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Raleigh, NC

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ENERGY STAR Homes Save 2,881,008 Pounds of Coal - in One Year!

02-09-10
Stanton Homes - Penny Hull New Home Builders - Raleigh NC Area
Stanton Homes - Penny Hull New Home Builders - Raleigh NC Area: Builder-Contractor in Raleigh, NC
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  • Office: (919) 278-8070

Energy Star Homes Continue to Make Ground

972 Energy Star Qualified Homes built in Raleigh in 2009

Looking for a home that makes a difference? Consider an ENERGY STAR home. An ENERGY STAR labeled home has been verified and checked, not just by the home builder, but by a licensed third party organization like Southern Energy Management.

4103 ENERGY STAR qualified homes have been built in the Raleigh/Cary area to date.

972 ENERGY STAR qualified homes were built in the Raleigh/Cary area in 2009.

The ENERGY STAR program continues to grow.

ENERGY STAR Homes - Green Home Builders - New Home Raleigh NCENERGY STAR qualified homes built in the Raleigh/Cary area in 2009 are the equivalent of:

  • Eliminating emissions from 476 vehicles
  • Saving 2,881,008 lbs of coal
  • Planting 787 acres of trees
  • Saving the environment 5,650,236 pounds of CO2

That's just one year, in one area!

An ENERGY STAR qualified home can feature:

What is an ENERGY STAR home, and how does it save money and resources?

An ENERGY STAR home is independently certified by a third party inspection agency. The process starts with the blueprints. A complete energy analysis of the planned home is determined, and all necessary steps to increase energy efficiency are then incorporated. The home is inspected several times during the building process to ensure all work is to the highest standards.

What features are in an ENERGY STAR home in the Raleigh, NC area?

ENERGY STAR Homes - Green Home Builders - New Home Raleigh NCSuperior Insulation Installation - Must be installed and rated at ENERGY STAR standards.

High Performance Windows - ENERGY STAR rated windows with a low-E coating.

Tighter Construction/Tighter Ducts - Advanced techniques are used to seal every part of the home, which also reduces noise, moisture, pollen, and dust.

Efficient Heating and Cooling - HVAC systems must be ENERGY STAR rated, and higher than normal performance systems may be required.

Complete Air Barrier - Tested using a field-verified blower test.

Interested in finding out more about other green building features and ideas?

Some popular green home building features and questions include:

Green Home Builders - Green Home Tour 2010 Triangle

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Economic Reality for Realtors

02-08-10
Grayson Hodge
Grayson Hodge: Real Estate Brokerage in Raleigh, NC
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  • Office: (919) 676-9766
  • Mobile: (919) 247-0477

Economic Reality for Realtors

By James A. Crumbaugh III

RISMEDIA, February 8, 2010-We all paid close attention to the recent election that was held for the late Senator Edward Kennedy's seat in the Senate. I don't think it came as much of a surprise to anyone that a Republican claimed the seat held by Democrats for over 50 years.

Our country is fed up with politics in general regardless if you're a Republican or Democrat. The "sleaziness" of Washington with bribing Senators and Congressman with special deals to get legislation passed is beyond anything we as Americans are willing to accept from our representatives in the future.

However, how does this election and the mood of this country affect our industry? In my opinion, our President and congress have lost the trust and the faith of the American people. With his promise to put the health care debate on C-Span to all the bribes for the Health Care bill, this congress is not going to get down to the people's business anytime soon.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently published the resale housing report and sales were off by over 16% in December 2009. In tracking our internal reports, I knew the NAR report wasn't going to be good. So what is the Realtor to do if I'm correct, and this country suffers through a malaise for the next three years?

I can guarantee you the one thing that all Realtors who survive will want, and that's 100% of their commissions. With less sales happening, Realtors are having to work harder and harder for sales, and they are in no mood to part with a percentage of their commissions.

The Realtors who we speak with everyday, that are still making sales and surviving, are doing so by generating their own leads. They are surviving by going back to the basics and grinding it out. These Realtors generate their own buyer referrals; and their sellers are their own referrals.

I suspect that we're going to experience during 2010 even more Realtors retiring from the business. We recently heard from a Realtor that has always produced between $15 million and $25 million a year who said he's tired. He puts in 80 hours a week just to survive.

Now, that said, we are seeing a phenomenon that I have to contribute to the unemployment in this country. We are getting probably 20 to 30 people a week contacting our company that are in the process of getting their license. We don't hire new Realtors, but these new Realtors all expect to get 100% from day one.

It should be another very different year in our industry.

James A. Crumbaugh III is CEO of Allison James Estates and Homes and may be reached at jcrumbaugh@allisonjames.net.

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Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC. Run -Eat Twelve Doughnuts-Throw Up!

02-06-10
David O'Doherty Clayton, NC Real Estate Agent
David O'Doherty Clayton, NC Real Estate Agent: Real Estate Agent in Clayton, NC
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  • Office: (919) 773-6263
  • Mobile: (919) 601-2268

Krispy Kreme Challengein Raleigh, NC. Run -Eat Twelve Doughnuts-Throw Up!

Krispy Kreme, Peace Street

Krispy Kreme Boxes

Welcome to Raleigh!The Krispy Kreme Challenge is a fund raiser held in Raleigh where each participant runs two miles from the N. C. State University Bell tower to the Krispy Kreme Storeon Peace Street, eats a dozen doughnuts and runs back.

Krispy Kreme Boxes

Krispy Kreme Doughnut

Last Year the fun run raised $40,000 for N.C. Children's Hospital. This year the sold out event had 6,000 entrants registered. That amounts to 72,000 doughnuts, which were all lined up on table after table on both sides of Peace Street. Not everyone has the stomach to run four miles and eat twelve doughnuts, actually not everyone has the stomach to eat twelve doughnuts. I do not have the stomach to run four miles! The event has become known for the many people who lose their lunch or breakfast as they valiantly try and raise some money.

Krisy Kreme Trash

The event started in 2004 with a mere handful of runners and in a few short years has become a major event with 5,500 participants in 2009. The event is a N.C. State University student organised event to raise money to benefit N.C. Childrens Hospital.

For those of you planning to be here for next years event a dozen doughnuts has 2,400 calories, 144 grams of fat, 120 grams of sugar, and 1,140 milligrams of sodium...but who's counting besides with all that running!

The run is ranked number 85 on Sports Illustrated 102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate!

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Triangle Green Home Tour 2010

02-05-10
Stanton Homes - Penny Hull New Home Builders - Raleigh NC Area
Stanton Homes - Penny Hull New Home Builders - Raleigh NC Area: Builder-Contractor in Raleigh, NC
  • view my blog
  • Office: (919) 278-8070

The Triangle's Green Home Tour is coming up soon!

Green Home Tour 2010

May 15/16 and 22/23

The Green Home Tour 2010 is the Triangle's 5th annual tour. These tours are very popular, and FREE.

- Tour green homes under construction and see what's inside the walls in order for a home to be third party certified green

- Tour completed green certified homes and see the different types of green certification available.

Homes are in the $100s to $1 million, and offered by builders from Habitat for Humanity to some of the Triangle's best-known green home builders.

Some green features you might be able to see include:

And much more!

Click here to sign up for all the updates at the Green Home Tour 2010 page on Facebook.

Green Home Builders of the Triangle - Green Homes Raleigh NC - Green Home Builders

See you there!

Find out more about these favorite green building topics and ideas:

Green Home Building in the Triangle

What is a Green Home?

What Is Geothermal? Geothermal News and Information

Passive Solar Homes and Ideas

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5 Reasons Why Refinancing May Be a Good Option Now

02-04-10
Grayson Hodge
Grayson Hodge: Real Estate Brokerage in Raleigh, NC
  • view my blog
  • Office: (919) 676-9766
  • Mobile: (919) 247-0477

RISMEDIA, February 4, 2010-Mortgage experts from Bills.com, one of the leading resources for free, objective and expert money advice, advised that consumers considering a home refinance should begin the process now. Further, the company reported that the most frequently asked question of its Ask Bill expert advice center concerned home refinancing rates and recommendations.

"Market conditions have aligned to make this a perfect environment for home refinancing," said Ethan Ewing, president of Bills.com. "Low rates and compelling opportunities to refinance into shorter term loans have arrived at the same time as large consumer demand."

Ask Bill is a free service that allows consumers to ask any money question of human experts and receive personalized advice to their inquiries. One of the most frequently asked questions of 2009 concerned interest rates for home refinancing.

This high level of interest on behalf of consumers corresponds to favorable market conditions for refinancing. Specifically, these factors include:

1. Interest rates continue to hover around all-time lows, making it sensible for anyone carrying a higher rate interest loan to consider refinancing. With some exceptions, a 1/2-point to a 1-point drop in rate will generally make refinancing worthwhile.

2. Low fixed interest rates make converting from an adjustable rate loan into a fixed 15- or 30-year loan a smart move. Even if the adjustable payment is currently lower than a fixed rate payment, when rates rise again the monthly payment on an adjustable rate loan will quickly leapfrog a fixed rate loan.

3. The current difference between fixed 15-year and 30-year interest rates is significant, making refinancing into a shorter-term loan a compelling opportunity. This can save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan and shorten the time to payoff with sometimes only a slight increase in monthly payment.

4. FHA efficiency mortgages provide consumers with an opportunity to refinance into a loan that will help pay for home efficiency improvements. These loans are meant to provide consumers with a way to make energy efficient improvements to their home as part of an origination or refinancing. This is a great way for homeowners to cost-effectively lower their utility bills through basic home repairs.

5. Those homeowners whose equity situation has steadily deteriorated, leaving them with little, no or negative equity in their homes, should ask their lender or broker for help. Most have some flexibility with government programs aimed at reducing rates for homeowners in weak equity positions.

"This interest rate environment provides opportunities for those trying to escape high interest rates as well as those making savvy long-term financial decisions," continued Ewing. "Anyone considering a home refinance should move quickly to lock in rates now."

For more information, visit www.bills.com.

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