Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Just Listed For Rent!!!

Available 2/7/2012*1,680+ sqft*1 car garage Condo Overlooking Potomac River*Top Floor w/Balcony off Living Room & Master Bedroom*Path/Stairs to Rippon VRE Train*2 Bedroom + Den*2 Baths*Amazing Kitchen*Corian Counters*Separate Dining room*Gas Fireplace*Washer&Dryer*Elevator*Storage #43*Security at Gate&Building*non-smoking*Blinds installed*Clubhouse w/Computers/Billard Table/Fitness Room. Click the Link for more info!!

Just IN!!!

HOME LOCATED NEAR MONTCLAIR*1 LIGHT TO COMMUTER LOT &1-95*NESTED AMONGST TREES & HOMES ON 1/2 ACRE LOTS*PARK LIKE SITTING*ALL BRICK RAMBLER*CLICK THE LINK FOR MORE INFO........Just listed! Also for rent for $2,200.

Park Crest Condominiums

The unfair advantage of inimitable design, with the unfair advantage of being available for immediate move-in. One Park*Crest is the first of Park*Crest's spectacular residential addresses. This 19-story tower offers views of the entire National Capital skyline - and forever raises the benchmark for cosmopolitan living in Northern Virginia. Homeowners at One Park*Crest have an amazing choice of interior finishes, from rich classics to clean-edged contemporary. Private balconies or terraces and expansive windows frame a horizon that arcs from downtown Washington to the Blue Ridge Mountains. For more information click the link!
Park Crest Condos

Underground House in Seoul

Architect Byoung Soo Cho’s Earth House is quite possibly one of the classiest dugouts ever built. Set amid peaceful woods and rice fields an hour east of Seoul, Korea, the subterranean structure consists of six tiny unadorned rooms (kitchen, library, two bedrooms, and a bathroom) and a 23-by-23-foot courtyard. Cho describes the house, dedicated to Korean poet Dong-joo Yoon, as a place for self-reflection. He says the concept goes back to his 1991 graduate thesis at Harvard, where he began exploring Taoist ideas about negative and positive space, and the question of just how much (or little) space we need in order to live comfortably. Sixteen years and several unsuccessful attempts at selling an underground house later, Cho finally decided to build one for himself. Earth House was completed in February 2009 on a lot down the road from Cho’s more conventional vacation home, the square-shaped Concrete Box House. He currently uses the Earth House for weekend gatherings and stargazing.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Rainbow House

Rainbow House in Action

One of the more colorful architectural details we've run lately is that multi-hued staricase that gets the full-page treatment in Rainbow Flight by Jordan Kushins, the Finishing Touch in our July/August issue. The London home is by Ab Rogers and is amongst the most exuberant we've seen. But the full aesthetic experience—and a better understanding of why we can't get enough of this joint—wouldn't be clear without seeing the playful, colorful manse in its entirety. Check out the four-minute video below and you'll be just as enchanted as we were. The rainbow staircase even makes an appearance at the 1:47 mark. Enjoy!

The Rainbow House, London from Ab Rogers Design on Vimeo.

Backyard Retreat

When sustainable building advisor Megan Lea set out to build a backyard retreat, she knew that reclaimed materials would figure prominently into the design. What resulted is a polychrome of salvaged 100-year-old barnwood by West Salem-based Barnwood Naturals that makes the facade of this Bernard Maybeck-inspired design as unique as it is enviornmentally friendly.

The character of the woods really shines through on this project, which I really love. The hand-selected pieces with faded red paint contrasts with the grey weatherbeaten boards and sage-tinted sections covered with lichen. Also of note is the reclaimed copper roof, a lucky Craigslist find from a local remodel. Though the structure has a footprint of just 11' x 14', it's a useful extra living space to entertain, catch up on work, or just relax by the woodburning stove.

Each of the boards is left as they were originally found (minus the errant nails and screws from their original structures) and when juxtaposed, the colors are quite striking.

Self Preservation

With the help of DSH Architects, a pair of intrepid Angelenos restored (and gently updated) Rudolph Schindler’s iconic Bubeshko Apartments.

Slideshow

Though architect Rudolph Schindler (1887–1953) was best known for his dramatic single-family homes, he also completed several multifamily projects, including the Bubeshko Apartments and the nearby Manola Court and Falk Apartments. In fact, his own home, the iconic Schindler House, was a duplex that he shared, for a time, with Richard Neutra. (It’s now open to the public through the MAK Center.) Schindler liked the idea of communal living and often designed wide terraces and open windows to encourage interaction among residents while still including strategic details to afford privacy. For the Bubeshko Apartments he envisioned a Greek village, a bohemian community for artists built in an affordable way. Natural materials like wood and stucco confer a humble vibe of casual indoor-outdoor living, yet there are also grand details, like the sculptures by Gordon Newell on the facade, which provide a glamorous entrance. Like many of Schindler’s works, it was a masterpiece made for everyday living—accessible to anyone who could pay a month’s rent.

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Rudolph Schindler’s Bubeshko Apartments are legendary in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, their white stucco terraces spilling down the hillside like a chest of drawers pulled ajar. When the 5,000-square-foot apartment complex went on the market in 2004, filmmaker Joe DeMarie finally got to step inside, where he remembers being transported by its simple beauty. “I don’t throw around the word ‘genius,’” says DeMarie. “But Schindler was a genius.”

He wanted to buy it, but Luby Bubeshko, who’d owned and lived in the five-unit building for 66 years, was reluctant to sell to just anyone. In 1938, the 20-year-old Bubeshko had worked closely with Schindler on the building’s then-radical design and was adamant about protecting its legacy. If she didn’t find the right buyer, it was said, she would tear the complex down.

When DeMarie’s first offer garnered no response, he embarked upon an architectural courtship—writing a four-page personal letter, meeting with the property’s caretaker, and even making a visit to the Schindler archives at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Luby was so skeptical of us,” remembers DeMarie’s wife, Madeleine Brand, host of an eponymous public radio show in Los Angeles. “It was ten months before she said yes.” What DeMarie and Brand believe finally swayed Bubeshko was the fact that a family—like her own—wanted to restore the two buildings, live in one of the units, and pass the complex down to their own two children.

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Though the buildings were structurally sound, they had suffered the wear and tear of a half-century of renters. For the renovation, DeMarie and Brand tapped Brand’s cousin, Chava Danielson, who with Eric Haas heads the architecture firm DSH. Because Danielson and Haas hadn’t worked on a restoration project before, they looked at the structures not as frozen artifacts but as functional homes that had been adapted—often by Schindler himself—as the needs of the residents changed. Their pragmatic approach informed some difficult choices—like enlarging the L-shaped kitchen in the owners’ unit so it could accommodate their entertaining needs.

Examining plans, scanning receipts, and poring over old photos borrowed from Bubeshko, Haas and DeMarie embarked upon the detective work of deciphering Schindler’s original vision. While DeMarie brought a wealth of experience—he’s restored a brownstone in Brooklyn and a townhouse in Washington, DC—he didn’t find a definitive resource for reproducing Schindler’s distinctive tinted walls and stained plywood. For almost two months, DeMarie spent most of his time holed up in his apartment—often staying up all night—experimenting with a chemistry set of paint, wax, varnishes, lacquers, accelerators, pigments, and shellacs to replicate the original colors and finishes. It paid off: DeMarie even ended up training his staff—made up of architecture students and musicians—in the techniques he invented.

slideshow

Although the nonagenarian Bubeshko never returned to see the home, she approved of the completed work after seeing photographs. Before she died last year, she gave the building’s archive—including plans, drawings, receipts, and even letters between her and Schindler—to DeMarie and Brand. Along with the archive, she also opened the door to a future project. Schindler’s original blueprints revealed a planned (but unrealized) third building parallel to the site. DeMarie and Brand hope to one day fulfill Bubeshko’s dream and build the structure.

“Schindler was a romantic,” says DeMarie. “He believed we can change the way we live through art and architecture.” The challenge of following 74-year-old plans while building with contemporary materials offers an unprecedented opportunity to see how Schindler’s idealist vision holds up, he says. “If anyone can be true to Rudy, it’s me.”

Friday, January 27, 2012

New look at the W in NY

By JOSH BARBANEL And LAURA KUSISTO

Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal

A marketing effort led by Louise Sunshine to provide fully furnished condos atop the W New York Downtown Hotel, lower left, has boosted sales.

At the residential condominiums atop of the 58-story W New York Downtown hotel, a new marketing strategy has quickly nudged up sagging sales in the modernist glass tower just across from the World Trade Center site.

The strategy starts with offering furnishings for the luxury condos but takes the degree of furnishing to a new level.

The result is that buyers can now choose among condos complete with Frette sheets, Warhol prints, coffee-table books, vintage lamps and mirrors as well as pots, can openers and dinner service for six.

Apartments are also offered for sale with big-screen TVs, DVD players, iPod docking stereos and even books on the shelves.

The turnkey condos at the W have attracted interest from investors wanting to buy units and then immediately rent them out. Interest also have come from foreign buyers looking for personal pied-à-terres.

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Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal

Louise Sunshine

The new condo interiors were created by Louise Sunshine, a doyen of real-estate marketing in New York, as part of a new venture called "Sunshine Select Residences" that she hopes to expand at expensive condo developments across the country. She said she has been in discussions with other New York developers.

"It is a way to increase the number of sales per month and increase prices in a challenging market," Ms. Sunshine said.

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Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal

The furnishings include a widescreen living-room TV.

For the W, Ms. Sunshine hunted antique shops for midcentury artifacts and picked out accent details such as animal-skin throw rugs and grass cloth wall covering. She also commissioned original art work to include with the condos.

W Downtown developer Joseph Moinian brought in Ms. Sunshine in the fall to improve sales, and she in turn brought in Pamela Liebman, president of Corcoran Group, as part of a new marketing campaign for the tower on Washington Street designed by the late Charles Gwathmey.

When the building went on the market in 2007, buyers lined up to get into the showroom and marketers took out ads in Seoul and went to a real-estate exposition in Dubai to tout the building, still little more than a hole in the ground.

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Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal

Bedroom sheets

But after the financial crisis hit, sales evaporated.

In 2010, when the W hotel opened with 217 rooms in the lower 22 floors of the building, Mr. Moinian's in-house sales team closed on its first sale, and started a new marketing effort.

But by last fall, only 15 units had closed out of 223 originally on the market, and Mr. Moinian had turned 64 condos on the lower floors into long-term-stay rental residences.

Sales have started to climb in the past few weeks following the introduction of the turnkey apartments. Since mid-December, four condo sales have closed, with seven more now listed in contract

An 808-square-foot one-bedroom closed for $1.47 million a few week ago. The price works out to $1,838 a square foot in a neighborhood where the average condo price is below $1,200 a square foot.

Richard Nassimi, a Corcoran broker who recently took over sales at the building, said the finely finished apartments had led to sales even involving buyers who planned to bring in their own furniture.

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Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal

A bathroom complete with towels.

"Now buyers can see these spaces are a home, not just a hotel room," he said.

The apartment interiors, designed by the Graft Studio based in Berlin, have some avant-garde features, including glass-walled bathrooms and shiny space-age kitchens. But brokers said the units were a hard sell because the interior spaces seemed small when empty.

Ms. Sunshine, launched condo sales Time Warner Center a decade ago, attacked the problem with design elements. To fill the empty spaces at the W, she bought $200,000 of furniture from Tui Lifestyle, a Miami-based furniture company that specializes in selling packages of furniture to developers.

Jason Atkins, an ex-Marine and entrepreneur who founded Tui Lifestyle, says he sold the furniture—on the higher end of his collection—to Ms. Sunshine for about $30,000 to $35,000 per unit.

Unlike the large furniture found in many department stores, the pieces were scaled down to apartment sizes, Ms. Sunshine said. She also incorporated small chrome elements and clear, glass-top dining tables that seemed to add to the sense of space. Two new floors of furnished apartments are in the works.

Luciana Klosterman, a broker at Domus Realty, has represented foreign buyers from Italy and Panama in three sales in the building, each looking for investment properties.

She said the furnished spaces at the W "were one of the selling points I used with my investors" who were interested in quickly generating a return. "People like that sexy kind of a building," she said.

Active Adult Community Condo w/elevator!!!

For any contracts written between now and February 15, Beazer Homes is paying Realtor bonuses, as follows:2% bonus (on total selling price of the home) on a home that settles by 3/31/121% bonus (on total selling price of the home) on a home that settles after 3/31/12 I hope you’ll have a chance to stop by my community here sometime where Bettie Williams bought. It’s an Active Adult community with elevator condos – (We’re the only company doing Active Adult condos with an elevator in the building in all of Prince William County, so as you can imagine, they’re selling well.) We have 5 different floorplans (1450-1900 sq. ft.), with prices starting at @ $209,990.

Jan Kahl *Beazer Homes*Gatherings at Wellington New Home Counselor*jan.kahl@beazer.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Great Article to Read....

New Builds!! Open house at Chestnut Lodge!

Click the Link for more information

The Science Behind the Smile - Harvard Business Review

Homeownership Matters to State of the Union

The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Moe Veissi:
“The National Association of Realtors® commends President Obama for his remarks in support of homeowners and the struggling housing market during tonight’s State of the Union address. As leading advocates for homeownership, Realtors® know that restoring the health of the housing market is the only way to achieve a broader economic recovery.

“Realtors® stand ready to help Congress and the administration implement Obama’s proposal to significantly reduce monthly mortgage payments by streamlining the refinancing process.
But beyond that, we must make housing a national public policy priority. Realtors® believe that more must be done to stem the rising inventory of foreclosed homes and address the lack of available and affordable mortgage financing, which is inhibiting a meaningful housing market recovery.

“Our families, communities, the housing market and economy all suffer when people lose their home to foreclosure. Realtors® are calling upon the Obama administration, Congress and lenders to help keep more people in their homes by taking more aggressive steps to modify loans and help homeowners significantly reduce their monthly mortgage payments.

“Realtors® also urge the government and lenders to streamline the often time-consuming and inefficient short sales process and to quickly approve reasonable offers when a family is absolutely unable keep their home. Keeping people in their homes and reducing foreclosures will help minimize the negative impact of distressed properties on home values and neighborhoods.

“Expanding financing opportunities could also help reduce excess inventories of distressed properties. Increased fees and higher down payments are making it harder for many creditworthy homebuyers and investors to obtain financing, thwarting the sale of distressed properties and prolonging the impact those homes have on local markets.”

“While we are beginning to see early signs of stabilization in the housing market, NAR calls on Congress and the Obama administration to come together and make housing a priority issue. In this vein, we urge the White House to host a national housing summit to encourage a broad discussion among stakeholders to help formulate and advance policies that move the country toward a real housing and economic recovery.”

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

HouseLogic Presents a Water-Saving Bathroom Makeover and Chance to Win $100

HouseLogic.com, a comprehensive website about all aspects of homeownership from the National Association of Realtors®, has launched a new online sweepstakes. Readers who leave comments on a blog featured at the site will have a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. The sweepstakes is part of a special do-it-yourself blog series, “Water-Wise Bathroom Redo.”

HouseLogic is giving away the gift cards to four lucky winners. Anyone who comments on the blog series will be eligible to win. The contest, which runs from January 23 through February 19, is open to all HouseLogic visitors.

“HouseLogic really drives home the value of homeownership,” said Pamela Geurds Kabati, NAR senior vice president for HouseLogic. “The site offers myriad tools to help homeowners plan and organize their home projects, and gives them practical advice that helps them save money and enhance their home’s value. The Water-Wise Bathroom Redo series is a great case study about a homeowner who took on a bathroom remodel to make water-saving upgrades. HouseLogic readers can follow the progress through the four weeks of the series, learning helpful tips they might apply in their own home projects along the way.”

HouseLogic visitors can enter the sweepstakes by leaving a comment on a blog posted by guest blogger Preston Koerner, founder of JetsonGreen.com, about his do-it-yourself, water-saving bathroom makeover. Each contest period will begin when a blog post is published and will continue for seven days thereafter. Readers are encouraged to visit the HouseLogic blog frequently to check for new posts and enter to win once each week. One winner will be randomly drawn from eligible entries received during each period.

“I’ve been a reader and subscriber of HouseLogic since the first time I landed on the site about a year ago. The site has an abundance of information and a binder feature, so I can save ideas and articles for reference later,” said Koerner. “After using the site, I decided it was time to take on a renovation project at home to beautify my bathroom in a way that would conserve water at the same time. I was able to plan my project, learn what other homeowners want in their bathroom, and set realistic budget expectations. I feel confident saying HouseLogic is the best online resource for owners like me looking for practical tips, ideas, and guidance at home.”

For more information on official contest rules and tips on how to make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and enhance the value of your home, visit http://www.houselogic.com/.
HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools for homeowners from the National Association of Realtors® that helps homeowners make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and enhance the value of their home. HouseLogic helps homeowners plan and organize their home projects and provides timely articles and news; home improvement advice and how-to’s; and information about taxes, home finances and insurance.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Refacing Your Kitchen Cabinets: The Options and Costs

Refacing your kitchen cabinets includes covering the exposed frames with a thin veneer of real wood or plastic laminate. Doors and drawer fronts are replaced to match or complement the new veneer. New hinges, knobs, pulls, and molding complete the transformation.

Kitchen cabinet refacing pros

It’s about half the cost of a total cabinet replacement. You’ll also save the time, cost, and hassle of tearing out your old cabinets.

It’s a green kitchen remodeling solution because old cabinets stay out of the landfill.

You can continue to use your kitchen during refacing.

You’ll give your kitchen a new look in a week or less.

Kitchen cabinet refacing cons

Pricey options, such as expensive replacement hardware and exotic veneers, can drive up the cost of refacing and reduce savings.

Refacing materials can’t fix an inefficient layout.

What are your refacing options?

Your choices for the finished look of your cabinets is virtually limitless. Veneers are available in a wide variety of colors, patterns, textures, grains, and more, which you can mix or match to get a relatively low-cost kitchen facelift.

Rigid thermofoil (RTF) doors, which feature a durable plastic coating over fiberboard, are an affordable alternative to wood or laminate doors.

Plastic laminates come in hundreds of colors and patterns, are durable and moisture-resistant, and are reasonably priced. You can pick matching or contrasting laminates for your doors and drawer fronts.

Real wood veneers include many standard species, such as oak, cherry, and maple, and you also can choose from an array of stain colors. Wood veneers are the most expensive option. Wood must be carefully sealed to protect against moisture.

Further customize and update the look of your cabinets with new kitchen cabinet hardware.

What does refacing cost?

A professional cabinet refacing for a typical 10-by-12-foot kitchen starts at around $1,000 to $3,000 for laminate. Expect to pay $2,500 to $6,000 for real wood veneer. Costs can rise to $7,000 to $9,000 or more for a large project with high-quality wood veneer.

Finishing the project with new hardware (pulls, knobs, hinges) runs $2 to $4 per piece, up to $20 to $50 each for high-end hardware.

In comparison, completely replacing old kitchen cabinets with new cabinets starts at $4,000 to $5,000 and up for stock cabinets; $8,000 to $10,000 for semi-custom cabinets; $16,000 to $20,000 and up for custom-made cabinetry.

Can my cabinets be refaced?

Refacing is feasible if your existing cabinet boxes are structurally sound and in good condition. Cabinets with water damage, warping, and broken frames are poor candidates. Particleboard cabinetry sometimes requires fasteners, in addition to adhesives, to ensure that the veneer is secure.

What’s involved

A professional installer will come to your house to measure your cabinets and determine the amount of veneer required, the correct sizes and quantities for door and drawer fronts, and how much hardware is needed. Newly ordered doors and drawer fronts may take 1 to 2 weeks for delivery.

When all the materials are in hand, your installer removes old cabinet door and drawer fronts, and prepares the surface of the cabinet boxes by washing the exteriors with a degreaser and lightly sanding the finish. Any significant flaws in the surface are repaired or filled to ensure a smooth, secure fit for the new veneer.

The installer applies veneer to the cabinet faces and any exposed cabinet ends, then mounts the new doors, drawer fronts, and hardware. The process typically takes 2 to 4 days.

Can I do kitchen cabinet refacing myself?

Detailed instructions and adhesive-backed veneers make cabinet refacing a feasible do-it-yourself project.

If you have extra time, patience, the necessary veneering tools, and a knack for precision, you can save money by tackling kitchen cabinet refacing on your own.

If you opt to do your own kitchen cabinet refacing, you’ll spend about $200 to $500 on average for materials. Specialized tools (rollers, blades, irons) add $5 to $60 to the cost.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Grand Opening Celebration

Looking for a new home! Click the link...Metropolitan Series Townhomes

Thinking about Buying in Tysons!! Now is the TIME!!

Click the link.....Park Crest Condos

Sales Stir Hope for Housing Market

By ROBBIE WHELAN

Sales of previously owned homes rose in December for the third straight month, bringing the supply of homes listed for sale to the lowest level since 2006 and offering a glimmer of hope that the housing market could be starting to climb out of a profound downturn.
Existing-home sales increased 5% in December from a month earlier, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Friday. Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist, called the December gain "a good finish to a very tough year."

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Many economists had predicted that 2011 would be the worst year on record for existing home sales, but the year ended with 4.26 million sales, about 1.6% higher than the 4.19 million existing homes sold in 2010. Market-watchers attributed this to a minor surge in sales at year-end, driven by historically low mortgage rates, falling prices, active investor-buyers and increasing consumer confidence.
Still, economists cautioned that it's too early to assume that the market is recovering. "These were positive numbers, but that doesn't mean the market is getting better. Lenders have been trying to get rid of distressed homes, and investors been snapping them up," said Patrick Newport, chief economist at IHS Global Insight. According to the Realtors report, investors purchased 21% of all homes in December, up from 19% in November.

Five Reasons to Use Zillow in 2012

Five Reasons to Use Zillow in 2012
Shopping for a new home? Putting yours up for sale? Or, maybe you're just browsing? Whatever real estate itch you need to scratch, Zillow has some great tools than can help you. Here are five top features for 2012:
Neighborhood Advice (New!)
We just launched this feature, which allows you to tap your Facebook friends for advice on the areas they know best. Find your friends on a map and see where they live and "check in" frequently. Then, privately message them for the inside scoop.

» Try Neighborhood Advice

Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards

01/24/2012

Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards

By: Krista Franks

Capital Economics expects the housing crisis to end this year, according to a report released Tuesday. One of the reasons: loosening credit.

The analytics firm notes the average credit score required to attain a mortgage loan is 700. While this is higher than scores required prior to the crisis, it is constant with requirements one year ago.
Additionally, a Fed Senior Loan Officer Survey found credit requirements in the fourth quarter were consistent with the past three quarters.

However, other market indicators point not just to a stabilization of mortgage lending standards, but also a loosening of credit availability.
Banks are now lending amounts up to 3.5 times borrower earnings. This is up from a low during the crisis of 3.2 times borrower earnings.
Banks are also loosening loan-to-value ratios (LTV), which Capital Economics denotes “the clearest sign yet of an improvement in mortgage credit conditions.”
In contrast to a low of 74 percent reached in mid-2010, banks are now lending at 82 percent LTV.
While credit conditions may have loosened slightly, some potential homebuyers are still struggling with credit requirements. In fact, Capital Economics points out that in November 8 percent of contract cancellations were the result of a potential buyer not qualifying for a loan.
Additionally, Capital Economics says “any improvement in credit conditions won’t be significant enough to generation actual house price gains,” and potential ramifications from the euro-zone pose a threat to future credit availability.

NVAR Virtual Magazine

Click the link below to read...
http://issuu.com/nvarmagazines/docs/2012-janfeb-issuu?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

Clean out that INBOX!!!

Clean Out Your Inbox Week 23 to 27 January 2012

This is the week to put your inbox on a permanent diet and go from email overload to an empty inbox. Reclaim your life from the inbox. Save yourself time, improve your productivity and make time to do the things in life you really want to do.

Join in the fun. Every day there will be tips and hints including on-line tools to help you clean up your inbox forever.

Day 1 - Weigh in using our Cost of Email Misuse Calculator and set your SMART goals
Day 2 - Reduce the email overload and get rid of all the noise
Day 3 - Prioritise and manage attachments to further reduce the email overload
Day 4 - Email etiquette to slim down your inbox
Day 5 - Re-weigh yourself and learn more ways to keep your inbox slim

We are delighted to be running this our 5th International annual 'Clean Out Your Inbox Week' with the founder of the event Marsha Egan of Inbox Detox who has run this event very successfully for the last three years in the USA. Will you help make ours successful?

We promise there will be prizes and lots of fun. To participate is free, all you need to do is read My Daily Blog where all will be revealed.

As a foretaster, on Monday at 6.00pm (GMT) we will both be hosting a Twitter Chat. Simply check in at Twitter and follow #emptyinboxchat for tips on how to slims down your inbox not just this week but forever.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2011 Energy Tax Deductions

View Photo Gallery 1 of 4

2011’s federal energy tax credits of up to $500 for various home improvements are a far cry from what they were in 2009 and 2010. But if you upgraded to one or more of the following systems in 2011, you may be eligible to take a tax credit on your 2011 returns. (As of January 2012, the feds haven’t extended the credits beyond 2011.)

Biomass stoves

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning

Insulation

Roofs (metal and asphalt)

Water heaters (non-solar)

Windows, doors, and skylights

Storm windows and doors

The energy tax credits are small, but at least a credit is better than a deduction:

Deductions just reduce your taxable income.

With a credit, you get a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax liability: If you get the $500 credit, you pay $500 less in taxes.

Other limits on IRS energy tax credits besides $500 max

Credit only extends to 10% of the cost (not the 30% of yesteryear), so you have to spend $5,000 to get $500.

$500 is a lifetime limit. If you pocketed $500 or more in 2009 and 2010 combined, you’re not entitled to any more money for energy-efficient improvements in the above seven categories. But if you took $300 in the last two years, for example, you can get up to $200 in 2011.

With some systems, your cap is even lower than $500.

$500 is the max for all qualified improvements combined.

Certain systems capped below $500
No matter how much you spend on some approved items, you’ll never get the $500 credit—though you could combine some of these:

System	Cap
New windows	$200 max (and no, not per window—overall)
Advanced main air-circulating fan	$50 max
Qualified natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or hot water boiler	$150 max
Approved electric and geothermal heat pumps; central air-conditioning systems; and natural gas, propane, or oil water heaters	$300 max

And not all products are created equal in the feds’ eyes. Improvements have to meet IRS energy-efficiency standards to qualify for the tax credit. In the case of boilers and furnaces, they have to meet the 95 AFUE standard. EnergyStar.gov has the details.
Tax credits cover installation—sometimes
Rule of thumb: If installation is either particularly difficult or critical to safe functioning, the credit will cover labor. Otherwise, not. (Yes, you’d have to be pretty handy to install your own windows and roof, but the feds put these squarely in the “not covered” category.)

Installation covered for:

Biomass stoves

HVAC

Non-solar water heaters

Installation not covered for:

Insulation

Roofs

Windows, doors, and skylights

How to claim the 2011 energy tax credit

Determine if the system you installed is eligible for the credits. Go to Energy Star’s website for detailed descriptions of what’s covered; then talk to your vendor.

Save system receipts and manufacturer certifications. You’ll need them if the IRS asks for proof.

File IRS Form 5695 with the rest of your tax forms in 2012.

Zillow.com

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Just Listed For Rent!!!

Just IN!!!

Park Crest Condominiums

Underground House in Seoul

Underground House in Seoul

Monday, January 30, 2012

Rainbow House

Rainbow House in Action

Backyard Retreat

Self Preservation

With the help of DSH Architects, a pair of intrepid Angelenos restored (and gently updated) Rudolph Schindler’s iconic Bubeshko Apartments.

Friday, January 27, 2012

New look at the W in NY

By JOSH BARBANEL And LAURA KUSISTO

Active Adult Community Condo w/elevator!!!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Great Article to Read....

New Builds!! Open house at Chestnut Lodge!

The Science Behind the Smile - Harvard Business Review

Homeownership Matters to State of the Union

HouseLogic Presents a Water-Saving Bathroom Makeover and Chance to Win $100

Refacing Your Kitchen Cabinets: The Options and Costs

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Grand Opening Celebration

Thinking about Buying in Tysons!! Now is the TIME!!

Sales Stir Hope for Housing Market

By ROBBIE WHELAN

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Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards

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Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards

By: Krista Franks

NVAR Virtual Magazine

Clean out that INBOX!!!

Clean Out Your Inbox Week 23 to 27 January 2012

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2011 Energy Tax Deductions