"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Friday, August 21, 2009
"How can I be Green?"
A few months back I wrote an article on "Going Green" that explained what the "Green" word meant and how to look for homes that were green. And, there are many builders today trying to build their homes more Green.
I just finished my GREEN designation classes this week, and I am committing to living as Green as I can. As most of you, I already have my home that was built four years ago so it meets a lot of the green requirements, but, certainly not all of them. However, we talked about Green being a lifestyle; and I'm going to change my lifestyle to be more green. So, you might ask, "What are the things I can do without changing my home, to be more friendly to our planet". I'm so glad you asked that question, because that is the purpose of this writing. Here are some things you can easily start doing:
1. Use less toxic cleaners in your home (some of these can be homemade). You can find some recipes online, but here are a couple of websites you might check out: the Consumer Reports Web site (www.greenerchoices.org), and the National Geographic Green Guide (www.thegreenguide.com).
2. Composting waste is a good "Green" thing. Just remember, no animal products can be put into a compost, but here are some of the things that can:
*Brown ingredients to provide carbon, such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs
*Green ingredients to provide nitrogen, such as grass clippings, vegetable and
fruit waste, and coffee grounds
*Water to provide moisture and help to break down organic matter
The composting process takes about 3-6 months. Once decomposed, compost can be applied as mulch to enrich the soil in garden beds, under shrubs, on the lawn, or in potting soil. To get a complete listing of what you can, and can't, put into a compost, go to www.epa.gov.
3. Collect rainwater from our home gutters to use for lawn irrigation to conserve on water usage (our limited resource--but something all living things have to have).
4. Using the cloth grocery bags instead of getting plastic ones each time you go to the grocery store. Now, I know it is difficult to always remember to take these bags back to the store. I am very guilty of this. But, I am just going to put those cloth bags in the trunk of my car so I will always have them when I go grocery shopping. That saves our trees and it saves on the landfills that house all those plastic bags which, as you know, are not biodegradeable.
5. The plastic containers that we have and will continue to have until we have better choices for containers (filled with everything from potato salad to party trays--and that's just at the grocery store)can be recycled. So, I'm going to get even better with that.
There is so much more that we can do, but this is a starter list that can keep some of us busy for awhile.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
I just finished my GREEN designation classes this week, and I am committing to living as Green as I can. As most of you, I already have my home that was built four years ago so it meets a lot of the green requirements, but, certainly not all of them. However, we talked about Green being a lifestyle; and I'm going to change my lifestyle to be more green. So, you might ask, "What are the things I can do without changing my home, to be more friendly to our planet". I'm so glad you asked that question, because that is the purpose of this writing. Here are some things you can easily start doing:
1. Use less toxic cleaners in your home (some of these can be homemade). You can find some recipes online, but here are a couple of websites you might check out: the Consumer Reports Web site (www.greenerchoices.org), and the National Geographic Green Guide (www.thegreenguide.com).
2. Composting waste is a good "Green" thing. Just remember, no animal products can be put into a compost, but here are some of the things that can:
*Brown ingredients to provide carbon, such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs
*Green ingredients to provide nitrogen, such as grass clippings, vegetable and
fruit waste, and coffee grounds
*Water to provide moisture and help to break down organic matter
The composting process takes about 3-6 months. Once decomposed, compost can be applied as mulch to enrich the soil in garden beds, under shrubs, on the lawn, or in potting soil. To get a complete listing of what you can, and can't, put into a compost, go to www.epa.gov.
3. Collect rainwater from our home gutters to use for lawn irrigation to conserve on water usage (our limited resource--but something all living things have to have).
4. Using the cloth grocery bags instead of getting plastic ones each time you go to the grocery store. Now, I know it is difficult to always remember to take these bags back to the store. I am very guilty of this. But, I am just going to put those cloth bags in the trunk of my car so I will always have them when I go grocery shopping. That saves our trees and it saves on the landfills that house all those plastic bags which, as you know, are not biodegradeable.
5. The plastic containers that we have and will continue to have until we have better choices for containers (filled with everything from potato salad to party trays--and that's just at the grocery store)can be recycled. So, I'm going to get even better with that.
There is so much more that we can do, but this is a starter list that can keep some of us busy for awhile.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Famous Quote for the Day
Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.
Richard Bach
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Richard Bach
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
New Listing-Potential Short Sale
If you are looking for a great priced home in Tucker, consider my listing #3920857 at 2565 Ball Park Dr. This house is worth much more, but since we are trying to get an offer we can send into the lender to approve a short sale, we have lowered the price far below the recently-appraised value. This home is a ranch on a partial basement, 4 bedrooms/2 full baths with all hardwood floors and an updated kitchen. For more information, check out my website and you can find this listing easily.
This is just one of my many attempts to help friends avoid foreclosure. Remember, your options can be loan remodification or short sale to prevent a foreclosure. Short sales stay on your credit record only 3 years, foreclosure is 7 years. Let me know if I can help you.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
This is just one of my many attempts to help friends avoid foreclosure. Remember, your options can be loan remodification or short sale to prevent a foreclosure. Short sales stay on your credit record only 3 years, foreclosure is 7 years. Let me know if I can help you.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Quote of the Day
IF GOD SO LOVED US, WE TOO, SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
I John 4:11
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
I John 4:11
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
More Tax Credit Information for Homebuyers
I have talked about the Federal $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer credit quite thoroughly. And, I have talked about the state funds of 1.2% of purchase price or maximum of $1800 for anyone to use.
As you know, the government spending has faced a lot of criticism, but a lot of that "stimulus" package is geared toward the housing industry because we have to have a "come back". There are current proposals in Congress to help further this opportunity and I thought you might like to know about them. There is no assurance these will pass, or if they do, they could be changed a lot, but I thought I would share those with you.
1. There is a Senate bill to expand the tax credit to $15,000 to any home buyer regardless of income. There is no "First-Time Home buyer" stipulation on this bill.
2. There is a bill to keep the $8000 credit already in place until June 2010 (right now, it is due to expire in the fall of this year). In this bill, there is also a $3,000 credit to homeowners who refinance.
3. Another bill would extend the credit to all home buyers through 2010.
This information is not in any way a reason to "wait" if you are considering purchasing a home, especially if you are a First-Time Home buyer (which only means you have not owned a home in the last three years). NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY! Currently, the $8,000 tax credit will expire in the fall this year. Interest rates are still low, and the home prices are low, and you have a lot to choose from.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
As you know, the government spending has faced a lot of criticism, but a lot of that "stimulus" package is geared toward the housing industry because we have to have a "come back". There are current proposals in Congress to help further this opportunity and I thought you might like to know about them. There is no assurance these will pass, or if they do, they could be changed a lot, but I thought I would share those with you.
1. There is a Senate bill to expand the tax credit to $15,000 to any home buyer regardless of income. There is no "First-Time Home buyer" stipulation on this bill.
2. There is a bill to keep the $8000 credit already in place until June 2010 (right now, it is due to expire in the fall of this year). In this bill, there is also a $3,000 credit to homeowners who refinance.
3. Another bill would extend the credit to all home buyers through 2010.
This information is not in any way a reason to "wait" if you are considering purchasing a home, especially if you are a First-Time Home buyer (which only means you have not owned a home in the last three years). NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY! Currently, the $8,000 tax credit will expire in the fall this year. Interest rates are still low, and the home prices are low, and you have a lot to choose from.
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Chains of Habit
Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.
Warren Buffett
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Warren Buffett
Thank you for visiting my blog. To view all North Georgia Real Estate Listings please visit my Georgia Real Estate website.
Feel free to call me at (678)-362-3600 for more information.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
