Twelve years ago, the U.S. Green Building Council launched a rating system called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, hoping that architects, engineers, designers and real estate firms would improve energy efficiency and increase the use of recycled materials and nontoxic paint in their projects to win LEED-certified recognition. Now LEED has grown...
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October’s National Energy Awareness Month is designed to promote smart energy choices. We all can do small things to save energy around our homes and work places. No matter how large the problem may appear, we all have the means to shape our energy future and move our nation toward energy independence. The following energy...
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eclipse
September 19, 2012
Trulia’s Chief Economist reveals how you can save hundreds of dollars a month by buying a home instead of renting – especially if you can get today’s low mortgage rates, itemize your tax deductions and plan to live there for 7 years. The most important housing decision that most consumers face is whether to rent or...
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eclipse
September 18, 2012
Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying: Supply Is Shrinking With inventory declining in many regions, finding a home of your dreams may become more difficult...
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eclipse
September 9, 2012
If you’re about to put your home on the market, understand that you are about to engage in a war of sorts. Selling your home is a battle with other listings for the qualified buyers that are out there, a battle with everything else a buyer has to do for their time and attention and...
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Renaissance Homes Custom Homes Division recently broke ground on 16 acres of private land off SW Scholls Ferry Rd. Renovations has teamed up with the owner of the property to complete site improvements and build a 3,800 sq ft home, which was designed by our in-house design team specifically for their property. The entire project...
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When construction started for our new Ainsworth on NE Dean, we were excited to become a part of such a unique, up-and-coming neighborhood. We couldn’t have picked a better time to do so either, as the neighborhood is about to make history with the opening of the first ever non-profit bar. Although the bar won’t...
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Staying cool this summer doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay a fortune to keep the air-conditioning running day and night. Here are tips—most costing less than $25—that will keep you comfortable and cut the typical $1,000 cooling bill by as much as half. What’s needed to get the temperature to drop? Only a little...
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My wife and I thought about moving out of the city to cut our expenses. Then we ran the numbers and realized it made no sense. If you want to save money these days, you have to move into the city. Crazy, but true. No wonder McKinsey & Co., the strategy consultant, recently produced a...
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It has been a controversial question in the home real estate market for years. Do houses with lots of energy-saving and sustainability features sell for more than houses without them? If so, by how much? Some studies have shown that consumers’ willingness to pay more for Energy Star and other green-rated homes tends to diminish...
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