With 2012 just a few days away, you may be reflecting on 2011 and wishing you had done a better job sticking to your New Years resolutions. So, now is your chance to make the new year your best one yet! Don't skimp on going to the gym, make sure you start that garden, and be sure to recycle more! Oh, and don't forget to fix up that room in your house you always wanted to. A remodeling project is a great addition to your list of new year to-do's.
Did you host Christmas at your house this year and find that your living room is just too small for family gatherings? Or did you struggle with not enough counter space for all that food? Then it sounds like a remodel is the perfect thing for you in 2012. Give your guest bathroom a complete makeover or turn an otherwise unlivable space, such as an attic or crawlspace, into an extra bedroom or game room. The possibilities are endless! And, guess what...we can do that for you!!
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After!!
Whether you are considering a huge remodel or a fairly small one, we can tackle either one. We work with you through the planning and design of your project to make sure it is exactly how you dreamed it would be. Give us a call or shoot us an email and let us help you get started!
So, now that the gift giving season is over and the new year is upon us, give yourself a gift and have the beautiful home you've dreamed of. Happy New Year!!
Be sure to visit our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com for more pictures of some of our amazing projects, or simply scan the QR code below.
From all of us at Uniquity Builders, Inc. to all of you, our friends and family, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!
If you’re like Bill and I, you’ve bought and sold many houses over the years—not to mention those you’ve refinanced to get a lower interest rate, etc…. During the times you’ve been working with a lender, how often did the lender, or broker, ask questions about your monthly energy costs, or any energy saving features you may have added to your home? My guess is, they didn’t. That’s because in the past the big mortgage lenders didn’t even consider taking those energy costs, or potential energy savings, into account during their fact finding and underwriting process. That could be changing in the near future.
A new bill being proposed in Congress would require mortgage lenders to include expected energy savings from "green" upgrades to be considered in the value of homes.
This would allow folks to retrofit their homes and be rewarded for it over the life of the loan,” says Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colorado.
The SAVE Act (Sensible Accounting to Value Energy) is being sponsored by Senators Bennet and Johnny Isaakson (R-Georgia). Finally we have forward thinking public servants who have introduced an Act that would order the Department of Housing and Urban Development to account for home energy costs in underwriting and appraisal guidelines used by federal entities, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA, that back home loans.
Even though many people are taking advantage of the energy savings resulting from solar and other forms of energy –efficient retrofits, home appraisers are typically not currently considering the energy savings offered by these homes when doing appraisals.
The SAVE Act would require adding the present value of energy savings to the home’s appraised value for purposes of determining loan-to-value numbers that banks use to calculate how much they are willing to loan you for a home. Along with the normal calculations of interest, taxes, and insurance, a home’s estimated energy costs would also be included as a mandatory consideration during the underwriting process. With home values being at their lowest point in years, we need all the help we can get when it comes time to sell or refinance our homes.
The SAVE Act would also require accounting for energy costs when lenders are calculating the debt-to-income ratio. The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that a house using 30% less energy than average would cut the borrowers costs $700 per year.
Here’s an example of what this Act can do for you, courtesy of Colorado’s 9News, (www.9news.com).
“So take a Maryland home. It is 75% more energy efficient than its older neighbors, saving the owner $1,500 a year. Under the Act, that savings would factor into the value of the home as well as the borrowers ability to make the mortgage payments. Lower energy costs would therefore benefit borrowers, sellers, and even builders.”
“It allows us to build and sell more energy efficient houses, which is a win-win,” Randy Melvin with Winchester Homes said. “It’s good for us, it’s good for the environment, it’s good for the consumer, it’s good for our country’s energy independence.”
The average homeowner spends more than $2,000 a year on energy, which can be more than insurance or real estate taxes. Although taxes and insurance are factored into appraisals, energy savings are left out of the equation.
“Let’s say you install double-pane windows in your house that create energy efficiency. That’s a cost as a homeowner, but it’s a savings that the lender can now recognize,” Senator Bennet said.
If a home being refinanced has not had an independent energy audit, lenders would be required to review previous utility bills, or pull data from an Energy Department survey database to find the estimated energy costs.
For homes that have had energy improvements, documented with a professional energy audit, lenders would instruct the appraisers to calculate that into their appraisal reports.
For more information, check out this website http://www.imt.org/save-act.
To learn more about Uniquity Builders, feel free to stop by our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com, or simply scan the QR code below using your smartphone QR code reader.
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, everyone is looking for ways to get more out of their Christmas spending money. Maybe you take part in the Black Friday madness to get all your shopping done in one day and get the best deals. Or, maybe you wait for those valuable e-mail coupons that get sent throughout the season. Perhaps the "green" side of you prefers to save money by wrapping all those presents in something other than store bought wrapping paper... such as fabric scraps, aluminum foil, even bubble wrap!
If you are in a real giving mood, give the gift of a kitchen or bathroom remodel! If the cook in your family struggles with an outdated kitchen or if you have a bathroom that's just too small for your family, consider a gift certificate from yours truly, Uniquity Builders! It's the perfect stocking stuffer to give your loved ones the beautiful home they deserve.
If you decided to do all your shopping online this year, then make sure you save some money for this Friday. December 16th is the fourth annual Free Shipping Day, when an expected 2000 online merchants will offer no-cost delivery by Christmas Eve, including such stores as Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, Office Depot and so many more! This could be a great way to find the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list and you don't even have to change out of your pajamas!
Just go to www.freeshippingday.com for a full list of all participating merchants or for a gift certificate, call us at 800-498-1833.
Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping!!
If you enjoyed this article, visit our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com, or simply scan the QR code below.
Here we are at the beginning of another Christmas holiday season. If you're like me, every year you go through the dilemma of deciding whether you should or shouldn't buy a real tree. I love the smell and the look of real trees. I also love bringing a bit of nature into my home for a little while. But I'm a believer in living "green", so I've always felt a little guilty about being the cause of another tree losing it's life in the name of holiday decorations.
After doing a little investigation, I was surprised to discover that buying a real tree is probably more eco-conscious than using an artificial one! Here's why...
According to the National Christmas Tree Association (yes, there really is one!), many people believe you save a tree by using an artificial tree. In reality, Christmas trees are grown as a crop, just like your veggies. They are planted by farmers to be used specifically for Christmas trees. Here in the USA, we grow almost half a billion trees on these tree farms. They also point out that artificial trees are transported, usually from China, in a large, sturdy cardboard box. It seems to me that cardboard boxes are made from paper, so not many trees are being saved there!
Let's explore another myth - fake trees are fireproof. As it turns out, according to the National Fire Protection Association, 28% of home fires involving Christmas trees turned out to be fake trees - hmmm...
Then there's the myth that it's better to use a fake tree because you can reuse it year-after-year. I've had an artificial tree in the past. After a few years use, they tend to loose their shape and begin looking really "artificial". It seems that many people feel the same way, since research has shown that most fake trees are used only 6 to 9 years. After that they end up in a landfill where, unlike real trees, they sit for years and years and years, since they are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable.
Another myth is that real trees may have pesticides and chemicals on them. Again, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, Christmas tree farmers don't use chemicals in a "harmful" way. They are only used when needed and only according to instructions given by the EPA, USDA, and the FDA.
According to Earth911.com, about 93% of our real Christmas trees are recycled through more than 4,000 recycling programs available nationwide. I especially like the idea that our real trees are reused for mulch, landscaping and gardening, playground material, hiking trails, paths, and walkways. They can also be used for beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization and fish and wildlife habitats.
A third alternative, that I'm particularly partial to, is buying a real potted tree and planting it after Christmas. As I have discovered in the past, you have to be very conscientious about getting the tree out of your home and planting it within a short period of time in order for the real tree to live through the trauma of being indoors out of its natural environment.
The more I read about the drawbacks of artificial trees:
Manufactured with metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), non-biodegradable materials, and some may contain lead.
Many being shipped from China (where's the "green" in that?!)
Taking up landfill space, with no redeeming qualities of being recyclable. Not adding to our ecology in any positive way that I can see...
Not fireproof, as proved by the National Fire Protection Association.
Possible health problems of lead dust coming from plastic trees - so much so that my state, California, requires a warning label on trees and wreaths.
It seems like a no-brainer to me - I will be happy to buy real trees in the future!
Still not convinced? This short video will give you some compelling reasons why real is better, not to mention that when you buy a local, real tree you're supporting the "Made in America" movement, helping American's keep working!
If you enjoyed this article, visit our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com to learn more about us, or simply scan the QR code below.