What the

Green Remodeling

   Fri, January 4, 2008 - 3:43 PM
There hasn't been anything new from my company (these Realtors really like to party and they like their Baily's), I notice this today in an NAR email and was pretty interesting. Some good ideas some not so brilliant but OK.:

Daily Real Estate News | December 31, 2007
How Green Remodeling Pays Off
Green remodeling can pay off — not only in lowered utility bills, but also in buyer appeal when the property is sold.

Here are some green things to consider.

Site selection.
Prefer infill development instead of a new subdivision in a far-flung new suburb that gobbles wetlands and displaces animals.

Energy-efficient products.
Choose Energy Star appliances, double-paned windows, low-flush toilets, and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Spray foam insulation.
Seal the home with insulation that doesn’t let the heat or cooled air leak out.

Sustainable wood flooring.
Select flooring certified by Forest Stewardship Council, which protects forests by managing the amount of wood harvested annually.

Locally made products.
Buy products made less than 250 miles away to reduce transportation costs. Granite, for instance, is generally imported from afar.

Nontoxic paint.
Use paint that is low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — chemicals that evaporate into the atmosphere. Look for Green Seal certified brands.

Source: St. Petersburg Times, Susan Thurston (12/28/07)



5 Comments

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Fri, January 4, 2008 - 5:15 PM
Wait...
Use spray foam insulation, but low-VOC paints ?

Sounds like this was written by the Home Depot / Lowe's industry council !! Ooo... more STUFF we can sell the tree-huggers.

But seriously, low voc paint is a good thing... so is insulation. But with the latter you must be careful about sealing in whatever airborne products you may use, not to mention the outgassing of the foam itself.

Really cool to see that the push to conserve is making itself felt this far up the "food chain" though! Thanks for posting these, Razor.

Any tips for bargain hunting larger plots of undeveloped land in the periphery of the Bay Area?
Fri, January 4, 2008 - 5:41 PM
LoopNet.com and Realtor.com have most of the land actively for sale listed on its pages, but you won't be able to see history and past sales. Send me specs, I can find pretty much anything and can email you the MLS sheets.
Fri, January 4, 2008 - 6:05 PM
OK Here is a start for the East Bay
All land 10acres to 100acres in size from Oakley/ Bethel Island to Martinez and on down to Milpitas up into Sunol along the back back hills of Livermore and Pleasanton.

58 active listings:
maxebrdi.fnismls.com/publink/default.asp
Fri, January 4, 2008 - 6:08 PM
Some of these listings are out of the area but are here only because agents who work in this area post it here so they can also post it in the appropriate MLS too.
Fri, January 4, 2008 - 6:30 PM
There are 247 active listings selling 10 to 100acres land from South SF down to Santa Cruz and on back towards Mipitas. But that board doesn't allow me to create a link to the listings but I can email them to you if you are interested. PM me with your email addres and any specs to help narrow a search?