News for February 2009
10 Ways to Make Your House Greener
Everybody’s talking about the importance of eco-friendly living. We found some of the coolest and smartest products - at every price point - to help home owners do their part for the environment.
By Wendy Cole | February 2009
Smokefree Fireplace
As chic as it is eco-friendly, the EcoSmart Fire system gives you the pleasure of a fireplace without the pollutants. The self-contained unit is fueled by clean-burning denatured ethanol, a renewable resource. These portable fire boxes can be placed anywhere inside or outside a home since they require neither a utility connection nor a chimney. To make this green product even greener, the company will plant two trees on the buyer’s behalf for every unit purchased. Cost: Models range from $2,100 to $11,500. www.ecosmartfire.com
Vintage Year for Wall Tiles
Old wine bottles and other recycled glass get a new life as exquisite, glossy tiles suitable for kitchens and bathrooms. Glass donated by the public is sorted by color, ground into granules, and turned into tile by high-temperature fusion. Bedrock Industries introduces no colorants or oxides to the production process, which has saved hundreds of tons of material otherwise destined for landfills. Also, 100 percent recyclable material is used for shipping. Cost: Tiles start at $36 per square foot. www.bedrockindustries.com
Composting for the Masses
Instead of tossing food scraps in the garbage, NatureMill’s fully automatic and odor-free composter will recycle up to 120 pounds of kitchen waste, including paper, per month. A built-in computer on the 17-pound unit (20 by 20 by 12 inches) controls the mixing, heating, and aeration process. After two weeks, a red light pops on as a reminder that your composted fertilizer is ready for immediate use on your garden or lawn. Compost can also be piled outdoors until you need it. A NatureMill composter can recycle its weight in waste every 10 days, diverting more than two tons of waste from landfills over its life. Energy use is just 5 kilowatt-hours per month. Cost: Prices start at $299. www.naturemill.com
Your Plants (and Lawn) Have Your Number
You’ll never overwater another houseplant with the Botanicalls system. Digital sensors in the soil let your African violet or potted palm text message you when it needs water or light. The unit will also send a texted “thank you” after the plants’ needs have been met. The do-it-yourself kit offers a connection to your leafy green pal via Twitter. You can view status updates online or have them routed to your mobile phone. Botanicalls comes with all necessary parts to set up a soil moisture sensor communication system, even a leaf-shaped circuit board. While human intervention is necessary for the actual watering, the reminders are a novel means of keeping houseplants healthy so they can help reduce levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Cost: $99. www.botanicalls.com
A bigger water savings may come from Cyber-Rain XC, which lets you hand over the chore of watering your lawn to your Windows PC. Here’s how it works: Your sprinkler system receives information wirelessly from (more…)
Edited: February 16th, 2009
Homes Sales to Increase in 2009
We all know the first half of 2009 will be challenging, to say the least. But how are we going to look by the end of 2009? Well, the National Association of REALTORS announced their projected sales numbers for 2009 and for the first time in years the projections aren’t all bad, in fact by the end of 2009 most housing numbers are expected to increase.
The good news, after 2 years of falling home sales, the NAR estimates a 6% increase in existing home sales in 2009. They also project a slight increase in the median home price from $198,600 in 2008 to $200,800 in 2009. It may be a small increase (1.1%) but it’s a major improvement from the previous years -9.3% drop.
The NAR also has a number they refer to as the affordability index, which relates the median price of a home to the median income of buyers. Right now it’s at 131, which means that a buyer making the median income has 131% of the income necessary to buy a home priced at the median price.
That’s a mouthful, but what it means is that homes are more affordable now than in a long time, and home sales are expected to be up 6 or more percent in 2009!
If you would like more information about investing in Arizona real estate or Phoenix foreclosures and REOs contact Jim and Kathy at jimandkathy@allynassociates.com.
Source: January 2009 issue of REALTOR magazine
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Edited: February 4th, 2009
Short Sales Can Benefit Everyone
Short Sales and foreclosures made up over 40% of sales in the third quarter of 2008 making short sales commonplace in the Phoenix area. Without experience and persistence a short sale can be very challenging to close. But before we get into the details of short sale challenges let’s answer a very basic question, What is a Short Sale?
A short sale is when a mortgage holder accepts less for the property than what is owed. It’s that simple, but seeing the sale through to the finish can be a long and arduous process. Each financial institution is different, I’ve seen Short Sales take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to close, the average usually falling somewhere in the middle.
The first step is to call your lender, discuss your situation and the possibility of a short sale. Request information on their short sale process and a ”Short Sale Packet.” Next, talk to your REALTOR about listing your property. You may need an offer on the table to get the lender to look at your packet, so be sure to discuss the offer and approval processes with your lender. And as with all major financial decisions you should consult your Accountant and/or Attorney to discuss the financial implications.
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Edited: February 3rd, 2009
What is a Short Sale?
Short Sales and foreclosures made up over 40% of sales in the third quarter of 2008 making short sales commonplace in the Phoenix area. Without experience and persistence a short sale can be very challenging to close. But before we get into the details of short sale challenges let’s answer a very basic question, What is a Short Sale?
A short sale is when a mortgage holder accepts less for the property than what is owed. It’s that simple, but seeing the sale through to the finish can be a long and arduous process. Each financial institution is different, I’ve seen Short Sales take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to close, the average usually falling somewhere in the middle.
The first step is to call your lender, discuss your situation and the possibility of a short sale. Request information on their short sale process and a ”Short Sale Packet.” Next, talk to your REALTOR about listing your property. You may need an offer on the table to get the lender to look at your packet, so be sure to discuss the offer and approval processes with your lender. And as with all major financial decisions you should consult your Accountant and/or Attorney to discuss the financial implications.
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Edited: February 2nd, 2009
The Arizona Roadrunner
Beep Beep! Everyone knows this local resident, either from the Saturday morning cartoons, or from seeing him zip across the road as we drive by. Just like in the cartoons, it can’t fly very far, but it can run up to 17 miles per hour. This ground cuckoo is a fixture all over our state, and many people even believe they’re the state bird. (They aren’t, it’s the Cactus Wren).
Roadrunners are fast and strong enough to catch and kill rattlesnakes, grabbing them by the tail and cracking their head against the ground like a whip, and they’re quick enough to grab a hummingbird or a dragonfly out of the air. They typically eat their prey whole, and they sometimes will be seen with a snake dangling out of their beak, eating it slowly over several days, as it digests.
In the deserts of Arizona, the Roadrunner will often mate twice a year, just prior to our early spring and late summer rainy seasons. These large, crested birds make nests of twigs and grass in the low branches of trees and bushes. After the eggs are laid, the male takes over and sits on the nest. As the eggs begin to hatch, the smaller chicks are often eaten by their parents, until there are only 3 or 4 left. The babies leave the nest after 18 days or so, and after a couple of weeks they go off into the desert to make their own way in the world.
And it’s a hard world for Roadrunners. Coyotes really are one of their biggest predators, along with hawks, owls, bull snakes, rat snakes, skunks, and housecats, and in cold weather, many die from exposure.
The Roadrunner is a pretty secretive guy, so when you get a glimpse, be sure to take the time to watch them go about their business!
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Edited: February 1st, 2009