The Sun Pod at the Green Festivals Convention

No sooner had I landed on the convention floor of the Green Festivals Convention when I found myself drawn to the SunPod booth. SunPod produces a line of smart, well designed greenhouses, mini-greenhouses, seed starting systems, arces, flats, and row covers. In addition to eye-pleasing designes, the products are affordably priced and worth a closer look. Very impressive... and I'm not easy to impress. Here's how you get in touch with them. You can go to www.sunpodgreenhouses.com or you can call them toll-free at 1-888-884-8388.

The Green Festivals

Here we are in Seattle to attend the Green Festival where we'll be networking with the "Greenies" and learning about the latest in the Green Movement, particularly with regard to real estate and home remodeling. We as a nation and as a community are at the beginning of a new paradigm that fortunatley, we will see become a worldwide movement in our lifetime. Of course, deep down inside most of us knew that the way things were going couldn't go on forever. We knew that burdening future generations with our debt was wrong. We knew that burning fossil fuel for transportation would lead to the global catstrophe known as global warming. And we hoped we, the perpetrators of these disasters, wouldn't be held accountable. Ha! It didn't work out that way. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to right the wrongs and make the planet a better place. This is the first of several posts to be entered over this weekend. Stay tuned.

Investing in Southern Oregon Real Estate

When I first heard that the Fed is proposing to partner up with private investors for the purpose of purchasing bank-owned toxic assets, I perked right up. My first thought was that I'd invest in in Southern Oregon real estate! I immediately thought of the grass roots campaign financing created by the Obama campaign that raised millions of dollars 25 bucks at a time. But now that some of the details are beginning to circulate, I see that the proposal is partly an olive branch extended to Wall Street. Investors must be Wall Street connected so the individual investor must hook up with their favorite Hedge Fund or Investment Group. And despite the standard opposition by economists with ph.d.'s behind their names, the concept makes sense to me. Here's why. If a toxic asset can be identified, inspected, and appraised, the investor will have a fairly good idea of what kind of value is attached to the property in question. This becomes the Hedge Funds challenge. Given enough time and with a reasonable fund to rehabilitate the residence, property will eventually appreciate. It always has; it always will. Then add one more element to this equation... inflation. Real estate has always been a hedge against inflation because the price of property has always risen to keep up with inflation. It makes sense that if an investor takes a chance on a distressed property, and that property is managed with common sense, in time the investment may well turn a tidy little profit. Yes, sir. Count me in.

Green Real Estate Basics in the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

Oh, so much talk about green this and green that, especially when it comes to green real estate, an I'm not talking about the color of a healthy lawn. The basics of green real estate really can be broken up into three simple categories. The first category is Energy Efficiency, which can be a mouthful, especially if you're into remodeling a dated home. These days, new home construction is taking energy efficiency to new levels and the job of creating an energy efficient home is mandated by building codes and made easy by the choice of an entire realm of new high-tech materials. The larger challenge for energy efficency lies in the remodeling of homes which is becoming the area for investment by home owners during these recessionary times. When remodeling, the home owner begins with the tightening of their building envelope, making the floor, roof, walls, and windows more energy efficient. This can be a financial mouthful and the amount a homeowner budgets or can afford for their remodel is crucial. Suffice to say, fistfulls of money will be involved. The blog on this category of Green real estate basics will occupy more space than a typical blog has room for, so I'll be blogging more about energy efficiency and remodeling in blogs to follow. The other two basics of green building innclude improving indoor air quality and conserving resources. More on those upcoming as well. But for now, remember this... energy efficiency begins with you, so make a committment and the rest will follow.

Green Real Estate in Southern Oregon and the Rogue Valley

Communities throughout the Southern Oregon real estate market are beginning to buzz with the sounds of activity regarding the new economic potential of going green. While the money has yet to begin flowing in force, contractors, builders, sub-contractors, developers, and home owners are beginning to get the message. Going green in the Southern Oregon real estate market is in the early states of becoming a life changing force. New technologies are in what I like to call the First Trimester of conception. Electricians are retraining for solar installation. Contractors are studying the benefits and floor plans for Passisve solar home construction. Home owners are reviewing tax breaks for alternative power installations and remodeling. And developers are preparing to go green on their new projects. Let me give you an example. A friend of mine, Eric Dillenberger, who owns Pro Tech Engineering in Merlin, Oregon, is about to begin a search for an engineer to assist him with the design of a wind generator for single family homes. This generator is not propeller driven, but rather a vertical stand-up unit that can generate power with as little as a 5 mph wind. His intention is to make it an affordable unit that can be mounted on the ground, mast, or roof top and plugged into the grid. It's something that he and I both believe will be extremely marketable, especially when coupled with some form of state and federal tax break. Yes, the gears in the wheels are starting to turn. How long before we start to feel the momentum surge under our feet? Not very. Stay tuned.

Passive Solar Homes and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

The Southern Oregon Home of the future will be tigher than a tick and more insulated than a Trappist Monk, born from the quest to save energy by preventing heat loss in the winter and keeping heat out in the summer. It is my belief that the home of tomorrow in the Southern Oregon real estate market will rise to a new level of evolution as home builders and developers begin to incorporate the benefits of the passive solar design into their projects. Doesn't it make sense to orient homes to the south with a wall of energy friendly glass that warms a thermal mass in the winter time to take advantage of solar gain? At the moment, most developers are still thinking with a 20th Century mentality. The world of tomorrow mandates a new paradign of home design, where passive solar homes become the new flagship for home construction. Local building codes must begin to mandate the passive solar home design where a southern exposure is identified. The reward for adapting to this new paradign of neighborhood construction is energy independence from the oil controlling interests of OPEC, plus the strengthening of our economy by the creation of prosperous industries for alternative energy production that do not exist on a large scale today. Like our fore fathers who dumped tea into the Boston Bay, the road to energy independence will be perilous, but the rewards will be venerated by the generations of tomorrow.

Energy Independence and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

The writing is on the wall. The passive and active solar homes of the future not just in the Southern Oregon real estate market, but nationwide as well will play an important role in attaining American energy independence. Federal and state tax incentives for building homes with an active solar component are already in place and will be driven even further by the aggressive energy policies of the Obama Administration which are now evolving throughout the country. The Obama goal is to introduce policies that will lead America to the land of energy independence, and as a new economy grows out of the ruble of economic ruin handed to us by the Bush Administration, attaining energy independence means the construction of new homes in communities like Grants Pass, Medford, and throughout the Rogue Valley that offer alternative energy generation as part of their design. Stricter building codes and state and federal tax incentives will encourage the full utilization of the benefits of the passive solar design along with the development, manufacture, and distribution of new materials and technologies that result in higher R-values for insulation and energy efficiency for windows, window treatments, siding, and roofing. Once again, whenever I gaze into my crystal ball, all I see is Green. My next blog: the role of the Passive Solar Home in creating a new economy.

Passive Solar Homes In Grants Pass Real Estate

Let´s talk about the neighborhoods of the future. Now that we all know the future will be bringing about green changes mandated by the Obama Administration, it's time to look at the neighborhoods of the future and what they will look like. The Passive Solar Home is the most energy efficient design ever developed. The ancients were the first to develop these homes. How ancient? Consider the cave man. His first choice was a cave with an entrace that let in the sun to gain a little warmth. Lots has changed since those early days, but the concept remains the same. But add to that a little thermal gain by having the sun shine on a thermal mass, like a tile floor, and you have modern man´s answer to the Passive Solar Home. The problem (or is that the challenge) is that builders and developers of neighborhoods are out of their comfort zone both designing and buiding Passive Solal Homes. Alas, there´s nothing to be afraid of! Take it from my wife and I. Without any technical training, we designed a Passive Solar Home nearly 30 years ago that worked like gangbusters. What we need is assertive local codes that encourage this kind of develpment. I´ve glimpsed the future and I see Passive Solar Homes in every neighborhood in every city in every state in the Union. Yes, it can be done! More about how on my next Energy Blog!

The Smart Grid and Towns like Grants Pass

We're going to hear a lot about this in the future. The Smart Grid. Imagine using the Internet to control the thermostat in your home. Right now, the city of Boulder in Colorado is set up as a Smart Grid community. Every home in Boulder is wired not only to the grid, but to a Smart Grid through the Internet. By logging on, citizens of Boulder can monitor and manage their energy consumption. And as they connect to the grid with energy producing solar panels, wind generators, or hydro power, they can sell their unused kilowatts to the power company... and manage it all anytime, anywhere from any computer on the Internet. Now that's the future! Okay, now imagine every community in the country wired to the Smart Grid. And keep going. Imagine an electric car that goes over 100 miles before you need a charge. No more gas. No more dependence on OPEC. Yes! It only gets better. Imagine the money we'll save by producing electricity to power our cars and trucks, let alone our homes. One final comment. Some believe that the Obama Economic Recovery Plan is saddling our kids and grand kids with debt. I contend that with time, our kids and grand kids will be free from our debt because of the wise choices of this Administration, like the introduction of the Smart Grid. Amen.

Economic Crisis in Southern Oregon

In the days of the Old West, tracking down notorious criminals like Billy the Kid may have been tough duty, but it wasn't impossible. Outlaws like Billy would leave tracks and clues behind that enabled lawmen to pick up the trail and give chase. During the depression era, outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde and Baby Face Nelson, emboldened by the desperate times of the 1929 stock market crash, would rob banks and create mayhem only to be caught because of the blatant trail of evidence the outlaws left in their wake. But today, billions of dollars of toxic mortgages were bundled as derivatives and sold around the globe with no way to trace their value. It is a near perfect crime and so far they have been untraceable by economic detectives. Leave it to the corruptive mind to figure out a way to make lots of money in a manner that wouldn't come back to hold them accountable. Now banks are left holding toxic assets that they can't sell, not to mention the billions in toxic mortgages held by investors as derivatives. Everyone in America, including in places like Southern Oregon, Grants Pass, and Medford, finds themselves behind a rock and a hard place wondering how we're going to repair the damaged U.S. economy. For the future, there's really only one answer. Regulation. Carefully crafted regulation must be implemented designed to prevent mortgage fraud among other things. It is shameful that greed swept around the globe with money being lent to people who were not worthy of the loan or lent to those who truly did not understand the consequences of the variable interest rate. Looks like the ride is going to stay bumpy, so fasten your seat belts because the solution to this crisis is going to be rough.

I think it's gonna work out fine!

Whoa! Folks are a little tense about the current state of the economy. As households "tighten up" the ol' belt and employees in the office let off steam, seems no matter where you are, when the subject of politics creeps into conversations, the heat turns up. But take a moment and pause. Then take a deep breath and flash back in time with me. Remember when NoDrama Obama got his name? It was during the height of the campaign. The candidates were set to debate when John McCain dramatically "suspended" his campaign to rush to Washington in order to help solve the economic meltdown. Remember that? Meanwhile Obama waited patiently for John to get some smelling salts and return to the debate. A president, after all, ought to be able to juggle two things at once. Now, fast forward to today (or rather, yesterday and today) as Treasury Secretary Geithner was roundly criticized for being light on Recovery Package details. In protest, the stock market took a points dip and even the liberal media howled. Yes, the stakes have increased the drama, but still Obama, through Geithner sitting tight at the table, holds his cards close to his chest. No need to show your cards until they're all in and properly arranged in your hand. So place your bets and wait and see. And I'll tell you this, my money's riding on a properly structured housing recovery plan revealed when it's ready. Oh, and by the way, it's three weeks into the new administration... not EIGHT YEARS! When the details are right for the housing recovery plan, they'll be announced. Trust me. In the words of Tina Turner, "I think it's gonna work out fine!"

The Future of the Real Estate Recovery

This morning at 10:15 am EST Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner outlined the Obama Administration's policy for economic recovery. Regarding the problems facing real estate, I like to boil the solutions down to something easy to understand. Here's the message I got. NO MORE WALKING AWAY. The Fed will do whatever it can to prevent foreclosures and to keep people in their homes. Walking Away from debt has been made too easy over the last 30 years but now the associated problems have become so deep, walking away is no long an option. Consider this... the more owners walk away, the more foreclosures hit the market. The more foreclosures hit the market, the lower the prices drop for the non-foreclosure home. The more prices drop for the non-foreclosure home, the more people feel stuck living in a home that is no longer worth what the owners perceive to be a fair price. This leads to depression and reduced spending because of uncertainty. Yet I am sure about one thing more than ever. Southern Oregon real estate in Rogue Valley communities like Grants Pass, Medford, Rogue River, Ashland, Jacksonville, Cave Junction remain intrinsic values because of their beauty, clean air, and clean water. And remember, they'll be No More Walking Away!

Stop Whining, Get Over it, Move On!

Hasn't it dawned on politicians that Americans nationwide are sick and tired of the political polarization that continues to suppress the passing of legislation needed to begin the healing of our economy? The attitude that somehow spending won't stimulate the economy is moronic. The louder some politicians protest, the more petulant they sound. Lately I've seen elected officials practically dancing with childlike glee to see the luster rubbed off of President Obama's magic when three of his cabinet nominees were revealed to have tax payment issues. I for one am sick and tired about this approach to politics. I say to everyone who is resisting change, STOP WHINING, GET OVER IT, MOVE ON! This nation is experiencing economic hardship that is beginning to boil over and turn into anger due to entrenched partisan politics held by some members of the House and Senate. We've got serious work to do in order to go green in America and it's about time we got to work. I'm not going to finger point and name names, but I can tell you that if this continues, the general public is going to point the finger and you don't want to be the person they point it at.

IT'S GREAT TO GO GREEN... BUT WILL IT PENCIL?

Here's what I know about going green in Grants Pass and Southern Oregon. The question on everybody's mind is, will going green pencil? In these uncomfortable days of financial uncertainty most people are focused on reducing their overhead and cutting costs. On top of that, no one seems to be anxious to spend money in any direction, including home improvements. Spending 14 grand for a solar system that puts out 2 thousand watts per hour doesn't sound like a lucrative proposition... or is it? Consider this: if you're selling unused kilowatts back to the power company at wholesale rates, it will take roughly seven years before you've sold $14,000 worth of kilowatts and gotten back investment in a solar system. Hmmm... that doesn't sound too bad. Now add to that the fact that you've gotten rebates from the state of Oregon for some of the money you laid out for the solar panels in the first place. Plus you've gotten substantial federal tax credits that have resulted in cash back to you in tax returns. Well, then, now you've really done quite well. Let's review: seven years in and the system has been paid for by the power company, you've gotten money back from rebates and tax credits, and you're still selling kilowatts to the power company that surface as a lower electicric bill (or none at all!) Now that's what I call lowering your overhead.

Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it... except for one thing. Here's the rub. The pain comes when you've got to fork over 14 grand for the system. Ouch. It's what the financial collapse has been all about. Who's saved that kind of money to lay out for a solar system. It's tough to part with any amount of money especially when you're surrounded by uncertainty. All I can say is that I intend to practice what I preach and I'm saving my money to purchase a solar system that will ultimately pay for itself and lower my overhead. And that sounds like it pencils.

Going Green in Southern Oregon Real Estate

So here's me, sitting at the ol' computer, blogging away about something I am passionate about. I'm passionate because I know it's really about survival. It's about survival for Southern Oregon, for the State of Oregon, for the Nation, and for Planet Earth. Am I being over dramatic? Perhaps. But look at it this way. If the planet is truly warming up and the ice caps are melting, how long before the human race as we know it is marginalized into extinction? Not in a hundred years, but possibly in a thousand. Can we afford to take that chance? Not on your life. So we find ourselves at a crossroads that the generations can look back at and say, "Wow! They were in crisis and guys like Dan with his obscure little blog spread the word about the imperative need to Go Green and do everything in their power to reverse Global Warming." I'm some kind'a hero, huh? Not quite, but I am practicing what I preach. My wife, Ginny, and I are doing everything in our power to reduce our personal carbon footprint. We are doing everything in our power to spread the word about green real estate practices, about energy conservation in the home, and about the passive solar home of the future. I will involve and write about those individuals, institutions, politicians, and companies that I believe are with me in support of this journey. And thanks for reading.