Dino's Storage – Page 29 – Where your stuff's in the doghouse, so you're not!

Study Suggests Winter Is Best Time to Sell a Home

Forget conventional wisdom. The housing market doesn’t hibernate in the winter.

A study by real estate brokerage Redfin finds that sellers who list and buyers who buy often find the winter season the most advantageous time to make a move in real estate, The winter season officially takes place between Dec. 21 and March 20, and it is a season that brings out more focused and active sellers and buyers and fewer tire-kickers looking for home design ideas.

Redfin researchers studied nationwide home listings, sales prices and time-on-market data from 2010 through October 2014. The study found that February is “historically the best month to list, with an average of 66 percent of homes listed then selling within 90 days,” according to Redfin’s research.

What’s more, the study found that winter tends to net sellers’ more than their asking price during the months of December, January, February and March than listings from June through November.

Researchers say the winter market is less competitive for sellers since many people tend to wait until the spring to list. The smaller inventory of active listings help sellers get more attention from buyers on their properties. And the research showed that many corporations transfer employees or hire new ones early in the year, creating opportunities for winter sellers from very motivated purchasers.

Sellers shouldn’t worry about the holidays hampering their chances either. A 2011 study conducted by realtor.com® found that 60 percent of real estate professionals advise their sellers to list a home during the holidays because they believe it’s an opportune time to sell.

Here are a few tips for selling a home in the winter:

Stage it. Stagers can arrange furniture so that selling-points in a home don’t get overlooked, paint rooms inviting colors and have the know-how to give a home a cozy winter feel. Display photos of the home that also show it in warmer summer months. And don’t forget to turn up the thermostat in the home so buyers are comfortable from the moment they step through the door.

Price it right. “If it’s priced properly, it will sell any day of the year,” Katie Severance, a broker for RE/MAX in Upper Montclair, N.J., told The Associated Press.

Show the way. Keep sidewalks and driveways clear of snow, ice and leaves – giving potential buyers a clear path to your front door.

Light it up. There’s less daylight in the winter months so it’s even more important to keep all the lights on as well as open blinds and drapes for natural light. Keep the home well-lit even when you’re not there so the home still looks inviting to passersby who drive by in the evenings after work.

Clear the Clutter. Open up the space and enhance the home’s appearance by removing excess belongings. That’s where Dino’s Storage comes in. We have great storage facilities and reasonable rates for you to store those out-of-season and overwhelming belongings.

Hoarder Nation: America’s Self-storage Industry Is Booming

It’s the time of year when American households are filling up with stuff. Your living room is piled with boxes from your Black Friday haul, or your porch is creaking under the weight of UPS deliveries. While retail analysts are obsessively tracking buyer behavior to gauge the impact of Cyber Monday on store earnings, Business Week reports one industry that will surely benefit from the binge – eventually – is the storage business.

The country’s accumulation of things is outpacing our capacity to keep them in our homes, as the growth of mini-warehouses attests. The number of self-storage establishments more than doubled, to 15,000, from 1998 to 2012, according to Census data, dotting the landscape with buildings full of objects we don’t want to see but can’t bear to toss.

Enough Space for Every Man, Woman and Child

The Census data may actually underestimate the industry. According to the Self-Storage Association, the U.S. had 48,500 mini-warehouse facilities last year. Combined, they amount to 2.3 billion square feet of space for lease – enough, in the trade group’s unnerving formulation, to warehouse every man, woman and child in the country.

Self-storage companies generated $24 billion in revenue last year, according to the SSA, an amount that gets divvied up among a handful of large companies – such as CubeSmart and Sovran Self Storage, which operates a chain called Uncle Bob’s, and 30,000 smaller entrepreneurs.

It’s unlikely that Americans are spending the weeks before Christmas loading up their cars or trucks with their old stuff to clear room for the new. New houses keep getting bigger. Storage sales generally fall off at the end of the calendar year and pick up in the summer, which is also the busiest time for U.S. moving companies.

Four Ds Drive Storage Business

Demand for storage units is driven by what Ronald Havner, chief executive of self-storage giant Public Storage, calls the four Ds: death, divorce, disaster and dislocation. “People moving, people changing their lives in terms of death or divorce. Hurricanes, tornadoes upset people’s lives and require storage facilities,” he said.

Put that way, the storage business is a darker reflection of the retail economy. Shopping and exchanging holiday gifts is, ostensibly, joyous, but those objects are often deposited in storage units in sadder times. For our stuff, though, the journey may be a homecoming of sorts. Products that enter the consumer world from, say, an Amazon.com warehouse, leave it for a temperature-controlled chamber at Uncle Bob’s.

Dino’s Ready for You

At Dino’s, we’re ready for your stuff any time of year. Just give us a call at any of our locations and come on out to any of our locations in Omaha, Des Moines or Winnipeg.

Dino’s Helping with Toy Drive

No child should go without during the holidays.

That’s why Dino’s Storage has teamed up with the Salvation Army and KMTV 3 News to collect toys for needy children.

Drop off new unwrapped toy donations at the KMTV Studio or any Omaha-area Dino’s Storage location through Dec. 12.

Your donation will help provide needy children toys this Christmas.

And, it will bring some huge smiles as well!

Winter Prep Saves Money

We have had an early taste of frigid wintry weather, including substantial snow in some areas. It’s a taste of the season to come when we spend more time indoors and a reminder that there are things we can do to winter-proof our homes.

At www.wisebread.com writer Mikey Rox offers his tips to get through the winter happier and healthier. First on his list: Acclimate to the temperature by setting thermostats down, not up. Gradually lowering the thermostat, by a degree a week to a point where you still feel comfortable, can save bundles of money. Sealing or wrapping windows can add to the effect.

Uninvite the Pests

Pests hate winter, so seal areas of the home where pests can enter. Closing up cracks on the outside can prevent rodents from entering, and storing firewood at least 20 feet from the house will help keep mice and ants away.

Before snow sets in, clearing vents and chimneys can avoid carbon monoxide backups. Leaves, vines, shrubs, and plants can all create blockages that can cause carbon monoxide to enter the home.

Rox also suggests winterizing pipes to keep them from freezing and possibly bursting. This includes sprinkler systems, exterior pipes, and air conditioners.

Be Prepared for the Storm

Don’t forget about the supplies needed to take care of the outside of your home either. Make sure you have rakes, shovels, snow blowers, sidewalk salt and other winter cleanup items that you’ll need to keep everybody safe who will step on to your property before, during and after a winter-weather event.

Check or install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Both fire and carbon monoxide can be deadly and silent. Manufacturers recommend replacing detectors every five years.

Act Now to Stay Well

Give your body the best chance of avoiding, or at least fighting, the flu by getting a flu shot.

It also makes sense to keep a first-aid kit in your car at all times, and in winter add hand warmers, flares, heavy blankets, an emergency phone and a few days’ non-perishable food and water in the event that you’re ever stranded. These items literally could be the difference between life and death.

Credit Unions Step in to Fill Lending Void

If you’re considering a home mortgage, either to refinance your existing mortgage or to purchase a home, consider a credit union as your lender.

The number of mortgage originations issued from credit unions in the United States in first half of 2014 has climbed 10 percent year-over-year. This has elevated credit unions to having more than 8 percent share of the home loan market – about triple their share prior to the recession – making them a growing option for home buyers looking for financing, according to data from the Credit Union National Association.

Canadian credit unions also are experience growth in their home mortgage lending. Credit Union Central of Canada, the national trade association of the industry, notes credit unions have about 7% of the residential loan market.

In June, the 6,557 credit unions in the United States surpassed 100 million members. You still have to be a member of one to get a loan, but many credit unions are tied to employment, trades, religious groups or more broadly to specific communities. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. credit unions offer mortgages.

“We’ve seen a very strong increase in originations over the course of the last several years,” Mike Schenk, vice president of economics and research at CUNA, said.

Mortgages comprise about 41 percent of all U.S. credit union loans compared to 25 percent in 2000. The average loan amount at a credit union is $130,000, and 70 percent of the loans offered are for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. Many credit unions offer different financing options for members. For example, Pentagon Federal, with 1.3 million members nationwide, introduced a 15/15 adjustable mortgage, where rates reset only once at the midterm mark to reflect the current market rate. Also, the National Institutes of Health Federal CU offers the five-year fixed-rate mortgage, dubbed the “see ya” loan, which allows home owners to refinance and coordinate it to a time of a special event, such as retirement or when the children go to college, in order to end their mortgage payments by that time.

Credit unions don’t typically charge cheaper interest rates, but they “tend not to tack on a bunch of superfluous fees that other lenders seem to love,” the Los Angeles Times noted in a recent article. “And because they are local and member-controlled, they are more likely to consider applicants with a story to tell than some underwriter five states over who is forced to stick to standard guidelines.”

We Get Letters…

Nothing brightens our day quite so much as the great letters we get from your customers.

At Dino’s, service and customer satisfaction top our priorities and it’s great to get feedback showing that we are hitting our goals.

Here’s a letter we received just the other day:

Jena:

This note is overdue but I felt it was necessary to share good news with the handling of my account at the Elkhorn Dino’s Storage. When there was some heavy rain this summer and some of my furniture got wet, Diane was quick to assist in moving my furniture to another bay which has adequately served my needs well. She is very timely in handling matters and my experience has been very good.

Once again, thanks for the great customer service provided by your company through Diane Clark at the Elkhorn location. I will be happy to refer business your way.

Cindy

We Highly Recommend Some Great Movers!

As you might expect, a whole lot of moving goes on in our storage business – items coming in, items going out – on a continual basis. And sometimes the amount of goods our clients have is substantially more than the clients can handle on their own.

We make this recommendation to our clients – Call Black Belt Movers. They are a great bunch of hard-working folks who can handle anyone’s needs from packing to moving at competitive rates and with courteous, friendly and efficient service.

Black Belt is an all-around terrific outfit. A young entrepreneur, Luke Taylor, launched the company as FlatRate Movers from his Elkhorn home in 2007, operating with a small crew and a single 26-foot truck.

They recently changed their name to Black Belt Movers and today they have a fleet of more than two dozen trucks and operate in Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines, Sioux City, Denver, San Diego, Phoenix and Kansas City with more than 60 crew members. The company still is run by Taylor, but now from a corporate office in Elkhorn.

In just the past two years, Black Belt has moved more than 10,000 families! Black Belt is licensed, insured and bonded. They are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and are preferred vendors on Angie’s List. They also have been rated Best of Omaha by Omaha Magazine.

They serve communities large and small in a radius of roughly 50 miles from each of the metro areas where they are now established. So if you have a move in your future, be smart and be happy, call them.

Black Belt Phone Numbers:
– Omaha 402-709-0970
– Des Moines 515-393-4253
– Sioux City 712-522-5344
– Denver 303-656-1888
– Kansas City 913-305-5430
– Phoenix 480-878-7457
– San Diego 619-567-5497

Family Fun for Fall

Kids and parents need time together. And it can be fun and inexpensive for all. Forget shopping or mall walking. Get with it and have some fun.

Here are a few ideas:

Bring out the hidden architect or builder within you. Let the creativity flow with Legos – the building blocks for kids of all ages. Try a Lego building party. Come up with a theme with the kids, like a medieval dungeon, battling ninjas or a futuristic neighborhood. The whole family can work on Lego creations to fit the theme. One family member can be chosen as the narrator to weave the Lego creations together. Or each participant can take a turn telling a story about what’s being created.

Fall weather can be a bit nippy for a camp-out, so try a camp-in instead. Set up a tent with sleeping bags. Stay up late eating treats, make shadow puppets and tell ghost stories. Then sleep the night away in your in-house campsite.

Many couples have a weekly date night. How about trying a parent and kids date night. The possibilities are endless. Take in a movie at the theater, spend some time at a miniature golf facility, go play some laser tag, bowl a few games or take in a high school football game or a play. Look for discount coupons to hold down the cost.

Take a nature night walk. When the stars come out, head out on your night walk around the neighborhood or head to a nature preserve or large park to do the same. Kids and parents alike will enjoy being outdoors when everyone else is inside. Look at constellations, observe phases of the moon, watch cars go by with their lights on and listen to the cacophony of crickets, frogs and other creatures. When the weather turns colder, a night drive can work well – especially when Halloween decorations or a bit later on Christmas decorations light up the neighborhood.

Scavenger hunts never go out of style. You can have great fun with one indoors or in your own yard. Mom or dad can compile a list of things to be found and the kids can do the hunting. Try it in the yard at night when flashlights are needed for the hunt. The hunters will feel like detectives searching for odd-ball items such as a yellow crayon, a fringed washcloth, a stuffed animal, a mini-shovel, a 2012 quarter etc.

Customer Satisfaction, Community Service Are Dino’s Guides

At Dino’s, storage is our business. But customer satisfaction and community service are our guiding lights.
Treat our customers right and they will be customers for life. Be proactive and cooperative in our community and our name will be a point of pride.

Our Center Street facility recently received a note of thanks from one of our customers.

“You were so helpful and personable, and we appreciate your attention to detail and to providing great customer service,” our customer told us in a letter. The customer and her sisister came to the facility to arrange storage space for their parents’ belongings. That was accomplished.

Heartland Family Services recently was the beneficiary of a gift of office furnishings from McGrath North law firm. But there was a hitch, the law firm had to vacate its old quarters before the space for Heartland Family Services’ new programs was ready. That created a pressing need for short-term storage for the incoming furnishings.

In a recent blog, Heartland Family Services said “another wonderful supporter of our agency, Dino’s Storage,” stepped up to the plate. “One call to owner, Dave Paladino, led to a quick conversation with Jena Erickson, Operations Manager for Dino’s Storage. Jena not only agreed to help us find short-term storage, but made it possible at a 50 percent discount! Her quick problem-solving helped us to create a cost-effective solution that will allow our agency to acquire much-needed, high quality furniture using almost none of our existing cash resources. As a result, we have more money to put into our programming and can serve more people.:

Letters and comments like these from customers and community organizations make us proud. Remember, we are here to serve you and our community.

Make Saturday a Red Kettle Day!

Omaha’s Salvation Army has scheduled a 5K Run/Walk for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at Zorinsky Lake. Join in the fun for a good cause. The run helps stock pantry shelves during a time of overwhelming need.

No pre-registration is required, but if you want to save time the day of the run, you can get more information at www.redkettlerunomaha.org or send an e-mail to RedKettleRunOmaha@gmail.org for additional participation information.

There are some great prizes, including an Apple iPad mini 16GB, Creighton Men’s and Women’s season basketball tickets, Men’s season baseball tickets and more. Dino’s Storage will be handing out water bottles to the first 300 finishers.

The entry fee is just 10 non-perishable food items or $10 for The Salvation Army pantry. The run location is at the 156th & F Street entrance to Zorinsky Lake.