For Sale: Studio/1.5BA Condo in Miami, FL, $299,000.

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© 2009, Melissa Cornett, Home Buying Institute

Introduction: This article explains how you can go green at home, in order to save money and lessen your impact on the environment. At the end of this article, you’ll also find a list of additional resources about going green at home.

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	Visit the Home Buying Institute to learn about the house hunting process.
	Establish your housing budget by reviewing your debt vs. income.
	Get pre-approved for a mortgage loan by a lender.
	Start researching neighborhoods and home prices.
	Find a real estate agent who is familiar with your desired area.
	Start house hunting, and be proactive about it.
	Focus on the parts of the house you cannot change.
	Ask plenty of questions when looking at potential homes.
	Make an offer based on comparable sales and your agent’s advice.
	Be prepared to negotiate, and have a plan for doing so.
	Get the home inspected after your offer is accepted, ASAP.
	Check out these other house hunting checklists online.
	About the Author

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What Makes a Home Green, Anyway?

There are many ways to define what makes a home a green. It could be a home built by a certified green builder using the principles of green design. Or perhaps a home remodeled using green techniques and materials. To some it simply means green living by the implementing the use of non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products and participating in a recycling program.

In any case, a green home is one that uses less water, energy and chemicals that are harmful to the earth and the creatures that inhabit it, and uses practices and products that help to minimize the impact on global warming.

What are the Benefits?

Why should I go to the trouble of making green choices at home? That’s a good question, and it’s one that a lot of folks ask. Going green at home benefits the environment — that much you already know. But if you go about it the right way, green living can also benefit your health and your wallet. Here’s how:

• Less toxins means cleaner air and a healthier environment for those living in the home.
• People who live in green homes use less water and energy, which leads to savings on utility bills. In addition there are many incentives and tax breaks for adding green features to your home. More and more insurance companies are reducing rates for insuring green homes.
• Better for the environment – fewer materials are used in building a green home and less waste is generated during construction. Green homes use alternative sources for electricity and water such as solar and wind power, which do not emit greenhouse gases.

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Building a Green Home

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED for Homes program is a rating system

Green choices when building

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How to Go Green in Your Current Home

Okay, so you’re convinced that it makes sense (and saves your “cents”) to make green choices at home. The next logical question is, how do you do it? What are some of the steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint and conserve resources? Here are some good places to start:

1. Use less water.

You can install aerators on faucets and install low-flow shower heads to reduce water use indoors. Replace older toilets, as they typically use less water than modern units. Low-flush toilets allow for a maximum usage of 1.6 gallons of water per flush versus the 5-7 gallons older toilets use.

• The lowdown on low-flow toilets (HGTV)
• Find a WaterSense high-efficiency toilet (EPA)

2. Choose the right paint.

Standard paint emits VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), which can affect the air quality in your home and impact your health. Low VOC paint can now be found at most home improvement stores.

• Which VOC paint is the best? (Consumer Reports)
• An introduction to VOCs and air quality (EPA)

3. Repurpose your furniture.

Paint or refinish old tables, dressers, mirrors or frames instead of buying new ones.

4. Recycle and reuse.

Most cities now offer curbside recycling programs, or at least nearby drop-off facilities. Find out which items are recyclable in your community and set up bins in your home or garage to separate those items, if necessary. Purchase products that use recyclable materials and use and reuse containers if possible. If you prefer to drink filtered water, purchase a water filter and use a BPA-free reusable water bottle rather than purchasing a cases of individually bottled water.

• Find recycling centers near you (Earth911.com)
• Recycle City, online games and activities (EPA)

5. Go green in your kitchen.

Look for organically grown products and produce that contain no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, which are harmful to you and the environment. Even better, buy products and produce that are grown or made locally. Less distance to travel from the farm to your local store means less fossil fuel needed to deliver those products and fewer emissions released in the atmosphere. Use your own tote bags instead of plastic when grocery shopping. Plastic bags require the use of fossil fuels in their manufacturing and will not break down, eternally clogging our landfills. Many stores now offer sturdy reusable bags for purchase at a minimal cost.

Start a compost pile or bin in your yard to dispose of your kitchen scraps. There are various types of compost bins made from recycled products readily available through gardening supply stores and websites. Organic compost is rich and full of the nutrients your grass and plants need to thrive. It will reduce the amount of waste in your garbage, put those organic produce scraps to good use and best of all it’s a free source of the best fertilizer around!

• 8 ways to go green in your kitchen (WebMD)
• Learn wow to compost (HowToCompost.org)

6. Choose cleaning products carefully.

Non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products are now becoming mainstream. Many of the “big brands” are now making greener versions of their products including laundry detergents and dishwasher detergent, which are readily available at most local grocery stores. The less toxins released in to the environment, the healthier your home will be.

• List of earth-friendly cleaning products (Ecomall.com)
• Shop for Eco-Friendly Cleaning supplies (LowImpactLiving.com)

7. Update your appliances.

Energy Star is a voluntary labeling program implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency to help consumers identify energy efficient products that also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While it may seem Energy Star appliances cost more, they will save you up to $50 per appliance per year in energy costs while helping the environment.

• The official Energy Star website
• Choosing your Energy Star appliances (Lowes)

8. Go green in your yard and garden.

Plant native trees and shrubs and plants that are acclimated to your soil and climate. Look for drought-tolerate plants to reduce the need for regular watering. If it’s in the budget, invest in a rain barrel that can be installed at the bottom of the downspout of your gutter to collect precious water, which can be used to water plants during times when rain is scarce.

Use only non-toxic, biodegradable, organic fertilizers and pesticides, which are not harmful to you, your pets and other critters that may use your yard for a food, water or shelter source.

Plant deciduous trees on the east and west sides of your home, which get the most sun. During summer these trees will provide shade to help keep your home cool and allow the sun to come in to help warm your home when they drop their leaves in winter.

9. Use solar energy.

One of the easiest and cost effective ways to harness the sun’s power is to find a solar powered utility company in your area. Another option would be to install a solar power system in your home. There are three major solar technologies available to homeowners. The one most homeowners are familiar with is Photovoltaic or PV, which uses semiconductors to convert directly in to electricity.

Solar electricity uses roof-mounted solar concentrators to deliver sunlight to special hybrid light fixtures in a building. Solar Heating uses solar collectors that store the sun’s energy to heat air or water, which can then be delivered to a building. The technology for these systems is still considered very expensive to the average homeowner but the US Department of Energy is working to make solar power more affordable and offers tax incentives for qualifying programs. You can find more information about solar energy on the US Department of Energy’s website: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/technologies.html

10. Stop the mailbox madness (i.e., junk mail).

Each year, homeowners throw away thousands of pounds of advertising mail, pre-approved credit card offers and the like. By opting out of direct mailing lists, we can greatly reduce this tremendous amount of waste. It saves trees, and it also helps you prevent identity theft (by stopping the credit card offers). The Direct Marketing Association lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies. Visit DMAchoice.org to learn more about this.

Conclusion

I hope our guide to going green at home helps you make smarter choices on the homefront. If you would like to learn more about this topic, check out the list of resources we have gathered for you below

By CAMMY CLARK

Miami Herald

If you think the torrent of foreclosures affecting every city and nearly every neighborhood and street in South Florida is as bad as it can get, here is a harsh new reality:

There’s a new wave of foreclosures making its way through the courts that has nothing to do with exotic subprime loans, real-estate flippers out to make a quick buck or people who bought way more house than they could afford.

Now, double-digit unemployment, sagging home prices and a lingering recession are to blame.

“The second tsunami of foreclosures is coming,” said Miami Beach-based John Tur, who teaches people how to invest in real estate.

The numbers already are staggering.

During the second quarter of the year, nearly one in four Florida home loans were past due or in foreclosure, making Florida the most delinquent state in the nation, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

This could delay a serious recovery in Florida, because a market with many foreclosures tends to drive down housing prices.

Within Florida, First American CoreLogic reports that Miami-Dade County had the second highest foreclosure rate in August, after California’s Osceola County. Broward was sixth.

And foreclosure tracking firm RealtyTrac found that Homestead — the epicenter of the boom just two years ago — had the highest rate of new foreclosure filings in the county.

And it could get worse.

New foreclosure filings in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties are on pace to top 120,000 this year. Court clerks say filings could even go as high as 135,000. That’s 17,000 to 32,000 more filings than last year.

THE REALITY

Those statistics are played out daily in neighborhoods such as Malibu Bay, a gated community in Homestead where property values have plummeted. A two-bedroom, two-bath home that sold for $242,000 in August 2006, for example, is now listed for $70,000, said Karen Klores, a Realtor at The Keyes Company.

Malibu Bay is a quiet, well-manicured community of sand-colored homes with no foreclosure signs in sight. But as in many South Florida neighborhoods, that serene picture masks secrets: In a 200-yard stretch of Northeast 11th Drive in the Ventura section of Malibu Bay, 14 out of 48 townhomes are in some stage of foreclosure.

Although the grass is kept trimmed by the homeowners association, many of the homes are shuttered and empty, with padlocks on the doors.

Leslee Ramos doesn’t often visit her three-bedroom townhome in Malibu Bay, which was built by Lennar Corp. during the housing boom, but she checked in last week.

Ramos moved to Northeast 11th Drive in October 2006, paying $255,490. The home is now worth $121,800, according to property records.

After losing her job about two years ago, she started eating into her savings to make payments but still couldn’t afford the mortgage. Her home went into foreclosure earlier this year, and in May she moved back to Kendall to live with her mother.

Now Ramos’ house is empty, and she expects the bank to sell it in February.

“It feels horrible to go through foreclosure,” said Ramos, who now does marketing for a nursing home. “I can’t apply for anything. I have no credit.”

It isn’t just suburban subdivisions feeling the impact of foreclosures. Condominium foreclosures are also on the rise. In early 2008, single-family-home foreclosures outpaced condos by about three to one. But now condos make up 41 percent of the residential foreclosures in Miami-Dade, 67 percent in Broward and a whopping 83 percent in the Florida Keys, according to RealtyTrac.

`I don’t think there’s any question the first wave of foreclosures we saw up until this year was driven by bad loans — the subprime loans with squirrely features of big jumps in rates or payments,” said Guy Cecala, publisher of Bethesda, Md.-based Inside Mortgage Finance. “This year, we’re feeling the full brunt of the deep recession in the country. It’s economic-driven.”

Jose and Priscilla Andino also were decimated by a drop in household income, but they are still trying to save their four-bedroom home in Miami.

The Andinos and their two young kids and dog had just moved to the house in December 2007 when they got unexpected bad news: Priscilla had been laid off from her accounting job of 13 years.

“It was a shocker, but I said, `We’re fine. We’ve got money saved,’ ” said Jose Andino, an aviation security specialist for Miami-Dade County. “But with the economy going bad, my wife couldn’t get another job right away. Now we’re doing everything we can to save our home.”

Priscilla eventually found a new job, but not before the couple fell way behind on their mortgage payments. They’ve been in foreclosure since March and are working with foreclosure defense attorney Dennis Donet to try to get a loan modification from their lender, Wells Fargo.

“Every day, it’s a new monster,” Donet said of the foreclosure crisis.

Donet finds he must navigate a logjam in both the courts and with lenders that must deal with ever-changing federal, state and local assistance programs.

Lenders have been overwhelmed by the growing number of homeowners who’ve already fallen behind on their mortgages, thousands of acquired mortgages from failed banks, and the thousands of new cases that are cropping up as homeowners lose their jobs due to the recession.

“We do hear scenarios of people who go six to 10 months without making a payment and they have not received an initial default notice,” said Daren Blomquist, marketing communications manager of RealtyTrac. “That leads us to believe there is a logjam of activity. We have not seen the full extent of what’s happening.”

At courthouses in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, judges and the staff have been overwhelmed by the deluge. More than 90,000 new foreclosure cases were filed through September of this year in the three counties.

“It’s pretty bad,” said Elizabeth le Sueur, a Miami-Dade County court operations officer whose staff used to handle an average of 9,000 foreclosure cases a year.

In August, the backlog got so severe that new cases and pleadings were stuffed in 70 cardboard boxes and mail bins scattered throughout the courthouse’s ground level. With 4,972 new foreclosure filings in September, Miami-Dade’s year-to-date tally climbed to 49,325.

“There is no end in sight right now,” le Sueur said.

Circuit Judge Jennifer D. Bailey, who heads a state foreclosure task force, said she is bracing for the crisis to continue well into next year. “Now what we are seeing is people in trouble because of changes in life, loss of their income, not changes in their loan,” she said.

A year ago, prime fixed-rate loans accounted for only one in five foreclosure filings nationally. Now these loans — in which credit-worthy borrowers receive a bank’s best rate at terms that don’t change — account for one in three foreclosures, according to Jay Brinkmann, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s chief economist.

In South Florida, only a fraction of a percent of prime loans were in foreclosure in January 2007. The figure jumped to more than 9 percent in August, according to California-based First American CoreLogic, a real-estate information company.

STANCHING LOSSES

The Florida Supreme Court is now considering recommendations that could help families like the Andinos.

Presented in August, the recommendations come from a 15-person emergency task force led by Bailey that spent 20 weeks putting together a comprehensive plan to alleviate the burden on the state courts — and to provide a potential win-win solution for borrowers and lenders.

The recommendations include a statewide-managed mediation program for all cases involving homesteaded property mortgaged by institutional lenders such as savings and loan associations, local and regional banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, and commercial lenders. Borrowers are required to attend foreclosure counseling before mediation.

The Legislature has also passed a new law, effective Jan. 1, that requires all unlicensed loan modifiers, loan originators and mortgage lenders to get a state broker’s license.

That will bring state laws in line with a 2008 federal law that requires brokers to renew their licenses annually, have background checks and pass a written exam following training. A nationwide registry that includes employment history and disciplinary action will be introduced in 2011.

In another effort to prevent further foreclosures, most Florida lenders began in August to require credit scores of 740 to obtain Federal Housing Authority loans, said Valerie Saunders, president of the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers.

“Anything over 700 used to be a great score,” she said.

As the foreclosure crisis deepens, many people have flooded not-for-profit organizations such as Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, which averages between 50 and 70 new cases a week.

“We tend to deal with more folks at the lower end of the income spectrum, but we also see people clearly in the middle income, and we just helped one guy in Coral Gables with a million-dollar house,” said Arden Shank, the executive director. “The median income of the people we are working with is going up.”

While most of the delinquent subprime loans have already worked through the system, there are some other mortgages that could ultimately lead to foreclosures when new rates take effect. Among them: adjustable rate mortgages that began as interest-only payments but will revert to full payments in the next couple of years, or those that give borrowers options on how they want to pay, including interest-only or partial interest.

“There are some ARM products still lurking in the shadows, readying to rear their heads,” said Keith Gumbinger, a vice president at mortgage industry publisher HSH Associates in New Jersey. “It will matter where the interest rates are and where the economy is at when those reset.”

THE WAITING GAME

For some, the first reset may not come until 2010 or 2011, Gumbinger said. “That’s why there could be some lingering effects down the road.”

Of 1.1 million loans with adjustable rates in South Florida, 53 percent have already reset. But at the beginning of August, another 22 percent were scheduled to reset in the next two years, according to First American CoreLogic.

Industry experts say the foreclosure crisis won’t end until housing prices recover, not just flatten — and until the employment situation improves.

“I’ve read guesstimates that some properties might not be back to the price borrowers paid for them for 10 to 12 years,” Gumbinger said. “It could be ugly for a while yet.”

The Andinos hope it’s not too late for them to save their home. They have sold a vehicle and other property, cut back on cable, cellphone service and their annual Orlando trip with the kids, and now are at the mercy of their lender.

“I’m crossing my fingers every day and praying every night,” Jose Andino said. “We just need a second chance.”

For Marise Bazelais and her large extended family, which includes 11 children, it’s already too late. After getting a four-day extension from the sheriff’s office, they have until Monday morning to leave their Lauderhill house, which was foreclosed on in May. Bazelais said they have no money, no place to go.

“For now, to tell you the truth, my option is to take the kids in my car and live in my car with them. We don’t have any idea,” Bazelais said.

BY DANIEL CHANG

dchang@MiamiHerald.com

By J. A. Young
Photo: © Lisa Thornberg – iStockphoto
Fall is the season of cool, crisp weather, brilliant scenery and bountiful harvests. Bringing the autumn indoors is a way to transform your décor with both subtlety and a richness of color and warmth. Here are a few ways you can add fall accents to your home.

Get Ornamental Gourds
Not just the requisite pumpkin for the porch, but several small to large ornamental gourds to be used as a dining room table centerpiece, as a coffee table prop and even to place here and there on the book shelves. Ornamental gourds come in many sizes and shapes and their appeal is great during the harvest season.Decorate with Flowers in Seasonal Colors
Add a wreath to the door abundant with fall blooms dried and interspersed on a grapevine. Consider hydrangea, yarrow and goldenrod for a warm welcome into your home. Also, place bouquets of dried flower arrangements throughout your home—each with fall colors for effect.

Celebrate the Season with Scented Candles
Find an old copper tub and fill it with water. Then add some novelty candles that float—apple-shaped and scented (available at large craft stores)—and scatter some autumn leaves around its base for accent. Add other scented candles around the house, in fall fragrances like nutmeg and spice.

Add an Extra Touch with Inexpensive Fabrics
Go shopping at antique stores or flea markets for fabric in gold, yellows, oranges, browns and reds. Make new curtains or an autumn tablecloth. Flea markets are great places to find old quilts in fall colors—even if it’s not in great condition, it can be used for various autumn crafts.

By Angela Baca
Photo: © Artur Gabrysiak – Dreamstime

New rules from the Fed have changed mortgage-lending practices. Although the new rules were put in place to help protect consumers, they may also cause an increase in loan processing time.

Amendment to Regulation Z
On July 14, 2008, the Fed amended Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to prohibit unfair, abusive, or deceptive practices by mortgage lenders and to restrict other practices. Lenders face new advertising standards, and they must disclose information early in the loan process. All lenders must follow advertising standards regardless of whether they have federal deposit insurance.

New Rules for Consumer Protection
For a consumer who needs another loan based on the first home’s value, lenders must take 4 new steps:

1. Avoid writing a loan without considering ability to repay beyond a home’s equity.
2. Verify income and assets.
3. Eliminate prepayment penalties for mortgages with adjustable payments within the first four years; for other loans, the prepayment penalty lasts no more than two years.
4. Establish escrow for taxes and insurance on the first mortgage.

The foregoing rules apply to higher-priced mortgages, or subprime loans with an interest rate at least 1.5 percentage points above Freddie Mac’s prime rate and 3.5 percentage points above for subordinate mortgages.

Requirements for all Lenders
New rules apply to subprime mortgages and most other mortgages, but do not affect construction or bridge loans, reverse mortgages, or lines of credit (LOCs). Regardless of your interest rate, the following affects a loan secured by your primary residence:

1. A creditor or mortgage broker cannot coerce an appraiser into being dishonest about a home’s value.
2. Mortgage servicers cannot use certain practices, including pyramiding late fees. They must credit payments on the date of receipt and provide loan payoff information within a reasonable period.
3. A lender must provide a borrower with a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) within 3 days of receiving their loan application. The applicant cannot be charged any fees, except for the cost of pulling credit history, until after they have received an early disclosure.
4. Once the applicant receives the final cost disclosure, the lender is required to wait seven days before closing on the loan. If the final annual percentage rate (APR) varies by more than .125% from the initial GFE disclosure, the lender must re-disclose and wait yet another three days before closing.

Stricter Advertising Rules
Lenders must also provide more information when they advertise rates, monthly payments, and other features. There are stricter rules against misleading advertising and a ban against saying a rate is fixed when it might change.

These rules are part of the Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act (MDIA) and were effective July 30, 2009, except for the escrow requirement (which will begin in 2010). Be sure to get more updates from your real estate agent or broker about the changing mortgage market.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

“What’s in it for me?” Homeowners will love the answer to that question as they learn more about the new federal economic stimulus bill. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, generally known as the stimulus package, offers special tax credit incentives to homeowners to encourage energy efficiency—the best part is it’s easy.

Homeowners can get up to $1,500 maximum tax credit for energy efficient home improvement product expenditures. The tax credit is 30 percent of the cost of eligible products up to $5,000 total through 2010. The tax credit applies to products that make improvements to the building envelope, like adding insulation to attics, basements, crawl spaces, exterior walls and properly insulated HVAC systems, since those changes significantly impact energy efficiency.

While the tax incentive within the stimulus package may seem complex and daunting, one company, Owens Corning, has made it simple and painless to claim the insulation tax credit. Homeowners can check out InsulationTaxCredit.com to:

• Find insulation products that are eligible.
• Download the Manufacturer’s Certificate needed to claim the credit.
• Learn how much insulation should be added to areas of a home, see videos on how to install and get an estimate on how much can be saved in heating and cooling energy-related bills. 

• Find local stores to find eligible products and a local professional to do the installation.
• Additional products that are eligible include windows and roofs that meet ENERGY STAR requirements.

There are approximately 80 million under-insulated homes in the United States and despite major strides in increasing energy efficiency; homes continue to be one of the largest users of energy, consuming more energy than industry or transportation. It is estimated that properly insulating homes can help owners save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling related energy bills. Tax credits aside, insulation pays for itself over time in energy not used.

“The expansion of federal income tax credits for homeowners will enable more consumers to afford energy efficiency upgrades that will lower their home energy bills—which we project to reach about $2,200 per U.S. household this year—while increasing the comfort and lowering the carbon footprint of their homes,” says Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.

According to a report from the researchers at the McKinsey Global Institute, almost a quarter of possible greenhouse gas reductions would result from measures such as better insulation in buildings that carry no net life cycle cost—in effect, they pay for themselves. That means homeowners can lower their energy costs and qualify for federal tax credits while helping the environment, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Homeowners can save twice with insulation—with up to 20 percent savings on their heating and cooling energy bills and a 30 percent tax credit,” says Gale Tedhams, director of sustainability, Owens Corning. “Thanks to the stimulus bill, homeowners have never had a better opportunity to make an immediate difference in the comfort and affordability of their home and help save the planet—and it is easy!”

By E. E. Kane
Photo: © Lorraine Kourafas – iStockphoto
The backsplash in a kitchen is more than a catch-all for flying food and water droplets. It is a highlight, and if it is done right, it will enhance the style without attracting undue attention. Use the following ideas to install a new, enlivening backsplash in your kitchen.

1. Paint
By far the cheapest material, paint is always an affordable choice for a new look. If your kitchen walls still look fresh, choose a coordinating paint color for the backsplash only. A quart of paint should be enough for most kitchens, but buy a gallon in case you need several coats. You can save the extra for future touch-ups. A scrubbable paint sheen (semi-gloss) is a must for the backsplash, where food splatters are likely.

2. Wall Finishes
Most wall finishes work well on a kitchen backsplash, as long as the finished wall can be scrubbed without marring the finish. Color washing, glazing, stippling, dragging, sponging, ragging, combing and blocking can all be done in scrubbable latex paints. To increase the protection, apply a coat of non-yellowing latex polyurethane over your artwork.

3. Tile
Ceramic or porcelain tile is ideal for a kitchen backsplash. It comes in versatile colors and styles and is super easy to wipe up messy splatters. You can design your own pattern with different colors, or buy sets of 12×12 mosaic patterns. Installation is moderately easy for a beginner. It helps to have a good set of directions, and practice on a small board before you begin the backsplash project. If you paid extra for special order tile and you don’t feel comfortable with your DIY skills, spring for the professional installation.

4. Stainless Steel
This material is used in most restaurant kitchens for its sterile qualities. In the home it also lends a contemporary feel. Some stainless steel has the practical property of accepting magnets, meaning you can post your recipes or other notes on the backsplash. While stainless steel is very easy to clean, it is easily scratched and can be damaged by harsh chemicals.

5. Wallpaper
Wallpaper is easy to install, and as long as you choose a product meant for the kitchen (specifically designed to hold up under humid conditions), it is a versatile and affordable choice. To make cleanup really easy, install glass over the wallpaper.

6. Wood
The ideal backsplash should be easy to clean, so wood isn’t necessarily the best choice. However, with the right paint you can get away with it, especially if you are an occasional, rather than avid, cook, and you don’t get too wild with the dishwater. Choose tongue-and-groove wainscoting, or bead board plywood to cut the cost. Wood laminate or wood Formica are good choices for retro kitchens.

7. Decorative Tin
Molded tin, copper, chrome or other metal decorative panels add a bold and eye-catching visual to any kitchen. A less expensive alternative is thermoplastic panels, which look surprisingly authentic and come in a variety of patterns and colors: rubbed bronze, brushed aluminum, verdigris, and copper, to name a few. Decorative tin patterns can be traditional and classy, or ultra-modern edgy.

8. Mirrors
If your kitchen is small, every little trick of the eye helps. Mirrors open up spaces and satisfy the backsplash demand for easy maintenance. Mirrors can look sophisticated in the right kitchens, and kitschy in others. Test the look with a full-length mirror. With mirrors and a light palette, your small kitchen will look larger.

By Deanna Sletten
Photo: © Gavril Margittai – Dreamstime

After four months of rising home sales, the housing market is looking brighter. The National Association of Realtors reported that between April and July existing home sales experienced increases each month with July leading with a 7.2% increase. It has been five years since the real estate market has seen such an upward trend and it has led many in the industry to believe that the market has finally bottomed out and is heading for recovery.

Sales of Foreclosures Led the Way
Many factors prompted the rise in sales over the past four months. Sales of foreclosure and distressed homes were up 31% in July because of their affordability. First-time home buyers accounted for 30% of the July sales so they could qualify in time for the $8,000 tax credit. Low mortgage interest rates also contributed to the surge in sales. With a market full of affordable homes to choose from and low interest loans available, home buyers are taking advantage of the deals and buying nicer homes they might otherwise have not been able to afford.

Where Recovery is Felt the Most
Thirty-nine states saw sales increase over the last two quarters with some states, such as New York, Hawaii and Wisconsin, seeing an increase of 20% or more. Sales varied depending upon how heavily the areas were hit by the real estate crash. California, Michigan and Colorado saw a drop in sales by 6% even though other states saw increases in sales. In cities like San Diego, Phoenix, Orlando and Las Vegas where house prices have dropped significantly while incomes have stayed the same, the demand for foreclosure and lower priced homes has soared. Experts agree that the recovery will be slower for some areas than for others depending upon how hard the area was hit.

Will the Recovery Continue?
Even though the housing market looks as though it’s on the way to recovery, experts caution that it may not see a significant upswing until the early part of 2010 when the economy is expected to pick up. Another factor that may help the recovery is dependent upon Congress extending the first-time homeowner tax credit past the November 30 deadline and into 2010 which is being lobbied for by two national organizations.

A total housing market recovery is dependent upon how quickly the economy picks up and how long interest rates stay low. But for now, economists are encouraged by the continued increase in sales and believe that the housing market is heading toward a recovery.

By Izzy Buholzer

Short Sales are approximately 40 % of the entire Multiple Listing Service
(MLS) in Miami and the Beaches.

More than ever, buyers and sellers need to be aware of how to choose
professional help when dealing in Short Sales.

Call our team today and take advantage of our extensive experience with
pre-foreclosures. Whether you are a buyer or a seller you will learn how to
overcome and avoid unnecessary frustrations.

Obtain a free analysis to decide how you can save money (or your credit)
through Short Sales.

Izzy Buholzer , Lic. Realtor
The Miami Real Estate Team
305-476-8000