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A Modern Day Love Story




You know those spine-tingling breath-taking make your heart melt fairy tale love stories? Well this house has one, only it really happened, and YOU can supply the happy ending if you are in the market to purchase a house, or know someone who is.

It’s a common belief that there is an enormous difference between ad “house” and a “home.” The story behind this property, located at 10438 Madison Street, was a spark that was bright enough to turn this house into a home, already full of love.

The story begins over 20 years ago when Leah, a child with Down syndrome, moved into the house with the rest of her family. Shortly thereafter, another child in the neighborhood, Mark, who also happened to have the same condition, befriended Leah. They were inseparable, until a few years later when Mark was forced to move to Texas due to his parents’ careers. Sadness and heartbreak ensued for both Leah and Mark.

During this most recent Christmas, Mark showed up at Leah’s doorstep – a Christmas miracle? Perhaps. Regardless, Mark shared the news that his parents were being transferred back to the Omaha area, and he wanted to stop by and visit Leah. At this moment it became apparent that Leah and Mark were destined for one another. Even after nearly 20 years, the two emanated a feeling of love that couldn’t be denied by anyone in the room.

Mark had been living in a community home specializing in the care of adults living with Down syndrome in Texas, called Down Home Ranch. Arrangements were made soon thereafter for Leah and Mark to be married, and live as a happy couple at Down Home Ranch. Then, it was all a matter of time before they were man and wife.

The story doesn’t end there. As an even larger gesture of love, Leah’s parents decided to pack up and move down to Texas and act as a local support system for the two newlyweds. Even after taking out an additional mortgage, contributing sweat and money into a second addition on the home, and maintaining perfectly good careers in Omaha, Leah’s parents, Mike and Cindy, sacrificed it all to show their love and support.

This isn’t some ploy to get a buyer to fall in love with the house – let’s be real, it may be a magical love story, but is it enough to sell a home? The answer is: it is just an even larger indicator that the home with bring good fortune, especially with a brand new addition, beautiful granite countertops, tons of space (four or five bedrooms) and a full rec room and media room… incredible!

This house probably doesn’t even need an amazing story of love and sacrifice to help get it sold, but it anyone who has a heart can see that Mike and Cindy are people who are willing to give up everything for people they love, and who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by good karma like that?

This story just goes to show that true love is never lost, and people are good at heart. Help this family out by taking a look at their amazing property. Furthermore, donations are always needed and welcome at both Down Home Ranch (http://www.downhomeranch.org/), as well as the Omaha Down Syndrome Parents Network (http://www.odspn.org/).

As always, if you have any question at all, or are interested in the home, feel free to contact me by phone (402.680.2500) and anytime by email at bill.black@cbshome.com.

The Steps to Building a New Home Part 3




Building a Home Part 3 - Preventing Water Damage Before Your Home is Built

Few things can ruin a home quick than unwanted water. It is important to build a strong defense against water seeping into your house when you lay the initial foundation of your home. There are a few fundamental things that are done while a home is being built to prevent water damage from causing harming your home in the coming years.

Water Prevention on the Ground

There are two ways water can get into your home: water coming from the outside (for example, through a rain storm or a water hose) or from the ground up. When water comes in through the ground up, it comes up through the floor. This is commonly seen in a basement.

The best way to control and prevent water from coming up into your home is to put in a drain tile system while building the house to prevent water from coming from the ground up. The drain tile system dumps into a pit area that was dug before pouring the foundation. Large four inch plastic drain pipes direct the water in the ground to the pit. Once in the pit, the water gets pumped back outside through the sump pump.

Water Prevention in the Walls

When waterproofing a home, the brick foundation is tarred to prevent any water from coming back into the home. The tar is actually sprayed onto the brick to waterproof it. Any place that will come into contact with dirt (and consequently water) should be tarred to prevent water from getting into the home.

Controlling Water Flow

When you have a basement dug out for your new home, the dirt should be redistributed as a backfill around the house. It is vital to make sure that the dirt slopes away from the home to prevent water from coming back into the home and pooling. It needs to drain off to the side and then off to the front or the back of the lot. If sloped incorrectly, your home will be a catch all for rainfall and it will create a tremendous problem for years to come.

There are a number of factors to take into consideration when it comes to preventing moisture and water problems when building a new home. What happens to the water in the ground, how well the water is kept out by the house’s walls, and ultimately controlling the water flow are all factors that should be considered when building a home. Keeping your home dry will preserve your home for years to come.

The Steps of Building a New Home Part 2



Building a house is a time intensive, detail oriented process that is often completely unknown to the future homeowner. In our last blog post, we discussed finding the perfect lot. Now, we will talk about what happens early in the process once you find that dream lot. These steps literally lay the foundation for the type of home you will have for years to come.

Dig a Little Deeper

Once you select your lot, the process of building your house usually starts rather quickly. First, your house will be staked. The staking of the house physically lays down the boundaries for the house for the next phases of the house building process.

Once staked, an excavator comes in and physically cuts out portions of the ground where your house will sit. This generally goes down a few feet into the ground. This allows your home to sit securely on a flat surface.

Building a Firm Foundation

Once dug, the footings for your new home will be put down. These have reinforcing rebar in it. Rebar used in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures. It is usually formed from carbon steel, and is given ridges for better mechanical anchoring into the concrete.

Once the footings are in, the actual foundation will be built. At this time, the drain tile will be put in. Drain tile is one of your home’s most important defenses against water damage. Drain tile combined with your foundation's cement footer channels water away from your foundation to prevent seepage into the basement through cracks in the structure.
Once the drain tile is in, the backside of the foundation will be tarred. The process of tarring creates a water barrier that keeps water and dampness out of your home.

Once a firm foundation is built, this sets the stage for a quality home to be built. The builder can set up the steel and framing for the house at this time. Not cutting corners in this early and seemingly simply step of building a great foundation is crucial. It can mean the difference between a great, secure home and one that never lives up to your expectations and gives you headaches for years to come.

As we discussed previously, it is vitally important that you find the right lot. Once you find the perfect lot for your new home, the excavation and foundation of the home is essential to creating the home that you want that not only looks great but is also well built.