Here are a few surprising and simple ways to cut your energy bill this season.

Put lamps in the corners: Did you know you can switch to a lower wattage bulb in a lamp or lower its dimmer switch and not lose a noticeable amount of light? It’s all about placement. When a lamp is placed in a corner, the light reflects off the adjoining walls, which makes the room lighter and brighter.

Switch to a laptop: If you’re reading this article on a laptop, you’re using 1/3 less energy than if you’re reading this on a desktop.

Choose an LCD TV: If you’re among those considering a flat-screen upgrade from your conventional, CRT TV, choose an LCD screen for the biggest energy save.

Give your water heater a blanket: Just like you pile on extra layers in the winter, your hot water heater can use some extra insulation too. A fiberglass insulation blanket is a simple addition that can cut heat loss and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill.

Turn off the burner before you’re done cooking: When you turn off an electric burner, it doesn’t cool off immediately. Use that to your advantage by turning it off early and using the residual heat to finish up your dish.

Add motion sensors: You might be diligent about shutting off unnecessary lights, but your kids? Not so much. Adding motion sensors to playrooms and bedrooms cost only $15 to $50 per light, and ensures you don’t pay for energy that you’re not using.

Spin laundry faster: The faster your washing machine can spin excess water out of your laundry, the less you’ll need to use your dryer. Many newer washers spin clothes so effectively, they cut drying time and energy consumption in half—which results in an equal drop in your dryer’s energy bill.

Use an ice tray: Stop using your automatic icemaker. It increases your fridge’s energy consumption by 14% to 20%. Ice trays, on the other hand, don’t increase your energy costs one iota.

Use the dishwasher: If you think doing your dishes by hand is greener than powering up the dishwasher, you’re wrong. Dishwashers use about 1/3 as much hot water and relieve that much strain from your energy-taxing water heater. Added bonus: you don’t have to wash any dishes.

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker

How to Listen to Bad News

There is a lot of bad news about the housing industry and the economy right now, and has been for the last 3 years. Ignoring it or hiding from it is of no benefit to anyone. However, there are serious flaws with the delivery of it, the interpretation of it, and the application of it that need to be addressed. Here is what I have learned:

• ·      The Usual Suspects: Almost all of the news about the housing market is about a few, and the worst markets in the nation. Florida’s housing market, after a great run tanked many years ago because of numerous hurricanes and has remained decimated to this date. Most of the large housing markets in California are legendary for their regular wild, roller coaster swings. Ridiculous and irrational high prices are followed by gut-wrenching correctional lows, and this cycle has gone on for decades. Las Vegas was the speculation capital of the nation, and when the music stopped, there were a great many empty houses and defaulting owners who should have remained renters. Phoenix, the younger sister of Las Vegas, has imitated her sibling on a slightly smaller scale. The mind-boggling volatility in these markets makes them the fodder of much discussion and the source of most news stories. Notice also that these markets are all in the Sunbelt.

• ·      Ubiquitous Bad News: There is always a down economy somewhere and wherever it is the reporters will soon be on hand to floodlight it for the rest of us. When oil and gas are flying high, so are the housing markets in Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma; but when not, their whole economy struggles, including the housing market. That is when we hear about them. Manufacturing areas, for example Michigan and Ohio, currently have problems with in an increasingly global economy and so their markets are down. They get a lot of attention, especially in election years. Good markets rarely make the news except as a minor statistic in someone’s list ranking all the bad news areas.

• ·      “If it bleeds, it leads”. The news media by nature is part of the sales and entertainment industries. They must sell advertising and subscriptions or they have no business viability. They also must attract and retain a great many eyes or they are out of business. They also must cut costs and consolidate functions to stay on top like any other commercial enterprise.

To do so they need the shocking headlines, and the graphic pictures, and unbelievable stories. It is not a well-hidden fact that news stories for TV are often selected because of the most graphic and sensational video. Additionally, fear has always sold best. Stories of impending threats and imminent danger are the most powerful at capturing and retaining the public. Think about 911 and how everyone spent all available time watching the news. If the public’s attention is fixed, then the value of advertising is greater and demand for services is higher. Nothing is more powerful than people all across the nation standing around water coolers talking about the latest news which we should be worried about.

• ·      The Badness about Bigness: Although ‘bigness’ in anything has some pronounced benefits, rarely are the benefits quality, or attention to detail. Think about the big box stores for home improvement. We love the fact that they have just about everything, except enough competent sales associates! Massive media conglomerations produce generic, pre-digested news, usually with a national and international focus. The wire services collect news stories, synthesize them, summarize them, and feed them, almost as sound bites, to all the local markets to keep their news machines churning.  National media companies buy out most of the local outlets and push their news downstream to be disseminated at the local level as if these stories represent the reality everywhere. Don’t believe it!

• ·      Journalism is Anemic if not diseased. Were there really days when journalists researched stories in depth with a critical eye? Were there times when journalists became acutely knowledgeable about specific industries and well-versed in local conditions? Has there truly been a time when information was delivered to us without editorial bias and sensational hooks?

If so, these are bygone days. Today, the media seems to have more of a vision for social engineering and political change than for disseminating objective, unbiased truth. If they are not in the pockets of politicians or commercial interests then they are serving some philosophical ideal which will produce human utopian. I just want the news! That is the data and facts in an accurate context. Given that, then we can pursue solutions through critical thinking as people vie to understand the reality and which solutions are most reasonable.

• ·      What Year is it anyway? To listen to the news today you would think we are in The Second Great American Depression. The truth is that we have almost nothing in common with the Great Depression of 1929 and this it is an outrageous claim that our time is similar. We can scarcely compare our situation with the late 1970s and early 1980s when mortgage interest rates were 21%, unemployment nationally was almost 13% and inflation hit a high of 13.5%. Does anyone remember the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 80s’? That has more in common with the current banking troubles than the depression (more on this silly comparison at a later time).

The reality of the housing industry is that almost all detailed comparisons locally tend to go to back to 2003, or a couple of years in the early 1990’s. Among the usual suspect areas it is worse, but by no means the depression. Our current valuations are still up almost 50% in last five years and we have just reached the levels of only two years ago even though we have been hit with a sub-prime crisis, unprecedented oil prices, a meltdown of the financial sector, and a deep recession with increasing job losses. I am not saying it cannot get worse but it has a very long way to go to match what some of our grandparents lived through.

• ·      Is Everyone in Foreclosure? In high speculation areas even in Oregon, like Bend and Happy Valley in Clackamas, there are too many foreclosures. Developers and Builders, who were trying to keep up with an expanding market, also got hit very hard and many have been forced into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to renegotiate debt. But what about the local market? We have very few foreclosed upon homes which are bank owned (REO). This is growing not because of so much corruption or excess in our area but because sales were paralyzed, time and recession has drained us, and job loss cripples more and more people.

What you are not being told is that ‘foreclosure’ as used in the media includes everyone who is over 30 days late on their mortgage payment. Technically they are in default and on the road to the auctioning their property for missed payments and penalties. Most people correct the deficiency in the 6 month process to auction, and many others sell the home to satisfy the debt. Very few end up on the auction block. What about ALL the notices in the newspaper? They are required to print public notice 4 times before they can conclude the foreclosure process so they really represent 25% of those in trouble, some of these will never end up in auction. In February of 2009, Yamhill County still had a foreclosure rate of just over 1%; less than the normal national average. However, our rate of foreclosure had skyrocketed! From few to a few more. Statistics lie, when someone wants to use them for ‘shock and awe’.

There is hope and help. The internet, although the greatest tool for mis-information in the history of the human race, offers you the ability to go wherever you want, and drill deep into any industry you want, to find in-depth, critical analysis, of news from a variety of sources.

For housing you can relatively easily research the local markets. Do not look to the news outlets. Look to the industry professionals. Listen to people on the street who live in this industry day to day and year to year. Every industry has its gurus who study history and current conditions; that eclectically, but critically, learn from those who lead the industry.

Consider the source and then ask your local Bella Casa Realtor®, mortgage broker, title company, and local bankers for the reality. The news media moguls, they never come here except to tour wineries!

Article by Les Shu
HouseLogic.com

Advanced programmable thermostats give you precise control over your heating and cooling, helping to reduce wasted energy.

High-def, high-tech settings

You wouldn’t think of spending much time in front of your thermostat, but the newest advanced models–with their colorful touchscreen displays–are an engaging, interactive experience. They offer separate programs for each day of the week, and can even alert you if service is required.

With its high-definition screen display, Honeywell’s Prestige Comfort System resembles a mini-computer more than a traditional thermostat.

In addition to indoor temperature, the Prestige’s graphical user interface can display outdoor conditions and humidity with an add-on sensor. An onscreen wizard interviews you about your usage based on simple questions, and then sets a program accordingly. A portable controller lets you adjust settings from any room in the house.

The Prestige is priced from $250 and up.

If you can live without a fancy display, an advanced programmable thermostat from HAIcosts around $300 to $400, while a simpler seven-day programmable model from Huntercosts $99.

Control from afar

What if you’re on your way to a long vacation, and you suddenly realized you’d forgotten to turn down your home’s thermostat?

If your home is equipped with the Smart Thermostat from ecobee, you can tap into the system through a personalized web portal anywhere there’s Internet access. Log in to check on your HVAC’s performance and make adjustments on the fly. The unit sells for $469.

Manage your home’s HVAC via a home automation app from Control 4. The sophisticated system allows you to change thermostat settings from your smartphone, pad, and PC. In addition, you can control the lighting, music, window treatment motors, and a wide range of Control 4 devices.

Know the price before you turn it on

Pilot programs for installing smart thermostats that display “time of use” pricing information are underway in regions like Florida and California. These thermostats receive a wireless signal from the utility company, and adjust the temperature according to the price of electricity during different times of the day.

With costs for air conditioning at about 70 cents to $1.20 per hour, reducing AC usage only an hour per day would yield a savings of $65 to $110 over the course of a summer.

Check with your utility company to find out if such a program is available in your area.

A writer covering the latest technologies and trends for a variety of national publications, Les Shu is currently automating his home with the newest doodads to make it smarter than he is.

Article by John Riha
HouseLogic.com

Regular home maintenance is key to preserving the value of your house and property.

“It’s the little things that tend to trip up people,” says Frank Lesh, former president of theAmerican Society of Home Inspectors and owner of Home Sweet Home Inspection Co. in Chicago. “Some cracked caulk around the windows, or maybe a furnace filter that hasn’t been changed in awhile. It may not seem like much, but behind that caulk, water could get into your sheathing, causing mold and rot. Before you know it, you’re looking at a $5,000 repair that could have been prevented by a $4 tube of caulk and a half hour of your time.”

Maintenance affects property value

Outright damage to your house is just one of the consequences of neglected maintenance. Without regular upkeep, overall property values are affected.

“If a house is in worn condition and shows a lack of preventative maintenance, the property could easily lose 10% of its appraised value,” says Mack Strickland, a professional appraiser and real estate agent in Chester, Va. “That could translate into a $15,000 or $20,000 adjustment.”

In addition, a house with chipped, fading paint, sagging gutters, and worn carpeting faces an uphill battle when it comes time to sell. Not only is it at a disadvantage in comparison with other similar homes that might be for sale in the neighborhood, but a shaggy appearance is bound to turn off prospective buyers and depress the selling price.

“It’s simple marketing principles,” says Strickland. “First impressions mean a lot to price support.”

Prolonging economic age

To a professional appraiser, diligent maintenance doesn’t translate into higher property valuations the way that improvements, upgrades, and appreciation all increase a home’s worth. But good maintenance does affect an appraiser’s estimate of a property’s economic age—the number of years that a house is expected to survive.

Economic age is a key factor in helping appraisers determine depreciation—the rate at which a house is losing value. A well-maintained house with a long, healthy economic age depreciates at a much slower rate than a poorly maintained house, helping to preserve value.

Estimating the value of maintenance

Although professional appraisers don’t assign a positive value to home maintenance, there are indications that maintenance is not just about preventing little problems from becoming larger. A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University suggests that maintenance actually increases the value of a house by about 1% each year, meaning that getting off the couch and heading outside with a caulking gun is more than simply a chore—it actually makes money.

“It’s like going to the gym,” says Dr. John P. Harding, Professor of Finance & Real Estate at UConn’s School of Business and an author of the study. “You have to put in the effort to see the results. In that respect, people and houses are somewhat similar—the older (they are), the more work is needed.”

Harding notes that the 1% gain in valuation usually is offset by the ongoing cost of maintenance. “Simply put,” he says, “maintenance costs money, so it’s probably best to say that the net effect of regular maintenance is to slow the rate of depreciation.”

How much does maintenance cost?

How much money is required for annual maintenance varies. Some years, routine tasks, such as cleaning gutters and changing furnace filters, are all that’s needed, and your total expenditures may be a few hundred dollars. Other years may include major replacements, such as a new roof, at a cost of $10,000 or more.

Over time, annual maintenance costs average more than $3,300, according to data from the U.S. Census. Various lending institutions, such as Directors Credit Union andLendingTree.com, agree, placing maintenance costs at 1% to 3% of initial house price. That means owners of a $200,000 house should plan to budget $2,000 to $6,000 per year for ongoing upkeep and replacements.

Proactive maintenance strategies

Knowing these average costs can help homeowners be prepared, says Melanie McLane, a professional appraiser and real estate agent in Williamsport, Pa. “It’s called reserve for replacements,” says McLane. “Commercial real estate investors use it to make sure they have enough cash on hand for replacing systems and materials.”

McLane suggests a similar strategy for homeowners, setting aside a cash reserve that’s used strictly for home repair and maintenance. That way, routine upkeep is a snap and any significant replacements won’t blindside the family budget. McLane’s other strategies include:

Play offense, not defense. Proactive maintenance is key to preventing small problems from becoming big issues. Take the initiative with regular inspections. Create and faithfully follow a maintenance schedule. If you’re unsure of what needs to be done, a $200 to $300 visit from a professional inspector can be invaluable in pointing out quick fixes and potential problems.

Plan a room-per-year redo. “Pick a different room every year and go through it, fixing and improving as you go,” says McLane. “That helps keep maintenance fun and interesting.”

Keep track. “Having a notebook of all your maintenance and upgrades, along with receipts, is a powerful tool when it comes to sell your home,” advises McLane. “It gets rid of any doubts for the buyer, and it says you are a meticulous, caring homeowner.” A maintenance record also proves repairs and replacements for systems, such as wiring and plumbing, which might not be readily apparent.

John Riha has written six books on home improvement and hundreds of articles on home-related topics. He’s been a residential builder, the editorial director of the Black & Decker Home Improvement Library, and the executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. His standard 1968 suburban house has been an ongoing source of maintenance experience.

At Bella Casa Real Estate Group, we strive to have the most valuable information readily available to you on our website.  Bella Casa Realtors® are experts in many areas including our Yamhill County communities such as McMinnville, Newberg, Dundee, Carlton, Yamhill, Lafayette, Amity, Dayton, Sheridan and Willamina, Gaston and Bald Peak.  But we are expanding out toward Portland  also and many of our Realtors® are specializing in Sherwood, Tualatin and Wilsonville, as well!  Our experienced and knowledgeable Realtors® have written articles with valuable information on each of these communities.

If you are considering moving to one of these areas, or are just interested in learning more about your community, we proudly invite you to check out the new pages at www.thebellacasagroup.com!  Go to the “our areas” menu and click on any city or town!

If you would like to talk Yamhill, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk or Multnomah County Real Estate with any of our Realtors®, we would love to talk to you, too!  To contact any one of our brokers, visit the Meet Our Realtors® page on our website, send an email to info@thebellacasagroup.com or call us at (503) 437-9005 or (503) 538-2085.  We look forward to talking with you.

Article by Ann Cochran
HouseLogic.com

If you practice fence etiquette and bone up on local zoning regs, you can avoid neighbor disputes.

Must-dos

Observe boundaries: Don’t risk having to tear down that fence by going even one inch over your property line. Study your house line drawing or plat or order a new survey ($500 to $1,000) from a land surveyor to be sure of boundaries. Fence companies usually install a foot inside the line, to be on the safe side.

Respect limits: Fencing companies obtain permits and must know local zoning regulations for height, setbacks, and other restrictions. Height limits typically are 6 feet for side and back yards; 4 feet for front yards. More restrictive rules often apply to corner lots, where blind curves can limit driving visibility. To avoid disputes, review restrictions with your fence company before choosing a fence.

Follow HOA rules: Fencing companies are not responsible for knowing home owners association dos and don’ts; that’s your job. Unless you want to suffer committee wrath, and engage in a dispute, follow HOA guidelines. HOAs can dictate style, height, and maintenance. If your HOA wants all structures to match, you won’t have much wiggle room.

Nice-to-dos

Share your plans: No one likes surprises. Before installing, save yourself a fence dispute and have a conversation with neighbors. If property line issues exist, resolve them before installation. No need to show neighbors the design–that’s just inviting trouble. They have to live with your choice unless it lowers property values or is dangerous.

Put the best face outward: It’s common practice to put the more finished side of your fence facing the street and your neighbor’s yard.

Maintain and improve: It’s your responsibility to clean and maintain both sides. If an aging section starts to lean, shore it or replace it.

Good-to-knows

• The term “fence” includes trees or hedges that create barriers.

• If you have a valid reason for wanting an extra high structure, to block a nasty view or noisy street, apply to your zoning board for a variance. Neighbors can comment on your request during the variance hearing.

• If your neighbors are damaging your fence, take photos and try to work it out with them first. If they don’t agree to repair it, take your fence dispute to small claims court. Award limits vary by state: $1,500 in Kentucky to $15,000 in Tennessee.

Ann Cochran has written about home improvement and design trends for Washingtonian, Home Improvement and Bethesda Magazine.

Article by Lisa Kaplan Gordon
HouseLogic.com

Home improvement trends embrace energy efficiency, low maintenance exteriors, and double-duty space.

Trend #1: Maintenance-free siding

We continue to choose maintenance-free siding that lives as long as we do, but with a lot less upkeep. But more and more we’re opting for fiber-cement siding, one of the fastest-growing segments of the siding market. It’s a combination of cement, sand, and cellulosic fibers that looks like wood but won’t rot, combust, or succumb to termites and other wood-boring insects.

At $5 to $9 per sq. ft., installed, fiber-cement siding is more expensive than paint-grade wood, vinyl, and aluminum siding. It returns 80% of investment, the highest return of any upscale project on Remodeling magazine’s latest Cost vs. Value Report.

Maintenance is limited to a cleaning and some caulking each spring. Repaint every 7 to 15 years. Wood requires repainting every 4 to 7 years.

Trend #2: Convertible spaces

Forget “museum rooms” we use twice a year (dining rooms and living rooms) and embrace convertible spaces that change with our whims.

Foldaway walls turn a private study into an easy-flow party space. Walls can consist offancy, glass panels ($600 to $1,600 per linear ft., depending on the system); or they can be simple vinyl-covered accordions  ($1,230 for 7 ft. by 10 ft.). PortablePartions.com sells walls on wheels ($775 for approximately 7 ft. by 7 ft.).

A Murphy bed pulls down from an armoire-looking wall unit and turns any room into a guest room. Prices, including installation and cabinetry, range from $2,000 (twin with main cabinet) to more than $5,000 (California king with main and side units). Just search online for sellers.

And don’t forget area rugs that easily define, and redefine, open spaces.

Trend #3: A laundry room of your own

Humankind advanced when the laundry room arose from the basement to a louvered closet on the second floor where clothes live. Now, we’re taking another step forward by granting washday a room of its own.

If you’re thinking of remodeling, turn a mudroom or extra bedroom into a dedicatedlaundry room big enough to house the washer and dryer, hang hand-washables, and store bulk boxes of detergent.

Look for spaces that already have plumbing hookups or are adjacent to rooms with running water to save on plumbing costs.

Trend #4: Souped-up kitchens

Although houses are trending smaller, kitchens are getting bigger, according to theAmerican Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey.

Kitchen remodels open the space, perhaps incorporating lonely dining rooms, and feature recycling centers, large pantries, and recharging stations.

Oversized and high-priced commercial appliances—did we ever fire up six burners at once?—are yielding to family-sized, mid-range models that recover at least one cabinet forstorage.

Since the entire family now helps prepare dinner (in your dreams), double prep sinks have evolved into dual-prep islands with lots of counter space and pull-out drawers.

Trend #5: Energy diets

We’re wrestling with an energy disorder: We’re binging on electronics—cell phones, iPads, Blackberries, laptops–then crash dieting by installing LED fixtures and turning the thermostat to 68 degrees.

Are we ahead of the energy game? Only the energy monitors and meters know for sure.

These new tracking devices can gauge electricity usage of individual electronics ($20 to $30) or monitor whole house energy ($100 to $250). The TED 5000 Energy Monitor ($240) supplies real-time feedback that you can view remotely and graph by the second, minute, hour, day, and month.

Trend #6: Love that storage

As we bow to the new god of declutter, storage has become the holy grail.

We’re not talking about more baskets we can trip over in the night; we’re imagining and discovering built-in storage in unlikely spaces–under stairs, over doors, beneath floors.

Under-appreciated nooks that once displayed antique desks are growing into built-ins for books and collections. Slap on some doors, and you can hide office supplies and buckets of Legos.

Giant master suites, with floor space to land a 747, are being divided to conquer clutter with more walk-in closets.

Trend #7: Home offices come out of the closet

Flexible work schedules, mobile communications, and entrepreneurial zeal are relocating us from the office downtown to home.

Laptops and wireless connections let us telecommute from anywhere in the house, but we still want a dedicated space (preferably with a door) for files, supplies, and printers.

Spare bedrooms are becoming home offices and family room niches are morphing into working nooks. After a weekend of de-cluttering, basements and attics are reborn as work centers.

Lisa Kaplan Gordon is a HouseLogic contributor and homebuilder.

This article was reported by Sally Herigstad for Bankrate.com.

There are many ways to retire a home loan in advance, but not all of them may work for you. Here’s how to find the one that best suits your needs.

Paying off the mortgage early is in. Refinancing to take money out of our homes is out. In this foreclosure crisis, more people are seeking the security and psychological benefits that come with owning a home free and clear.

If you want to pay off your mortgage early, you’ll find plenty of experts recommending ways to do it. All strategies work, but you’ll find some methods of paying off your mortgage are safer, faster and less painful than others. (Check today’s lowest mortgage rates at MSN Money.)

Compare these ways to pay off your mortgage early, from the simplest to the most complex:

Just pay more

If you want to see magic, start playing with mortgage calculators and see how paying a little more on your principal here and there can shorten the length of your loan. If you pay a little more principal, you get a bonus. The lower your principal gets, the more every payment from then on is applied to the principal, as less goes to cover interest expense.

If nothing else, round your payments up, recommends Tracy Piercy, a certified financial planner and the CEO of MoneyMinding.com. She says when people have a payment for $644, they think of it as $650. Why not just pay $650, then? An extra $6 a month on a $200,000, 30-year loan can save you four payments at the end of the mortgage.

When you pay extra, make sure the extra is applied to the principal balance, not just set aside for the next payment. And before you make extra payments, read your contract and make sure you won’t have to payprepayment penalties.

Refinance with a shorter-term mortgage

You can refinance into a mortgage for 10, 15 or 20 years, but 15-year mortgages are the most common. Your payments will be higher on a 15-year loan, but perhaps not as high as you think.

One advantage of a 15-year loan is that you’re committed to the higher payment. There’s no dithering about whether you can afford to pay extra month.

With a 30-year, $100,000 loan at 5%, your principal and interest payments are $537. At the same rate, but on a 15-year payoff schedule, your principal and interest payments are $791. That’s $254 more a month.

To get the effect of a shorter-term mortgage without the risk, take out a 30-year loan but make payments as if you had a 10- or 15-year loan. “You just make increased payments. You’re in control, not the bank,” Piercy says.

Switch to biweekly payments

Biweekly payments take advantage of the fact that most months are longer than four weeks. If you pay half your regular mortgage payment every other week instead of making one full payment a month, you’ll have made 26 half-payments, or the equivalent of 13 monthly payments, at year’s end.

Check if your bank will set up a biweekly payment plan. Some banks do it free; others charge. Ask the bank to credit extra payments toward the principal so you save more on interest expense. Some banks set aside extra payments until the end of the year.

You shouldn’t have to pay an outside company to set it up for you. “I hate the idea of having to pay a third party for something the consumer(s) can do on their own,” says Cathy Pareto, a certified financial planner in Coral Gables, Fla. “Why pay the extra fees if you can avoid them and still accomplish the same goal?”

Use money merge accounts (the Australian method)

In Australia, mortgages are generally set up like home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs. They double as checking accounts, thus the term “money merge.” When you get paid, you deposit your check into the account, and as you spend money you take it back out again. You hope to put more money in every month than you take out.

With a mortgage using the Australian method, interest is calculated daily instead of monthly, and because the money spends as much time as possible in the account before you take it back out to pay bills, you save on interest expense.

But Dr. Don, a Bankrate.com columnist, writes, “I just don’t think the typical homeowner benefits from this type of mortgage loan.” Typical homeowners don’t see enough reduction of their interest expense to make this method worth it for them, he warns.

Some money merge programs require you to buy software that costs thousands of dollars. However, there’s no magic formula for shifting your money around. “You don’t need software to do that,” Piercy says.

The biggest downside to the money merge plan is that it requires discipline. “You wouldn’t do it unless you understood cash management,” Piercy says.

Article by Dona DeZube
HouseLogic.com

Helping others become homeowners protects your home’s value and builds stronger communities.

When people move from renting to owning a home, they’re more likely to vote, get involved in community groups, and care about their home’s appearance. The children of homeowners do 23% better in school, according to a 2001 study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. And a steady flow of first-time homebuyers makes it easier to sell your own starter home when you’re ready to move up to a larger property.

Make housing affordable

One way to make more people homeowners is to make housing more affordable. All U.S. homeowners benefit from policies like the mortgage interest tax deduction. Many use government-backed mortgage insurance to lower loan costs. A variety of public and private programs offer low-cost loans and downpayment assistance to help Americans become homeowners. Help prospective homeowners save a downpayment by donating to sites like EARN, a non-profit that uses donations to match funds saved by low-wage earners.

Reduce foreclosures and preserve home value

Foreclosure matters because it hurts all homeowners. In 2009, foreclosures will cause property values to decline an average of $7,200 for about 70 million homeowners, resulting in a $502 billion loss in home equity, the Center for Responsible Lendingestimates. Each foreclosure within 1/8th of a mile of your home lowers your property value about 0.744 percent, CRL says.

“One of the sad lessons of the [recent past] is that we aren’t alone,” says Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the JCHS. “It’s clear that if the family next door loses their home to foreclosure, my home’s value will go down. Therefore, I have a vested interest in ensuring that people become homeowners and that homeownership is sustained over time.”

One effective tool against foreclosure is educating homeowners before they buy. The Joint Center found that loan delinquencies fell 13% with homeownership counseling. People who go through pre-purchase and post-purchase counseling and learn about mortgages, family budgeting, and home maintenance are less apt to face foreclosure, says Michael Berti, senior homeownership specialist at the Rural Ulster Preservation Company in Kingston, N.Y.

Support groups that help homeowners

One way to do your part to help other homeowners is by donating your time or money to some of the many non-profits that promote responsible homeownership.

Habitat for Humanity partners with new homeowners to build affordable housing. Habitat homes aren’t free. Homeowners work hundreds of hours, get homeownership counseling, and make mortgage payments.

The United Way supports many local programs that build affordable housing, help families build financial assets, and teach financial management skills. If you donate to United Way, you can direct your contribution to those causes.

HomeownershipSF, in San Francisco, tries to intervene where people facing foreclosure have the resources to catch up on their loan. If “the home can’t be saved, we try to get a first-time homebuyer we’ve worked with into the home as quickly as possible to stabilize the neighborhood,” says Interim Director Christi Baker.

Government programs support homeownership

Supporting federal state, and local programs that help create homeowners is another way you can expand responsible and affordable homeownership.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Authority provide mortgage loan insurance or guarantees that let people buy homes with only a small downpayment and borrow at lower interest rates.

Government-sponsored groups Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and government-run Ginnie Mae buy and securitize mortgage loans made by banks, freeing up money, so banks can keep lending.

Sites like Govtrack and RollCall help you stay on top of laws that affect homeowners.

HUD’s HOME program provides financial support to state and local housing authorities to build and renovate for-sale and rental housing for lower-income Americans.

In U.S. cities of all sizes, the HOPE VI program has funded plans to replace deteriorating public housing with new low-rise, mixed-income homes. These developments sell most homes at market rates, but designate a percentage for use by low-income homeowners.

How to get involved

You can support responsible homeownership in many ways. Retired construction contractors France and Bill Moriarity travel the country in their RV managing Habitat construction projects. “We like it because it’s a hand up, not a hand out,” France Moriarity says. Habitat volunteers don’t need construction skills and can sign up to work as little as one day at a time. Groups can volunteer together. Organizations like Rebuilding Togetherand NeighborWorks America sponsor once yearly volunteer events that help lower-income homeowners repair their homes.

In San Francisco, Gregg Lynn convinced 150 people from his professional network to donate a percentage of their income to EARN. Follow his lead by asking your professional network, trade association, or social group to contribute.

Dona DeZube has been writing about real estate for over two decades. She lives a suburban Baltimore 1970s rancher on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.

Whether you’ve just bought your new home or you’re getting ready to sell, do not neglect your landscaping.  Beautiful gardens and well maintained landscapes not only add value to your property, they bring peace and tranquility and joy to your home.  It’s springtime, and time to get your gardens weeded and flowers planted!

Jeanie Taylor is a professional garden consultant right here in Yamhill County.  The following short bio is from Jeanie, and you can also find out more about Jeanie at her website TaylorGardensNW.com.

“I like to work with homeowners personally to answer their questions and help them in their gardens. This is also known as garden coaching – like a personal trainer, but for gardening! My emphasis is on personal service and connecting with the client.

For a new homeowner, this might mean identifying what they have and giving them an “owners manual” on how to take good care of their landscape assets. If they want to change things around, I can work with them. I also do maintenance and renovation on an hourly or project basis. If they need extensive or specialized work, I can talk to contractors with them and help them get bids.

For sellers, I can look at the most efficient and cost-saving ways to make their landscape look attractive and appealing within their budget; again, working with them, doing the work myself, or helping them talk to service providers.

The work I do myself includes “fine gardening” tasks such as basic pruning, plant selection and installation, weeding, soil amendments, mulching, and advice on small scale design. I help homeowners talk to specialists for hardscape, landscape construction, irrigation, water features, large pruning jobs and tree work, or large and complete redesigns.

I divide my time between Seattle and Sheridan. I have been working on an oak woodland and savanna restoration project with the Yamhill Conservation District since 2005. I have a blog about that project at gophervalleyjrnl.wordpress.com.”

If you’ve just bought your dream home, get in touch with Jeanie today to transform your garden and yard into your own private park.  If you’re selling your home, get in touch with Jeanie to ensure that the state of your yard isn’t the deterrant in a potential sale!

Jeanie Taylor
Taylor Gardens
jtaylorgardening@gmail.com