Going Green!

Green Home Checklist

September 9, 2009 By Green Home Guide Staff

Whether you’re a homebuyer or a renter looking for a green home, how do you know if a home is truly green? What should you look for? This checklist will help you identify a truly green home that's better for your family's health, costs less to operate, and has fewer environmental impacts.
Location
New green homes and neighborhoods must not be built on environmentally sensitive sites like prime farmland, wetlands, and endangered species habitats. The greenest development sites are “in-fill” properties like former parking lots, rail yards, shopping malls, and factories. Look for compact development where the average housing density is at least six units per acre. Your home should also be within easy walking distance of public transportation—like bus lines, light rail, and subway systems—so you can leave your car at home. Ideally, the home would be within walking distance of parks, schools, and stores. See how many errands you can carry out on a bicycle. That’s healthier for you, your wallet, and the environment.
Size
No matter how many green building elements go into your home, a 5,000-square-foot green home still consumes many more natural resources than a 2,000-square-foot green home. The larger home will also require more heating, air conditioning, and lighting. If you really want a sustainable home, choose a smaller size.
Building Design
The home should be oriented on its site to bring abundant natural daylight into the interior to reduce lighting requirements and to take advantage of any prevailing breezes. Windows, clerestories, skylights, light monitors, light shelves, and other strategies should be used to bring daylight to the interior of the house. The exterior should have shading devices (sunshades, canopies, green screens and—best of all—deciduous trees), particularly on the southern and western facades and over windows and doors, to block hot summer sun. Dual-glaze windows reduce heat gain in summer and heat loss during cold winter months. The roof should be a light-colored, heat-reflecting Energy Star roof, or a green (landscaped) roof, to reduce heat absorption.
Green Building Materials
A green home will have been constructed or renovated with healthy, nontoxic building materials and furnishings, like low- and zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and sealants and nontoxic materials like strawboard for the sub-flooring. Wood-based features should come from rapidly renewable sources like bamboo, but if tropical hardwoods are used, they must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. A green home uses salvaged materials like kitchen tiles and materials with significant recycled content.
Insulation
A nontoxic insulation, derived from materials like soy or cotton, with a high R (heat resistance) factor in a home’s walls and roof will help prevent cool air leakage in the summer and warm air leakage in the winter.
Windows and Doors

Windows and exterior doors should be Energy Star rated, and they should seal tightly to avoid heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.

Energy Efficiency

A green home has energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling, and water-heating systems. Appliances should be Energy Star rated.

Renewable Energy
Ideally, the home would generate some of its own energy from renewable sources using technologies like photovoltaic systems.
Water Efficiency
A green home has a water-conserving irrigation system and water-efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Look for a rainwater collection and storage system, particularly in drier regions where water is increasingly scarce and expensive.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Natural daylight should reach at least 75 percent of the home’s interior. Natural ventilation (via building orientation, operable windows, fans, wind chimneys, and other strategies) should bring plentiful fresh air inside the house. The HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system should filter incoming air and vent stale air outside. The garage should not have any air-handling equipment or return ducts, and it should have an exhaust fan.
Landscaping
Vine-covered green screens, large canopy trees, and other landscaping should shade exterior walls, as well as the driveway, patios, and other “hardscape” features, to minimize heat islands. The yard should be landscaped with drought-tolerant plants rather than water-guzzling plants and grass in most regions.

Mountain Top Taxi Service!

You can get there from here

Taking another call, Majestic Mountain Taxi owner Bob Poelker prepares to transport a client whichever way the crow flies, on the mountaintop, in the valley and beyond. Telephone (518) 734-4096 for service.(Michael Ryan/Windham Journal)

New mountaintop taxi service does the driving for you

By Michael Ryan
Windham Journal Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010 6:21 AM EDT

WINDHAM — It was 1:37 in the afternoon, on August 13, 2004, when the seeds were planted for Majestic Mountain Taxi to take root in Windham.

More accurately, the seeds were sent totally askew, by Hurricane Charlie, on the west coast of Florida, where Bob Poelker was operating a sweet little caravan.

He had 60 vehicles in the fleet but hardly any of them were needed after Charlie ripped through the Fort Myers/Naples area, shutting down most hotels for a year and longer.

Poelker Transport Services, as the family company was known, relied on the hotel trade so when the client pool dried up, so did the business, leading to August 13, 2010.

That is the date, coincidently, that Poelker got everything up and running for Majestic Mountain Taxi, getting all his licenses and paperwork in order.

He had previously moved to Windham, not thinking he would return to the same line of work until several local people suggested he do so, saying there was a need.

They were right and Majestic Mountain Taxi is currently available whenever the sun or stars are out, ready to hit the highway from very early in the morning until very late at night.

“We're available 24 hours a day with a reservation,” says Poelker, noting he has a 6-passenger Dodge minivan, a 14-passenger Ford maxivan and a 4-seat, 4-wheel drive Chevy Tahoe warmed up and waiting.           

“We'll take you pretty much anywhere,” Poelker says, noting passengers have already been driven in safety and comfort to JFK and Albany airports, as well as innumerable points closer to home.

Majestic Mountain Taxi offers a $10 minimum rate for any 5-mile radius trip, one way. Telephone (518) 734-4096 for professional services or booking rides in advance.

From Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist.....

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid648729103001?bctid=649180908001

September Existing Home Sales

September Existing-Home Sales Show Another Strong Gain

Washington, October 25, 2010
Existing-home sales rose again in September, affirming that a sales recovery has begun, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing-home sales¹, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, jumped 10.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million in September from a downwardly revised 4.12 million in August, but remain 19.1 percent below the 5.60 million-unit pace in September 2009 when first-time buyers were ramping up in advance of the initial deadline for the tax credit last November.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market is in the early stages of recovery. “A housing recovery is taking place but will be choppy at times depending on the duration and impact of a foreclosure moratorium. But the overall direction should be a gradual rising trend in home sales with buyers responding to historically low mortgage interest rates and very favorable affordability conditions,” he said.

Update on Union Mills - from the Daily Mail, Thursday Oct 28th

Union Mills sale pending

The Union Mills Lofts condo project, in the works for several years, was to fall under the auctioneer's gavel Wednesday. The live auction was canceled but a buyer appears to have materialized through a private negotiation. Photo by Claude Haton

NYC investor appears likely to buy condos

By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010 2:20 AM EDT

CATSKILL — Two years and $9 million later, Union Mills Lofts may soon have a new owner.

Tranzon auctioneer Steve Coons said he was in negotiations with a New York City investor to purchase the more than 69,000-square-foot, mixed-use condominium project for $1.5 million, the minimum bid.

Waiving a live auction slated to take place Wednesday in the Union Mills Lofts 361 Main St. storefront, Cooney said there were few registered bidders and not enough in attendance to induce competitive bidding.

The prospective purchaser, Cooney said, was excited to renew enthusiasm in the project and get it started again.

“It will be a big deal again,” Cooney said. “Someone is going to buy this property and they will finish the project out and it will be good for the community.”

According to an appraisal by the Capstone Appraisal Group of East Greenbush, the property — which includes a six-level warehouse along the Catskill Creek and a three-story retail space on Main Street — was valued at $5.05 million in April 2008 before construction began.

Jim Cunliffe, former developer of the project, said Monday four of the 25 loft units proposed for the warehouse were “99 percent complete.”

A functional six-level elevator was installed in the building and a large portion of the “south core” — or the southern half of the 19th century 45,405-square-foot warehouse — was near completion or prepped for interior work. Much of the “north core” was left untouched when construction stalled last winter.

The expansive first level of the Main Street storefront, formerly the showroom of Oren’s Furniture, has remained largely vacant during construction though hosted the occasional art exhibition or community function. The total commercial space is 24,217 square feet.

A glass-walled pedestrian bridge connects the retail space to the warehouse, stretching over Water Street.
Cunliffe contributed the project’s regress to the death of its primary investor and the collapsing housing market.

He had offered to purchase the property with another group of investors but no deal could be reached.

With the closing of this latest sale, the property will have changed hands four times in the last six years.

In November 2004, longtime business Oren, A. & Sons, Inc. sold the property to Hassan Gholizadeh for $700,000. Gholizadeh, a commercial developer in New York City, sold the property two years later to Catskill Manor, LLC for $2 million.

Catskill Manor, LLC began securing permits for the development in 2007 and construction was underway by December 2008.

According to tranzon.com, $7 million was invested in the property.

More information on Union Mills Lofts, including floor plans, is available at unionmills-catskill.com.

Closing Cost Offer from NYSAR

The NYSAR Housing Opportunities Foundation is now offering $2,000 grants to first-time homebuyers for closing cost and/or down payment assistance.

The New York State Association of REALTORS Housing Opportunities Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2003.  The Foundation’s mission is to assist individuals in becoming homeowners by identifying outside partnership opportunities with organizations that facilitate homeownership and also to provide direct support in the home buying process to low-to-moderate income families. It is with this in mind that we found it necessary to provide a program for you and your clients to assist in purchasing a home.
The purpose of the first-time homebuyer grant program is to afford those individuals and families who fall under the low-to-moderate income level, the ability to purchase a home by assisting them with their closing and/or down payment costs.
Click here to visit our newly-designed website for information on the program and how to apply.

Potential investment in Catskill

Union Mills to be sold

Condominiums go on the block today

By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

Published: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 6:17 AM EDT

CATSKILL — The ambitious condominium project touted as part of a village-wide renaissance is now on the auction block.

The Union Mills Lofts, consisting of a Main Street storefront and a 45,400-square-foot six-level Water Street condominium complex, will be sold to the highest bidder on Wednesday at noon. The auction will take place in the 361 Main Street storefront.

The auctioneer, Tranzon LLC, has set the minimum bid at $1.5 million and requires a buyer’s premium of 10 percent, a 30-day closing, and a 10 percent deposit with a minimum of $50,000 in guaranteed funds.

According to tranzon.com, about $7 million has already been invested into the property. The project proposed 25 loft condos and included a 24,000-square-foot commercial space on Main Street.

 

Construction techniques involved state-of-the-art energy efficiency improvements, and recycling materials already existing in the 19th century warehouse once used to produce garments for the Union Army.

Former project developer Jim Cunliffe was reached by phone Monday and said the original group of investors, Catskill Manor LLC, made the decision to auction.

“It was made by the shareholders outside of my remit,” he said.

Cunliffe and another group of investors had made an offer to purchase the property but it was decided it should be bid on.

“It’s just getting thrown into the wind to see what happens,” he said.

Though the business model and development plan were on track for the condominiums, Cunliffe said “the market and everything around it changed.”
Permitting started in 2007 and construction started in earnest in 2008, evidently interrupted by the housing market crash that year. The death of the primary investor in 2009 also severely impacted development progress.

Gary DiMauro Real Estate listed the property in March for $4 million. On Monday it was listed at garydimauro.com for $2.5 million.

More information on the Union Mills Lofts is available at unionmills-catskill.com.

Recent sales in Greene County

The following properties were sold recently in Greene County...... if anyone wants additional information on these or other locations, just email me and I'll help you out if I can!

This sold for $500,500: it is in the town of Athens and incorporated a 2600 sq ft home on 95+ acres.



This home, also in the town of Athens, sold for $575,000, a 4,000sq ft Lakefront home



The following home sold for $850,000 set on over 8 acres in the town of Windham. It is over 3,400sq ft.

Zero Energy Home Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEjIf7iKZnU

The link above takes you to a really cool project completed by Architect James Bouler. He also specializes in traditional renovations utilizing energy saving techniques...... Great! 

Rent v Buy

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.move.com%2Fhome-finance%2Ffinancial-calculators%2Frent-vs-buy-calculator.aspx&h=5d1ca

This is a really useful exercise to check out whether now is the right time to buy, or not....... rates are certainly low if you have good credit.

Where the Market is now and where it Was

The following information has been taken from the National Association of Realtors and, I think does try to put our current housing situation in perspective:
Economic and Market Facts•Informed consumers make smarter decisions.
•The economy is soft and consumer confidence remains low.
•Housing affordability is at a generational high.
•Home values in many markets have returned to historically justifiable levels.
•Most economists expect home values to rise in upcoming years, though not at a fast pace.
•Bad loans are nearly always made in good times. But recently originated loans are performing very well.
•Patient homeowners over the long-term do much better than renters in attaining wealth.

If you would like to see the full report, download the pdf:  http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/e1f7b38043cfc29d922dfb34cafa6d66/Market+Facts+%28September+2010%29+edits2.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=e1f7b38043cfc29d922dfb34cafa6d66

MOTIVATED SELLER!!

This is a great thing - for anyone who wants to be within 7 minutes of Windham Mountain in a totally charming house only 5 years old, $250,000 - 3 beds, 2 baths, loft area, full basement. Great Mountain Views!!!! Call Mary (Me) at 518-622-9358
        

Gardening thoughts....

Yes, winter is certainly right around the corner and with that in mind and especially thinking of how to improve my vegetable crops next year, I bought a truckload of Elk manure yesterday. The idea is to incorporate it into the veggie garden now so as to let the winter work on it.
I hope it works!!!
If anyone is interested, it came from Les Armstrong at 518-622-8452.

Great Firewood

It's getting to the time of year to think of firesides and woodburning stoves...... if you don't already have your wood in, you might like the following information. I had wood from him about a month or 6 weeks ago, very good, seasoned hard wood.

Eric (don't remember his last name); 518-965-1009

He lives in the Norton Hill area and delivered to me in Cairo; I think he'll go any reasonable distance.

For those of you who own a second home in Greene.......

Click on this link below to give yourself some very interesting VOTING information. Why should you care? Because HOW you vote in Greene County may directly or indirectly affect your property values. As always, don't hesitate to call should you require any additional information; if I can help you, I will.

http://countryvote.org/main.html

High waters abound........

These pictures were taken on Rt 32 at the bridge over the Catskill creek.......... REALLY fast flowing:

MYTHS ON THE INTERNET!!

The following article is from NYSAR (New York State Association of Realtors) from October 7, 2010

Separating Internet myth from reality:
There is no national 4-percent tax on all home sales

In recent months numerous e-mails have circulated regarding a national transfer tax on home sales. One such e-mail was circulated regarding a “national real estate transfer tax,” which contained false information from the Spokane, Washington, Spokesman-Review.

MYTH

President Barack Obama’s health care bill contains a 4-percent “transfer tax” on all home sales.

FACTAccording to FACTCHECK.org, most home sellers will not have to pay any such tax. The health care bill includes a provision that imposes a 3.8-percent Medicare tax for some high-income households that have “net investment income.” Revenue collected by this tax is dedicated to the Medicare hospital insurance program.

The tax applies to households with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of more than $200,000 for individuals or more than $250,000 for married couples. An additional tax obligation may result from the sale of real property because capital gains are included in the definition of net investment income.

Even if the AGI limits are met, the new tax would not be applied to capital gains that result from the sale of a home, since the existing home sale capital gains exclusion rule still applies - $250,000 (individual)/ $500,000 (couple). If the gain from the sale of the primary residence is below that amount, then NO Medicare tax will have to be paid. The new Medicare tax would apply only to a home sale gain realized in excess of the $250,000/$500,000 that pushes the AGI over the $200,000/$250,000 income limits.

Please keep in mind that the annual median sales price in New York State in 2009 was $199,000, and only about 6.1% of households in New York State in 2009 made more than $200,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. This means that the Medicare tax would likely only affect a very small percentage of New Yorkers once it goes into effect on January 1, 2013.

My Tessie!

For anyone who's interested, this is the latest addition to the clan: my Tessie! A rescue from a Tennessee shelter found through Petfinder.com she's a cross between an English Springer Spaniel and a Labrador Retriever. She looks just like a black and white lab!! Good thing she's already spayed because I would be tempted to breed her, she is SO cute!!!

John Paulson's commentary............

This from a Forbes column about 2 weeks ago.... very interesting.

“If you don’t own a home buy one,” Paulson recommended; ” if you  own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

____________________

John Paulson: Sell Bonds; Buy Stocks; Double Digit Inflation Coming

By ROBERT LENZNER

It could be time to sell your low-yielding bonds and replace them with higher-yielding common stocks.

Multibillionaire hedge fund operator John Paulson, the investment genius who made a killing going short subprime mortgages a few years ago, told a standing room only crowd at New York’s  University Club that double-digit inflation is about to rear its ugly head by 2012, killing the bond market, and restoring strength to equities and gold.

Paulson’s warning to sell U.S. government bonds is one of the latest signs that the most successful investors of this generation believe the run up in bonds  is over. Paulson  especially underscored the attraction of equities with earnings yields of 7%-8% compared to the  2.6% pittance available on 10-year Treasuries.

Paulson  listed his favorite blue-chip stocks; JNJ (Johnson& Johnson) at a 3.8% yield; KO(Coca Cola);PFE, 4% yield., as well as C (Citigroup), BAC (BankofAmerica)  and STI (Suntrust Banks)  and RF (Regions Financial).

Paulson is a pro at  buying  the distressed bonds of bankrupt companies, and then converting  the debt to equity in reorganization and benefiting  from the potential run up. He mentioned one of his greatest plays — K-Mart, which emerged from bankruptcy at $10 a share and then skyrocketed to $190 a share.

His crystal ball is for 2% GDP growth for 2011 and 2012 and he warns that the Fed’s promise of quantitative easing should contribute to double-digit inflation over the next few years.

As this is the best time in 50 years to buy homes, Paulson advised his listeners, crowded into 3 separate dining rooms, to issue 30 year mortgages to buy a home as “your debt and interest payments get locked in at record lows, while the price of your home will rise.”

“If you don’t own a home buy one,” Paulson recommended; ” if you  own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

http://blogs.forbes.com/robertlenzner/2010/09/27/john-paulson-sell-bonds-buy-stocks-double-digit-inflation-coming/

Finally, the tide is turning!!!!

And it's about time too!  The following link is to a New York Times article printed last weekend referring to not just national real estate but to trends in our state and specifically from Manhattan to the Hudson Valley. I personally think it's on target. There are still plenty of houses that are over priced but also some real deals to be found with fabulously low mortgage rates for those with excellent credit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/realestate/03cov.html?_r=2&hp