Houston Heights Fun Run
There is still time to register for one of Houston's most popular small runs - the Houston Heights Association's 27th Heights Fun Run, to be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012. The fast out-and-back 5K course is held on the beautifully scenic and historic Heights Boulevard. The race starts and ends at Marmion Park and includes a 5K Fun Run, a 5K Walk, and a Kids 1K.
To celebrate your finish, please join us at Marmion Park for the Post Race Party at 8:00 a.m. and the Awards Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. You will enjoy entertainment, door prizes and great refreshments, including tacos, fresh fruit, bagels, water, coffee and more!
If you wish to purchase a table for the Post Race Party at Marmion Park for your business, non-profit, or other endeavor, please contact us atfunrun@houstonheights.org for details.
The 5K course is certified and disposable Chip Timing will be conducted by Run Wild Sports Timing. Each entrant receives a 100% cotton commemorative t-shirt. The 5K Fun Run starts at 7:30 a.m., the 5K Walk starts at 7:35 a.m., and the Kids 1K starts at 8:30 a.m. Each kid participating in the 1K receives an award!
Packet pick-up will be at Luke's Locker at 1953 West Gray on May 31st and June 1st. Packets will also be available at Marmion Park, 18th Street and Heights Boulevard, from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. on race day. The fee for the Fun Run and Walk is $25 until May 28, and $30 May 29th and after. The Kids 1K is $15 until May 28, and $20 on May 29th and after. Credit cards are accepted.
INFORMATION: For more information or to register online for the Heights Fun Run, visit our website at www.houstonheights.org/funrun.htm. If you have additional questions, you may call the Houston Heights Association at 713.861.4002, extension 4, or email funrun@houstonheights.org.
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Use it to:
1. Buffer bark. TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook slips hose scraps over wire he uses to
stabilize young trees. No chafing.
2. Catch earwigs. They hide where it's cramped and dark during the day, so University of
California master gardener Sue McDavid leaves 6-inch hose segments lying around her
garden—makeshift traps she shakes free of earwigs later, drowning them in soapy water.
3. Gird the garage. Until junior drivers master backing in, screwing lengths of hose at car-bumper
level to corners of the garage door frame beats repairing dented trim
1. Buffer bark. TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook slips hose scraps over wire he uses to
stabilize young trees. No chafing.
2. Catch earwigs. They hide where it's cramped and dark during the day, so University of
California master gardener Sue McDavid leaves 6-inch hose segments lying around her
garden—makeshift traps she shakes free of earwigs later, drowning them in soapy water.
3. Gird the garage. Until junior drivers master backing in, screwing lengths of hose at car-bumper
level to corners of the garage door frame beats repairing dented trim
.
4. Simulate a soaker. Crimp the open end and drill a few holes
.5. Level off. Avid DIYer and host of TV's Garden Sense Walter Reeves converted his into a giant
water level to establish an even grade for his patio. He attached 3-foot segments of clear vinyl
tubing to each end and filled it with colored water to make the level easy to read. Genius
.
6. Belt tools. Screwing opposite ends of a 2-foot halved segment to a wall, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva makes a sort of tool hanger that hugs the handles
.
7. Sheathe blades. Tom Silva also slit a length to cover the teeth of his handsaw
.
8. Grip buckets. A piece slipped over a wire handle provides a better grip
.
9. Swing safely. Encase swing-set chains in hose segments to protect tiny fingers
.
10. Extend a faucet. TOH contributor Jeanne Huber linked hoses to relocate an outdoor spigot to a convenient location. She buried the extension 4 inches deep
.Article: 10 Uses for Foam Spray
The housing market may have had a rough time of late, but there are still plenty of us out there looking to buy a new home. Whether you are a first time buyer or a seasoned home-buying veteran, it is worth remembering that buying a house is one of the biggest decisions you can make, and not just financially. The location, size and style of your house, along with what you chose to do with it, can have a huge impact on your ecological footprint. So choose wisely, ask all the right questions, and check out some of our handy hints below. Happy hunting!
Back To Top ?
Top Green Home Buying Tips
- Get good helpNot long ago, if you'd have told your realtor that you were looking for a green house, they'd have handed you a gallon or two of emerald-hued paint. Nowadays, with increased eco-awareness and energy prices going through the roof, it's not just us TreeHuggers that are worried about things like indoor air quality and energy efficiency. When screening potential realtors, ask them how much they know about home energy performance and other environmental issues that matter to you. Alternately, services like EcoBroker, Modern Green Living, and other green residential tips can help you seek out a green real estate pro. Learn more about what to look for in a green realtor in our post on Verdant Vocations: A Real Estate Agent?
- Conduct an energy auditIf your green realtor is on their game, this one will go without saying, but it's not an automatic. You can tell a lot just by taking a careful look around. Check out the heating and cooling systems carefully and make sure they are in good working order and sized appropriately. Take a gander at the windows, and check if they're single or double-paned, and at the doors, to see if you feel a draft coming through around the edges. Be on the lookout for missing or inadequate insulation, or signs of mold. To get really good info, though, we recommend hiring a professional for your audit. They'll use things like infrared cameras and special fans to pressurize your house and determine how leaky it is; this will help you determine if your potential new house needs any big efficiency upgrades, and if something like new insulation will make sense. Sister site Planet Green has more info on the benefits of a home energy audit.
- Remember: location, location, locationNew Yorkers have the some of the lowest ecological footprints in the United States, and it's not because they are all amazingly eco-conscientious. Rather, it's because they tend to live close to shops, entertainment, and places of work. If they don't live close to all those things, they live close to a subway or a bus line that will take them to these locations. The lesson here? Choose your location carefully. Even if the countryside is definitely for you, it's worth thinking about commuting distances, proximity of local facilities, and how you are going to get around. How to begin? Visit Walk Score to locate restaurants, parks, grocers and other businesses and amenities within walking distance of your possible future home.
- Buy small, live largeIt's the closest thing TreeHugger has to a mantra: small really is the new big, and less is the new more. The smaller your living space, the less energy is needed to heat and light it, and the less you have to spend on utilities too. With some thoughtful, careful interior design, you can create beautiful living environments out of some surprisingly small spaces; we recommend multi-functional and transformer furniture to help you get the most out of your space.
- Kick the tiresUnless you really luck out, your new home will almost certainly require a few aesthetic and maybe even a few structural changes. Slapping on a fresh coat of low-VOC paint is easy, affordable, and won't contribute to poor indoor air quality; ripping up old, off-gassing, difficult-to-recycle wall-to-wall carpeting to refinish the hardwood underneath is tougher on you and on the planet; replacing leaky, rusty, lead-leaching plumbing is a taller order yet, so be sure to "kick the tires" of the houses you're looking at, so you can get an idea of the changes you'll want or need to make to create a greener, healthier home.
- Reuse, renovate, recycleIf a LEED-certified, solar-powered penthouse downtown remains just out of reach, consider looking for place that will benefit from a upgraded green kitchen or bathroom -- the two rooms where you typically get the best return for your renovating dollar. As long as it doesn't need major structural repairs, or you don't have to gut the place to get the rooms and layout you want, you can renovate according to your ecological principles and get a double bonus: a greener, more efficient home and a higher resale value (market-willing) upon your departure. Just be aware of the work involved, prioritize to get the best bang for your buck, and don't get carried away with romantic notions of a grand marble staircase, an all-red billiard room with a giant stuffed camel and a disco room with your own disco dancers. Renovating is hard work -- get more tips on green renovation before you get going -- but the rewards can be substantial; you might even achieve LEED Proactinium.
- Research your renewable-energy potentialUntil recently, generating your own power was out-of-the-question expensive for most of us. As the costs of alternative technologies like solar, wind, or geo-thermal power come down, they're becoming easier to find and easier to afford. If your dream home isn't already plugged in to off-grid technology, don't fret; you can discover your renewable energy potential to see if it makes sense to generate some or all of your own power, and then check in with DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to see what sort of rebates and deals are available in your state.
- Certifiable!
LEED-H, or LEED for Homes, just released final guidelines for their residential green building certification in January, which means there aren't a ton out there right now (we spotted the first one in the western US), though about 400 builders representing 10,000 homes across the U.S. participated in the LEED for Homes pilot program (you can find your local LEED for Homes provider here). And, if you're looking in New England, Energy Star Homes certify that homes meet the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) performance guidelines for energy efficiency. They're two programs on the rise, so be on the lookout for more green homes from both of them (and read more below in the "Getting Techie" section). For now, there's lots of best practices to glean from both programs' guidelines and principles.
- Shade grown?Trees are good for a lot more than hugging, so take a peek outside your potential new digs to check out the foliage the comes with the place. Big deciduous (leafy) trees are great natural climate controllers; in the summer, their leafy branches block the sun and can help keep your home cooler (reducing cooling costs), and, in the winter, the bare branches let more natural light and heat through to your home (reducing heating costs). Big old trees also offer potential homes for our fine feathered friends, who can be helpful in maintaining your organic garden. Your neighborhood's biodiversity will benefit, too.
- More great outdoorsAsk yourself a couple more questions: Is there is big lawn that requires care (and lots of water) to maintain? (Remember, this isn't always up to you; some neighborhoods have homeowners' association rules that requires a certain level of lawn manicuring.) Is there a good, sunny place for a garden, to grow your own food, or is there a good space for some good container gardening? Will you have room for a compost pile, or just a small compost bin? Read up on How to Green Your Gardening and match your potential homes with the size of your green thumb.
Green Home Buying: By the Numbers
- $160 billion: The amount of money Americans spend each year to heat, cool, and light their homes. That energy represents about 21 percent of the national total energy consumption.
- 400,000: The number of families that could pay their fuel bills with the money saved if everyone in the U.K. topped up their loft insulation to 27cm (10.6 in).
- $20,000: The increase in value to a home caused by installing a solar electric system, for every $1000 spent in annual operating costs.
- 85 million tons: The amount of CO2 saved annually (by 2030) if 60 percent of new homes in the U.S. were built according to dense, urban patterns, rather than typical suburban development.
Green Home Buying: Getting Techie
Energy Star HomesAn energy efficiency certification program run by the United States EPA. Over 750,000 new homes in the United States are now certified by Energy Star, and typical energy savings are estimated at between $200 and $400 a year. Energy Star features in a home are likely to include snug construction and ducts, effective insulation, efficient cooling and heating equipment, and high-performance windows. Energy Star homes are independently tested. Keep in mind that Energy Star certified homes achieve their ratings by calculating reduced energy use in a home only, and don't take concepts like reducing the square footage of your home or using environmentally friendly materials into consideration.HERS IndexThe Home Energy Rating System, a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). The lower a home's HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is; the score determines whether or not a home qualifies as an Energy Star Home.
Passive solarAconstruction technique that aims to use sunlight in its natural form to heat and light a house. Typical features may include large, south-facing windows with low-emission glass, and heavy concrete or stone floors and walls with huge thermal mass. The idea is that the sun heats the house during the day, and the floor and walls store this heat and radiate it out during the night. Careful angling of windows and use of shade-giving blinds or plants can prevent overheating in summer while letting light in during the winter. Passive solar systems require no additional energy to operate and therefore have zero operating costs, emit no greenhouse gases in operation, and usually have low maintenance costs.
Active solarA collection of technologies that are used in construction to convert solar energy into usable heat, cause air-movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. Active solar uses electrical or mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans, to increase the usable heat in a system; as such, they're more costly to purchase and maintain over time.
Co-housing offers the ideal mix of private home ownership with shared community facilities, such as a common house with guest rooms and a communal kitchen, shared gardens, or nature reserves. When sharing an abode, each family unit can live with less on a day-to-day basis, retain their privacy, and still enjoy the luxury of shared facilities when needed.
Where to Get Green Home Products and Materials
Green Buying Guides:Selecting some of the best new green products consumers can purchase.
Building Green:Giving Back Green:Home Buying & Real Estate:- Green Homes for Sale
- Green Key Real Estate
- MortgageGreen
- BioRegional Buildings and Communities
- Sustainable Sources Real Estate Locator
Green Home Buying: From the Archives
Dig deeper into these articles on House Hunting from the TreeHugger and Planet Green archives.Whether it's before, during or after your housing purchase, you'll want to be in the know about greening your...
Planet Green programming you can use for inspiration:GreenovateRenovation NationWorld's Greenest HomesOther Green Home Buying Resources:
A reader tells us why you should invest in your house, rather than buying that shiny new hybrid.
Read up on why buying closer to where you work may be one of the greenest things you could do.
Here are some quick tips on how to find green residential real estate.
Get smart about the relationship between energy use and home size.
Insulation is a big part of this equation; get TreeHugger's picks for some green varieties.
Gonna renovate after you buy? Do some homework on how to green your renovation first.
Check out some great energy saving tips from the US Environmental Protection Agency that we approved of.
Further Reading on Green Home Buying
Home Buying:- Since it's not as easy as you'd think, HowStuffWorks has the scoop on how home buying works.
- Green Moves, a UK-based site featuring green homes for sale, presents a basic FAQ of sustainable housing.
- Check out TRI, the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. Click on the 'Where You Live' tab to search for local polluters, hazardous chemical emissions and waste stations your specific county or ZIP code.
- The World Wildlife Fund looks at moves by the UK's biggest mortgage lender to reward buyers of green homes.
- Good Green Homes by Jennifer Roberts may be a good book to get started on working out what you want.
- Building Green brings you all the latest news on, you guessed it, building green.
- Buying a 'fixer upper'? The Green Guide offers advice on realistic green renovation.
- The Rocky Mountain Institute presents a guide for home owners on energy saving tips, ranked by cost of implementation versus carbon saved.
- What exactly is an Energy Star rated home, and how do you get one?
- Green Homes Concierge explains exactly what happens in a home inspection by one of their energy experts.
- Energy Star's Home Advisor can give you ZIP-code customized advice on energy and money saving projects for homes in your region.
- Energy Savers, brought to you by the US Government, brings you comprehensive home tips on saving energy at home.
By Toni Bowers
March 20, 2012, 6:16 AM PDT
Takeaway: Your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. Here are the Profile elements you should be paying attention to
More and more employers are using LinkedIn to find job candidates. I’ll be offering some tips on how to best use LinkedIn to get yourself out there in front of recruiters. First, we’ll tackle the Profile. Your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. Here are the Profile elements you should be paying attention to:
Heading: This should be a short, memorable way to state who you are in a professional context. Akin to the objective statement on a resume, your heading should be something like VMware Expert.
Education: Include schools you’ve attended, your GPA, tech certificates, etc.
Professional summary statement: Think of this as a condensed version of your cover letter. For readability, feel free to use bulleted points.
Specialties section: Include IT-specific key words and phrases so if a recruiter or hiring manager types them into a search engine, he’ll be able to find you.
Status update: It’s a good idea to do this weekly, mentioning any projects you’re working on or trade events you’ve attended.
Badges: Join groups and display the badges. Don’t go crazy here — post badges of groups that are pertinent to your job area, like Cisco Professionals or Content Management Professionals.
Recommendations: It’s one thing to say that you were a great employee at a past company, and it’s quite another to offer up a recommendation from someone who actually worked with you. Third-party recommendations carry a lot of weight with recruiters.
Claim your unique LinkedIn url: This increases the professional results that appear when people type your name into a search engine. Just set your LinkedIn profile to “public” and claim a unique URL for your profile (as in: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname).
Share the fruits of your labor: Add examples of blogs you’ve written for professional societies or tech web sites by displaying urls.
Make your resume available: LinkedIn offers a free application for uploading your resume: box.net. You can also use LinkedIn to create a pdf of your resume. Here’s how.
Automatically sign up for our career management newsletter!
March 20, 2012, 6:16 AM PDT
Takeaway: Your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. Here are the Profile elements you should be paying attention to
.
More and more employers are using LinkedIn to find job candidates. I’ll be offering some tips on how to best use LinkedIn to get yourself out there in front of recruiters. First, we’ll tackle the Profile. Your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. Here are the Profile elements you should be paying attention to:
Heading: This should be a short, memorable way to state who you are in a professional context. Akin to the objective statement on a resume, your heading should be something like VMware Expert.
Education: Include schools you’ve attended, your GPA, tech certificates, etc.
Professional summary statement: Think of this as a condensed version of your cover letter. For readability, feel free to use bulleted points.
Specialties section: Include IT-specific key words and phrases so if a recruiter or hiring manager types them into a search engine, he’ll be able to find you.
Status update: It’s a good idea to do this weekly, mentioning any projects you’re working on or trade events you’ve attended.
Badges: Join groups and display the badges. Don’t go crazy here — post badges of groups that are pertinent to your job area, like Cisco Professionals or Content Management Professionals.
Recommendations: It’s one thing to say that you were a great employee at a past company, and it’s quite another to offer up a recommendation from someone who actually worked with you. Third-party recommendations carry a lot of weight with recruiters.
Claim your unique LinkedIn url: This increases the professional results that appear when people type your name into a search engine. Just set your LinkedIn profile to “public” and claim a unique URL for your profile (as in: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname).
Share the fruits of your labor: Add examples of blogs you’ve written for professional societies or tech web sites by displaying urls.
Make your resume available: LinkedIn offers a free application for uploading your resume: box.net. You can also use LinkedIn to create a pdf of your resume. Here’s how.
Automatically sign up for our career management newsletter!
11 Irrefutable Signs of a Real Estate Recovery
Published Mon, Apr 9th, 2012 Louis Basenese
Here’s the irrefutable proof:
Recovery Sign #1: Housing Starts. In February, housing starts checked-in at an annual rate of 698,000 units. That’s up 14.7% from the 608,800 starts in 2011… up 18.9% from the 586,900 starts in 2010… and up 25.9% from the record-low 554,000 starts in 2009. Even after the uptick, though, we’re nowhere close to the high-water mark of 2.07 million starts hit in 2005.
Recovery Sign #2: Building Permits. In February, building permits – a proxy for future construction – climbed to an annual rate of 717,000 units. That was ahead of expectations. It also represents the highest level since October 2008.
Recovery Sign #3: Dwindling Inventory. Expect even more building on the horizon. Why? Because new home inventories plumbed their lowest level on record in January at 150,000 units.
If we include existing homes in the mix, the total number of homes listed for sale has dropped – on a year-over-year basis – for 12 consecutive months. Now there are 2.43 million homes listed for sale, which is down 19.3% in the last year and down 39.8% from the record inventory of 4.04 million homes in July 2007.
Recovery Sign #4: Bidding Wars. The lack of inventory is creating a competitive bidding environment. Online brokerage firm, Redfin, reports that agents encountered multiple bids on about 50% of offers in Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C. and Oregon through March 15.
Recovery Sign #5: A Bottom in New Home Sales. Last year, new home sales fell to 302,000 units – the worst reading on record. For comparison’s sake, in 2005, 1.28 million new homes were sold. The market has likely bottomed out. I say that because new home sales in February checked-in at an annual rate of 313,000 units, which is 11.4% higher than last February’s rate.
Recovery Sign #6: A Rebound in Existing Home Sales. In the last year, demand for previously owned homes ticked 8.8% higher to an annual rate of 4.59 million. And the number of contracts to buy existing homes in February jumped even more – up 14% year-over-year.
Recovery Sign #7: Prices. As I’ve written before, prices will be the last sign of a recovery. They’re a lagging indicator, like unemployment. That being said, signs of a price rebound are materializing. Based on the latest Case-Shiller Indexes, prices in Miami and Phoenix – arguably two of the hardest-hit real estate markets – were up in January by 1.2% and 2%, respectively. That marks the third consecutive month of improving prices in Miami and the fourth in Phoenix.
Recovery Sign #8: Rising Confidence. If insiders know best, they’re certainly sending bullish signals. The National Association of Realtors/Wells Fargo Index of builder confidence climbed for the sixth month in March. It’s now at the highest level since 2007.
Individual builders aren’t hiding their optimism, either. The CEO of the nation’s third-largest homebuilder recently said, “A very real trend is beginning to take shape… There are empirical data points that are today confirming that the market is showing real signs of stability.” Indeed!
Recovery Sign #9: Historic Affordability. With prices down an average of 36% from the peak – and rent prices rising – it’s never been cheaper to buy a home. In fact, the National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index hit a record high of 206.1 in January. (A value of 100 means a family earning the national median income can afford a median-priced property at current mortgage rates.)
A separate study by Trulia found it’s now less expensive to buy than rent in 98 of America’s 100 most populous metropolitan areas. (Honolulu and San Francisco were the lone exceptions.)
And yet another study found that the affordability gap is widening, strongly in favor of buying. Deutsche Bank reports that the average rent is now 14.9% more than the average home loan payment – up from 8.1% in the previous quarter.
It’s worth noting, too, that borrowing costs are down about 20% in the last year. Mortgage rates hit an all-time low of 3.87% in February – down from 4.95% a year ago.
Recovery Sign #10: Employment. It’s hard to buy a house if you don’t have a job. And no one can deny that the labor market is improving. In the last eight months, the unemployment rate is down almost one full percentage point.
Recovery Sign #11: An Influx of “Smart Money.” Greg Zuckerman of The Wall Street Journal reports, “Over the last couple months some of the best investors on the street… have been making big bets on homebuilders.” And he’s not kidding.
The list reads like a “Who’s Who” on Wall Street. It includes SAC Capital, Blackstone, Caxton Associates, Cerberus, Canyon Partners and CQS U.K.
Bottom line: Add all the hard data up and it’s clear – the real estate market has officially entered recovery mode.
I’m not alone in this conclusion, either. My colleague, Karim Rahemtulla, believes the same. And in the latest issue of WSD Insider, released on Friday, we both revealed our favorite ways to profit from the unfolding recovery.
It’s not too late to act on the opportunities we revealed. All you have to do is sign up for a risk-free trial here and you’ll be granted immediate access to our recommendations.
Ahead of the tape,
Louis Basenese
Published Mon, Apr 9th, 2012 Louis Basenese
Auto sales. Consumer confidence. Manufacturing. Retail Sales. Exports. You name it. Over the last six months, nearly every facet of the U.S. economy has shown improvement. And the real estate market is no exception.
Here’s the irrefutable proof:
Recovery Sign #1: Housing Starts. In February, housing starts checked-in at an annual rate of 698,000 units. That’s up 14.7% from the 608,800 starts in 2011… up 18.9% from the 586,900 starts in 2010… and up 25.9% from the record-low 554,000 starts in 2009. Even after the uptick, though, we’re nowhere close to the high-water mark of 2.07 million starts hit in 2005.
Recovery Sign #2: Building Permits. In February, building permits – a proxy for future construction – climbed to an annual rate of 717,000 units. That was ahead of expectations. It also represents the highest level since October 2008.
Recovery Sign #3: Dwindling Inventory. Expect even more building on the horizon. Why? Because new home inventories plumbed their lowest level on record in January at 150,000 units.
If we include existing homes in the mix, the total number of homes listed for sale has dropped – on a year-over-year basis – for 12 consecutive months. Now there are 2.43 million homes listed for sale, which is down 19.3% in the last year and down 39.8% from the record inventory of 4.04 million homes in July 2007.
Recovery Sign #4: Bidding Wars. The lack of inventory is creating a competitive bidding environment. Online brokerage firm, Redfin, reports that agents encountered multiple bids on about 50% of offers in Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C. and Oregon through March 15.
Recovery Sign #5: A Bottom in New Home Sales. Last year, new home sales fell to 302,000 units – the worst reading on record. For comparison’s sake, in 2005, 1.28 million new homes were sold. The market has likely bottomed out. I say that because new home sales in February checked-in at an annual rate of 313,000 units, which is 11.4% higher than last February’s rate.
Recovery Sign #6: A Rebound in Existing Home Sales. In the last year, demand for previously owned homes ticked 8.8% higher to an annual rate of 4.59 million. And the number of contracts to buy existing homes in February jumped even more – up 14% year-over-year.
Recovery Sign #7: Prices. As I’ve written before, prices will be the last sign of a recovery. They’re a lagging indicator, like unemployment. That being said, signs of a price rebound are materializing. Based on the latest Case-Shiller Indexes, prices in Miami and Phoenix – arguably two of the hardest-hit real estate markets – were up in January by 1.2% and 2%, respectively. That marks the third consecutive month of improving prices in Miami and the fourth in Phoenix.
Recovery Sign #8: Rising Confidence. If insiders know best, they’re certainly sending bullish signals. The National Association of Realtors/Wells Fargo Index of builder confidence climbed for the sixth month in March. It’s now at the highest level since 2007.
Individual builders aren’t hiding their optimism, either. The CEO of the nation’s third-largest homebuilder recently said, “A very real trend is beginning to take shape… There are empirical data points that are today confirming that the market is showing real signs of stability.” Indeed!
Recovery Sign #9: Historic Affordability. With prices down an average of 36% from the peak – and rent prices rising – it’s never been cheaper to buy a home. In fact, the National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index hit a record high of 206.1 in January. (A value of 100 means a family earning the national median income can afford a median-priced property at current mortgage rates.)
A separate study by Trulia found it’s now less expensive to buy than rent in 98 of America’s 100 most populous metropolitan areas. (Honolulu and San Francisco were the lone exceptions.)
And yet another study found that the affordability gap is widening, strongly in favor of buying. Deutsche Bank reports that the average rent is now 14.9% more than the average home loan payment – up from 8.1% in the previous quarter.
It’s worth noting, too, that borrowing costs are down about 20% in the last year. Mortgage rates hit an all-time low of 3.87% in February – down from 4.95% a year ago.
Recovery Sign #10: Employment. It’s hard to buy a house if you don’t have a job. And no one can deny that the labor market is improving. In the last eight months, the unemployment rate is down almost one full percentage point.
Recovery Sign #11: An Influx of “Smart Money.” Greg Zuckerman of The Wall Street Journal reports, “Over the last couple months some of the best investors on the street… have been making big bets on homebuilders.” And he’s not kidding.
The list reads like a “Who’s Who” on Wall Street. It includes SAC Capital, Blackstone, Caxton Associates, Cerberus, Canyon Partners and CQS U.K.
Bottom line: Add all the hard data up and it’s clear – the real estate market has officially entered recovery mode.
I’m not alone in this conclusion, either. My colleague, Karim Rahemtulla, believes the same. And in the latest issue of WSD Insider, released on Friday, we both revealed our favorite ways to profit from the unfolding recovery.
It’s not too late to act on the opportunities we revealed. All you have to do is sign up for a risk-free trial here and you’ll be granted immediate access to our recommendations.
Ahead of the tape,
Louis Basenese
Monday, May 14, 2012
Check In: 8 A.M. Tee Off: 9 A.M.
Sugar Creek Country Club
420 Sugar Creek Blvd.
Sugar Land, TX. 77478
For more information go to
www.candle.org or www.teeitup.org
If You Are Interested In A Sponsorship Opportunity Or In Securing Your Foursome:
Please Contact Lynn Wheeler at 713-270-4700
Or email: lwheeler@candle.org
Check In: 8 A.M. Tee Off: 9 A.M.
Sugar Creek Country Club
420 Sugar Creek Blvd.
Sugar Land, TX. 77478
For more information go to
www.candle.org or www.teeitup.org
If You Are Interested In A Sponsorship Opportunity Or In Securing Your Foursome:
Please Contact Lynn Wheeler at 713-270-4700
Or email: lwheeler@candle.org
Sponsorship Opportunities Are Still Available!!
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Your Chance to visit with a candidate
running for Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office. Dear friends and family,
The company that I work for, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors, is part of the Cartus Relocation team of which I am a member. Cartus is the world's largest relocation company with offices throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. I have a required goal of sending out a referral each quarter and could use your help in reaching that goal.
If you, your spouse, partner, parent, cousin, aunt or uncle, children, coworker, neighbor, golf or church friend are thinking about selling or purchasing a home, please refer them to me so I can find a qualified agent to assist them in their move.
They may be moving from Texas to Florida, Italy to Illinois, Washington to Oregon, Iowa to Colorado, or even within the same city. I will be able to put them in touch with a Realtor in their destination city who is trained, reputable, knowledgeable, and meets the high standards required to be a Relocation Network professional.
If you know anyone who is considering a move now or in the near future, please let me know. My contact information is below my name.
For all of you that have helped me in the past, a "BIG THANK YOU".
Jennifer M. Wilbur
Vice President/ Manger
Codlwell Banker United,Realtors
jwilbur@cbunited.com
713-866-7815
Moving around the corner or across the country I can help. Where ever you are going we are already there. Give me a call and let me help you with your move.
Decluttering and cleaning are the two most important things sellers can do to get their house ready for showings. But small touches — new bathroom towels, a well-placed bouquet of flowers or an accent color — can liven up your listings.
Here, we spent about $70 on fresh flowers and another $400 on props to stage a few key areas of a 1920s bungalow. Other props were borrowed.
Warm it Up
Bring life to a monotone bathroom with contrasting draperies and towels. A towel rack hung upside-down is reversed, so towels can be displayed on the rack rather than the tub. A borrowed table adds elegance and carries the eye upward, making the room feel more spacious. Purchased: Drapes, $80; towels, $25; wastebasket-tissue-box-handtowel set, $18
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Create Focal Points
Above, a bench and mirrored hatstand that blend into the woodwork are replaced with contrasting furniture. The boldly colored chest and pillow combine to provide a focal point. Purchased: Blue vase, $25; pillow, $30
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Pare Down
Books and photos go into storage, replaced with accent pieces and flowers that brighten the dark shelves. Purchased: Square baskets, $10; white mirror, $12; white vase, $30; top-shelf basket, $25
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Accent With Color
Surfaces are decluttered and red accents added to enliven a seating area. Purchased: Nothing except the flowers
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Think in Threes
Odd numbers create tension that provides visual interest. This principle is applied with three grass bundles on the fireplace hearth and three varied-height vases on the kitchen counter below. A painting retrieved from storage and a larger rug improve the balance of and add warmth to the mantle area. Purchased: Grass bundles, $30
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Set a Scene
Kitchen counters are transformed from utility into a welcoming oasis. Purchased: Cream vases, $40; succulents, $12; pear tray, $13; basket, $5; towels, $8
Photo Credit: Cynthia Howe
Buyer’s Reps: Look Below the Surface
A good stager can minimize a multitude of flaws in a home, from awkward traffic patterns and dark bedrooms to dens without a wall long enough for a full-size sofa. As home sellers increasingly use staging to market their properties, however, buyers must learn to look beyond staging’s veneer of polish to see a home’s bones and blemishes.
“Buyers shouldn’t assume that a well-presented home is a well-maintained one,” says Jon Boyd, GRI, a broker-manager with Home Buyers Agent in Ann Arbor, Mich., and president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.
NAEBA in 2006 surveyed its members and found that 82 percent of respondents said their buyers are likely to be distracted by staging.
The first time buyers walk through a house, they should concentrate on fundamental issues such as floor plan and a home’s location rather than on how furniture is arranged, Boyd says.
Here are some of Boyd’s tips for buyer’s reps:
- Don’t be dazzled by the light. Halogen lights can make a room seem larger, Boyd says. The same is true for torchiere-style lamps that reflect light up to ceilings.
- Don’t let shimmer hide realities. Mirrors and glass tabletops both make rooms appear larger. Measure each room to see how big it really is.
- Beware of tight spaces. Be sure that the furniture in a room is appropriate for the room’s use, Boyd says. A bedroom without night stands might prove cramped when you add in a full-size bedroom set. Also look out for love seats. They’re an easy way to make a room seem larger. Encourage buyers to measure their furniture so that they’ll know how much room they need.
Staging puts a house’s best face forward, which is all well and good, but buyers need to look below the surface and think about what really will be important to them in a new home.
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