Solar power meets consumer power: Group discounts help you buy home solar power. See how to save and be green.

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Its hot outside now but should be cooling off in the next month or so. Now is a good time to think about getting or building a fire pit. Its a very popular item to have now and you can add value to your home and landscape by building one. A built-in fire pit is a glorified campfire, with sturdy walls of stone that help contain the flames and heat. That's especially important in the parts of the country where there's a risk of brush fires. So the first task in building any fire pit is checking local codes on open flames. The pit must be located far from overhanging trees, the house, and any other flammable structure. Read More Here...

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Short Sales...Not For The Feint Of Heart

I have always had a fascination with the English Language and having studied linguistic anthropology I became even more interested and even a bit amused. Did you ever think about the way we say things like "how much does that run," when what we really are trying to ask is how much does the item cost? Why do we do that?

American idioms are a great source of entertainment- we use phrases and words in ways that native speakers typically understand without thought but are completely confusing to the non-native speaker. We say things like, "lipstick on a pig." I get the idea behind it - a quick fix to make something seem more attractive than it is... but really? Who had the chutzpah to put lipstick on the pig and did they really think it made the pig better looking? I wish I could have seen this little event- I can't even successfully give my cat a pill- I can't imagine getting the pig to hold still long enough to get a lovely shade of mauve applied to it's whiskery mouth. Perhaps my vision of applying the lipstick to the pig is too grounded in the literal or concrete ...but still what a fun visual.

In all fairness, I have to say that even though we have tortured the language with our slovenly grammatical habits and imprecise use of words, the language has never been all that clear. We have always had multiple meanings for words, and much of spoken language is contextual and non-verbal. We say the word "bear," which sounds just like "bare," and from the context of the sentence we determine which version of the word is being referenced and apply meaning to the sentence- all in the blink of an eye without even conscious thought. But what about when we get confused about the the meaning? Like the term "short sale," which is a source of great confusion for native speakers and non-native speakers alike.

The popular misconception is that a short sale will move through the transaction process and close more quickly( shortly in terms of time if you will), which it will not. A short sale is perhaps the longest transaction a buyer and seller can experience. The term "short" comes form the idea that the seller in this transaction is asking their lender to release their interest in the property. their lien, for less than the full amount that is owed- in effect allowing the seller to sell the property "short." There are a lot of component parts in these transactions: the seller must answer the question of why they stopped making payments or why they feel that they will no longer be able to make payments and they must demonstrate a true hardship. If they are able to do this then the next step is to establish the value of the property- or asset as it is known. The seller's lender will generally order a BPO (Broker Price Opinion) to get a guideline. After which, they may order an appraisal or another BPO. Once the lender is satisfied with the value they will respond to any offer that is on the table. There a lot of misconceptions about this portion of the transaction as most banks will not respond to a seller's request to short sale until they have an offer in hand- then they will evaluate the seller's docs and the buyer's offer. If the seller has a failed offer then they can honestly say their short sale has been approved, but it is important to remember that each offer is evaluated on its own merits. Just because a short sale was accepted at a certain price previously, there is no guarantee it will be again.

All of this verification of seller status and asset value can take a while so the informed, "would be short sale purchaser" should plan on 30-60 days to get a response to their short sale offer. Once agreement is reached on the offer price the bank will typically give a 30 day window in which to close with a per diem amount payable by the purchaser for any delays in closing. When contemplating purchasing a short sale properties there are additional considerations:

• Short sales are never guaranteed, neither to the seller, the buyer nor even the agents
• Contrary to popular belief banks do not have to accept a short sale- they can opt to foreclose, take ownership of the asset and do with it as they please.
• If a bank participates in short sales it is as a courtesy to the borrower
• If you decide to write an offer on a short sale property- do not get married to the idea- your odds of getting it are much narrower than on other types of transactions including REO properties, which are already owned by a bank.

When opting for a short sale, whether you are a would be buyer or a would be seller find yourself an agent who has experience with short sales and plan on a long and sometimes frustrating transaction. Short sales, although ubiquitous in the current market place, are not for beginners nor are they for the feint of heart. Contracting with a broker who has the certifications but lacks experience will do you little or no good as every short sale deal is different and good brokers learn from each transaction they successfully complete. A broker can never guarantee the outcome when they attempt a short sale but if they have a strong track record- your odds are better, so ask how many short sales they have attempted and how many they have successfully completed. If you are a seller this is especially important as you are relying on them for a great deal. As a seller you need a broker that is prepared to go the extra mile for you- to fight for you and creatively problem solve the obstacles that are guaranteed to pop up. Best of Luck to all in your real estate endeavours.

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Home Safety

An accident or injury can occur in any part of your home. Some safety hazards are obvious — such as a toy truck left lying at the top of the stairs. Others are not so easily identified — such as a stairway railing that has become loose. Check out this website for more information...

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Reduce your carbon foot print and get a new mower at the same time.

It's spring time in Colorado. That lovely time of year when all the rain and as the case is today, snow, we get starts to turn our lawns a lovely shade of green and marks the start of lawn mowing season. As we pull our lawnmowers out of their winter hibernation do you discover that you are in need of a new lawn mower? Maybe your lawn mower works just fine but you want to help reduce your carbon footprint? Well then you need to attend the Mow Down Pollution: Lawn Mower Exchange Event this weekend in Denver.

The Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) is pleased to announce its annual Mow Down Pollution Event for 2010. At the event, Colorado residents are invited to bring in an old, gasoline-powered lawn mower to exchange for a discount on a new, earth-friendly alternative. Participants can expect to remain in their vehicle while event staff unloads old equipment and loads new mowers.


WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 2010 9 am to 4 pm.

WHERE: RidgeGate Development off Lincoln and I-25. Enter near the corner of Ridgegate Parkway and Belvedere Lane in Lone Tree, Colorado southeast of Target, northwest of the Lone Tree Recreation Center.

Click here for a map of the location. Look for event signage and markers.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Click HERE (http://www.neutonpower.com/content/admin/aqi/raqc_info/index.html ) to REGISTER NOW to reserve your mower starting April 19, 2010. You must register for the event to secure your lawn mower.

PRICING:

The CE 5 model (retail price $299) will be sold for $175 to those without a gasoline lawn mower to recycle, and $150 for those who do have a mower to exchange.
The CE 6 model (retail price $399) will be sold for $275 to those without a gasoline lawn mower to recycle, and $250 for those who do have a mower to exchange.
The Neuton Reel Mower (retail price $99) will be sold for $65 to those without a gasoline lawn mower to recycle, and $55 for those who do have a mower to exchange.
To learn more about these models, please visit www.neutonpower.com.

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3 Small Steps to More Sustainable Living

Making little lifestyle changes will do a lot to enhance sustainability for the planet--and make every day Earth Day.

It's a great feeling every Earth Day to bike to work and show your love of the planet. But sustainable practices-managing how you use resources to ensure that there will enough for future generations-doesn't have to be limited to once a year. With a few adjustments, sustainable practices can easily become a part of daily life and save you money while you help improve the planet.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

Sustainable living is an umbrella term that covers many different ideas and programs. It can be as simple as recycling and using less water or as complex as changing state and federal policies to promote wind and solar power and high-speed rail transportation. Local planning commissions can promote sustainability by allowing higher density housing that uses less land. If you want to support some of these public sustainability programs, you can contact your government representative to express support. You could also support a nonprofit group like the Edible Schoolyard program, which teaches kids how to grow and eat locally.

OPPOSITION TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Not everyone is a fan of sustainable practices. Some people worry that conservation efforts produce more government regulation, increase living costs, and reduce corporate profits. Not sure where you stand on these major policies. Why not start small and see?

Eat locally. One of the biggest impacts a family has on the environment is what it eats. It takes around 10 calories of fossil fuel-in the form of fertilizers, processing, and transportation-to produce a single calorie of supermarket food, according to Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. Cut down on your food's energy impact by eating food grown near your home.

A 2001 study conducted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, found that the cost of transporting food from the region or the local area was four and 17 times less, respectively, than buying from national distributors.

FINDING LOCAL FOOD ISN'T DIFFICULT

• Local Harvest will help you find farmers markets as well as farms in your region that offer subscription programs. Signing up for a subscription means you pay up front, so there's a risk if the harvest fails. Costs vary depending on the size of the share and your part of the country. A good estimate from Local Harvest is that you'll spend about $600 to cover produce for a family of four during a four or five month growing season.
  


• Keep food even closer to home by growing your own, either in your backyard or in a shared community space. Expect to spend several hours a week seeding, weeding, and harvesting. Gardening is also a great way to teach kids about healthy eating.

The downside of eating locally is that food from a farmer's market often costs more than the same from the supermarket. And in winter, you may eat a lot of cabbage and potatoes if you stick to local eating.

BUY GENTLY USED

Everyone likes something new once in a while-and fast-growing kids require it. Consumer spending is also a big contributor to a healthy economy. But producing and transporting new products from the factory to you also uses lots of resources. One way to get new stuff and still promote sustainability is to trade something you no longer want for what you need.

• Freecycle is a 7 million-strong global network of people who share their possessions-for free. Once you join online, you'll receive regular email about used items that you can request and pick up. Eva Schmoock, a student nurse and mother of two in Carrboro, N.C., is an avid user. She's found new homes for everything, including paint and kids' bathing suits.
  


• A low-tech option: Organize swap meets with neighbors to lessen your environmental footprint without opening your wallet. Get your kids to put flyers in mailboxes to promote the swap. Or try a consignment shop.

REDUCE TRASH BY COMPOSTING

It isn't just what you buy that has an impact on the world's resources, it's what you throw away. The average American is responsible for almost 5 pounds of garbage a day, 12.5% of which is food scraps, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That trash clogs landfills and pollutes ground water.

Want to reduce waste? Consider composting. Just put those peels and pods (but no meat or dairy products) in a separate container instead of the garbage can. When the container is full, carry it to your compost pile.

A $10 plastic bucket with a lid will work; fancier models have charcoal filters that cut down on smells but cost two or three times as much. Let your kids scrape plates into the compost pail or empty the full container.

You'll find a compost bin for every budget. You can fence off a small (out-of-sight) section of your yard with less than $50 worth of mesh wire and poles. Plastic bins and barrels are neater, but can cost several times more. The best part of composting: In six months, nature will convert your waste into terrific fertilizer to sustain your vegetable or flower garden.

Article From Houselogic.com
By: Amanda Abrams
Published: August 28, 2009

Amanda Abrams is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who spent many years planning to be an organic farmer. Now she writes about how to make the world a better place for papers like The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (R). Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

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Its almost St. Patrick's Day and time to eat cabbage and drink green beer. Did you ever wonder who St. Patrick was? Even though I love the day, why do we celebrate this silly holiday?

Saint Patrick was a Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognised patron saint of Ireland. Two authentic letters from him survive, from which come the only universally accepted details of his life. When he was about 14 he was captured from Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland. Patrick worked as a herdsman, remaining a captive for six years. He writes that his faith grew in captivity, and that he prayed daily. After six years he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled to a port, two hundred miles away he says, where he found a ship and, after various adventures, returned home to his family, now in his early twenties.[

After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked and there is no contemporary evidence for any link between Patrick and any known church building. By the eighth century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.

Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, though all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes; one suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place, as shown for instance on coins minted in Gaul, or that it could have referred to beliefs such as Pelagianism, symbolised as “serpents”. Legend also credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the Trinity by showing people the shamrock, a 3-leaved clover, using it to highlight the Christian belief of 'three divine persons in the one God'

The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty, but on a widespread interpretation he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. According to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish annals, Patrick died in AD 460 on March 17, a date accepted by some modern historians. Saint Patrick's Day (17 March) is celebrated both in and outside of Ireland, as both a liturgical and non-liturgical holiday. In the dioceses of Ireland it is a both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation and outside of Ireland, it can be a celebration of Ireland itself.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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