Contractor Tips: How to Install Tile Flawlessly

First things first. Where will you have cuts? Make sure they won’t be too small. Is the room square? If not, choose the most prominent wall and lay the tile parallel to it.

Is there a pattern to the tile? Think about where the pattern will fall and whether you want to center any fixtures or accessories on a certain part of the pattern.

Read more at: http://sfgate.houzz.com/ideabooks/1491129/list/Contractor-Tips–How-to-Install-Tile-Flawlessly/w/sid=1

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Dream Kitchen Must Haves !?!

Ice maker in the pantry.  No one wants to schlep to the gas station before a party for leaky bags of ice

Themes include having a place for everything and everything in its place (hiding clutter, from sponges to electric outlets), maximizing cabinet storage and including elements that make kitchen activities easier. Here are your ideas. If you think of any that are not listed here, please chime in and put them in the Comments section.

See all at: http://sfgate.houzz.com/ideabooks/1501683/list/Houzzers-Say–Dream-Kitchen-Must-Haves/w/sid=1

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Depressed Home Prices Fuel Spike in Remodeling

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

• You came through the housing bust and recession far more debt-averse than you were before.

• You’ve been reluctant to consider selling your house because you don’t believe you’ll get what it’s really worth.

• Buying a new home is out of the question, even with today’s low interest rates, because it’s so difficult to qualify for a mortgage.

• You’ve gradually come to the conclusion that it’s smarter to improve the house you already own — spend some money on making it more comfortable, more up to date — and just stay put for a while.

Contact the appraisers at www.socalappraisalserv.com for your remodeling value questions.

Whether you share them or not, sentiments like these are having profound effects on real estate markets across the country, fueling post-recession interest in remodeling. In fact, according to federal estimates, by late last year the annualized dollar value of expenditures on renovations outstripped expenditures on newly constructed single-family homes — a huge change from pre-recession years, when the ratio was sometimes 3-to-1 in favor of new construction.

Underscoring this trend: In late January, the National Association of Home Builders’ remodeling market index hit its highest level in five years. It’s not that remodeling is moving into boom territory, said David Crowe, chief economist of the association, but rather that for many consumers, fixing up their house now fits their sentiments — and their finances — far better than selling or buying.

Interviews with builders and remodelers in different parts of the country point to important changes in homeowner strategies. In Seattle, Joe McKinstry, president of Joseph McKinstry Construction Co., says inquiries about possible remodeling projects have nearly tripled in the past 12 months.

“I feel like people are starting to say, ‘Well, we’re not going to move anytime soon because, if we do, we’re going to get 30 percent less than the house is worth. Why don’t we do something in the kitchen or bathroom for our own enjoyment?’ ”

Read more: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/05/tp-depressed-home-prices-fuel-spike-in-remodeling/

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Thinking of Buying a Foreclosure? Try the Foreclosure Cost Calculator

Homebuilders are switching tactics and confronting head-on one of their biggest nemeses: foreclosed houses that not only lure buyers away with deeply discounted prices but simultaneously depress the appraisal values of newly built homes.

At a packed session at the International Builders’ Show expo in Orlando Feb. 8-11, consultants and builders said that with gluts of foreclosures in major markets around the country — and more forecast to arrive in the next two years — the time has come to stop being passive and to begin aggressively educating buyers about the often hidden costs of buying foreclosures.
In Phoenix, one large builder, Fulton Homes, has put together the equivalent of an online truth squad — an interactive “foreclosure cost calculator” that allows shoppers to estimate the expenses they’re likely to encounter if they opt for a foreclosure.  The calculator uses what the company’s vice president, Dennis Webb, said are commercially available expense averages for acquiring, repairing and outfitting foreclosed houses of varying sizes, conditions and price levels in the area.

Say you’re shopping for a home to live in, rather than to rent out as an investment. You locate a number of foreclosures at low listing prices. You’re also aware of newly constructed homes that appear to carry higher prices for similar lot sizes and square footage.

The cost calculator prompts you to input the size, price and physical condition of the foreclosures. Say one of them is listed for $110,000 with 2,125 square feet of living space. Based on a drive-by, you estimate the overall condition to be fair — not terrible, but not great either. For that foreclosure, according to Fulton’s data, the typical post-acquisition costs — the repairs, new equipment, appliances and other improvements to make it adequate for you and your family — would add another $32,288 to the price you pay.

Likely expenses include an estimated $1,063 in appliances, $2,125 in electrical upgrades, $3,613 in windows, $5,525 for flooring and carpeting, $5,695 for cabinets, $1,913 in plumbing, $1,488 for drywall, $1,399 for the roof, $683 for interior cleaning, and a long list of others. The calculator also identifies possible legal fees, such as $1,500 in eviction costs if the property is still occupied, plus lawyers’ bills for title and lien complications.
Next to the calculator — here comes the big sell — Fulton offers you a look at some of its own newly built homes that are in the same general price range. They come with none of these add-on costs and instead have extended warranties on construction, appliances and equipment plus independent third-party inspections. Webb said in an interview that the calculator has been “amazingly effective” in opening the eyes of home shoppers to the “dark side” of foreclosures, and has helped the company rack up rising sales in a market where 46 percent of local listings are foreclosures.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/19/v-print/2646677/the-dark-side-of-buying-a-foreclosure.html#storylink=cpy

Calculator: http://www.fultonhomes.com/foreclosure-calculator

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Solar Project Faces Problem

BLYTHE (AP) — A major Southern California solar energy project could be delayed or even canceled following a deadly outbreak of distemper among kit foxes and the discovery of a prehistoric human settlement on the work site, according to a report Saturday.

The $1 billion Genesis Solar Energy Project near Blythe in the desert east of Los Angeles was on track to start producing power for some 187,500 homes starting in 2014.

But critics tell the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/wrtgOD ) the distemper outbreak and discovery of a possible Native American cremation site show that expedited procedures approved by state and federal regulators failed to protect wildlife and irreplaceable cultural resources. They say the problems could probably have been avoided by more rigorous research and planning.

The 250-megwatt plant was backed by an $825 million Department of Energy loan guarantee. Genesis had hoped to be among the first of a dozen approved solar farms to start operating in Southern California.

An official with Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources, the builder of Genesis, told the Times the problems threaten the entire project. If too many acres are deemed off-limits to construction, “the project could become uneconomical,” said Michael O’Sullivan, a NextEra senior vice president.

Native Americans, including the leaders of a nearby reservation, and environmentalists are trying to have Genesis delayed or even scuttled.

Read more: http://www.sgvtribune.com/california/ci_19951439

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San Diego – Urban Farming Gains Council Backing

The San Diego City Council voted this week on myriad changes that allow residents to raise goats and chickens on their property, while enabling groups to grow crops on vacant lots in commercial zones without having to cut through a thicket of red tape.

The changes came on a unanimous vote that Councilwoman Lorie Zapf called regulatory relief and Councilman Todd Gloria called common sense.

“It’s going to add to the quality of life in our city,” Gloria said.

“As we become denser and more vertical in our communities, were going to need more opportunities to expand urban agriculture and grow our own food where we can.”

Under the new rules, residents in most houses can keep up to five chickens. If a coop is kept at least 15 feet from property lines, a resident can keep up to 15 chickens. If the coop is at least 50 feet from any residential structure, a resident can keep up to 50 chickens. Coops have to be predator proof, ventilated and clean, while providing at least 6 square feet per bird.

Roosters are still off limits.

Under the old rules, residents could keep up to 25 chickens, but they had to be kept at least 50 feet from residential structures. That effectively banned them.

Goats are now allowed at single family homes, though males must be neutered and the animals must be of the miniature variety. Goat products, such as milk and cheese, must be for personal consumption only.

Finally, beekeeping will now be allowed in single-family areas, though no more than two hives are allowed and they must be at least 15 feet from a neighbor’s home and 20 feet from a street, alley or sidewalk. Hives must be in a protected area and screens are required in most circumstances

Read more at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/01/urban-farming-gets-a-boost/

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Even Without Congress, Some Refi Help May Be Coming

Though it was pronounced dead before arrival by opponents on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama’s new mortgage refinancing package contained far more than legislative proposals.

In fact, significant portions of it that have received little media coverage require no prior approval from a hyperpartisan Congress and could begin affecting consumers within weeks. Here’s a quick rundown on key segments of the housing proposals with a handicapping of their likely impact this year:

Going nowhere: If you’ve got an underwater mortgage that isn’t owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the president’s marquee proposal to help you refinance into a 4 percent mortgage is not likely to be of assistance. The plan’s core concept of funding your rate cut by levying a fee on the largest banks — “based on their size and the riskiness of their activities” — would be a nonstarter politically even if this weren’t an election year. R.I.P.

Moving fast: Refinancings can be speeded up administratively by key executive branch agencies, and the new program directs them to do so within the next few weeks wherever possible. For example, the Federal Housing Administration will be removing a major barrier for lenders to “streamline” refinancings for current, non-delinquent borrowers who want to take advantage of today’s low rates. The FHA no longer will count streamlined refis — where some standard underwriting requirements are waived — against lenders’ performance ratings on delinquencies. The fear of getting a poor rating is a powerful deterrent for many lenders against doing streamlined refis, because they can lose their eligibility to do loans for the FHA altogether. Removing ratings as a barrier should help significant numbers of FHA borrowers get into a better deal.

At the same time, the White House has ordered all the other federal agencies with homebuyer programs to clear the decks for streamlined refis of their existing customers. For example, the Agriculture Department, which runs the third-largest and fastest-growing program — last fiscal year, its loan guarantees funded more than 130,000 home purchases in communities on the fringes of major metropolitan areas — is expected to waive requirements for new credit reports, appraisals and other documentation for streamlined refinancings. The main requirement for hundreds of thousands of existing USDA borrowers who want to switch to a lower loan rate: Just be on time with your current payments.

Read more: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/12/tp-even-without-congress-some-refi-help-may-be/

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When Prefab Becomes Fabulous: The Perks of a Well-made Kit Home

*Note this is an article from Australia so all dollar amounts are in Aussie dollars; check exchange rate.

It is architect-designed, environmentally friendly and cheap.

It may sound like an oxymoron, but a new range of well-designed, sustainable homes can be installed on site for as little as $65,000 for a one-bedroom house.

But there’s a catch: they are prefabricated.

Contact the appraisers at www.socalappraisalserv.com for your questions on value for a prefab/modular home.

For architect Bill McCorkell and builder David Martin who late last year launched Archiblox, that’s not a problem.

The stigma once associated with ”prefab” homes has largely disappeared as cost pressures, good design and sophisticated construction make building off-site more attractive.

Modular houses connect together like toy blocks. Each component is prefabricated, driven to the building site, lifted off the truck, placed on screw piles and joined together.

The process is relatively simple, efficient, stress-free and, compared with conventional building techniques, fast. A home can be on site in as little as 12 weeks.

Read more: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/when-prefab-becomes-fabulous-the-perks-of-a-wellmade-kit-home-20120213-1t0em.html

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Happy Valentine’s Day – Eco-Friendly Florists

The global cut-flower industry is a multibillion-dollar business, with the United States producing only a fraction of the world’s flowers sold each year. According to the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project, more than 80 percent of the flowers produced in Colombia are exported to the United States, and one-third of Ecuador’s yearly production is exported to the United States for Valentine’s Day.

So a little over a year ago when Christina Stembel decided to launch her locally sourced and bicycle-delivered floral service, Farmgirl Flowers, many colleagues thought it would be impossible to alter the habits of flower shoppers looking for bouquets that are inexpensive, attractive and long-lasting.

But like the organic and local food movement that has made headway in the mainstream marketplace, growers and floral designers who sell eco-friendly and organic products are winning over consumers with local, seasonal items and product labels that identify how and where plants were grown.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/07/DDR21N15CT.DTL#ixzz1lu2sOAbu

 

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Green Economy Resilient, Growing Quickly, Report Says

Since the mid-1990s, green jobs in San Diego County have grown more than twice as fast as the overall average and weathered the past two recessions better than most other industries, according to a report released Tuesday by Next10, a research organization focused on the environmental industry.

According to the report, there were 20,500 “green economy” workers in San Diego County at the beginning of 2010 — the most-recent year for comprehensive data — compared to just 12,400 in 1995.

The appraisers at www.socalappraisalserv.com are certified green real estate professional; contact them for your “green” home values

Those jobs — including solar-panel installers, wind-turbine manufacturers, biofuel developers, energy conservation consultants, recycling collectors, wastewater processors and “clean-building” designers — grew at an average pace of 4 percent per year, compared to 1.8 percent for the overall workforce.

Even at the depths of the Great Recession, green jobs held steady in San Diego County. Only 300 jobs were lost — a 1 percent drop in employment — that compared to a 4.5 percent drop in the county’s total workforce.

Read more at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/08/green-economy-weathered-recession-well-report-says/