No more dreaming of the perfect property, it’s here now. Driving down private road thru large trees, you arrive at a spectacular one-of-a kind homesite. Sitting on 4+ excellently maintained acres +additional wooded acreage at south end this custom quality build contemporary home has all the features you could dream of and a few you never thought of. 4-5 BR, 3 car att. garage, 3 FP, 3.5 baths and a 3-level rear deck that will hold all the family for fantastic reunion or wedding photos. Main level has an open floor plan, LR w FP #1, DR, open kitchen + family area/informal dining. Primary BR (FP #2), w large WN shower, private water closet room, beautiful maple cabinetry w granite counters, and WN closet. Second private suite sits at other end of home, exercise room could be 5th BR, a 4-season sunroom walks out to side deck for sunsets. Work from home? need your private space? Spiral stairs lead to loft. Lower level w/daylight windows WO to patio/deck and massive manicured backyard. A dyno mite combination game room/home theater FP #3, BR 3 & 4, 1.5 baths, and laundry room round out the lower level. Still need more? Of course, there are facilities for all your toys. A 40 x 60 x 16 metal framed (concrete floor) building 12′ and 14′ doors tall enough for adding a lift plus heated area for winter tinkering. Still more! an additional building and a small coop. Owners have loved and maintained this home with newer zoned heat pump, roof, WH, water conditioner. CALL NOW!!
This article was originally published on Bankrate.com.
After a record-breaking run that saw mortgage rates plunge to all-time lows and home prices soar to new highs, the U.S. housing market finally started slowing in late 2022. Mortgage companies engaged in mass layoffs, real estate economists lamented a “housing recession” and home prices seemed poised for a correction.
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But a strange thing happened on the way to the housing crash: Home values started rising again. In fact, housing prices have increased for five months in a row, according to the latest Case-Shiller home price index. In another reflection of ongoing price increases, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says more than half of U.S. metro areas registered home price gains in the second quarter of 2023.
NAR reports that median sale prices of existing homes are near record highs. Home prices in July 2023 were up 1.9 percent year-over-year to reach $406,700 — the highest July median ever recorded, and only the fourth time any monthly median has eclipsed the $400,000 mark since NAR began keeping records. “The housing recession is essentially over,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.
Home values have held steady even as mortgage rates have soared past 7 percent, reaching their highest level in more than 20 years in August. The culprit is a lack of housing supply. Bidding wars have returned, and inventories remain frustratingly tight. “You’re not going to see house prices decline,” says Rick Arvielo, head of mortgage firm New American Funding. “There’s just not enough inventory.”
Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow, agrees about the supply-and-demand imbalance. Her latest forecast says home prices will keep rising into 2024 — welcome news for sellers but not so great for first-time buyers struggling to become homeowners. “We’re not in that space where things are suddenly going to be more affordable,” Olsen says.
Still, a rapid rise in mortgage rates and a sharp slowdown in home sales has some bracing for the worst. After the June 14 Federal Reserve meeting, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters he was keeping a close eye on the housing market. “Housing is very interest-sensitive, and it’s one of the first places that’s either helped by low rates or held back by higher rates,” Powell said in the press conference. “We’re watching that situation carefully.”
Housing economists and analysts agree, regardless, that any market correction is likely to be a modest one. No one expects price drops on the scale of the declines experienced during the Great Recession.
Is the housing market going to crash?
The last time the U.S. housing market looked so frothy was back in 2005 to 2007. Back then, home values crashed with disastrous consequences. When the real estate bubble burst, the global economy plunged into the deepest downturn since the Great Depression. Now that the housing boom is threatened by skyrocketing mortgage rates and a potential recession — Bankrate’s most recent expert survey put the odds at 59 percent — buyers and homeowners are asking a familiar question: Is the housing market about to crash?
Key housing market statistics:
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According to Bankrate’s national survey of large lenders, the average mortgage interest rate on a 30-year loan was 7.36 percent as of Aug. 23 — the highest level since December of 2000.
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Home sales fell 2.2 percent from June 2023 to July 2023, the National Association of Realtors says. The decline since July of last year was 16.6 percent.
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The nationwide median sale price in July 2023 was $407,600, the highest July median NAR has ever recorded.
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July saw a 3.3-month supply of housing inventory, up slightly from June but still well below the 5 to 6 months needed for a healthy, balanced market.
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A total of 31,877 U.S. homes had foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — in July 2023, according to the latest numbers from ATTOM Data Solutions. Maryland had the highest foreclosure rate of any state in July, at one foreclosure filing for every 2,071 housing units.
Housing economists agree that prices could fall, but the decline won’t be as severe as the one homeowners experienced during the Great Recession. One obvious difference between now and then is that homeowners’ personal balance sheets are much stronger today than they were 15 years ago. The typical homeowner with a mortgage has stellar credit, a ton of home equity and a fixed-rate mortgage locked in at a rate well below 5 percent — in fact, according to a June Redfin study, 82.4 percent of all current homeowners are locked in below the 5 percent mark.
What’s more, builders remember the Great Recession all too well, and they’ve been cautious about their pace of construction. The result is an ongoing shortage of homes for sale. “We simply don’t have enough inventory,” Yun says. “Will some markets see a price decline? Yes. [But] with the supply not being there, the repeat of a 30 percent price decline is highly, highly unlikely.”
Economists have long predicted that the housing market would eventually cool as home values become a victim of their own success. But, after decreasing year-over-year in February for the first time in more than a decade, the median sale price of a single-family home is on the rise again, with a 1.9 percent yearly gain in July per NAR.
Overall, though, home prices have risen far more quickly than incomes. That affordability squeeze is exacerbated by the fact that mortgage rates have more than doubled since August 2021.
Experts say prices to hold strong
While the housing market is indeed cooling, this slowdown doesn’t look like most real estate downturns. Despite prices being high, the actual volume of home sales has plunged, and inventories of homes for sale have fallen sharply, too. Homeowners who locked in 3 percent mortgage rates a couple years ago are declining to sell — and who can blame them, with current rates above 7 percent? — so the supply of homes for sale is even tighter. As a result, this correction will be nothing like the utter collapse of property prices during the Great Recession, when some housing markets experienced a 50 percent cratering of values.
Yun says high-priced regions such as California are most vulnerable to a downturn in prices. In fact, that is already playing out in notoriously pricey Bay Area markets like San Francisco, where the median sale price in July was down 8.2 percent year-over-year, and Oakland, which saw a 5.2 percent drop, according to Redfin data.
However, he says, “Even in markets with lower prices, multiple-offer situations returned in the spring buying season following the calmer winter market.” Overall, Yun expects national prices to remain flat.
5 reasons the housing market is not about to crash
1.) Housing economists point to five compelling reasons that no crash is imminent. Inventories are still very low: The National Association of Realtors says there was a 3.3-month supply of homes for sale in July. Back in early 2022, that figure was a tiny 1.7-month supply. This ongoing lack of inventory explains why many buyers still have little choice but to bid up prices. And it also indicates that the supply-and-demand equation simply won’t allow a price crash in the near future.
2.) Builders didn’t build quickly enough to meet demand: Homebuilders pulled way back after the last crash, and they never fully ramped up to pre-2007 levels. Now, there’s no way for them to buy land and win regulatory approvals quickly enough to quench demand. While they are building as much as they can, a repeat of the overbuilding of 15 years ago looks unlikely. “The fundamental reason for the run-up in price is heightened demand and a lack of supply,” says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst. “As builders bring more available homes to market, more homeowners decide to sell and prospective buyers get priced out of the market, supply and demand can come back into balance. It won’t happen overnight.”
3.) Demographic trends are creating new buyers: There’s strong demand for homes on many fronts. Many Americans who already owned homes decided during the pandemic that they needed bigger places, especially with the rise of working from home. Millennials are a huge group and in their prime buying years. And Hispanics are a growing demographic also keen on homeownership.
4.) Lending standards remain strict: In 2007, “liar loans,” in which borrowers didn’t need to document their income, were common. Lenders offered mortgages to just about anyone, regardless of credit history or down payment size. Today, lenders impose tough standards on borrowers — and those who are getting a mortgage overwhelmingly have excellent credit. The median credit score for mortgage borrowers in the the second quarter of 2023 was a high 769, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says. “If lending standards loosen and we go back to the wild, wild west days of 2004-2006, then that is a whole different animal,” says McBride. “If we start to see prices being bid up by the artificial buying power of loose lending standards, that’s when we worry about a crash.”
5.) Foreclosure activity is muted: In the years after the housing crash, millions of foreclosures flooded the housing market, depressing prices. That’s not the case now. Most homeowners have a comfortable equity cushion in their homes. Lenders weren’t filing default notices during the height of the pandemic, pushing foreclosures to record lows in 2020. And while there has been an uptick in foreclosures since then, it’s nothing like it was.
All of that adds up to a consensus: Yes, home prices are still pushing the bounds of affordability. But no, this boom shouldn’t end in a bust.
This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this paid post belong solely to the advertiser and do not represent the views of Brand Ave. Studios or its parent company.
As reported by WisPolitics.com, updating Wisconsin’s commercial building code to reflect more current international standards and add efficiency requirements could increase or decrease building costs, depending upon whom you ask. The code update would run the gamut on commercial building areas of design, such as wall insulation thickness, fire suppression systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and how much space there is around toilets. The Department of Safety and Professional Services in the Housing and Real Estate Committee argued code additions improve building safety, worker safety and material standards. Wisconsin would take up the International Code Council’s 2021 commercial building codes under the new rule. Wisconsin is currently on the ICC’s 2015 codes. Keller Vice President of Architecture and Engineering Steve Klessig, who spoke alongside ABC Supply spokesperson John Schulze, said the updates would increase costs for metal-frame buildings, a popular manufacturing facility design, by about 15 percent. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Fellow Mick Schwedler argued the changes would actually create an $800,900 energy savings in the first year and $340 million over the next 30. It would also make buildings more resilient to extreme weather events, he added.
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The maker of Ram, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler vehicles has set its sights on becoming the world’s top light-commercial vehicle company, but it’s going to face some major obstacles to get there, experts say.
Seeking to double its revenues by 2030 to more than $320 billion (300 billion euro), Stellantis has identified commercial vehicles as one of seven accretive business units. Other automakers, however, also are emphasizing the market: General Motors Co. launched the BrightDrop electric commercial van brand in 2021, and Ford Motor Co. — the leader in North America and Europe last year in LCVs, according to consultant Mordor Intelligence LP — has made its Ford Pro business a key piece of its growth strategy.
“For all three companies, these aren’t vehicles for fun,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst for the Americas at S&P Global Inc. “They’re something to the effect of the lifeblood of the company. We need these companies to get work done: to move transit, to keep the power on, to get the goods where they need to go, to get you when you need to get to the hospital. It’s not an understatement of what those vehicles are to our lives.”
That makes these commercial customers desirable. Plus, they’re likely early adopters as automakers face more stringent carbon-emission regulations. Delivery vans often are on consistent routes that reduce range anxiety risks. All-electric models can save on fuel costs.
Stellantis, which already sells electric and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans in Europe, will launch an electric Ram ProMaster commercial van in Mexico late this year as its first full EV in North America. Ford launched its electric E-Transit van last year. GM began production of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 in December, with the smaller Zevo 400 expected later this year.
Although electrification and other new technologies like data telematics and software represent a shakeup and present the potential for opportunity to capture market share, commercial customers tend to be fiercely brand-loyal. Additionally, Stellantis would need more production capacity to support leadership volumes in North America.
“Toppling Ford would be a big feat for anybody, especially No. 3,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions LLC, about Stellantis’ ambitions. “There’s a 2-to-1 advantage on the Transit to the ProMaster in the U.S. The F-series is also 2-to-1 over the Ram. That’s a huge hurdle to jump.”
The automaker declined an interview request to discuss how it plans to achieve its LCV goals, though The Detroit News spoke last week with Chief Software Officer Yves Bonnefont on the role software will play in that. Last year when announcing the automaker’s Dare Forward 2030 strategy, CEO Carlos Tavares said there will be 26 commercial launches globally by 2030, when Stellantis will have doubled LCV revenues with 40% all-electric sales. The presentation suggested Stellantis would hold a No. 1 “position” for commercial vehicles in North America by 2024.
Rental companies, governments and businesses make up fleet sales. They include upfitters like Winnebago Industries Inc., from whom Robyn Eller, 53, of Washington, Maryland, recently bought a new Travato, a camper van built in a high-roof Ram ProMaster. It’s made her camping experience better by not having to hook up a trailer, she said.
“I liked the styling of it better than the Ford Transit or the (Mercedes-Benz) Sprinter,” Eller said of the $134,000 purchase. “It’s comfortable to drive. It’s pretty good on gas. I feel like I’m escaping the day-to-day stresses.”
Stellantis’ U.S. fleet sales rose 67% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2023 with Ram posting a record for fleet sales for the first three months of the year. That was achieved despite a stop-sale for part of the quarter on heavy-duty trucks because of a fire-risk recall.
Automakers often resort to the fleet channel when they have an abundance of inventory, and Stellantis has more than 100 days of supply, said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for auto information resource Cox Automotive Inc. It’s an area that had been pushed aside in favor of retail sales amid the global microchip shortage, but people are traveling again, so rental companies are purchasing to make up for what they unloaded when business slowed from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Stellantis is still being restrained on incentives,” she said. “They may be offering some, but they are really going after profit per vehicle.”
Richard Palmer, Stellantis’ chief financial officer, said last month during a financial results call that the company felt comfortable with inventory levels in North America, though adjustments still were being made to the mix of vehicles available.
“All our commercial vehicle businesses are extremely strong, and we’re in a relatively similar position to Ford and fighting it out with them,” he said. “But global leadership in LCV, obviously, the strength that we have, and they have are slightly different. They have a very big position in pickup in North America. We are smaller than them, but we’ve been improving that over the last decade, so getting closer to them, and I think our new products will continue to help us to be very competitive in that area. And obviously, in Europe, and in South America, we have very strong positions on LCV.”
A representative for Ford Pro declined to comment on Palmer’s statement and Stellantis’ ambitions.
Challenges of fleet sales
Automakers themselves direct large fleet purchases, such as those to major rental companies. That makes existing relationships valuable, experts said. Stellantis’ electric ProMaster garnered attention with the announcement last year that Amazon.com Inc. will add thousands of the vans to its fleet annually under a multi-year agreement toward its carbon-neutral goal.
In addition to salespeople relationships, fleet owners, drivers and on-site mechanics have the equipment, parts and knowledge that often make them most comfortable with a particular brand, making them less likely to switch, Fiorani said.
Ram, though, has jolted the sector before. A more muscular 1500 pickup in the ’90s set the stage for it to be a major player, and its spinoff from Dodge in 2009 as the “Built to Serve” work brand today has propelled its growth, allowing it to compete with the Chevrolet Silverado’s U.S. volumes. The all-electric Ram 1500 REV that will launch late next year makes due on its commitment to outperform its peers in payload, charging speed, range and other key metrics, according to Ram’s figures.
Still, to produce at the level Stellantis is suggesting, it would need more production space. Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. told The News earlier this year that the company is investing $200 million in the Saltillo Van Assembly Plant in Mexico to expand capacity for both gas-powered and electric ProMasters. That’s expected to be completed at the end of 2024.
“Ford can build more than Stellantis can,” Brinley said. “To say they would outsell overall might be a tall order.”
Koval said the company had considered importing vans made in Europe to North America before the investment decision was made. He’s also suggested Ram is looking at a replacement for the discontinued smaller ProMaster City.
Stellantis indefinitely idled the former Jeep Cherokee plant in Belvidere, Illinois, ahead of contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers this summer. Analysts like Fiorani have suggested the automaker could build the REV there if it expects to have the volumes, though the timeline to make that decision is shrinking quickly. Meanwhile, Stellantis has been working with potential launch teams from the Sterling Heights and Warren Truck assembly plants where autoworkers currently build 1500s.
As automakers make the transition, battery technology and its cost will play an important role in the competitiveness of their offerings since batteries can represent 40% or more of the cost of an EV, said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of the Center Automotive Research in Duisburg, Germany.
“You have to find ways to make batteries cheaper and more competitive,” he said. “Stellantis invested three years ago in a manufacturing site of batteries. They aren’t just dependent on the battery manufacturer.”
Stellantis this week celebrated the inauguration of its first battery plant, which is in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France, through its joint venture with TotalEnergie SE and the Mercedes-Benz Group, Automotive Cells Co. It also has invested in startups for lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries.
For now, the gas-powered commercial vans available continue to sell at a “brisk” pace, dealers say, and supply remains constrained.
“We don’t get as many ProMasters as we’d like,” said Bill Golling, president of three CDJR dealerships in southeast Michigan, among others, of the full-size vans that start at $41,635. “Plumbers and carpenters and all of that are looking for them.”
Jim Walen, owner of CDJR of Seattle, says most of the vans are already sold by the time the delivery truck arrives at the showroom. Buyers are looking for electrified options, he noted, though he doesn’t expect to see the electric ProMasters until the middle or end of next year after Amazon gets its deliveries.
“I’m proud to represent the brand that has that relationship with Amazon,” he said. “There’ll be a halo effect swivel with the Amazon partnership. It’s a big order. That’ll mean strong demand for our vehicles and lots of sales for us in the not-distant future.”
Software’s advantages
An increasingly valuable element of managing fleets is data and connectivity that can allow managers to know where vehicles are, maintain them and communicate with drivers, said Bonnefont, Stellantis’ software chief. Those types of needs make a software LCV suite of services that Stellantis is developing a good fit.
The automaker next year will begin rolling out its new software platforms that will simplify a vehicle’s electric architecture, allow more of the vehicle to be updated over-the-air, offer an AI-backed cockpit and support more advanced automated driving. It’s, however, also looking for opportunities to update vehicles on the road already, Bonnefont said. Priorities include rerouting vehicles and correcting driving.
“It is a very classical, you manage your fleet, and you have to reroute,” Bonnefont said. “Instead of making phone calls to your drivers, you just find a convenient way to deliver information in the vehicle that is interacting with the driver.
“The other area we see a lot of transaction is everything that relates to the behavior on the roads. Companies want their fleets to be perceived as not having dangerous behaviors on the road, so you want to be able to support the policies in terms of safety and appropriate behaviors of the drivers on the road. There are many things we can do for that to help coach people and help them to understand the behaviors that are great ones, and which ones should not be encouraged.”
Ford has been developing telematics for more than a decade alongside other competitors. But Bonnefont believes Stellantis’ new software platforms will be leading in the space because of the automaker’s global volumes and how it will unite new vehicles to be updated altogether under a simplified system.
The access to the kind of information offered by these platforms is valuable to the customers these automakers service, Brinley said.
“It’s profits at the end of the day,” she said. “If you behave in one manner that makes your vehicle last longer, that is how your company works and makes money and improves on time.”
©2023 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Modern living in this custom Flagstaff home is proof you really can have it all! You’ll arrive to find a covered porch inviting you to reflect and appreciate the fantastic surroundings. Fine craftsmanship is on show at every corner inside where warm tones adorn 45-degree walls, and luxury vinyl flooring gleams under the soaring heights of the vaulted ceilings. A true chef’s paradise, the kitchen equips you with all Samsung appliances, including a built-in air fryer, smart fridge, pot filler, and a bespoke alder wood hood. Gorgeous soft-closing cabinetry, a farm sink, rich quartz countertops, and a multi-seater island with a ready KitchenAid stand complete this impeccable culinary space. Relax in the laid-back family room that sports a windmill fan and tailor-made media center with shelving for keepsakes. There’s Mohawk stain-resistant carpeting in your well-proportioned private retreats, all graced with marvelous views and ample closets. In the primary suite, an adjoining 4-piece ensuite highlights an oversized walk-in shower with waterfall heads, perfect for a rejuvenating shower after a long day. Expensive cedar wood and black metal fence line the perimeter of your sun-kissed backyard, providing welcome seclusion. Throw your worries to the wind as you bask in majestic mountain vistas. Other notable offers include spray foam insulation, an A/C unit, an attached oversized 2-car garage, and natural gas for low utility costs. Plus, explore the limitless potential of the rest of your land. Whether you want to bring your animals, nurture your green thumb, or further expand your real estate footprint, there’s plenty of space to let your imagination run wild. Come make this gem yours while the offer still stands!
A 1929 GEM of historical value with classic Dilbeck Style character & charm! This English Manor offers a stellar location bordering the world renowned “Gathering Place- A Park for All”, and close to Downtown Tulsa, the Midland valley & Riverside Trails, Utica Square shopping, Brookside, Sobo & Cherry St. Districts, Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods! New in 2021, a STATE-OF-THE-ART KITCHEN open to living areas featuring vast Quartz countertop space & storage, “LG Signature Suite” SS appl. including a dual fuel gas/induction range w/dble ovens, sous vide cooker, wine captain & island bar seating. A stately gas-log fireplace warms the intimate formal living. The dining room & den offer floor-to-ceiling windows providing ample natural light w/views of the park-like grounds & flag stone patio area complete w/outdoor grill, wood burning fireplace & POOL! Wood beam ceiling & doorway treatments add to the character along w/special, lead glass windows & hardware. Spacious primary suite added post 1929 w/high ceiling, bookshelves & storage, fireplace, dual closet space, private balcony deck & luxury bath w/dual vanities, jetted tub & sep. shower. Second bdrm suite w/vintage style bth & fireplace. Game room with flagstone flooring, “Sub-Zero” refrigerator, bar & full bath c/be first floor 5th bdrm with minimal adjustment. Stunning backyard Sycamore Tree of notoriety & unique wildlife. Wood, stone, & tile flooring only. 4 of 5 zones of A/C & Furnace units replaced with Lennox Brand, 2021+duct replacement. Electrical panel upgrade to service new kitchen “Vent-A-Hood”. New roof 2020. Finished basement office, craft space, or climate controlled storage approx. 347 sq. AP not in quoted footage.
Bring your horses and stay for life! This 3832sqft cabin boasts incredible year-round views of the Blue Ridge mountains, and features 21+/- acres with a 4-stall horse barn, fenced pastures, and a separate, secondary living space that would could provide additional income or space for extended family if desired.LandMetcalf Farm consists of two homes on two parcels totaling 20 +/- acres. The property is perimeter fenced with cross fencing, woven wire and high tensile fencing, and is ready for your horses, cows, donkeys, or anything else your heart desires! Already in place is a large barn, complete with 4 stalls, a tack room, equipment storage, and plenty of dry hay storage. While there is not a natural water source on the property, Metcalf Farms is connected to public water and has multiple spigots around the property for ease of use. ImprovementsThe main home is 3832 sq ft, and spans across three floors. On the main floor you’ll find the Primary bedroom with ensuite (complete with granite countertops and a jetted tub), featuring a vaulted ceiling and french doors that open up to stunning views of the Blue Ridge mountains and your own rolling pastures. Also on the main floor is a bonus room with a closet that could be used as another bedroom or an office space, laundry room, a living room featuring a stone fireplace (wood-burning), open-concept kitchen/dining area with granite countertops, and a second entertaining space. Upstairs you will find three additional bedrooms and a full bathroom. All three upstairs bedrooms feature vaulted/cathedral ceilings and gorgeous views of the mountains. In the basement level is a mother-in-law suite complete with an open living/dining space, bedroom, kitchen, full bathroom and stackable washer and dryer. The property also features an open-concept, 1980 doublewide mobile home with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. This home overlooks Table Rock mountain and has hardwood floors, and a level, fenced-in back yard. This home would make an excellent short or long-term rental property, or use it to bring a larger group together on the same property as the current owners do. Region & ClimateMorganton NC features the quintessential WNC weather. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 31°Fto88°Fand is rarely below18°For above95°F. The average annual rainfall is approximately 48 inches. LocationWestern North Carolina is considered a haven for those who love the outdoors! Metcalf Farms is 15 minutes from Lake James State Park, and one hour to Table Rock Mountain (though you can see it right from the property!) Morganton is approximately: 40 minutes to Asheville,NC 75 minutes to Charlotte, NC 2 hours to Greensboro, NC
When farmers need to expand their grain storage capacity, choosing the right storage solution requires intensive planning.
First, you must determine what bushel capacity you need and what your farm can accommodate.
Next, think about your current storage limits, what your future needs might be, your available footprint and budget, and if you’re limited by height restrictions or power capacity.
Once this legwork is complete, you can determine precisely which grain storage options match your needs. Here are a few things to consider when developing a grain storage strategy.
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Reasons to incorporate permanent grain storage structures
Most agricultural producers looking to add grain storage systems to their properties are considering permanent structures. Grain piles and temporary storage risk yield loss, while permanent structures protect crops and increase loading speeds.
Also, grain prices are typically higher during the marketing season than during the harvest, so successfully storing grain means more money for your hard-earned yield. Chief Agri’s domestic sales manager, Shad Singleton, frequently sees another compelling reason to shift to a permanent storage structure. “Often, it’s labor,” he says. “Farmers need to develop a facility that requires the least labor to operate.”
A Chief Agri solution for every operation
Chief Agri has served the agricultural community since 1961 and produces a full line of storage systems for grain and commodity crops that meet the needs of small farmers and commercial growers alike. From farm bins to hopper tanks and commercial storage bins, Singleton and Jose Meza, Chief Agri’s district sales manager for Iowa, know Chief Agri’s grain storage solutions inside and out.
Farm bins
Chief Agri produces a line of farm bins that are ideal for use on a small farm. Ranging in diameter from 15 feet, 6 inches to 49 feet, 6 inches, with heights ranging from 19 feet, 2 inches to 82 feet, 3 inches, there’s an option suited for your operation. “For many of our family-run farms, they’re limited on how many people they have during the harvest,” says Meza. “On-site storage gives you better access to quality storage, so farm bins save time for a small or mid-size farmer.”
Cutting corners to save money at the expense of storage capacity can cause issues in the long run. “Grain that’s safe in the bins is money in the bank,” Meza says. By storing the grains safely and effectively, you can ensure that you don’t run into issues with your yield down the line.
Commercial bins
Large commercial bins provide flexibility to accommodate the unknowns of fluctuating harvests and markets. Chief grain bins offer various roof options, including heavy-duty industrial roofs, to handle the farmer’s peak loading capacity, expected snow loads and other environmental conditions. “Most of these large systems are designed to be added onto easily,” says Singleton. “And you can respond to factors and trends that drive commodities.”
Hopper tanks
Chief hopper tanks are multi-use and engineered to provide long-term reliability. They give farmers a convenient way to load trucks, as grain can easily flow out of the bottom when opened into an auger. Depending on the grain’s moisture content and current conditions, you can add air to hopper tanks too. “Just one-tenth of a cubic foot per minute should be fine,” Meza says. However, they do have certain drawbacks. “You’re limited for bushel capacity,” says Meza. “They’re not as big, storage-wise, but farmers can do multiple tanks and use the same auger.”
Modular bin systems
Next in Chief’s diverse line of storage systems are their modular bins, used across multiple industries. Designed to store dry bulk materials, feed ingredients, aggregates and grains, these modular bins keep products dry and clean with easy gravity retrieval.
“We’re doing a huge kitty litter facility right now,” says Singleton. “Coffee, sawdust — it can be used in many sectors outside the grain industry.” With its modular design, there’s no limit to how many units you can combine into the ideal system for your operations.
Temporary storage
Nowadays, even temporary grain storage systems are more sophisticated than they used to be. Chief offers three temporary storage solutions, including retaining walls and grain pile systems. While temporary storage can provide flexibility and lower storage system costs, Singleton cautions against relying too heavily on them. “It’s extremely labor intensive to clean up,” he says, noting that the process requires numerous folks to run loaders and trucks simultaneously.
A personalized touch to grain storage solutions
Grain storage systems are complex and take careful planning. When you invest in a solution with Chief, you’ll get a partner you can turn to throughout the entire process.
Chief Agri has an extensive network of dealers throughout North America. Your local Chief Agri dealer will help you build a detailed master plan to cover your long-term grain storage needs.
“From start to finish, we’re involved and provide personal attention,” says Singleton.
For more information, visit agri.chief.com.
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Retired tight end Rob Gronkowski will put his football cleats back on for this year’s Super Bowl, but not for the reason that some fans may think.
The four-time Super Bowl champion is teaming up with FanDuel for the company’s first Super Bowl commercial, but this one will be filmed live on Sunday, Feb. 12. In the commercial, Gronkowski will attempt a field goal at an unknown distance. If he makes it, FanDuel bettors will split a prize pool of $10 million in free bets.
“Everyone knows that I love throwing myself into fun, love trying out new ideas,” Gronkowski said, via the Associated Press. “Obviously, I can catch a football. … Why not try to kick a field goal? And on top of it, I was punt, pass and kick champion in the western New York region when I was growing up, as well. So I love kicking field goals. I used to practice all the time.”
Gronkowski said he once made a 33-yard field goal in high school. Since that’s been quite a while for the 33-year-old, he decided to begin practicing with former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who holds NFL records with 599 field goals and 2,673 points.
“I’m not at the top of my game right now, but I actually have two training sessions coming up this week,” Gronkowski said. “I believe if you put your mind to anything, you can do anything. And I don’t want to disappoint America. … I’m going to have to train, but I feel like I’m going to be able to pull it off. It’s like fourth-and-1, game on the line. I like that pressure. I like the ball coming to me. And this is the same situation with the field goal.”
Gronkowski played 11 years in the NFL, nine with the Patriots and two with the Buccaneers. He played with quarterback Tom Brady during all of those seasons, winning four Super Bowls with the superstar quarterback.
Mississippi’s reading ‘miracle’ may need work to be sustained
In 2013, Mississippi passed the Literacy Based Promotion Act, which required all third graders to read at grade level to advance to the fourth grade. At the time, Mississippi’s reading scores were historically among the lowest in the nation. The state spent two years and $20 million preparing for the rollout of the program.
The program included intensive literacy instruction for third graders reading behind grade level.
Fourth grade reading scores in the state went from 49th in 2013 to 21st in 2022.
In 2013, Mississippi students were 9 percentage points below the national average. By 2022, it had exceeded the national average.
In 2022, at the fourth grade level, Mississippi’s lower-income children and lower-income Black children both outscored their peers nationwide by roughly one academic year.
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The results have been referred to as the “Mississippi Miracle” by the New York Times and the Associated Press, among others.
Los Angeles Times business columnist Michael Hitzik, citing the work of education bloggers Bob Somerby and Kevin Drum, recently suggested the success of Mississippi’s third grade reading gate program may not be the “Mississippi Miracle” it has been reported to be, based on a closer look at the data.
An end to the reading wars? More US schools embrace phonics
While we question some conclusions reached by Somerby, Drum and Hitzik, their data analysis revealed a bit of information worth following. While Mississippi fourth grade literacy scores now outpace the national average for both white and Black students, eighth grade literacy scores are far below the national average.
This suggests students who received intensive literacy instruction in third grade made only temporary gains, briefly besting their national peers in fourth grade but falling back behind in subsequent years.
That’s easy to understand: It’s reasonable to assume the conditions (socioeconomic status, family status, etc.) that caused the students to fall behind by the third grade persist beyond the third grade, despite the instruction.
The decision to implement this program at the third grade level was not random. Studies showed that a child who cannot read at grade level by third grade is unlikely to ever catch up. We suspect the same can be said for those not reading at grade level in fourth through twelfth grades too.
Yet there is no program — and certainly no additional funding — to reenforce what they learned through the intensive instruction they received in the third grade. The data suggest students may benefit from additional intensive instruction beyond the third grade year.
Mississippi’s commitment to improving reading shouldn’t begin and end in the third grade. We believe establishing some program along the lines of third grade gate for subsequent grades might truly change the landscape of public education in Mississippi.
By definition, a miracle is something that is inexplicable. We much prefer success built on commitment and resources.
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