10: In this episode, Misty and Heather discuss the homebuying changes during covid and discuss ROOFS Tim Wolfswinkel of Des Moines Area Roofing.
Speaker 1:
It’s time for the Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard, right here on 1460 AM and 106.3 FM, KXnO. Now, Misty SOLDwisch and Heather Burnside.
Heather Burnside:
Good morning, and welcome to the Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard. I’m Heather Burnside, along with Misty SOLDwisch. Good morning.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Hey Heather, how’s it going?
Heather Burnside:
We have a guest in here today, and I can’t encourage you enough to call at (515) 284-5966 if you have questions coming up in a little bit for Tim Wolfswinkel. He is with Des Moines Area Roofing. Good morning.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Good morning.
Heather Burnside:
I understand that you’ve been busy.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Been very busy.
Heather Burnside:
And a lot of it doesn’t have anything to do with home improvements, getting your home ready to sell, it’s been more about hail damage.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep, there’s been a lot of that lately. So, we’ve been seeing a lot of that, doing a lot of work with insurance companies and…
Misty SOLDwisch:
That sounds like fun.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yes and no.
Heather Burnside:
So I’m sure that we can answer your questions about that, but I’m sure also that Misty will be directing the conversation towards roofs and what you need to be looking for, what you might need to improve upon to sell your home, what you’re looking for if you’re buying a home.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly.
Heather Burnside:
We’ll get to all that in just a little bit. But as always, Misty has stuff for us to talk about, as far as learning, not only about what we should be looking for from our side, but what you’re experiencing on your side of the Central Iowa real estate landscape. And one of them, I’m sure in the last six months since COVID, is that people’s behaviors are changing due to the environment, not just with their personal environment, but also the environment that they’re dealing with when it comes to looking at homes, thinking about selling or buying.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Yeah, it is interesting because there are definitely buyer behavioral changes that have happened compared to past summer markets, specifically due to COVID.
Heather Burnside:
And what are some of those things? Because I can see where once you decide that you need to move, that you’re going to be in a hurry or you’re going to want to make that decision quickly and figure out where you’re going quickly, because with so much uncertainty around you, you want to be certain where you’re going to live.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Yeah, and I think also paired with a rapidly moving real estate market, I mean, one of the big changes that have happened is buyers are more in a rush. Instead of looking at an average of nine or 10 homes, they’re looking at three or four before they make a decision, because they know if they see something that they kind of like, if they don’t jump on it, then it’s gone.
Heather Burnside:
And that’s because, as we have talked about on previous shows, there’s fewer homes out there right now, but the demand is still very high.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly. Less sellers are entering the market, but more buyers are entering the market. So, yeah, it’s a fast moving real estate inventory market.
Heather Burnside:
Now, what are people looking for, or is that changed at all in the last six months?
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, the different things that they’re looking for has definitely shifted. So, we’ve touched on this on other episodes, home offices are now big again, having that dedicated space since more people are working from home, and then also just really paying extra attention to outdoor spaces, and also extended family is another thing that people are wanting to accommodate more. Since we can’t go on vacations, we want our family to come to us and stay, I guess.
Heather Burnside:
Right. And you can see that reflected in what features people are looking for. You mentioned home offices, space to accommodate family, larger house size for more personal space, a yard, not only for growing your own food, but also for exercise and just having a place to go outside. Internet access is still… It’s probably getting even more important.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Way more. And I think that’s something that a lot of times buyers don’t pay enough attention to before they purchase a home, and that’s a really great highlight for a seller to make a point of as part of the marketing of the home, if you have high speed internet and lots of different options available.
Heather Burnside:
And I’m sure that is probably something that they’re just maybe assuming that the internet access and the speed and everything is going to be the same as where they’re living, but it can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and even home to home.
Misty SOLDwisch:
So much. And it’s not just making the assumption that if you are in a rural area or in a smaller community that there’s not going to be as good of access. I can tell you from personal experience, because we do Facebook Lives all over the Metro, even in the very developed, larger communities, there is definitely a difference in what kind of access is available from your phone even.
Heather Burnside:
Right. I am assuming too, and again, we’ve touched on this before, but people aren’t as concerned about commutes either. They’re looking at the smaller communities where it would be maybe a 20 or 30 minute commute into work.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Right. I can drive a few more minutes if I actually have the space that I need for my family. Absolutely.
Heather Burnside:
Are you seeing more demand in multigenerational households?
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, with the having guest spaces being more popular, we’ve had a few homes hit the market recently that had… like the lower level was set up as a mother-in-law suite. We had so much demand for those, they sold very quickly.
Heather Burnside:
Sorry about that. Sorry about that. Buyers are also looking for things for their pets too, which is kind of… It’s not surprising when you think about maybe you’ve been living in a place where you didn’t have a fenced in backyard, and now you want that convenience of letting your pet out.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly. Or if you are in an HOA community, a townhome or condo, making sure that it’s something that accommodates your pet. I mean, really driving the decision around that.
Heather Burnside:
What are the prospects for a first time buyer right now, and what do they need to be looking for?
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, I mean, what they’re talking about is just a large wave of first time home buyers has really emerged as a result of… I mean, it’s not so much COVID that’s caused it, but just the excellent interest rates and then also more lending options opening up. And so they’re like, “You know what? What better time to purchase my first home than during a pandemic.”
Heather Burnside:
But again, that also goes back to interest rates too.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Interest rates. And then, I mean, we’re spending time at home, and so we want to have a home that we really love and we really enjoy.
Heather Burnside:
And how long are people staying in their homes once they buy them?
Misty SOLDwisch:
So it’s interesting, that’s one thing that they’re predicting is changing, just as a result of everything that’s happened in the last six months. The last several years, the average amount of time that someone lived in a home was around 10 years, and now they’re seeing that go down to five or six years. So I think it’s all the things that we talked about, when you’re spending a lot of time at home you really think about what is it I need and what do I need to do to make a change?
Heather Burnside:
Speaking of staying at home too, I’m assuming that as people are spending more time at home, even if they’re not thinking about moving, they’re thinking that they want to make improvements to their space. Maybe make it more to their taste, their style.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly. Yeah.
Heather Burnside:
And I can’t believe you… I learn something every week when we talk, but you’d found something about the most loved interior styles in every state.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, and this was specifically by Google searches originating out of different states. So I think it’s always interesting to see how Iowa compares to other states, and what is popular here versus other areas.
Heather Burnside:
So minimalism, traditional, Victorian interior home styles appear to be losing some favor nationally, but maybe not here. Because industrial decor is now the most popular interior design in the country.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Yeah, 12 states, it was the most popular.
Heather Burnside:
But closer to home here, Iowans are searching rustic.
Misty SOLDwisch:
We still love rustic, yes.
Heather Burnside:
Does that mean we’re a little behind?
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, it means that when we like something, we stick with it.
Heather Burnside:
So what advice would you give people who have a home that’s… I mean, I guess if you’re looking around your home and thinking, “This kind of has a rustic feel to it.” That could be good news if you’re looking to sell your home.
Misty SOLDwisch:
It could be, but it’s something that we really… When we someone that is getting ready to put their home on the market, if you have a very specific style of the home, we really like to help give you some guidance on how to neutralize it to make it appealing to a broader audience, so that it’s not so specific. It really helps you have more options.
Heather Burnside:
And that’s one thing that if you get the Misty SOLDwisch team to help you buy or sell a home, especially if you’re selling, you can guide them through that process of making it more appealing to everyone.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly. And we work with different professionals that will help give you tips, and we really work on what makes sense to make changes on your home and what isn’t worth it, because we really want those specific projects that you do to sell, to give you a good return.
Heather Burnside:
So if somebody is listening right now and they’re looking around their home, and I can even think of one listener in particular that has started doing home improvement projects thinking at some point he’s going to sell, what should be at the top of the list?
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, it’s always important to really pay attention to paint color. I mean, paint is the easiest way to really transform the look of a home, and so do things that are current. I don’t know what rustic paint colors would be, but we have talked about agreeable gray being a very, very popular color, and then different shades of white are very popular for walls now as well.
Heather Burnside:
We were talking too, I want to say a couple of weeks ago, about the sliding barn door. I’m assuming that’s something that would definitely fall into the rustic category.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Well, rustic, but it’s also modern farmhouse.
Heather Burnside:
Or even industrial, depending on what the rest of the house looks like.
Misty SOLDwisch:
And what kind of door it is, yes, absolutely. So those are still extremely popular, you see it a lot in new construction, you see it a lot in improvement projects. So, yes, we love our barn doors here in Iowa.
Heather Burnside:
If you’re looking at your kitchen and you’ve made some improvements, maybe you’ve painted it, you’ve even put some new flooring in, but you’re sitting there looking at it and thinking, “This could still look more modern or more appealing if I bought new appliances.” Is that a good investment to make, or do you just sit there and think, “Let’s let the buyer envision the new appliances in there.” Are you going to get your money back, I guess?
Misty SOLDwisch:
It depends on how old your appliances are and how they look with the scheme. People love new appliances, that is a huge draw. So depending on what price point you’re at, and then also just the other aspects of the kitchen, it can be a good investment. And it’s not like you have to buy top of the line, everything to prepare, to go on the market, doing something in the mid range can make a really big impact and work really great.
Heather Burnside:
And what would you suggest? I know that the stainless steel or the brushed aluminum seems to be-
Misty SOLDwisch:
Yeah, stainless is still big. Stainless is still… And it’s the safest choice to make to hit that broad audience.
Heather Burnside:
Right. Because I can even sit there and think of a kitchen in particular, it’s like black appliances, I probably would have gone with the stainless steel.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly.
Heather Burnside:
All right. We’re going to switch gears coming up here in just a little bit because we do have a guest in, Tim Wolfswinkel from Des Moines Area Roofing is going to talk all things roofs. And not just if you’re looking to buy or sell, but what you need to be on the lookout for if you’re staying in your home and you’ve perhaps said some hail damage. That has been something big too. This is the Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard, we’ll be right back on 1460 KXnO, and now on 106.3 FM.
Barbara Corcoran:
As a real estate investor, I look for sharp agents who really know their market. Agents who do so much business that they can find me the right investment property and sell it for the most money without drama.
Barbara Corcoran:
When I need real estate advice in Des Moines in Central Iowa, I call Misty SOLDwisch. Her innovative marketing attracts hundreds of buyers every month, which creates more demand for your home, selling it faster and for more money. She guarantees you sell it on your timeline or she’ll buy it. Call the agent I trust, Misty SOLDwisch, and avoid the drama.
Heather Burnside:
Welcome back to the Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard. It’s time to get Misty with it, as Misty lets us know about what’s going on in the Central Iowa real estate market.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Heather, it’s still busy. Last week in Des Moines, 363 new homes hit the market, 523 went under contract, so 40% more sold than came on. 556 closings, so still a great time to be a seller, and really think about that because your home really stands out when there’s so much limited inventory. The other great stat this week was 30 year fixed interest rates averaged 2.99%. And just to give some perspective, in the 1970s the average was 8.86%, in the 2000s, 6.29%. So much more buying power right now. No wonder there’s so many first time home buyers entering the market.
Heather Burnside:
I know, I sit there and think about when I bought my home in the early 2000s, I locked in at 5.5% and thought that was-
Misty SOLDwisch:
And you’re like, “Yes.”
Heather Burnside:
Yeah, amazing. And now it’s less than 3% in many cases.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly.
Heather Burnside:
Well, we have a guest in the studio, Tim Wolfswinkel, from Des Moines Area Roofing. Good morning, Tim.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Good morning.
Heather Burnside:
Tell us a little bit about your company to start off with here.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Well, in the beginning my family and I grew up in Northwest Iowa, had four brothers, and my dad was a crop farmer, did livestock, and he was also a carpenter, and that’s basically how the foundation began. He made myself and my brother’s very actively involved with everything that he did, and I have to accredit him for where I’m at today.
Heather Burnside:
So you basically grew up on a roof.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep. Yep. We did it.
Heather Burnside:
Heights don’t scare you.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
No.
Heather Burnside:
The incline of the roof, the steeple doesn’t scare you.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
No, not at all.
Heather Burnside:
So you can look at any roof and think, “Yeah, I can do that.”
Misty SOLDwisch:
Which is interesting because Tim is so tall.
Heather Burnside:
Yeah. So there’s even farther to go if he starts sliding down. So what kinds of products and types of roofs do you do?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
We do predominantly pitched roofing, which has asphalt shingle roofing within residential. We do some commercial multifamily stuff, but my bread and butter, I would say is the residential reroofing market.
Heather Burnside:
When people are choosing a style, I mean, you’d mentioned the asphalt shingle, are there any other styles that you see emerging or coming out? Like you’d mentioned that you’d been doing a lot of hail damage. Is there any roof that stands up to hail better?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yes. They have several products out there. Some of them are modified asphalt, which has a rubber incorporated in the shingle, and that has a lot more rebound than a standard asphalt shingle, it can take the impacts, and it also can give you a discount on your insurance premiums. So there’s good options. There’s metal and other things too, that work really well.
Heather Burnside:
Now, I would think that metal would not be a way to go in a hailstorm, but…
Tim Wolfswinkel:
It all depends what gauge it is, and you get what you pay for.
Heather Burnside:
Well, yeah, I can see that. So say somebody is listening right now and they’ve been wondering, “Is it time for me to get a new roof? I’m going to go out and start looking around.” What are some signs that would be easy for a homeowner to spot that they may need to talk about getting a new roof?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yeah, basically, it’s pretty obvious. I would look at… the look of your roof is a great indicator. But some things you want to keep in mind, are you seeing a lot of granule loss on the shingle, that can tell you the age, also if you’re seeing the shingle curl up a little bit, it kind of looks like potato chips, you’re getting old. And if you’re starting to see leaks around the house, then start looking for that new roof.
Misty SOLDwisch:
That’s interesting. I saw all of those things at my home before we called you, Tim.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep.
Heather Burnside:
So have you been thinking, “Just a hailstorm, just come on through, help me out here.”
Misty SOLDwisch:
I was hoping for one, but we decided, you know what? What better way to protect the investment in your home than having a good roof. So yeah, Tim just put a new roof on my home couple of weeks ago.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep.
Heather Burnside:
So, say there is a hailstorm, I’m assuming that this is probably not the easiest process in the world to go through your insurance company and you need to get bids. Kind of walk everybody through that process if they did have a good roof and now it’s been damaged.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yeah. So the first indicator is obviously the storm, you see the damage, the trees laying down, or the leaves on the ground, or you see some damage on your gutters. You’ll see, kind of like the car hood, if you look at your car hood, those little dent, it’ll do the same thing on the soft metal, the gutters and the fascia, look for that stuff. But if you’re seeing a lot of roofs getting replaced in the area, find a qualified roofer, have them come over and take a look at it. One of the things that I do quite often is I do a pre-inspection for several of the insurance companies around Des Moines, and what that can do, it’s good for the homeowner because I’ll come out before you make a claim and make a determination.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
And I don’t ever try to push a claim through, it’s a conflict of interest for me, so I don’t do that, and that’s why I’ve got a good reputation with the insurance companies, they trust my judgment. If I tell them there’s damage, they’ll send out an adjuster and make the claim. The good part about that is we can avoid having a denied claim, because that’s part of your permanent record with your insurance.
Heather Burnside:
Oh. Again, our guest is Tim Wolfswinkel from Des Moines Area Roofing. You just mentioned the quote process too, and I’m assuming that there might be the temptation to gather quotes, see what your insurance is going to pay you, and then try to narrow the difference. But again, you’ve talked a lot about you get what you pay for.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep. So the insurance companies are getting smart, what they do nowadays is they’ll give you a portion of the money upfront, and then they will release the rest of the money once the job has done. So take $15,000, for instance, the insurance company might give you $8,000 up front, they’ll tell you to go out and get some bids, and it’s not in your best interest to find that lowest bid because the insurance company is only going to reimburse you for receipts that you can produce to them. So if you get someone to work down to 11,000, you’re leaving $4,000 on the table. So let the roofer that you trust, and go with your gut feeling on your roofer, but let them work per the insurance paperwork, and let them work to that 15,000, and then ask them from some upgrades, like a ridge vent, or like we talked about, an impact resistant shingle, or something else that he can throw in to sweeten the deal.
Heather Burnside:
And how important are our gutters in this too? Do you ever replace a roof and think, “Boy, I’ve just gone through all this and I think the homeowner has a great roof, but now their gutters need work too.” Is a lot of times that a package deal?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep, we do it. I actually have… The gutters are done with K-Guard, they’re a company out of Granger, good friends of mine, do a wonderful job, have great products. But gutters are something I think that a lot of people will… They don’t put as much emphasis on having good and functional gutters, because when you have gutter problems, you have bigger issues that are going to start happening, like foundation issues. You need to get the water away from that foundation, if you don’t, the freeze-thaw, everything like that, it’s going to create havoc with it.
Heather Burnside:
And I’m assuming that you can go out and look at a home too, and figure out what you need as far as gutters, including, and I know that this happened on my home occasionally, the downspout or the part that would get the water away from the house would sometimes become detached. I mean, there’s got to be a science to this too, as far as how far away you’re getting the water from your foundation in your home too.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
So your gutter guy, a good experienced gutter guy will pitch the gutters in the right direction so it’s carrying water away, and taking into consideration the grade of your lawn. You don’t want to try to push it uphill because you want to get it away from the house as fast as you can, so you’re aiming all your downspouts away from the house so that they can drain and then move away from the house.
Heather Burnside:
What should you do to your home if you’ve decided that you need a new roof, whether it’s because it was hail damage, you want to replace it prior to selling, just prepping your home for this?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yeah. Say we sign a deal and it’s time to come do the roof, what we always tell the customers is get everything away that sitting around the house, like your gas grill, your fancy furniture, or whatever it may be, or anything that could get damaged with something, falling debris, move that stuff away. We can always help you do that on the day of, but to also have your car parked down the road, because-
Misty SOLDwisch:
Don’t put it right under.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
We’re going to have your driveway completely blocked the whole day, so we don’t want to block you in.
Heather Burnside:
How much do you have to look at the weather when you’re getting ready to do some…
Tim Wolfswinkel:
All the time. So every morning at 5:30 AM, I’m crossing my fingers and praying that we have a good day.
Heather Burnside:
Now, I feel like it’s been a pretty, and the Drought Monitor would suggest this, it hasn’t been a very rainy summer, so you’ve probably been able to get a lot of work done. But yet there’s also been a lot of popup storms and rain that seemingly comes out of-
Misty SOLDwisch:
When it’s rained, it’s been bad.
Heather Burnside:
Yeah, and rain that seems to come out of nowhere, too.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yeah, cats and dogs, it seems like this year.
Heather Burnside:
So, how long does it take? If you show up at someone’s house, just average sized home to get in and out?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Misty has got a pretty big house, if I could say that, and I think we did hers in a day and a half. But typically on a standard house, we’ll do it, start at seven, we’ll be done at five o’clock.
Heather Burnside:
Wow.
Misty SOLDwisch:
And his crew was so nice and neat and polite, and they just did an amazing job.
Heather Burnside:
And I’m assuming that that’s a part of your reputation as well, you don’t want to leave a home looking like it’s been in a war zone or that there’s any debris around or tracks in the yard.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep. So we do our best to try to get it cleaner than when we showed up. I’d always do the final inspection, and I do the final cleanup, that’s my responsibility at the end, along all the other stuff that I do. But I’m on the site, closing out every single job. And if there’s anything left over, any nails that I see, the guys are coming back.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Right. And your great reviews speak to what a wonderful job you do, don’t they?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yep, we love it, that helps us out quite a bit.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Angie’s List, I mean, it’s a great place to compare roofer, and you can see that-
Heather Burnside:
Well, and you can give him a testimonial now.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Absolutely, yeah. It looks fantastic, it just updated the exterior of our home, the look, so much. What have you found has been the most popular colors for roofing, Tim? What are people gravitating towards?
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Well, like we talked about before we started today, it’s the blacks with the white siding and the white exterior. But it seems we’ve been putting on a lot of black roofs.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Right.
Heather Burnside:
And that would seemingly, I would think you’re thinking maybe don’t go with black because it might absorb heat. But if the shingle is the right grade and a good quality shingle, that’s probably not the issue.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
Yeah, and geographically speaking, where we live, we’re right on the cusp of leaning towards a light roof versus a dark roof. We have more heating months, and this is what I’m told by the manufacturers, than we do cooling months. So your net savings is going to be leaning towards that darker roof than the lighter roof. And I think it’s between Des Moines and Kansas City, is kind of where the bubble, the cusp is there.
Heather Burnside:
I’ve learned a lot already today. Thank you again, it’s Tim Wolfswinkel from Des Moines Area Roofing. Make sure you give him a call. We would like to switch quickly to our featured property of the week, it is out in Urbandale and it’s a townhome.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Yeah, gorgeous townhome. They just had… It’s at 7044 Oak Brook Drive. It is this gorgeous little wooded neighborhood, but this home is going to be featured in Welcome Home Magazine in September because of a great update that they did. And it is just so contemporary and stylish. It’s got two bedrooms, but then office space and den space, and is 1704 square feet, plus a finished lower level.
Heather Burnside:
I’m looking, the fireplace is an amazing feature.
Misty SOLDwisch:
It really is. Beautiful flooring put throughout, and just a very contemporary kitchen with very high quality cabinetry. That’s why they decided to put it in Welcome Home Magazine.
Heather Burnside:
Yeah, the kitchen… It is, it’s a very modern look.
Misty SOLDwisch:
It is. And then, go out the kitchen through the sliders to the back deck, and it kind of feels like you’re sitting in a tree house, it’s just woodsy and private. Which is really a nice feature for a townhome because you don’t have to worry about the exterior maintenance, and yet you have great outdoor spaces.
Heather Burnside:
Yeah, just clicking through the pictures, this does look like a gem and not something you would expect from a townhome community.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Exactly. And this is listed at $279,991.
Heather Burnside:
Again, if you would like to check it out, it’s featured at soldincentraliowa.com. And you can, of course, always call Misty if you’re looking to buy or sell a home. We’re going to be back next week at 9:30 for the Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard. Again, thank you so much for joining us, Misty, Tim.
Misty SOLDwisch:
Thanks Tim.
Heather Burnside:
It’s been great.
Tim Wolfswinkel:
You bet, thank you.
Heather Burnside:
We’ll be back next week, and make sure you join us from the Morning Rush, tomorrow morning at 06:00, 1460 KXnO, now on 106.3 FM.