Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

I don't use coupons much but since it's almost time to start working on my gardening again I start looking for good plant deals. I received an email about a special at Houston Garden Centers and thought I would pass it on.

http://ct.wkimailer.com/rd/cts?d=83-2623-1138-2346-321795-195378-0-0-0-1-2-322

 

You may think there is too much "pork" in the recently signed stimulus bill. Or perhaps too much spending or too may tax cuts. Its passage may offend your Keynesian or Monetarist economic views, and may, you believe, lead to the very demise of capitalism itself (OK, that may be going too far). You may not think we need a stimulus at all-that we should let the free market recover on its own. Whatever your political and economic viewpoint, if you believe our country's energy policy needs a fundamental change, and that energy efficiency and renewable energy can simultaneously stimulate the economy and help the planet, chances are you are excited about the green provisions of the bill.

To say the stimulus is big is an understatement. It is huge, colossal, gargantuan even. It is the largest spending bill the world has ever seen, which is a frightening proposition to say the least. However, if you can get past the staggering debt created by the bill, you'll find unprecedented subsidies for the energy sector. Here is an abbreviated summary of some of the energy-related provisions that can impact your real estate business:

• $6.3 billion for energy efficiency in multifamily housing getting federal assistance, such as HUD-sponsored low-income housing
• $5 billion to weatherize more than 1 million homes owned by "modest-income" families
• $4.5 billion to increase the energy efficiency of federal buildings
• $4 billion to repair and modernize public housing units
• $2 billion to increase the tax credit for hybrid cars to $7,500
• $1.4 billion for bonds to carry out state and local renewable energy and conservation projects
• $510 million to repair and modernize more than 4,000 Native American housing units
• $500 million to train workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy
• $300 million for consumer rebates for energy-efficient appliances
• $268 million to remove caps on a 30 percent residential credit for solar, wind, and geothermal
• $250 million to HUD to improve the efficiency of government-subsidized apartments

The New York Times released a detailed breakdown of the energy provisions here.

Interesting Facts About the $5 Billion Dedicated to Weatherization Assistance

• This amount could weatherize 1 million homes and, directly and indirectly, create 375,000 jobs.
• Low-income families will save an average of $350 annually from weatherization.
• Every investment of $1 billion in clean energy programs creates nearly 5,000 more jobs than traditional infrastructure spending.

As a real estate professional, you may be wondering how you can benefit from all of this spending. Here are a few suggestions:

You can always contact your state energy office and obtain information about their weatherization program. Once you have this information, how can you apply it?

Do you know someone on your lead list, or perhaps a past client, who could use some free insulation or some caulking around their windows? Why wouldn't you take the time to connect a potential client with free weatherization money for home improvements that will actually improve their comfort and quality of life?

When the time comes to sell their home, who do you think they are going to call? Mr. Big Shot REALTOR^® with the huge advertising budget? Or the considerate agent who thoughtfully took the time to help make their winter a little more comfortable?

Maybe you've already helped a family move into a green home, or have helped them retrofit it. You already know that green topics are important to them, so why wouldn't you tell them about the $7,500 tax credit for purchasing a plug-in hybrid vehicle?

Do they already have a hybrid? Tell them about the rebates for energy-efficient appliances.

Even better, how about informing them about the removal of the 30 percent cap on residential solar systems? Combine this credit with local incentives currently offered by a number of states and your clients can start producing their own energy for around 1/4^th of the sticker price. Now that's exciting!

Whatever the scenario, you should know that your competition will be putting the stimulus to good use. How will your business benefit? Start planning today.

 -------------------------------------------------------

Sources:

http://www.lohud.com/article/2008902120479

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/02/12/what-stimulus-bill-can-and-can%E2%80%99t-do/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2009/02/an-8000-tax-cre.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOG3Yk-jwqgGCWnZ__ek2Tktc7lgD96AR08G2

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/02/13/what_the_789b_stimulus_would_do_for_consumers/

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/recovery_plan_captures.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aygJM54SPDUE&refer=home

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-trillion-Senate-Fed-apf-14315831.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/energy/22977/

http://projects.nytimes.com/44th_president/stimulus/energy

 

                                

 

 

Come take part of a community event to clear up Clear Creek, every Saturday and Sunday in  February  2009 from 8:00 AM to 2 PM.
At the FM 270 Boat Ramp.  The FM 270 Boat Ramp is located under the Clear Creek Bridge on Hwy 270 between Nasa Parkway and Hwy 518.

Participants will gather trash along the shorelines and need to be prepared on how to dress for the day.

This effort covers 26 miles of shoreline from Kemah to Friendswood. This is considered one of the biggest clean-up efforts by 1000's of volunteer collecting tons of trash and restoring marsh land brining the 600 bird species back here at different times of the year.

For more information please click on this link.

To know what to wear and expect click on this link.

 

 

              

 

Being in the Interior Design and Home Staging world, I know a lot about paint. I suppose that I began to take it for granted that everyone knows what low VOC and Zero VOC paints are. Silly me!

Today I'm going out on a paint color consultation. When speaking with my client on the phone I asked her if she had a preference for low or zero VOC paints. She had no idea what that meant. --- No, she didn't ask me if it stood for "very odd colors" ... that was just for my fun title --- Well, I could certainly understand her lack of knowledge. She doesn't do this for a living and may not be an obsessive watcher of HGTV nor spend endless hours perusing designer magazines extolling the virtues of eco friendly products. But imagine my surprise when recently I contacted a paint contractor who shook his head in puzzlement when I told him the brand and color my client had chosen and instructed him to have it mixed in that vendor's zero VOC paint. Well, if a paint contractor is clueless about these eco friendly choices, we have quite a job ahead of us in continuing to educate people about the options that will be better for our planet and better for our health.

Did you know that indoor air is 3 times more polluted than outdoor air, and that according to the EPA, it is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health? Yikes!! Paints and finishes are among the leading causes of this pollution. So, whether your client will be living with their choices, painting prior to selling, or you are a broker explaining to a buyer what the advantage is of a house painted in non-toxic paints,  ... we have a great opportunity to get the word out.

I won't bore you here with all the details of what constitutes "low" vs. zero VOC, but for those of you who would like more info, here's a great informative link with explanations of the types of paint and links to lots of brands.

eartheasy.com

Pangaea is an interior designer and home stager passionate about modern design and eco friendly design, based in Portland, Oregon. You can find out more about me at Pangaea Interior Design

Tropical Curb Appeal: Choose Colorful Crotons!

One of my favorite tropical plants that packs a serious color punch are Crotons. Adding these bright plants to your yard or interior space can create a dramatic eye catching effect that will turn buyers heads.

Crotons or Codiaeum variegatum are native to the Pacific Islands and are prodigiously grown through out Polynesia. Very popular in Kama'aina gardens here in Hawaii, Crotons have only recently (last 20 years or so) found their way into interior spaces as potted plants. Crotons grow to heights of 5' to 6' and are stocky colorful shrubs. The firm waxy leaves sprouting in tight pinwheel fashion, turn from a dark green to a kaleidoscope of colors; ranging from dark red to bright pink with, purples, oranges, and yellows. Croton leaves are sensitive to light intensity and show best in part shade environments as full sun fades the coloring.

What makes Crotons a stagers dream is that the leaves can be rooted and placed in an arrangement that lasts for 2 to 3 months. Such easy maintenance is ideal for home staging and the bright colors add a powerful pop to interior decor.

Draw backs : some varieties will ooze white sap, if the leaves are torn or punctured, and it can stain fabric. Also If you move an outdoor plant inside you may lose leaves if the lighting decreases so try to find a space in the home that shares similar light to it's former outdoor environment.

 

 

Croton Varietals : 'Banana', 'Gold Dust', 'Mammy', 'Norma', 'Petra', 'Sunny Star'.  Petra is the varietal shown here.

 

Crotons can dress up those unsightly utility pipes and still allow plenty of room for access.

 

JDS Consulting- Staging Hawaii nei! Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Visit our Blog: Questions for Kimo: Decor Design & all things Hawaiian- www.RealEstateDesignOnLine.com  tel.+1.808.344.1264  Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

Going green in the country is nothing new – country folk have been doing it for centuries.  However, they haven’t done it alone – those of us who live in the country have partners in living the green rural lifestyle, and I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them. 

 

 

 

 

Our organic pest control managers are pictured at right.  That’s right, chickens.  Free range chickens on our place most years cut the fly population down to, oh, four or five house flies a year.  And that’s considering that we have horses and cows! (More on them later.)  They run around and take care of the fly larvae before they have a chance to turn into flying menaces. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our cats and dogs are also members of this team.  The dogs keep predator pests such as raccoons and possums away; the cats are on rodent and rabbit patrol and do an excellent job of keeping the place vermin-free.  (The only rats or mice I've seen in a decade are those that the cats bring to me to demonstrate what a good job they're doing to earn their keep.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other members of our organic pest control squad are goldfish.  We keep the watering tanks stocked with goldfish, who not only keep them algae free, but also assure that no mosquito larvae escapes to drink our blood.  Native fish in the creek and pond serve a similar function. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our cows and horses and donkeys are our mowing and fertilization team.  Because of them, we don’t often have to shred the fields, using precious diesel, and they daily produce fertilizer for those same fields.  They are aided by the chickens, of course, when we clean out the coop and use the contents to improve the soil for the vegetable garden.  (Amazing stuff – plants grow twice as large, sometimes, when that fertilizer is used to enhance the soil.  The cows of others also contribute when we have our hay pasture fertilized using soil biology through Sustainable Growth Texas, and we’ve found that weedkilling with chemicals is no longer necessary using soil biology.

 

 

 

 

 

These are just a few of the partners we have in going green in the country. When moving to your place in the country, don't forget your partners!