Salt Lake City – #7 for Real Estate Investors

June 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

In a recent Inman News study, Salt Lake City, Utah ranked #7 in the nation for real estate investors. The rankings were based on data such as local unemployment, home sales, affordability and percentage of distressed properties.

According to SmartZip data, homes in Salt Lake City are expected to appreciate 41.1 percent in the next 10 years. In part due to the anticipated increase in population and the fact that housing starts aren’t keeping up with this increase (we’re expecting to add 1.5 million people by 2040).

Filed Under: Green Box, Home, Real Estate (general), Real Estate in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City News Tagged With: , ,

Programmable Thermostats – A Simple Way to Save

April 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

You can save up to 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10% to 15% for eight hours. You can do this automatically by installing an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.

Using a programmable thermostat, you can adjust the times you turn on the heating or air-conditioning according to a preset schedule. As a result, the equipment doesn’t operate as much when you are asleep or when the house, or a part of it, is not occupied.

Programmable thermostats can store and repeat multiple daily settings (six or more temperature settings a day) that you can manually override without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program. When shopping for a programmable thermostat, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR label.

Excerpted from U.S. Department of Energy.

Filed Under: Energy Efficient Homes, Green Box, Green Living, Home, Home Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , ,

Home Energy Audit – Save Money, Be More Comfortable

February 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

As an Energy Consultant with DwellTek Home Energy Solutions, I’m often asked about the process of having an Energy Audit performed on a home. This video showing what goes on during a  Home Energy Performance Assessment does a great job of summing it all up. It’s 3 1/2 minutes long, but well worth the time.

After watching, please contact me to find out how YOUR home can be made more comfortable, and start saving money today!

Filed Under: Energy Efficient Homes, Green Box, Green Living, Home, Home Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , , , , ,

Utah Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®

January 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t want to save money AND be more comfortable?

Your home may qualify for a $2,000 grant, as well as other rebates and tax incentives.

If you’ve considered replacing, now or in the future, any of the following:

  • Windows
  • Insulation
  • Roof
  • Furnace
  • Air Conditioner
  • Water Heater

…then this grant may help pay for your upgrades!

Utah Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Participation Requirements:

  • Your home must be built prior to 2000
  • Your home must be owner-occupied
  • A 20% energy savings must be achievable in your home

Why Participate?

  • Save money on energy costs
  • Improve the comfort level of your home by eliminating drafts
  • Increase the value of your home by investing in energy efficiency upgrades

FACT: The average home in the U.S. spends more than $2,300 in home energy costs and emits an average of 14,500 lb. of carbon dioxide per year.

FACT: The Department of Energy reports that residential building energy use represents 36% of U.S. electricity consumption, and is the nation’s largest source of carbon emissions.

Contact me today to learn more about the program, and to begin saving money while feeling more comfortable in your home. This grant money won’t be around for long.

Beverly Hanson: 801 680-4325 or e-mail: Beverly@SLCGreenHomes.com

Filed Under: Energy Efficient Homes, Green Box, Green Living, Home, Home Energy Efficiency Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

2011 Housing Forecast for Salt Lake City

January 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

After attending the annual Board of REALTORS® forecast breakfast, there is cautious optimism for our local real estate market. Prices are expected to stabilize by the end of the 2nd quarter, and sales are anticipated to increase by end-of-year.

So, buyers who have been waiting for the bottom of the market before making a purchase, might not want to wait much longer. With interest rates still near or below 5%, this is the perfect time to buy.

Check out this video, featuring the president of the Board of REALTORS®, DeAnna Dipo:

Salt Lake City Housing Forecast

Filed Under: Green Box, Home, Real Estate in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Tagged With: , , , ,

2010 Foreclosure Sales Report – 3rd Quarter

December 14, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

The number of foreclosed homes being bought and sold across the country and in Utah is falling significantly, a new report indicated.

The RealtyTrac Third Quarter 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report showed that foreclosed homes accounted for 25 percent of all U.S. residential sales in the third quarter of 2010, with the average sales price of properties that sold while in some stage of foreclosure more than 32 percent below the average sales price of properties not in the foreclosure process. That was up from a 26 percent discount in the previous quarter and 29 percent in the third quarter of last year.

In Utah, foreclosed homes accounted for just over 20 percent homes sold during the quarter, but prices only discounted about 3 percent, the report noted.

Sales of foreclosed properties in default, scheduled for auction or bank-owned (REO) in Utah fell nearly 30 percent from the previous quarter and 21 percent from the same period in 2009.

“The RealtyTrac report confirms that there are fewer foreclosures in Salt Lake City and Utah compared to the rest of the nation,” said Bill Heiner, president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. “With fewer homes for sale in the Salt Lake area, home prices are beginning to stabilize and even increase in some neighborhoods.”

Filed Under: Green Box, Home, Real Estate (general), Real Estate in Salt Lake City Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Utah Renewable Energy Conference

March 25, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

Are you interested in learning more about Solar Energy? Have you considered converting your home to this energy efficient system? The paybacks might be quicker than you ever thought – especially now, since more than 50% of the cost of a new solar energy installation could be covered with available tax credits and the new rebate!

Come to the Salt Lake Community College this Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. to learn more – for only $5.00 admission.

For details, please see www.utsolar.org

Filed Under: Energy Efficient Homes, Green Box, Green Living Tagged With: , ,

Now is the Time to Go Solar

March 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

Take advantage of the new renewable energy rebate for home & business owners while it lasts!

The Utah State Energy Program will be offering a new rebate for home and business owners that install solar energy.  That means if you install solar energy on your home or business you could get a check in the mail for thousands of dollars back!  This is a brand new program intended to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, but it won’t last forever and everyone will have questions about how it works.  To help answer those questions and provide the info you need to take advantage of the new rebate while it is available, the Utah Solar Energy Association is hosting the Utah Renewable Energy Conference 2010 that will provide a physical location where you can come and learn about the new rebate and how much money it can save you.  This event will be held on Saturday, March 27th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and it will be located at the Salt Lake Community College Miller Campus off I-15 at 9750 South in Sandy.  Admission is $5 for an individual or $10 for a family, and your conference admission will get you $100 off a solar energy system from any of the solar installers participating in the conference!  For more information and to register for the event visit www.utsolar.org.

Filed Under: Energy Efficient Homes, Green Box, Green Living, Home, Real Estate in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City News Tagged With:

Home Buyer Tax Credit Made Simple

February 10, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

With so much buzz about the first-time (and “long time”) homebuyers tax credits, I thought it might be helpful to post a straightforward summary of the rules that govern these credits:

 General Rules:

  • A “first time home buyer” is defined as someone who has not owned a primary home in the last three years. If you are a “first-time home buyer,” your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home, not to exceed $8,000.
  • A “long-time resident” is defined as someone who has lived in the same primary home for 5 out of the past 8 years. If you are a “long-time resident”, your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home not to exceed $6,500.
  • The tax credit does not need to be paid back if you continue living in the home as your Primary residence for three years without selling it. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Green Box, Real Estate in Salt Lake City Tagged With: ,

Birds and the Bees (Raising them, that is!)

January 22, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

Salt Lake City has made changes to city ordinances to relax restrictions and allow residential chicken coops and beekeeping.

Residents who qualify are now permitted to raise chickens for the purpose of eggs and bees for the purpose of honey. Residential bees and chickens benefit our community in a variety of ways while providing a sustainable, healthy and fun source of food.

Over the past 50 years, domesticated bee populations have decreased by 50%. These animals are critical in our food production for the pollination services they provide. Pollination by bees alone is responsible for 15-30% of the food eaten in the United States. Concerns about “killer” bees led to a ban on beekeeping in Salt Lake City in the 1980s; however, domestic strains of honeybees have been selectively bred for their gentleness and can be safely kept in populated areas with proper maintenance.

Backyard chickens can improve the health of your yard and your family. The most obvious benefit of keeping chickens is the production of eggs. Eggs from well-maintained backyard chickens are not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but they are actually healthier and taste better too! Compared to factory-farmed eggs, backyard eggs contain significantly more Vitamins A and E, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids.

Chickens provide more than healthy food. They act as a natural pest control by eating insects and their droppings are rich in nitrogen, making it an excellent addition to your compost bin.

Finally, raising chickens and bees at home can help reconnect the divide that has been created between the American diet and food production. Playing a larger role in the production of the food on your table will help foster a greater understanding of and appreciation for the food you eat.

Learn more about the chicken ordinance.

Learn more about the bee-keeping ordinance.

Source: Salt Lake City Council District Seven

Filed Under: Green Box, Green Living, Salt Lake City News
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