This is an analysis of the Santa Barbara Real Estate market including Carpinteria/Summerland, Montecito, Hope Ranch, downtown Santa Barbara and...
Real Estate Web Sites That Sell Your Information
For instance, real estate agents aren’t particularly happy with the notion that the MLS, arguably the industry’s most valuable asset, is being given away by a third party like Homegain.com, Zillow, and Trulia only to make money off the real estate agents who created the MLS in the first place.
Real Estate and Technology
Real Estate and Technology A great philosopher once said that all movements have three periods. The first phase is change...
Did you know that within 15 seconds a buyer has developed an opinion of your property? This is why establishing the right first impression is critical to achieving a successful sale.
EXTERIOR Your property’s landscape is not limited to the lawn and shrubs but encompasses everything from the street to your...
THE END RESULT: By showing attention to detail and understanding the buyer’s need to visualize your house against a neutral backdrop, you can dramatically increase the saleability of your property. And, I will be very happy to assist you with recommendations to help your house sell for the highest price, with the best terms and conditions, in the shortest time possible.
These are unusual times, the stock market and economic markets around the world are in a tailspin. Mortgage options are limited from what they had been, and the super jumbo loan rates have gone up significantly. This is not a good time to “test” the market.
You can live in a home that is healthier, more comfortable, less expensive, and lasts longer—basically, a happier home! It’s a choice and a smart way to make a positive difference in the world. “Greening” your home is also a strong selling attribute of homes in the Bay Area.
You don’t have to purchase new “green” construction to take advantage of green home features. You can retrofit your home so that your property is more energy efficient, has better indoor air quality, conserves natural resources (such as fuel), and uses less water. Currently, 40% of the world’s resources go into buildings, and 66% of electricity generated is used for heating, cooling, and lighting buildings.
How to Live Happier….Make Your Home More Green,
Part II
Want to do something simple, cheap and incredibly important for our environment? Start at home–Green your house, live happier and increase the value of your property. Start with your electricity consumption. Most of America’s electrical usage comes right from our buildings–66%, in fact. Since 1/3 of the world’s population still has no access to electricity, cutting the US consumption will make a significant difference in decreasing the world’s greenhouse emissions.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
REFRIGERATOR–GET A NEW ONE
In most places in the US, the fridge is the 2nd largest user of electricity, right after air conditioning. So here in Marin, where air conditioning is often provided free, it’s the first. With most appliances you save energy by using them less, but you can’t do that very well with your fridge. The main way to save money with this appliance is to use an efficient model. New refrigerators aren’t just a little more efficient, they’re incredibly more efficient. A 1986-era fridge uses 1400 kWh a year, while a post-2001 fridge uses only 500 kWh — a 64% savings.
WASHER–USE COLD WATER, FRONT LOADING
Washing your clothes in hot water instead of cold water for a year, wastes more electricity than leaving the refrigerator door open 24 hours a day for a year! Front-loading washers use 40-75% less water and 30-85% less energy than typical top-loaders.
LIVE IN CALIFORNIABack in 1976 California set a maximum amount of energy of 1400 kilowatt hours per year for a standard fridge. After they finished protesting, appliance producers met the standard easily, and on time. Because California represented such a large share of the market, and the necessary improvements were so minimal, the appliance manufacturers applied that standard to their entire lines. California kept demanding more efficiency, the manufacturers kept complying, and now, the criteria is 500 kWh….wow! Now Energy Star is the government’s rating–follow that, and get more efficient appliances.
CHANGE YOUR LIGHT BULBSCompact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLS, use 75 % less energy, last six times longer, generate less heat and reduce energy costs associated with cooling as compared to incandescent bulbs. Each bulb will save $30 or more in energy cost over its lifetime compared to standard bulbs.
BELIEVE “Optimism is a political act. Those who benefit in the status quo are perfectly happy for us to think nothing is going to get any better. “* So, believe each step you take, each bit of electricity you don’t use, will make a difference.
Short Sales
What is a Short Sale? A Short Sale is where the loan balance exceeds the market value of the home. Lenders, facing a surge in delinquencies, increasingly have been willing to accept short sales.
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3112 State Street, Santa Barbara, California 93105
Mark Lomas BRE 00898298
Kirsten Wolfe BRE 01309570