THE REAL ESTATE ECOBLOG

Rebate Program for Energy Efficient Appliances

A new rebate program for energy efficient appliances aimed at encouraging homeowners to get rid of old appliances and replace them with new energy efficient models. This program is a $300 million federal government stimulus plan. You can get a government stimulus incentive rebate of up to $300 by purchasing home appliances with the energy star rating like air conditioners, washer/dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and HVAC units. Each state will have it's own policy on how to implement this program.  As of now, Minnesota is expected to offer $100-$200 cash rebates on refrigerators, laundry machines and dishwashers as soon as the plan is approved by the Department of Energy. 

Minnesota:
Funding-$5,008,803

Rebates: $100-$200

Refrigerator-$200
Dishwasher-$150
Clothes Washer-$200
Air Conditioner-To Be Decided

For more specific information read the "Smart Spending: Federal Appliance Rebate Launch" or visit Waters Realty.

Energy Tax Credits for Home Improvement!

 Need to make improvements to your home?  Want to bring down costs this winter?  Here is a little incentive to help you along the way!  Did you know that the federal government is offering tax credits to individuals who make certain energy efficient improvements to their home?  Here are the specifics from the US Department of Energy: "Consumers who purchase and install specific products such as energy -efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes can receive a tax credit for 30% of the cost up to $1,500 for improvements "placed in service" starting January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010."  This winter a little to soon?  As you see the credits are offered through December of 2010!

For more info or coupons to Lowe's to make these improvements send me an email at cherikuhn@watersrealtymn.com or give me a call at 612-865-9150!

Carfax Reports For Your House

Yes that's right.  You can now buy a history report for your home.  This program is brought to you by EDR.  EDR's Neighborhood Environmental Reports work much like the Carfax program.  It highlights any past issues or concerns that were recorded either with a state agency or insurance company.  With the level of seller disclosure continuing to slip away this is another way to protect yourself from unwanted and potentially large issues with a home you are purchasing.

For example: suppose the septic was installed 30+ years ago and has never been updated.  Would you want to know about this ahead of time, prior to closing?  Or the well was never capped, there was a chemical spill that was never properly cleaned up...All of these are potentially large bills to correct.  The current seller may not know of or not want to disclose these problems.  Or in today's market you are buying a property from a bank and it is sold as is with no disclosures! 

Although this program is still new, it has huge potential to protect both the buyer, seller, and REALTOR from unexpected costs and problems.  Personally I think this is a great idea.  One of the aspects of my business is representing investors who purchase foreclosed homes, do extensive remodeling and then sell the home again.  This report could take some of the guess work out of potential problems down the road...

If you would like more information feel free to give me a call or email.  You can always visit me at www.watersrealtymn.com.

Is a Large House Taboo?

It used to be that living in a large two story in the suburbs with your family was an ideal a lot of American families strove for.  Is that beginning to change?  According to a recent article in E the Environmental magazine it is.  They previewed some people who are choosing homes under 1000 finished square feet.  Is this the newest real estate trend?  Undoubtably, the real estate market has gone through some major changes in the last few years.  Changes that were sorely need both from a regulatory aspect and from a pricing perspective.  The view that we need to consume more and have more had a drastic effect on the housing market.  Years ago people treated their homes as an investment and moved only few times in a lifetime but in the last 10 years or so that changed to every three to five years.  Housing began to look like a commodity not an investment especially with the availability of sub-prime loans and easy credit.  Now it seems people are migrating back to city centers and if the recent article in E The Environmental Magazine argued choosing homes that are under 1000 sq ft.  Is this something you would consider?  Could you live in under 1000 sq ft?  Perhaps with a good architect to maximize space?  I would love to hear what you think.

Anyway please feel free to call or email me with any questions or you can visit my website.

Tips on Gardening Green

This year I made a special effort to be even more environmentally conscience than in previous years with my gardening. Including planting native species and recycling the containers my plants come in. Did you know most greenhouses will reuse them If you bring them back? One important aspect to being Green is paying attention to the packaging of the items we buy!

While at the greenhouse I came across a new product called EcoBales which virtually eliminates the plastic packaging most mulches come in. Mulch is a fairly easy way to not only keep your garden free of weeds but it also keeps the moisture in the ground and helps reduce water waste from evaporation. Both very important aspects of caring for our environment.

I hope everyone is having a great Spring!

What do all the Buzz Words Mean?

The Star Tribune recently featured a section called "Green Living" in the section they talked about Buzz words and what they mean.  Below is a quick reference of common green terms gathered from the Star Tribune, Real Simple, and EcoBroker.com.

Sustainability: refers to the ability of a product to meet current needs without hurting future generations.

Footprint: refers to the effect your life has on the Earth.

Carbon Footprint: refers to how much carbon your lifestyle puts into the Earth's atmosphere.

Ecological Footprint: refers to the amount of food and water you use

Environmentally Friendly: is a manufactorers claim but has no oversight or regulation, it is used to imply that a product or its packaging is in some way beneficial or harmless to the enviroment

Greenwash: is disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.  Used to describe the exaggeration or overstatement of the "green" or "enviromentally friendly" attributes of a product or service.

Payback Period: amount of time it takes for operating costs (energy and maintenance) savings to make up the difference in the purchase price, or the point at which the return on investment turns positive.

Life Cycle Cost: is the purchase price plus operating cost considered over the product's estimated lifetime.  If an energy efficient product costs more to purchase but saves money on each utility bill, its cost over its lifetime may be less than the competing less efficient product.

These are just a few terms in the Green lifestyle.  Obviously there are more but this gives a good glimpse at a few.  If you have any questions please feel free to call Cheri Kuhn at 612-865-9150 or email me at cherikuhn@watersrealtymn.com.  You can also visit my website at Waters Realty for more information!

"Cool" Roofing???

What is "Cool" Roofing? I had to do a double take when I recently read this article about "Cool" Roofing.  I am pretty up to date on building technologies and I am familiar with green roofs, but "Cool" Roofing....never heard of it.  I was really surprised to learn how easy and energy efficient it truly is.

"Cool" Roofing is where you replace your current roof or shingles with sustainable materials that will reflect the sun's heat back up to the sky.  The coolness is measured in two parts: solar reflectance and thermal emittance.  The idea is to make a sustainable roof that can last 30 year or more!  Not bad considering right now in Minnesota roofs typically need to be replaces every 15 to 20 years!  The Slate Roofing Contractors Association reports that sea green slates can last anywhere from 110 to 120 years, and work great with "Cool" Roofing.

For more info or to view up to date listings please visit Waters Realty on the Web! or call Cheri Kuhn at 612-865-9150, your local EcoBroker!

Solar Power Funding

I subscribe to E The Environmental Magazine.  I highly recommend this magazine for anyone looking to reduce their carbon footprint!  In the recent edition (May/June2008) they had an awesome article about Berkeley California.  As one can imagine Berkeley is a hot bed for environmental change and thinking outside the box.  This article forcused on the new program that has been initiated by the city.  The city is now offering to pay for homes to obtain and install solar panels through loans that are then added to their property tax bill and repaid over 20 plus years!  This offers an affordable way for people to conserve energy, reduce their utility bills, and overcome the upfront price hurdle of switching to solar power!

I was amazed at the ingenuity of this program and how not only does it offer an affordable way to handle the upfront cost of solar but it also make going solar affordable for everyone.  Now if only we can get Minnesota Cities to follow suit!

For more info or to view up to date listings, please visit my website at Waters Realty MN.  or you can call Cheri Kuhn at 612-865-9150, your local EcoBroker!

Maintenance and Your Carbon Footprint

Renewable enery and carbon footprint are buzz words in the green movement but what do they mean?  and how do you make a difference without radically making over your life?  It is easy to talk about solar, wind, and renewable energies but how do you really reduce your consumption?  These questions are being found in magazines, on the web, and even on television.  It is now hip to be green!  Below are some tips on how make changes in your life that will stick.  Changing your energy consumption is like being on a diet you need to make small changes upon small changes and overtime they become big changes.  It is really easy to change everything right away but odds are it will not be long before you are discouraged and ready to quit.

Maintaining your home for maximum energy efficiency is both rewarding to the pocket book and to our lives.  Check out these how to lists for ideas and visit Realtor.com for more great ideas!

1) Changing your furnance filter on regular basis can drastically improve your furnaces energy efficiency.

2) Draining your water heater at least once a year can prolong its life and make it run more efficiently.

3) Replace all your light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs and reduce your lighting bill by up to 50%. These bulbs require up to 75% less energy and produce 75% less heat.  They also last upto 10 years!

4) Close drafts in your home, these drafts can decrease energy efficiency by as much as 20%

5) Unplug appliances and electronics when they are not in use!  Even though the appliance may be turned off it will still draw energy and did you know that 75% of the energy used by various appliances is used when they are turned off?

6) Lastly, want to make even more of an impact?  Have an energy audit conducted on your home and find out where you can do some make cost efficient improvements! 

Are you not sure where to start on all of these or need to find and energy auditor?  Give me a call at 612-865-9150 or visit my website at www.watersrealtymn.com.