Home Ownership and Energy Efficiency

Nearly 7 years ago,I accomplished one of my life goals and purchased a home of my own.While I had owned a condo,this would be my first change to own a home and not have to get condo association approval regarding how and when to make repairs,what plants to grow in my yard and pick what color would be used for the outside of my home.Like so many other home owners, I was price bound enjoyed certain home styles and wanted to live in one geographic area. I also wanted a home that could be updated to my own tastes and would have a space where I could garden. Part of my goals were to help make the home more energy efficient. My plan to use less energy and water would not only help me save money and help create long term value in the house but would also be more enviremently friendly. One of the first tasks I completed after moving into the house was to get a free energy audit provided by the Mass Save Program.As part of their work, they did an initial site audit and provided me with a free CFL for every light fixture and a programmable thermostat for my house. They also arranged for insulation to be blown into my walls and seal many of the air leaks in my house.The programmable thermostat helps control temperature in the house and helps lower the oil use at home. Much of this work was either free or done at a reduced rate. The old inefficient hot water tank and fridge was replaced along the way. While they were an added expense, I received a rebate on both and reduced my gas and electric use along the way. Part of the process of lowering my energy usage entails cleaning the filters in my furnace on a monthly basis and having it tuned up every other year. This helps it run more efficiently and use less energy. Using CFLs and learning to turn off lights and electric gear is also saving electricity. I have just agreed to have some solar panels placed on the roof of my house. While this is a major expense, tax breaks, energy produced and other factors will eventually greatly reduce my electric usage. My passion for gardening is slowly being fulfilled. The garden is slowly taking shape.Not only are the plants and flower beds taking shape,but they are helping to bring back wildlife to the house. but helping to make the house more attractive. Plant cuttings and yard waste not only keep the plants healthy, but also are part of my recycling plan. Many of the native plants were planted to not only be attractive but to serve as wind breaks during the winter and help shade the house during the summer. Both are attractive ways to save heating and cooling costs. It was never my intent to create a Net Zero House or to be Energy Star Rated. There are still steps to be taken in order to further reduce my energy consumption. The steps already taken have greatly reduced my energy usage(and costs) but hopefully will make my house a more comfortable one as well.

Wake Up Call

Today my furnice kicked in for the first time this year.For me this a sign that winter is just around the corner and its time to get my house ready for the cold weather. Usually the first thing I do is get my furnice tuned up.The tune up helps it run more efficiently,use less fuel and save on maintance. After that,I get the storm windows out and ready to be put on. The next step is getting my garden ready for the winter. Usually this means doing my final transpalnting of plant and mulching. This allows me to fill in the gaps in my garden so it will look better in the spring. Mulch helps to retain water in the ground and prevents the newly planted material from heaving. Most importantly,its a good time to prune the plants.It helps them look better and creates better growth in the spring.Latter on in the year,I will take all of the leaves and dead material from my plants and add it into my compost heap. I can use the material from my compost heap as mulch and fertalizer. It will help create a cleaner and healthier garden Most inportantly,I make sure that all of my gutters are clean and in good shape. This helps prevent water and melting snow from the roof to flow into the ground. Lastly,I drain most of the water from my rain barrel out. I would hate to see it burst when the water turn into ice. These chore are a lot of work,but will help save money, make your house more comfortable.

Preparing for The Winter

The first week of August is usually viewed as a time for summer vacation,yard work and possibly getting the children ready for the upcoming school year.However,many people also view this time as a great time to start preparing the house foe the winter time. Many of this work can include weeding the flower beds,pruning trees and bushes or general yard work. However its important to start many of the chores related to upkeeping the house. Painting the outside of the house(if needed) and repointing brick and stone work is best done before the weather starts to get too cold. Its also a good time to make sure that the storm windows are in good repair and ready to help keep oy the cold winter air. Late summer,early fall is also a good time to start tuning up and cleaning your heating system. While this is an expence, this work will help extend the life span of this system and help lower fuel consumption. Also,it might be a good time to have a home energy assement for your house offered by programs such as Mass Save. This program offered by the utilty company will provide the home owner an assesment of their home and free CFLs,water saving shower heads and a thermostat. These free tools if used correctly can save costs associated with water,electric and fuel costs. Many home owners will also receive insulation and air sealing at greatly reduced prices. This work can help reduce heating costs and help the house feel comfortable. Aside from saving money on heating and cooling expences, this work will help increase the value of your house. Since many people are involved with other things during the summer time, its easier to get an appointment for a free evaluation

Thoughts on the Real Estate Market

Its the middle of the summer and most of us are thinking about going to the beach or taking a fun trip during our summer break. As a Realtor,my thoughts are taking me in the same direction,but summer time is one of the peak work periods for me. Home buyers have more free time during the summer months to look at homes to buy and do the work needed to purchase a property and make the big move into their home. We are in an interesting time to purchase a home. Home prices are off their highs that we saw 5-6 years ago but appear to be rising. While interest rates for a 30 year fixed mortage have risen to a little bit over 4%, they are well below the 8% rate that I saw 21 years ago at the start of my real estate career. The number of distressed properties(Short sales and foreclosed) have decreased and fewer people are selling their homes for a loss.The number of homes for sale seem to be higher than we saw during the spring time and buyers do not have the rushed feeling we saw a few months ago. It is my feeling that we have seen the bottom of the real estate market but still have a ways to go before home prices are no longer affordable. In the near future,its unlikely that we will see a quick rise in home prices that were seen in the 2000-2008 time frame. However,if people are looking to live in their homes long term, they will see a modest rise in their home values. While there are many indications that its a good time to purchase a home,the timing of purchasing a home is an individual matter. Home ownership is a major commitment. Having the finances needed to purchase and maintain the home are key to the process. Its also important to learn about the home buying process by talking to a Realtor and/or taking a first time home class.Unlike renting an apartment,home ownership needs to be viewed as a long term commitment. Home ownership incorporates a major financial commitment with a place to live. While the indicators are pointing to the buy sign, the buy side is clearly dictated to individual timing

Keeping Cool In The Summer

Many of us have taken steps in the winter time to help keep our heating costs diwn by using tools such as programable thermostats and keeping our heating systems tuned up.However,most of us do not realize that summer time in New England is another period where we spend a lot of money keeping our homes cool. Most of this money is spent running air conditioning units during the summer time.While this is helpful,many people have switched to using ceil fans as an energy saving alternative.Creating a draft in your home by keeping windows open(not while using the ac) helps vent out the warm air. Keeping blinds and window shades closed mid day will block out the heat created by the sun. Shading the ac units and the roof with trees are also great passive means to help prevent your house from the suns heating rays. Summer can also be a great time to take advantage of the free energy audit and other services offered by the Mass Save Program (www.masssave.com)Also if you are going to purchase air conditioning units and other appliances,look for ones that are Energy Star Rated. They tend to have lower energy useage than other appliances and may come with a rebate. In any event try to keep cool during the summer

Changes in the Real Estate Market

One of the most frequently asked questions for a Realtor is "How is the Real Estate Market?" I realize that it may sound trite,but it really depends on the area.Recent reports indicate that prices in Phoenix have increased over 50% while prices in Metro Boston is increased a mere 12% over the last year.Does that mean that the Phoenix Market is more attractive than the Boston based market? Like any other question,the answer is relative. Its more inportabt to look at over all price changes. In Phoenix,prices dropped more quickly than Bostons and the upward price adjustment simply responding to market trends. Sharp price increases or declines are key to your plans to hold the property. For an investor or person(s) looking on the short term horizon, price swings paly a much more critical role than somebody holding a home for the long term. While its always nice to be able to purchase a home when prices are relatively low, long term home owners are in a much better position to ride out the swing in prices. Homes are a financial investment as well as an investment in your future. On one hand,a home provides shelter and a place to invite friends to visit. On the other hand,its inportant to realize that home ownership is a finacial investment. Having the financial resources to purchase the home and ability to maintain it( mortgage plus operating expences such as heating,utility and maintance costs) is key to purchasing a home. Each person(s) plan to buy a home should be based on current market conditions, planned length of ownership and ability to purchase the home

Spring Real Estate Market

By many accounts,we have already entered whats known as the spring market for real estate sales. While there is no official start or end of this market,this period is when most homes are marketed for sale and the lions share of home sales occur.In Metro Boston,we have noticed an increased number of buyers at our open homes and offers being made on them.In fact,for the last few months, we have seen numerous offers on homes being made on the properties. While this is normal for this time of year,there are a number of differences between this year and the same time period in 2012. The National Association of Realtors and Banker and Tradesman are reporting that prices have been rising in Metro Boston. This is largely due to the limited number of homes for sale including a reduced number of foreclosed upon homes or short sales. This has lead to a shift from a buyers market to a sellers market. Low interest rates with the expectation that rates will rise in the not to distant future has added to this trend. In order to take advantage of the fact that hopes are relatively affordable, should be prepared to act quickly in order to secure their property. Peole should have a check list of home features that mirror their needs when looking at aproprty.Home buyers should be preapproved for a mortgage and be willing to act quickly when then locate a home that suits their needs. While there are some Realtors that correctly sugguest that offers should be uncomplicated, these offers still should have a mortgage contingency(unless you are lucky enough to be able to pat cash) and have a home inspection. There are many other points to consider when buying a home and its best to have a Realtor knowledgeable in the area to assist you in your home search and purchase.

Native Plants

Now that spring time finally seems to arrived and plants are slowly pushing their leaves out of the ground many of us are planning what to do in our gardens this year. Everybodys goals from new gardners to experienced ones with established gardens have different plans. These plans will vary from vegatible gardens to flower gardens to those of us that have both vegatables and flowers in our yards,we plans and interests. Over the last few years,my interests have included the use of native plants in my yard,both flower and vegatables. Native plants can vary from region to region,but all of them have some common points. They tend to survive best in their own region due to their establishment in each region,they tend to use less pesticides than other plants and many of them will attract various birds,insects and other animals with their flowers,fruit and or as sources of pollen and nectar for local wildlife. They also can be easier to tend thab non native plans due to their compatability with local soil conditions and weather patterns. There are numerous trees,shrubs,grasses and trees to pick from and most gardeners can easily select a wide range of plants to accomidate any size of garden or one that is wet in nature,dry or various degrees of sunlight or shade.Some of these plants will due best in the spring time,summer or fall. There are a number of good plant groups beyound local plant stores. They include: The New England Wildflower Plants Society (www.newfps,org) Tower Hill Botanical Gardens(www.towerhillbg.org) The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society(www.riwps.org) or Project Native (www.projectnative.org) Feel free to visit their site as well,ask for advise or visit their plant sales and garden tours. Happy Gardening

Home Gardening

Now that winter has almost released its snowy grip upon most of the Northeast,its time to think about what sort of garden will look best outside the host. While everybodys home is different and horticultural tastes,may differ some key points should be considered. These include the amount of sun is available, how much water is available and how much organic material/plant food is already in the soil.Some of the basic leg work can be saved by having the soil tested for its organic content and the amount of sun available be seeing how many and how tall are the existing trees,fences and walls of the house. The amount of sunlight that is available can be trickey since the angle of the sun changes over the year.While water is a factor,dryness can be resolved by using mulch and vasious sorts of irragation systems such as drip hoses and water barrels.Areas that are constantly wet/moist will limit the area to plants that will tolerate wet feet or require being wet all of the time. One of the biggest mistakes that a gardner can make is placing a plant in an area that does not meet the required amount of sunlight or water requirements.Another frequent mistake is planting a plant that rapidly becomes too big for its site.While there is nothing wrong about having a few big plants in your garden, it may make the garden less interesting and/or crowd out your other plants. I have always enjoyed planting native plants in my garden.They tend to be attractive,survive well in the yard and will help bring in various sorts of birds,small animals and butterflys into the garden.Selecting the right mix of plants and suitabilty for the amount of water and sunlight can help create a restful and pretty place for your own use and when guests vist your home. In order to help get a better idea of which plants to place at your home,your local garden club or groups such as Garden in the Woods or the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society or plant society can be useful sources of information

Paying for Energy Efficiency UpGrades

Most of us aware that green homes help make our home envirement healthier to live in and if managed correctly can be more economicial to operate than a trditional home.However,many people do not go foward with energy efficient upgrades due to the added expence of materials and labor involved in this process.Granted this argument has merit,but there are ways to help off set these expences. In Massachussetts we have a program funded by the utility companies called Mass Save(www.masssave.com) This program provides a free home audit of your home and in many cases their representative will provide free CFLS, a programable thermostate and other devises that help reduce your electric an dheating costs. In many cases,you can be eligable for up to $2000 worth of insulation per house with you paying only 20% of the projects cost. Multi family homes up to 4 apartments can recieve this work and material for each unit. Many energy star rated appliances not only save water and electric costs,but may have a rebate to save on the purchase price. Low on no interest loans are available as well for many projects. Many of the larger projects and other energy efficieny work can also result in a reduction of your Federal and/or State Income Taxes. For further information look up www.energystar.gov/taxcredits or Google Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. Most projects still cost money but these programs,rebates,tax incentives and cost savings will help the projects pay for themselves

The Real Cost of Home Ownership

Most of us usually think of the cost of home ownership is how much we pay for the house. If we are lucky,we do not have to pay interest on the mortgage.But for the majority of home owners like myself,we have to pay monthly interest on our home loans.We also need to look at the cost of the home inspector and lawyer that help us purchase the house.The cost of applying for the mortgage and interest payments adds to the cost of housing.There is also real estate taxes that we must pay to our community.Add these fees together and we have a basic monthly amount that are our expences. However ther are ongoing costs to help main the house.These costs include,heat,insurance maintance remodeling,replacing roofs,appliances and landscaping the house.It is important to know these costs in order to know the true cost of owning and operating a house. Some of us can reduce heating/electric costs if we insulate our homes or have high efficiency heating systems. Depending on income,we might be able to reduce our income tax by deducting our interest payments. In the long run,all of the expences need to be considered when looking at the true cost of housing

Use of Credit Cards

The use of credit has been on the rise over the last few years. Between car loans and mortgages,people are using credit cards more often than using cash for purchases. These purchases are for mundane needs such as grocery shopping,gas to lunch and routine needs. Credit card bills can easily mount due to planned purchases,holiday gifts or unexpected needs.It is important to keep receipts of all credit card purchases,review your bill once you receive it and challange any purchases that you feel are not correct. Also think about paying the balance at the end of each billing cycle.The interest rates on unpaid credit card balances are very high and not having to pay interest on the cards can free up money for other needs. Also contact www.creditreport.com for your free annual copy of your credit reports. Carefully review the reports form all three reporting services. If they are not correct,contact the reporting agency and challange the part that you feel is not correct.Having a correct credit report can make a difference in being approved for a loan or credit card.

Low Hanging Fruit

There are a number of ways to help reduce the amount of water, electricity and energy useage in our homes,some of these techniques require us purchasing new hot water tanks,heating systems, solar panels or renovation our homes. However,there are some easy and cheap techniques that can be cost effective. WE can always set the heat in out hot water tanks to 120 degrees and drain about a gallon of water from the bottom of this tank once a month. This will help extend the life of the tank and help reduce fuel costs. Tuning the heating system once a year and cleaning the filters on a monthly basis will help it run more efficiently,cleanly, help increase its life span and lower fuel costs. Installing and using a programable thermostat will also help lower fuel costs. Placing insulation in the walls and attic while placing weather stripping on the outside doors are also a help. The nice thing is the thermostat,weather stripping and insulation in Massachussetts, can be free or obtained through Mass Save.Using CFLs and low flow shower heads are also good ways to go. These techniques are not a cure all for you heating bills but its a start.

Recycling

Recycling is usually seen as a limited task where we taking our used bottles,paper,cans and other used items and place them out on the curb with the trash.In not so recent past,these items were usually thrown out with the rest of the trash and placed in the town dump never to be seen again.This was a real waste(begging the pun) because many of these items could be shredded,melted down and refored into new things that can be used at home or in the office.This noy only saves space in the landfill,but saves the expence of having to cut down trees to make new paper products,having to process ore from mines or create pastic out of petro chemicals.Newspaper can be reused as insulation that helps keep drafts out of our homes and keep us warm. Most people realize that it uses less energy and other resources to recyle rather than start using virgin material. Recycled materials go beyond trash placed in office or home bins. Wood chips and saw dust can be combeined resin and formed into beams used in construction or wood pellets used to heat our homes and office.Used vegatable oil can be recycled,cleaned and be mixed together with heating oil to heat our homes. There are any number of other examples where products can be reused for our benefit while helping to save money and resources

Phantom Load

Electrical devises continue to play an increasingly large role in our lives at home and at work.These desvise help us keep our food cold,charge our cell phones operate our televisions keep the house/office light when its dark outside and a wide range of other roles that come with the lifestyle that has become common place.Most of these devises are taken for granted and most of us do not think about the cost of electricity and how much of it is wasted money and costs can be controlled. Many of use will leave lights on when a room is not in use,keep the computers,chargers on when we are not in use.This wasted energy use adds to our electric bill and is known as phantom load. Entertainment devices and other electrical devises left on standby mode can also contribute to phantom load. There are any number of ways that this load can be reduced.Use of smart power strips,timers and sensors can help to reduce phantom load.Learning to keep logs of electric use and learning to turn off electric equipment when not in use can also reduce our electric bills. Purchasing energy efficient appliances that are Energy Star Rated for older devises can also help bring down our energy use. While we will always be using electricial devises,we need to use more efficient devises and lights while using them wisely.

Getting Ready For the Winter

Many of us in the Norteast received a wake up call with the wind storm,Sandy. Communitues in the Norteast and further south suffered power outages, downed trees and power lines and other issues related to the storm. If we can believe the weather forecasters, we can expect more of the same problems that will be compounded by large amouts of snow and ice rather than by water.While we can not prevent the inconviences created by the weather,we can take some actions to limit storm related issues. While the weather is still realatively mild,we can trim trees and bushs. This can help avoid tree limbs causing damage to our or neighbors homes. Cleaning out gutters can help avoid ice dams and other water realated issues.Cleaning and tuning up our heating systems and help to avoid costly mid winter breakdowns and possible freezing of water pipes in the basement. Cleaning air ducts in forced hot air systems,cleaning filters in these systems can be helpful. If you have a hot water tank,try draining part of the water on a monthly basis. These actions can help avoid mid winter issues,help your systems run more economically and help pro long the life of the hot water tanks and heating system.

Green Homes

Over the last few years creating a green or sustainable home envirement has been gaining traction. The major reasons for this trend has been to help create a healther,more comfortable home envirement that also lowers its energy footprint. There are a number od different organizations such as National Association of Home Builders(NAHB)United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and Energy Star that have rating systems that helps the public determine how the level of greeness of each home. Each of the system has a somewhat different matrix that determines the which green elements have been used to rate the home. The Home Energy Rating System,HERS is one of the more efefctive rating system.In short, it sets a specific benchmark for a homes performance and compares the individual home to this standard. The major factors that are compared include the homes energy use(electric gas and oil useage) and takes into account the homes size. While its a goal to have your home certified green by one of the rating agencies,its still possible to have a green house without being certified green.Making a significant reduction of energy, water useage,using less building materials and healthier materials(usually less VOCs and toxic resins) and reducing mold and unhealthy gases in the indoor air is key to having a green home. One of the key steps in creating a green house is determining a baseline for your home.One method is to use a carbon calculator for your house(can be found by Googling Carbon Calculator) This information usually requires inputting your monthly gas,electric and oil costs.Rather than using dollar values,you will need to know the yearly therms of gas used,kwh useage of electricity and/or gallons of heating oil.Most calculators will also factor in miles driven in your vehicle. The other way to help determine your homes baseline is to have a door blower test and thermal imaging done on your house. These tests require specialized equipment and usually cost money,but they help assess how leaky is your home and where the leaks occur. Once this is determined,you can establish a plan that can help make your house a greener home envirement. Assuming you have a limited budget,one of the most cost effective step is to insulated the walls of the house and attic. Air sealing the various cracks in the walls,attic and basement are usually part of the process. In Massachussetts,there is a program that provides a free home energy audit(determines the house performance) and will provide free CFLs,low flow shower heads and programable thermostats. In many cases,they will provide insulation and airsealing(up to $2000 per year with the home owner paying 20% of the cost.For more information.More expensive methods of helping to reduce energy load is to purchase more efficient heating systems and water heaters. Replacing older appliances with newer ones that are Energy Star Rated will also help bring down electric and heating costs. Using solar panels to help pay for electric bills but are not always cost effective. Each of these sugguestions can be done in stages with a final goal to be completed in a number of years.Using web sites such as www.dsire.org can show which tax incentives and rebates are available for each project or purchasing appliances. Carefully checking which chemicals(if any) are being used in buidling materials and paint can help avoiding chemicial issues in your home. While purchasing a new heating system,placing insulation inside the house or replacing windows,can be an expence,this cost can be reduced by rebate and tax breaks. The key factors are also reduced purchases of gas,water and oil.If done correctly your homes will be nore comfortable. If your systems are properly maintained they may also reduce the maintaince on the systems and their life span.

Getting Your Garden For the Winter

As the nites become longer and days get cooler,many of us notice that leaves on our trees and plants are starting to change color. This is part of the natural process where the plants are starting to rest for the winter.The sap for most plants will go into the roots so they are ready for their rebirth in the spring.While it may be anoying to rake up the leaves,many people will put the leaves and dead branchs into the compost heap rather than into the trash heap.This not only saves the expense of transporting away this plant material,but the resulting compost will recycle the nutrients for next years growth and help conserve water. While its a good idea to compost plant cuttings for the compost heap,please consider saving the flowers for such plants as Tick Seed,Cone Flower and Fruit from various other plants,The seed and fruits can serve for food for the birds and small animals such as squirrels that over winter in your area. Fall is also a great time to transplant many plants into their new location.Its also a good time to put bulbs into the groud for added beauty.Many bushes such as holly and yew bushes need to be wrapped in burlap and protected from heavy snow fall and ice. Its helpful to mulch the plants as well.This process helps keep water in the ground for plants use during the winter time. Each plant and gardens needs are different so its helpful to contact a local nursery center or garden expert

Winterizing Your Home

Now that Labor Day is behind us,its a good time to start getting our homes for the winter time.A few easy steps can be taken to have a more comfortable home for the winter time and save some money at the same time. Gas or oil heating systems just like our car motor are mechanicial systems They both get dirty when used.Its best to clean and tune up our heating system.Its best to tune up the heating system prior to the heating season and clean the filters atleast once a month. If you have not already done so,consider putting in insulation and air sealing the house. These two factors help keep in the heat during the winter and help reduce drafts.Consider instaling a programable thermostate. This devise will help save on heating costs. If you live in Massachussetts,try contacting www.masssave.com.Make sure that the edges around your doors and windows are sealed as well.This will also help to block drafts and help keep in the warm air. This program funded by the local utility companies can help pay for the insulation and air sealing work. Planting evergreen trees such as yews and holly trees around the house can serve to block the cold wind that blows against the house and will make the house look more attractive. Following this advise is not a cure all,but it will save money by using less energy. While these activities require some time and money,if done correctly,they will pay for themselves over time and make the systems last longer and make the house more comfortable.

Pricing Real Estate

Home values always tend to mirror the local economy.Home prices will rise and fall with job market and the rest of the economy.While home prices did increase much faster than income during the period from 2000-2007,there is a definate relationship between enployment and home prices.It has also been said that rising home values usually will herald an improving economy and home sales tend to be sluggish in poor eceonomic times.As a Realtor,I have seen many potental home owners put off a home purchase because of un settled economic times.In turn,home owners tend to put off listing their homes for sale because thet may loose money on their investment or not make enough money to buy a new home and/or fund their retirement plans. Clearly the two sides of the real estate transaction are part of the pricing of a home.
Over the last few years,I have been asked by a home owner to market their homes for sale.The location of the home,its condition,size and amenaties always play a role in its pricing.While home values usually rise over time, the point in time that a person wishs to sell their home helps to determine its eventual sale price.While many communities have seen dramatic price declines over the last 2-3 years some communities have seen values stay steady over this period or even have seen a modest price improvement.Its important to determine how the homes in your community have faired over the last few years.As a Realtor,its part of my job to help make sense of home values in the current real estate market.Most home buyers have an understanding of home values and bank appraisers usually are taking a careful look at current home values and the direction of the housing market.