful. It comes from Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a German scientist born in Poland in 1686. As a young man, Fahrenheit became obsessed with thermometers. Measuring temperature was a big problem at the time. No one had invented a consistent, reliable way to measure temperature objectively. “Fahrenheit was still only twenty-eight years old when he stunned the world by making a pair of thermometers that both gave the same reading,” the University of Houston’s John Lienhard writes. “No one had ever managed to do that before.”

Fahrenheit set zero at the lowest temperature he could get a water and salt mixture to reach. He then used a slightly incorrect measurement of the average human body temperature, 96 degrees, as the second fixed point in the system. The resulting schema set the boiling point of water at 212 degrees, and the freezing point at 32 degrees.

In 1724, Fahrenheit was inducted into the British Royal Society, and his system caught on in the British Empire. As Britain conquered huge chunks of the globe in the 18th and 19th centuries, it brought the Fahrenheit system, and some other peculiar Imperial measurements, such as feet and ounces, along with it. Fahrenheit became a standard temperature in much of the globe.

By the mid-20th century, most of the world adopted Celsius, the popular means of measuring temperature in the modern metric system. Celsius was invented in 1742 by Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius. “Celsius should be recognized as the first to perform and publish careful experiments aiming at the definition of an international temperature scale on scientific grounds,” Uppsala University’s Olof Beckman writes.

Around 1790, Celsius was integrated into the metric system – itself an outgrowth of the French revolution’s desire to unify the country at the national level. The metric system’s simplicity and scientific utility helped spread it, and celsius, throughout the world.

The Anglophone countries finally caved in the second half of the 20th century. The UK itself began metrication, the process of switching all measurements to the metric system, in 1965. It still hasn’t fully completed metrication, but the modern UK is an overwhelmingly metric country.

Virtually every other former British colony switched over as well. Some, including India, did so before even the UK and others, including Canada, Australia and South Africa, after. These changes, all around the same time, prompted the U.S. to consider going metric. Congress passed a law, the 1975 Metric Conversion Act, that was supposed to begin the process of metrication. It set up a Metric Board to supervise the transition.

The law failed in its objective because it made metrication voluntary, rather than mandatory, the public had a major say in the matter. And lots of people didn’t want to have to learn new systems for temperatures or weights.

“Motorists rebelled at the idea of highway signs in kilometers, weather watchers blanched at the notion of reading a forecast in Celsius and consumers balked at the prospect of buying poultry by the kilogram,” Jason Zengerle writes in Mother Jones. Organized labor fought it as well, according to Zengerle, so workers wouldn’t have to retrain to learn the new measures.

President Reagan dismantled the Metric Board in 1982, its work in tatters. Today, only the U.S., Liberia and Burma remain off the metric system, and Burma announced its intent to metricate in 2013.

Susannah Locke lays out the case for Celsius and the rest of the metric system very persuasively, but here’s a brief recap. The simpler metric scales make basic calculations easier and thus less error-prone. American companies incur extra costs by producing two sets of products, one for the US and one for the metric using world.

American parents and caregivers are more likely to screw up conversion rates when they give out medicine, sending some children, who are more susceptible to overdoses, to the hospital. Further, American students have to be trained on two sets of measurements, making basic science education even more difficult.

It’s Still Winter, But Think Spring!

Forget the snow. Forget the cold. Spring is approaching. Start planning your lawn and landscaping strategy.

To help you out, here are some common myths and myth-busting tips from lawn and landscaping professionals:

Myth #1: You can water your lawn and landscape any time of day.
Reality: Water is a valuable resource; make every drop count! Watering the lawn in the early mornings or evenings after sunset minimizes evaporation. It’s the best time for water to penetrate deep into the soil.

Myth #2: It’s okay to cut the grass very short.
Reality: Most landscape professionals advise against cutting more than one-third of the grass leaf at a time. Mowing at a finished cut height of 3 to 3.5 inches throughout the summer is generally recommended. The lawn will need less water, will be more resistant to weeds and will have a deeper, greener color. Use a sharp mower blade to prevent tearing grass blades. A crisp and clean cut will help prevent a “brown tip” appearance.

Myth #3: It’s best to water your lawn every day.
Reality: Watering your lawn every three days is better than daily watering. Deep, rather than shallow watering of your lawn is recommended to nurture the roots. An inch of water to 12 inches of soil is the preferred ratio for watering actively growing grass.

Myth #4: If you want to replace your lawn, you should do it in the spring when plants get ready to bloom.
Reality: The best time to sow seed is in the late summer and early fall when the temperatures are more consistent and when highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, are at the end of their life cycle.

Myth #5: Early spring is the best time to fertilize the lawn.
Reality: Since different species of grass prefer nutrients at different times of the year, be sure to use the correct fertilizer, at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place. A slow-release fertilizer allows for more even and consistent feeding over a longer period of time than a quick-release fertilizer. And, remember to use fertilizers responsibly by cleaning up any that lands on streets, sidewalks or driveways where they can be washed into lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Myth #6: A garden hose is more cost efficient than installing an irrigation system.
Reality: Many landscape professionals recommend installing an irrigation system with smart controllers which have sensors that water when needed. Smart irrigation can offer a cost savings of 15 to 20 percent on water bills. Converting irrigation spray nozzles from sprinklers to rotating nozzles will spread heavy droplets of water at a slower pace, which makes them more targeted and effective.

Myth #7: You have to irrigate to have a healthy and beautiful lawn.
Reality: Grasses are built to endure long periods of drought by entering a state of dormancy. When temperatures and moisture levels are at their extreme, the growing point of the grass plant, the crown, will shut off the grass blades, turning them brown. In almost all instances, once the heat and drought stresses have gone, the crowns will begin to send up new shoots. There’s nothing wrong with irrigating to avoid dormancy, but “embracing the brown” for a couple of weeks in the summer is just fine too.

Starbucks Drives Home Values

Home owners are always hunting for ways to increase the value of their homes – and interior revamps or full-on remodels may do the trick. Or you could just move near a Starbucks.

Homes located near a Starbucks coffee shop appreciate at a far faster rate than homes not near a Starbucks, according to experts at real estate database Zillow. Since 1997, houses near a Starbucks appreciated 98 percent while homes farther away appreciated only 65 percent, Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff explains in his new book Zillow Talk.

The reason? One theory is that house hunters may think a Starbucks means the neighborhood is gentrifying. Or maybe it signals that a neighborhood is getting safer, and a safer neighborhood is buyers’ main reason for moving, according to a new survey from analysts at The Demand Institute. A simpler explanation? More than half of home buyers want restaurants and cafes within “a short drive” of their new home, so perhaps Starbucks fits that description.

Whatever the reason, Rascoff makes two things clear: A neighborhood Starbucks isn’t the result of higher home prices; it causes them. And the closer you live to one, the better. After Starbucks opened in a particular neighborhood, nearby homes not only rose in value, but they also appreciated faster the closer they were to the shop. Call it the “Starbucks Effect.”

“Starbucks equates with venti-sized home-value appreciation,” according to a book excerpt on Quartz. “Moreover, Starbucks seems to be fueling – not following – these higher home values.”

So the next time you’ve got an urge to reach for the hammer, just get a latte and house hunt instead. Your home’s value will thank you.

Are Dining Rooms Becoming Extinct?

The dining room appears to be going out of fashion. Meals are eaten in the kitchen, at the island or table or, perhaps, on a coffee table at an hour our grandparents would probably consider to be “bedtime.” We’re all busier than ever, working longer than ever.

The formal dining room is used perhaps two or three times a year – Thanksgiving, maybe the holidays. But the rest of the time it serves as a museum for china and glassware, or simply a reminder of how families used to eat.

Blogger Pam Kueber of Retro Renovation has a theory behind the demise of the dining room. “In the early 20th century and prior, many homes had servants,” she writes. “The kitchen was their separate domain, while the family ate in the dining room. As that tradition died away – and as Mom began to do all the kitchen work herself – we wanted to hang with her and she wanted to hang with us, so the lines between kitchen and dining room began to blur and design evolved towards the ‘open concept’ kitchen so popular today.”

Despite the declining use of the dining room, it remains a fixture in modern day homes. According to a U.S. Census survey that focused on the evolution of new American homes by decade, 46.9 percent of homes constructed before 1960 had dining rooms, compared to 50.6 percent of homes constructed between 2005 and 2009. Keuber chalks up these numbers to the fantasy that often is involved with decorating and designing a new home.

“We buy and furnish our home the way we imagine we want to live,” Kueber says. “Today, I think people still like the idea of a separate dining room because of idyllic visions of Thanksgiving Day and big family gatherings that rarely end up happening.”

A Quicker Stroll?

If you have ever been walking down the street and thought, “Gee, I wish I could get to my destination quicker,” a French company called Rollkers thinks it has a solution.

Inspired by the moving walkways found in airports, Rollkers clip onto your shoe, much like the old roller skates, and use a small motor to help you walk at speeds up to 7 miles per hour, about twice as fast as your normal rate.

According to Rollkers, there is no training needed. They’re “self-balancing,” so you just walk like you normally do. The device was on display this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And while the model displayed was clunky and heavy, the company says the final product, due out early next year, will be much lighter. They will cost around $400.

If You’re Planning a Move, Call Movers Early

MovingCompanyReviews.com, which provides consumers with information about moving companies, recently predicted how housing trends will impact the moving industry in the year ahead.

Among MCR’s predictions:

1. Mover availability is likely to be tight in the spring and summer months. Consumers are urged to book a moving company as soon as they know their moving date. A shortage of nationwide truck drivers is expected in the spring and summer months, according to MCR. The average consumer books the mover only two weeks in advance. But the busiest times of year are between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with moves peaking in August, according to MCR.

2. Major metros will be popular moving destinations. MCR reported the highest number of moves in the nation’s largest cities in 2014, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Denver and Dallas. MCR expects continued urban population growth and the return of post-recession new construction will continue to make these major moving destinations in 2015. Also, MCR anticipates growth in some midsize cities, such as Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Nashville. MCR advises consumers moving in or to such areas to book a mover at least one month ahead of their move.

3. Square footage will flatten. In 2014, MCR reported that more movers upgraded their home sizes by a median of 628 square feet. But MCR is projecting that trend won’t continue in 2015 with significant upgrades to square footage from movers. Also, MCR’s forecast projects that the rental market will remain strong with many moves being into rentals.

4. Mover scams remain a threat but will moderate some. The past two years has seen the rise of illegitimate moving companies that offer consumers low prices and then scam them by drastically increasing the rate at the point of delivery or even holding their items hostage. The American Moving and Storage Association and state moving associations issued warnings to consumers in 2014 to watch for such scams and urged consumers to more carefully vet their movers and look for a licensed one.

In 2014, MCR reports the top five states that most consumers moved to were:
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. California
4. New York
5. North Carolina

At Dino’s we unhesitatingly recommend Black Belt Movers to our Des Moines and Omaha area customers. The Omaha-based company also serves Lincoln, Denver, Phoenix, Kansas City, Sioux City and San Diego. They do an outstanding job and are top-ranked by the Better Business Bureau. You can call them in Omaha at 402-709-0970 or in Des Moines at 515-393-4253.