wenatchee real estate: Twice as dry - 11/04/09 06:53 AM
An updated master bathroom called for new towels to complete the makeover.  The towels I found were soft and a large size but were also advertised as quick drying.  And they are, which I find to be an advantage.  But the true benefit came to light when I laundered the towels.  They took less than half the time to dry than previous towels in my house.  The savings in electricity was a bonus I overlooked with evaluating the quick drying feature.  The towels met ever other need so why not use the energy efficient models.
 
 
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wenatchee real estate: Buyer's choice - 10/22/09 06:42 AM
It is becoming more and more in front on buyers "wants" in a home to have an energy efficient home.  And it should because an energy efficient home saves money and helps the environment.  What you can do is to make those improvements that enhance the energy efficiency of your home - new windows, more insulation, resealing around door and windows, and upgrading house systems.  Not only will this increase the value of your home but also increase your comfort until it is time to sell.
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wenatchee real estate: Use to be - 09/11/09 07:40 AM
Just how much has the internet use saved environment?  There was a time that the only way to view a house was to go directly to the home.  While using the Internet with pictures, virtual tours, and video tours of every home can reduce travel to homes that are outside of consideration by the client.  There was a time when printed material was the only way to share information about a house.  Imagine the future!
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wenatchee real estate: Clunkers - 08/14/09 05:14 AM
I was amazed to understand the impact of the government's cash for clunkers program on the environment.  The amount of gas that will be conserved is enormous.  Even if many the old vehicles turned in weren't driven much, the volume of reduced gas consumption is huge and the reduction in emissions is huge as well.  The program does have multiple benefits. 
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wenatchee real estate: Live here - 08/03/09 11:43 AM
I had a call the other day from someone who was thinking about moving to Wenatchee.  They asked about the weather, the size of the communities, and the price of houses.  I answered all their questions but forgot to mention that we are a green community.  Someday, "are you a green community" will be a standard question for any location one might consider for the home town.  We've got it here.
 
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wenatchee real estate: Blast furnace - 07/30/09 10:34 AM
It is really, really hot, all over the state.  In Wenatchee, most homes have some sort of air conditioning be it a wall unit or more.  For those who don't have air conditioning or for those who don't want to pay the cost of cooling, there are other alternatives to keep you cool.  Luckily, we live by two rivers.  The temperature there is always cooler and if you take a dip, you can feel cold, as least until you get out of the water.  It's worth a try.
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wenatchee real estate: Green sells - 06/06/09 05:42 AM
Many more buyers are looking for "green homes" and are willing to make a choice to buy the one that best meets the criteria.  Here is an article that the Realty Times, a real estate and advice newsletter published recently on the power of making your home green.  There is some great information here.
 http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20090605_green.htm
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wenatchee real estate: My own site - 06/03/09 07:11 AM
I'm pretty excited about www.dawnwiser.com - my own website.  This is just part of the change in the way business is done and the amount of paper that is being saved daily.  As often as possible, I use e-mailed documents and keep my personal records on line rather than print out every single form.  Of course, the official forms are still kept in paper form but someday soon that should change as well.
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wenatchee real estate: Family fun - 05/19/09 06:09 AM
Having family visit is great but one thing about having family visit is space limitations.  It works best to have a house that can be separated so that cooling and heating can be turned of and off when needed.  This works best with a two story house where the bottom or top level can be completely closed off.  The extra space can be excessive but it is also a good investment in real estate.
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wenatchee real estate: Fly away - 01/12/09 07:43 AM
We recently took a trip to the Washington DC area to visit our daughter, her husband and the new, first grand baby.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate that day - we and almost everyone on the flight missed their connections.  We were delayed 5 hours total, not too bad considering the situation.  It is amazing that we can get thousand of miles away in such short time, even when there is a major disruption in the schedule. 
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wenatchee real estate: Baby, baby - 01/12/09 07:38 AM
Sometimes the best efforts to stay green can't be followed to the letter.  My brand new grandson is a joy no doubt and in order to accommodate his entry into the world, keeping the thermostat turned back at night just didn't work out.  Plus, you do like to keep the house just a little warmer to be sure the baby is warm enough.  This is a temporary measure for sure and one well worth the cause.
 
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wenatchee real estate: It's personal - 12/05/08 09:25 AM
I use an MCI card to make long distance calls - you really can't beat 3 cents a minute and with auto dialing, the 20 numbers to enter each time you make a call, is really not all that bad.  Now, MCI has decided that they will charge a 15% surcharge for recharging a card.  But, if you buy a new card, there is no surcharge.  I  don't understand the reasoning behind this strategy (ploy?).  How green is that anyway.  The cards are plastic, they come in paper and cellophane packaging, they are shipped all over the country, all of which uses natural resources.  … (0 comments)

wenatchee real estate: Check the door - 12/01/08 10:58 AM
Now is a good time to check the seals on your outside doors.  While a poor fitting door is not going to break the bank, adding weather stripping will help save some money but will increase the comfort of your lving space.  The are several products available to weatherproof your doors - just go the local hardware store and look for products that will work with your particular setup.  It should take just a few minutes for this improvement.
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wenatchee real estate: Stormy - 11/20/08 07:38 AM
If you have storm windows and notice condensation on the inside of the storm window, there is an air leak that is making the windows less effective than they can were intended to be.  This can be especially irritating when you can't see outside because of the steamed up surface and can be very detrimental when selling your home.  You need to seal any leak to prevent warm inside air from the space between the two windows.  This will save heating costs and make living a little sweeter.
 
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wenatchee real estate: Popular topic - 11/17/08 09:23 AM
This week on the Today Show, the theme is water conservation and the impacts of global warming on this natural resource.  Conservation efforts everyone can can make part of their live will be introduced on each day of the show.  Each person uses about 100 to 175 gallons of water a day which makes a tremendous impact.  It is worth the time to listen in and see what you can do each day.
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wenatchee real estate: Keep warm to heat less - 10/22/08 11:13 AM
If you use an electric blanket and turn down the heat at night, you can save money and reduce your energy consumption.  A couple of things are important to remember though.  First, you have to remember to turn it off in the morning.  The other thing that is important is to replace older blankets - more for safety reasons than for energy savings.  Keeping warm and staying ahead of the electric bills can be simple.
 
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wenatchee real estate: Little things - 10/21/08 08:47 AM
When you're conserving energy, every little thing can help.  Painting the walls of your home a light color is more efficient.  Dark colors tend to absorb light, requiring you to use more energy from light bulbs to achieve the same level of light in your home.  Lighter color walls will also make your rooms feel brighter and more cheerful, not to mention the benefit of having a brighter, cleaner, and more neutral home when you are selling your home.
 
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wenatchee real estate: Battery blues - 10/16/08 06:29 AM
Fall is a good time to check you battery's load capabilities. Getting stuck on a cold winter day because a little preventative maintenance was overlooked is no fun.  Newer cars are equipped with so many computers and electronic systems, higher load capacity batteries are needed.  My Volkswagen Eurovan was having trouble - the engine light, brake light, and other warning lights were coming on for no reason - at least with those components.  A new battery fixed that problem and insured I can safely show homes through the upcoming winter months.  If you replace your battery at home, be sure to recycle.
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wenatchee real estate: It's a Snap - 09/15/08 06:46 AM
Here's information from Chelan County PUD on their SNAP program - a program designed to generate alternative, renewable energy.  The simpliest way to participate is to donate to renewable power; the ultimate is to produce your own and sell it back to the PUD.  Here's the link to the PUD website:
 http://www.chelanpud.org/snap.html
Here's a brief summary:
Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) is one of Chelan County PUD's renewable energy programs. Customers voluntarily pay a little extra on their utility bills to support solar and wind power. These donations are distributed once a year to our SNAP producers -- individuals, schools and nonprofit agencies … (1 comments)

wenatchee real estate: Set back - 09/09/08 08:46 AM
Set back thermostats are a great way to reduce your heating and cooling costs, especially if you use the feature to turn back the settings while you are away and at night.  This time of year, however, I find we use heating and cooling when we really don't need it.  For air conditioning, a hour or two with a temperature a few degrees warmer than we usually keep the rooms is not too hard to endure.  The automatic settings on the thermostat keeps the temperature at the predetermined setting regardless.  I prefer to turn off the system all together until winter sets … (0 comments)