Just an FYI from Paula Clark, Coldwell Banker.. Your Real Estate Agent in Bergen County NJ
There are so many credits to be given to buyers today. Whether you are buying a new home, or renovating your existing home.
Energy, Green are everywhere, and surfacing all over the nation. The Government is giving you money if you are installing improvements that help save energy. I saw a show on 60 minutes about a homeowner that has all of his appliances using Solar. Panels on the roof, gadgets that move to have the panels find the sun, so that when the sun is down it is still generating power from the sun. It actually stores it. Windmills that use wind for energy. His electric meter is actually running backwards! Imagine? The electric company is actually giving him credits! I am not saying that we all can go to this extreme, but if you are going to install a furnace, hot water heater, windows in your home, why not check to see if they are F.D.A. approved, and qualify for a credit.
Windows must be NFRC/30. .30 BEING THE U FACTOR. Solar heat, and Solar heat gain.
Northvale conducted a council meeting at the borough on October 6. to discuss plans for work to be done at Veterans park. Construction bids were sent in and reviewed, and the lowest bid was chosen. One matter of concern is whether or not to keep the current poles that support the backboard and nets. If the design is changed the added cost would be $3,000 for reconstruction. Another item on the Agenda was the stream cleaning of Sparkill Brook. According to Major John Hogan, the stream has not been cleaned in 20 years. The stream has produced a chronic flooding issue, but the council has received the permit to have the work done, and Hogan hopes to have it completed this fall. The work would involve cleaning the drbris and growth as well as dredging the stream to create a deeper channel to reduce flooding.
For a continued update of related issues for The Northern Valley, and Bergen County. log onto Paula Clark and her web site. www.PaulaClarkRealtor.com
Happy couple that takes advantage of this market. With interest rates low, and the new first time buyer's credit, it's an easy decision to make. Paula Clark of Coldwell Banker has just Sold another home to First time buyers. Updated 3 bedroom, 2 bath colonial on the border of Ridgewood NJ.
Bergen County home buyers can get up-to-the-minute market reports with my MLS Market Snapshot. The Market Snapshot is an automatic service that charts current up-to-the-minute market activity of homes in the area, including such data as sold homes, properties for sale, inventory counts and even days-on-market. It provides real-time MLS market trend information with up to the minute graphical reports that speak directly to your requested needs.The Market Snapshot addresses the following key questions:
What is the supply of unsold homes in my neighborhood?
How fast are homes selling right now?
How do actual selling prices compare to listing prices in my area?
How do I get more for the money in a changing market?
How does it work?
Within a couple of minutes of the initial request, an email is sent to you informing you that the request has been received and that the market snapshot is being prepared. The Market Snapshot will be sent to your email address within 15 to 30 minutes.
Bergen County foreclosure homes continued to rise in June with 339 new Bergen County foreclosure filings for a total of 3,967 foreclosures, according to RealtyTrac.com.
Bergen County Foreclosure Activity and Home Price Index Foreclosure activity has remained relatively stable for the last couple of months while home appreciation has soared.
Bergen County foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings - default notice, foreclosure auction notice or repossession notice - each month. Home price appreciation is based on month-over-month percentage change of the Home Price Index. The Home Price Index is calculated from home sales records.
The ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’ which became law on February 17, promotes energy independence and green jobs through tax credits and government grants. This is part of an effort to make Bergen County homes and buildings more energy efficient.
Energy saving provisions include:
$6 billion to state and local governments for energy efficiency and conservation grants for energy audits, retrofits and financial incentives.
30% tax credit (increased from 10%) to homeowners for new furnaces, windows and insulation.
$5 billion to modernize the nation’s electricity grid and install smart meters on homes, saving homeowners money.
$5 billion for weatherization assistance for low income households.
$2 billion for federally assisted housing (section efficiency efforts.
With an "iffy" economy and the recent changes in first time buyer incentives, figuring out if you should rent or buy can be tricky. Can you afford the down payment? Or, is it cheaper to rent? Luckily, here is two awesome tools to help you make that hefty decision. First, find a home you like. Then, try the Rent vs. Buy Calculator to find out how much you can buy or save by renting or buying. Or, use the Mortgage calculator to get an idea of what your monthly payments would be. What do you have to lose?
Your home may be the biggest investment you'll ever make. So if you're serious about protecting that investment, here is some important information to consider when determining the coverage amount for your home
Make sure that your home is insured for at least 100% of its estimated replacement cost.
Understand the difference between market value and replacement cost for insurance purposes.
When buying a new home, be sure to obtain a replacement cost estimate.
Wood framing is yesterday's building method. Today, concrete is sustainable and today concrete is king.
"In both residential and commercial buildings, structures built with concrete to the roof offer long lasting benefits to home owners and owners of commercial structures," says Todd Blyth at Nudura. "Once these comforts are experienced, the homeowners and commercial building owners would never go back to wood or other traditional building methods."
Nudura, a company known for an ingenious, interlocking concrete-form building system, has recently won four, prestigious ICF Builder Awards, most notably for a LEED rated project. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design administers a third-party certification program, which has now set an international benchmark for the construction and operation of sustainable, high performance buildings. Nudura builds the walls to the roof with a method that entails interlocking forms with two layers of polystyrene, steal reinforced, and filled with concrete. Here's why concrete so readily trumps wood:
Conservation: The more trees covering the planet the better for oxygen supply and green house gas reduction. Instead of using wood for construction, concrete will save this important natural resource.
Cost Cutting: The energy savings with concrete walls range from up to 50-70 percent. Solid core, concrete keeps home temperatures consistent requiring less energy for heat, cooling, and climate control. Wood structures are prone to thermal bridging where the outside cold penetrates too easily, causing drafts and cold spots.
Fire Resistant: In addition to long-term durability, and wind resistance, concrete walls report 4-hour fire protection.
Durability: Solid concrete core walls are shown to be up to nine times stronger, withstanding winds up to 400 km-/hr and a debris impact up to 185 km-hr. Wood walls are subject to moisture, dry rot, and deterioration.
Indoor Air Quality: Wood structures are also prone to moisture retention, promoting mold growth with airborne respiratory irritants. The newest concrete system (nudura.com) is quick to assemble for builders, brings beauty to the design, emits no fumes, retains no water, and is virtually sound proof.
There many never be a better time to get into green building than right now, particularly as a way to hedge your business against the slowing housing market.
"There is no slow down from my company," says Matt Belcher or Belcher Homes in St. Louis. "Last year we did 15 green homes, and this year we'll do 25. I don't build anything but green homes."
Belcher says that a confluence of green products, how-to-build-green information, and customers easily sold on the concept have greatly reduced the obstacles builders use to face in getting started. By using the resources now readily available from national and local home builders associations and other organizations, any other builder can establish an individual plan to go green and execute it.
Emily English, director of the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building Program, says the NAHB's free Green Building Guidelines publication lays it all out in phased steps.
Step-By Step Breakdown
"There is a learning curve to switching to green practices," says Emily. "So we have different thresholds of building green, starting with bronze, then sliver and gold. The first part of the Guidelines is a checklist for what level of green you are building to. The second part of the Guidelines is how to do it, and a source of resources."
The process of going green is broken into seven guiding principles (Resource Efficiency, Lot Design, Preparation, and Development, etc.) which each specific element in a principle section given a numerical value. By adopting elements from each of the seven sections into your building program, you move into green building step by step.
"It's easier to go green this year than it was last year," says Belcher, who would chair the NAHB Green Building Conference March 25-27, 2007, in St. Louis. "There's so much more information out there. Our local HBA of Greater St. Louis and Eastern Missouri just adopted the NAHB's Guidelines. We tweak them for our area, but there isn't much tweaking needed
"On the product side, all the manufacturers of building components say the writing on the wall, Belcher adds. "Green products are about all they're pushing."
Sell the Green Bling
Belcher said the other two largest potential stumbling blocks to going green have been selling the green concept to dubious customers and turning concept into practice on the job site. Although these are the most crucial aspects of a builder needs to get right when switching over the green practices, Belcher doesn't view them as obstacles any longer.
"I sell the customers with what i call the 'green bling,' I tell them about things like photovolaics, structural insulated panels, and the fact that lenders are raising the value of green homes by as much as 18%," says Belcher. "And when I tell them we are going to build a 3,500 square-foot home and their electric bill won't be more than $125 a month, it gets them going pretty quick."
English and Belcher offer a couple of tips for builders to keep in mind as they go green:
Getting the trades on board was more of an issue in the past than it is today, as the green trend generates information, products, workshops and buzz. Still, English says, builders switching to green should plan on spending extra time training the trades and supervising crews on site.
Belcher advises builders to tell trade contractors from the very start exactly what they are doing -and why. "These guys pride themselves on being craftsmen, and they appreciate being involved in these advanced building techniques."
"I can say that using the Green Building Guidelines has improved my bottom line dramatically. I am not wasting a thing," says Belcher. "After my first few green houses, I was thinking, 'Why haven't I been doing this all along?'"
I know that our Market is changing everyday. There are many opportunities out there for Buyers.
Interest rates are low, and although they have increased by a small .2% in the last week, they are expected to go down once again. Prices of homes have become extremely negotiable. Sellers that must sell, but don't have enough equity in their home, or owe more than the market will bear should talk to a Professional that understands how to proceed without too much of a negative flag on their credit report.
I am experienced in this field as well.
I am a Full time Realtor, available 24/7, Serving All of Bergen County New Jersey. The Northern and The Pascack Valley, Edgewater, Fort Lee, Paramus, Oradell, Norwood, Northvale, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, Closter, Alpine, Saddle River, Ho Ho Kus, Washington Township, Westwood, West New York, North Bergen, and even Hudson County.
Working with first time Buyers is also one of our Specialties.
We are here to help!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
efficiency efforts.
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