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.