Mr. and Mrs. Kraus Blog

I first made this website so that I could share information about our upcoming wedding.  Three years have passed, and over time the website has evolved to fulfill two purposes:

1. A place for me to experiment with and learn about web topics, like WordPress, Google Adsense, etc.

2. A way to share my thoughts and what’s new with family and friends (and occasionally share something I’ve learned about).

When I first started blogging, I got lots of comments from a few people.  But over time, the comments have become non-existent.  So I have to ask:  Is there anybody out there?

What I’m saying is, if nobody reads this anymore, it’s pretty pointless for me to continue with the current theme of this website.  Probably, Facebook is just as good as anything to spend the time sharing what’s new.

So here is what I’m asking:  If you read this blog fairly regularly, meaning, if you check it periodically, or if you read ALL of my articles because they just pop up in your Google Reader, then do me a favor buds!  If you read the articles in Google Reader, click the link to come to the site.  Once you are here, leave me a comment.  It doesn’t have to be very much, but I sure would enjoy hearing what you thought.  If you are on the home page, there is a link to leave a comment near the top of the article.  If you are on the page for a specific article, then you should find a comment form at the bottom of the article.

Thanks!

Chad Kraus

Dad and Kathy visited during the week of my birthday, and we worked the real estate scene. We spent a good Saturday looking at homes online and then driving by each one. From there we decided which ones we wanted to see. I let my REALTOR know, and he made the appointments for Monday after work. After seeing our top 4, two of them were purchase-worthy. Mrs. Kraus and I decided which one we preferred and we made an offer. After some good negotiating, we got it done by Tuesday evening, and the closing is set for the end of June.

Dad and Kathy were an awesome help during the whole search. They have a lot of experience with real estate. Here are some of the things I learned:

1. Be practical. Make a list of the things you want in a home and be sure the one you buy has the most important features. But don’t overspend. Don’t buy too much house. Staying practical might mean conceding one or two things you’d like to have, but don’t necessarily need.

2. Start looking low in the price scale and work upwards as needed. We started with the lower priced homes to see what it could get us. When we realized that a price range just wouldn’t get us what we needed, we upped the range by $10,000 increments until we found our price range.

3. Keep maintenance in mind. What about the house is already done? Have they recently redone the siding or roof? What is the condition/age of the AC unit and furnace? If these things are new or recently replaced, that’s money you won’t have to spend anytime soon. A house might seem like a great buy, but if there are 10’s of thousands of dollars in maintenance coming up in the near future, you might think again.

4. Don’t fall in love. You should never decide you can’t live without a house until it’s officially yours. In this market you can find a home you’ll love for a great deal. Your first offer might be rejected or you might lose the home to another buyer. Don’t over-pay or fall prey to a bidding war because you fell in love too soon. Be willing to move on to the next house. Chances are, your willingness to walk away might just land you the home you wanted for a lower price.

It was a great week. We learned a lot and had fun looking. A very heartfelt thanks again to my parents for their help and advice, and to my REALTOR Russ for being available when needed and for making things happen (he spent a lot of time with us this week).

Chad Kraus Dad, real estate

Remember that painting of Al’s I mentioned I like? Mrs. Kraus likes it too– so we bought it!

Reminds me of fly fishing last summer

It reminds me of last summer when Mrs. Kraus and I camped at Whitewater State Park. The banks of the trout stream were really wide, so it was easy to cast my fly rod. It was so nice I fished for hours and got blisters. But they were the good kind of blisters!

Chad Kraus camping, fishing, Waggie Art

Happy Easter everyone! Mrs. Kraus and I sure enjoyed seeing the family we saw today, and miss the rest of you all very much.

On Friday evening, we went to Good Friday service. I read the part of Jesus in readers theater. I’ve never done anything very theater-like before so I was a little nervous. Truth be told, I think I… blacked out. I don’t really remember it at all. After all my lines were done, I tried to think back on how it went and I couldn’t. After the message, we took communion and nailed pieces of paper with our sins written on them to one of three full-sized crosses up front. It was very powerful to witness people going up and nailing these to the cross, with the loud banging echoing through the sanctuary.

Saturday I plowed through the rest of book 2 of the Harry Potter series and halfway through book 3. Mrs. Kraus got me reading them. I told her it would never happen, but she showed me I guess. It started out as a deal we made. I said, “I will read a Harry Potter book if you read a Left Behind book.” She agreed and so I started in on book 1. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it and think they are a lot of fun to read. She hasn’t started a Left Behind book yet, and instead decided to re-read some of the Harry Potter books. Unbelievable….

This morning we went to Easter Sunday service, which was very nice, and then went to Grandma J’s for lunch. The food was awesome and it was nice to see everyone there. Soon we’ll be headed to my mom’s for supper. Grandma’s had ham AND turkey, and mother will have pot roast I believe. Mmmm.

We are looking forward to seeing more family next weekend at the shower. See some of you then!

Chad Kraus holidays, Mrs. Kraus