Washington

I try not to complain---much-- but this new cap and tax---errr, I mean trade bill stinks.

This new program called REEP, buried deep within the bills voluminous pages calls for the retrofitting of homes that do not fit an arbitrary guideline set by this administrations Environmental protection Agency. Seems to me that at a time of economic down turn the last thing we need to do is make the home sale process more convoluted and costly for homeowners. What ever happened to Obama's promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $200,000? Just another broken campaign promise?

Think about it. The government telling a homeowner the windows don't meet minimum efficiency standards. The floor or roof needs more insulation. The walls, the oven the electrical, plumbing, water system. Good Grief!

WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS STOP?

(CNSNews.com) - The 1,400-page cap-and-trade legislation pushed through by House Democrats contains a new federal policy that residential, commercial, and government buildings be retrofitted to increase energy efficiency, leaving it up to the states to figure out exactly how to do that.

This means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal "green" guidelines in order to sell their homes, if the cap-and-trade bill becomes law.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, directs the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a national policy for residential and commercial buildings. The purpose of such a strategy - known as the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) - would be to "facilitate" the retrofitting of existing buildings nationwide.

"The Administrator shall develop and implement, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, standards for a national energy and environmental building retrofit policy for single-family and multi-family residences," the bill reads.

It continues: "The purpose of the REEP program is to facilitate the retrofitting of existing buildings across the United States."

The bill leaves the definition of a retrofit and the details of the REEP program up to the EPA. However, states are responsible for ensuring that the government's plans are carried out, whatever the final details may entail.

...After the retrofitting is complete, the government - state, local, or federal - will come back and re-inspect the house to determine how much energy has been saved and whether the retrofit is up to federal government standards.

Market Update: Carnation, WA 98014

The city of Carnation, Washington, is a picturesque small town on the very eastern fringe of the greater Seattle metropolitan area. It’s tucked up next to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The city was incorporated in 1912 as Tolt, Washington. A few years later (1917) it was named Carnation, then in 1928 it was renamed back to Tolt, then finally in 1951 (twice and forever) it was renamed back to Carnation, after the research farm Carnation Milk Products.

It’s an interesting local history. Elbridge Amos Stuart (1856 – 1944) founded the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company in Kent, Washington in 1899. It was based on the newly developed process of evaporation. Now days we don’t think much about fresh milk, it’s delivered fresh and cold everywhere. But before refrigeration readily available fresh sanitary milk was rare. Stuart had his ups and downs with this new business and method for several years. His partner left him in 1901 with the company and over $100,000 in debt. He pressed on with the simple idea that milk was a staple and never lost faith that quality milk came from healthy cows.

He believed in this idea so much that he purchased purebred bulls and distributed them to local farmers that were his distributors. This led to the creation of a breeding farm, the Carnation Farm. With each successive generation came a better healthier cow with better milk production.

One day on a trip to Seattle Stuart walked by a tobacco shop. He saw some cigars on display named, Carnation. There you have it ... the Carnation Evaporated Milk Company.

"Carnation Condensed Milk, the milk from contented cows".

It’s funny the things you remember as a child, but I remember riding to Newcastle to see my Great Grandmother. There was always a can of Carnation Evaporated Milk in the kitchen. She loved it with her coffee and tea.

A.E. Stuart served in the company directly until, as Chairman of the Board, he passed away in 1944. The company sold to Nestlé in 1985 for 3 billion...

Today, Carnation is a small town in an absolutely beautiful rural area. It’s outside the urban growth boundary and has a lot of small farms and equestrian properties. Much of the zoning in the area is 5, 10, and 15+ acre minimum per household. You’re about an hour out of Seattle on light traffic days, 30 minutes from Issaquah, and 45 minutes from downtown Bellevue. There’s no shortcuts, you have to go around Lake Sammamish north or south to get anywhere west.

I hope they never build a freeway there. I like the fact that it’s unspoiled and somewhat remote yet on the fringe of the Northwest’s largest metro area. If you head 20 minutes south to Interstate 90 you’re on Washington’s main east/west corridor. There are a lot of very beautiful (absolutely awesome) estates in the area, but Carnation hasn’t lost its old world charm and still has plenty of quainter homes that depict its rural history and roots.

You can follow the City of Carnation on twitter at: @carnationwa and they have a Facebook page. Notice in the RTS (residential transaction study) that the unplatted (or acreage) properties are on average just under 8 acres.

	The data used in this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Ticor Title cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. © 2004-2009 Ticor Title Renton WA 98057

We like to go out and get lots of pictures of Seattle whenever we are showing homes - here is a great shot from a recent Seattle floating homes tour we did for a wonderful couple. It is a picture of Westlake towards the houseboat community there (Westlake is the floating home community that the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat is in) with Queen Anne in the background. The picture was taken from Eastlake on the banks of Lake Union looking through some houseboats on the East side of the lake.

Interested in Seattle real estate? Westlake Real Estate? Queen Anne Real Estate? Eastlake Real Estate?

Builders takes great pride in the homes they build and the communities they create. It is their ultimate goal to create long term, lasting value. The homeowner has the exclusive opportunity after possession to understand and provide the appropriate maintenance for the new home. Occasional maintenance will be needed because of normal wear and tear, as maintenance products reach the end of there useful life, and as our environment interacts with our homes. Continue reading this post...

Seattle Tacoma New Construction Third Party Warranty Management

What is the FOUR Letter Word Asked About Most Frequently Regarding Social Media, at Social Media Marketing Seminars and Classes throughout the United States? (As originally posted on my blog at blog.pdxloan.com)

It's all revealed at the 1:45 mark in this video blog post by Ed Bisquera, Mortgage Matchmaker & Social Media Guy.

Rates look like they are sitting fairly stable at the 5.375-5.625% range (5.77%-5.99% APR) on a Conventional 30 YR Fixed Loan, NO pts, 20% down (80% Loan To Value), Owner Occupied, with 740 or higher FICO credit score. Forecasts are predicting a small increase in rate, due to typical activity as 2nd quarter earnings are taken to offset any capital gains.

Learn how getting connected and participating in the conversation online where your clients, prospects and audience is, using Social Media tools, is important to your Real Estate business. Produced by Natalie Danielson of Professional Directions/Clockhours.com and taught by Ed Bisquera and Natalie Danielson.

Details at the event signup page here:

READ THE REST OF MY VIDEO BLOG POST HERE

What is the FOUR Letter Word Asked About Most Frequently Regarding Social Media, at Social Media Marketing Seminars and Classes throughout the United States? By Ed Bisquera, Mortgage Broker in Vancouver, Washington and Social Media Instructor.