ca: Green, LEED Home sells after 347 days - 06/10/11 12:36 PM
After 347 long days on the market Westminster's 1st LEED Certified home has been purchased. In Orange County, green homes have struggled to gain any significant market share or be taken seriously by the County's major players in the building world. Other than Olson Homes of Seal Beach & it's rival offshoot, City Ventures, there has only been a handful of small speculative builders that have braved green building in resource devouring Orange County. Currently, there are less than 100 LEED Certified homes in Orange County with the majority of them being done by Olson Homes in tracts of around 30 … (3 comments)

ca: LivingHomes installs LEED Platinum home in Newport Beach - 05/28/11 09:29 AM
Located on the Newport Beach Peninsula in sunny Orange County, this is the first installation of a Living Homes modular home in the county. The 1st LEED Platinum Certified home in the city of Newport Beach, I believe, and it was actually moved a total of three times since it's construction at a modular home factory. This particular home was used at two different expo type events in Las Vegas and again in Long Beach before finally being relocated to it's new home on along the sandy beaches of Newport. Each move entailed minor deconstruction of the home into it's original … (3 comments)

ca: Has the Real Estate Market Hit Bottom Yet? - 03/14/08 08:36 AM
In Orange County, CA, I believe that we're nearly there, if not right on top of it.
New home sales and rental prices were one of my first indicators. New home builders are the first home sellers to drastically slash prices.  Their homes are rarely priced incorrectly because they're a cash flow company and must keep the income rolling in or else they're sunk.  They're ahead of the price curve because of their competitiveness and need to continually be selling.  Last Sunday, the Orange County Register showed new home sales up 1.9%.  Meaning that they've already bottomed out.  Re-sales will be soon to … (3 comments)

ca: California Energy Policy Act of 2005 and beyond - 11/26/07 10:02 AM
Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), homeowners who make energy-related improvements in 2006 and 2007 may qualify for tax credits. Products include: Exterior windows and skylightsExterior doorsCertain roofing materialsStorm windowsStorm doorsCertain water heating equipmentInsulationMain air circulating fansCentral air conditionersGas, oil or propane furnaces and hot water boilersAir-source and geothermal heat pumpsIn order to qualify, products must meet standards set by the IRS for each products type. Most credits are based on a percentage of products cost excluding installation, whereas for heating systems components flat credits apply. Only improvements to primary residence qualify, and they must be made between Jan … (2 comments)