THE REAL ESTATE ECOBLOG

Little Known Home Recipes From The Early 1900's (Part One)

In my constant strive to learn and grow in my sustainable lifestyle, I have taken to cooking most of our meals at home.  Now for those of you who know me, this is no small feat, so I try to keep my mind as open as possible to all ideas.   I am always on the lookout for new or old forgotten ideas on cooking, cleaning, in general keeping a good house!  

Today as I was looking through my great grandmothers church cookbook from the early 1900's.  I came across a section titled helpful hints, below are a few I am sure you have not  heard of.  Now I have not specifically tried them but I cannot imagine a small town Nebraska Woman sending them into the town church if they did not work!  Imagine the shame!

1) A pinch of soda added to any boiled syrup will keep it from crystallizing

2) Soaking rust stains in boiling Rhubarb Juice will generally remove the worst kind of spots without injury to the material

3) Spilled to much salt in the soup?  Slice a raw potato into it and let boil for five or six minutes.  Then remove the potato and the salt comes with it!

4) A quick easy way to clean bathroom walls is to fill the tub with very hot water.  Let the room steam for about five minutes, then wipe the walls and ceiling with a dry cloth

and my favorite!

5) To remove dog hairs from upholstered furniture wipe with a piece of dampened chamois.  They come right up!

That's all for now.  Look for the next post for more great tips!

New Program to Help Homeowners:

The Obama Administration is desperate to help homeowners with a new program after getting somewhat lackluster results from the mortgage industry overhaul and the loan modification programs that are already out there. Because it is clear that more needed to be done, there is a program in place now that will pay homeowners to sell for less than what they actually owe while giving them a little cash on top of that. This program is ready to begin on April 5th through a short sale process. The problem is- will the mortgage and banking industries be willing to forgive the difference between what is owed and what the house will sell for through a short sale? 
To help that this program is very beneficial to the homeowners that find themselves facing foreclosure. With this program the bank that holds the mortgage will get $1,000. Another $1,000 can go towards a second mortgage if the house has one against it. The government will also be giving the homeowners in this situation $1,500 in what they are calling relocation assistance. Another upside to this program is that they will get an assurance from the lender that they won't later be taken to court for the unpaid mortgage balance. 
For a long time short sales have been thought of as lengthy and complicated. Many lenders tend to shy away from them. Will this stream lined process now be the one to help our struggling real estate market and discouraged homeowners?

Video Marketing and Mortgage News Designed for Mortgage and Real Estate Sales

This video gives an alarming reasoning behind the banks unwillingness to do short sales and loan modifications.  This is one bank example, you have to think that it is not just this one!

Video Marketing and Mortgage News Designed for Mortgage and Real Estate Sales.

Interested in Purchasing a HUD home?

Did you know that in order to purchase a HUD home (thats a home owned by Housing and Urban Development Agency or in other words an FHA foreclosed home) you need to work with approved brokers. What is an approved broker you ask?  Well it is a Real Estate Broker who has filed with the Housing and Urban Development Agency and approved to represent buyers in their purchases.  Waters Realty is proud to be a HUD approved broker and the opportunities are amazing right now.  Did you know you could purchase a HUD home for as little as $100 down?  That is right.  And quite a few homes qualify for a special type of financing that helps with the necessary repairs to the home.  This money can also be used for Energy Improvements!  Interest rates are expected to rise at the end of March and the tax credit is over on April 30th.   You do not want to wait to long and miss out on the best homes!

Give Waters Realty a call or shoot us an email!

Real Estate in and Around the Twin Cities

Tax Credits for Energy Improvements!

 It is that time again! People start thinking about filing taxes and possible refunds. One important thing to think about is putting some of your refund back into your home to save on your energy costs throughout the year. For homeowners it is the gift that keeps on giving. Before making any decisions about where to put the money, one important step to take is to do a Home Energy Checkup. You can find a worksheet for this at the Department of Energy website. It will look at five basic groups:
1.) Climate
2.) Equipment
3.) Fuel Cost
4.) Efficiency Measures
5.) Summary

The idea is to give your home a score and see where its best to upgrade your appliances or small measures you can take that will make a big difference. Have a good tax season and protect your largest investment-your home! 

Check out my website for Lowe's Coupons to start implementing upgrades to your home before it's to late!

Check out the Twin Cities Real Estate Market....

Check out the December Skinny

This video will provide you an update on the Twin Cities Real Estate Market!

Coming soon Waters Realty will be launching it's very own youTube channel...

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.

Questions About The Homebuyer Tax Credit...

Check out the this interview on AM950's Minnesota Matters from December 16th, 2009.  They interviewed me on the new expanded Homebuyer Tax Credit!

Download 1 Blue Sunshine
 

I wish everyone a happy and joyous New Year!'

Questions About The Homebuyer Tax Credit...

Check out the this interview on AM950's Minnesota Matters from December 16th, 2009.  They interviewed me on the new expanded Homebuyer Tax Credit!

Download 1 Blue Sunshine
 

I wish everyone a happy and joyous New Year!'