1.  Make your next car a hybrid

2.  Replace light bulbs with LED or CFL varieties

3.  Shop local markets, use local produce and products

4.  Recycle everything you can; look for sustainable products and energy-efficient appliances

She brings out that changing our consumption practices will eventually lead to the large companies changing what they odfer to more sustainable, environmentally friendly items.

     But there are cautions in this article, as well.  Greenwaching is the practice of a company trying to make it seem like it’s greener than it actually is.  Five major forms of greenwashing are:  1) words that mislead; 2) misleading visuals or graphics; 3) green claims that are vague or seemingly unprovable; 4) overstated or exaggerated claims of how green a product, company or service actually is; 5) an ad that leaves out or masks important information, such as diverting attention from something else that is definitely not green.  The old warning holds true:  consumer beware.  Read green ads carefully and investigate all claims before you purchase.

     Here is something I learned from Ms. Irso’s article.  Did you know that the fruit and vegetable labels in the supermarket indicate information about how the edible is grown?  If the label is  four digits, it is conventionally grown.  A 5-digit label beginning with 9 is organically grown, and beginning with 8, it is genetically modified. 

    Are you tired of unsolicited catalogs and paper mail?  Here are three sites to visit to decline these:  www.CatalogChoice.org, www.DirectMail.com, and www.OptOutPreScreen.com. Another site,  www.Green-e.org certifies organizations using renewable energy.    An article, “Green: Easy Does It” by Maggie Sieger includes simple home greening tips and can be viewed at www.Realtore.org/Realtormag.  Did you know that you can buy caebon offsets for your car, travel and even your wedding?  This can be done at Terrapass.com, NativeEnergy.com, CarbonFund.org and GreenTagsUSA.org. 

     Finally, she provides tips for going green with your business.  These include an area about green on your web site, an opt-in green newsletter or tips e-mail, recycling, using compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, shifting from mass marketing to personalized digital media, creating green gift baskets for clients and holdin a recycling drive and donating to MyThings.com or FreeCycle.com.

     So, clearly there are immediate things each of us can do.  What if everyone in our city, state, or country followed at least two of these suggestions?  Don’t you think that would create an impact that is positive? 

     The purpose of this and subsequent Puertas Abiertas (another June 21 and then July 19) is to provide more public information, and our Spanish speaking friends often are not sure how to proceed, especially with the mountain of paperwork in English!  We hope to be of services to Spanish speakers as well as to English speakers.  We will be providing free advice and counsel regarding housing matters within the purview of our expertise with no strings attached.  Puertas Abiertas will be held in other offices, such as San Francisco, San Jose, simultaneously on the three mentioned Saturdays.

     So if you know someone who might wish to discuss housing issues in Spanish, pass the word on.  We will be at 1495 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17.  Give me a call or an email if you need more information.

     Estoy muy animada de un programa nuevo que mi companía está probando este año.  Soy uno de una cantidad de agentes de bienes raíces de la Area de la Bahía quienes van a tener conferencias únicas en la oficina.  Puertas Abiertas ofrecerá la oportunidad para que la gente hispanohablante de nuestras comunidades obtenga apoyo e información gratis en español.  Sábado, el 17 de mayo, de las 10 a.m. a las 2 p.m., estaré disponible en las oficinas de Coldwell Banker en Berkeley para responder a preguntas acerca de comprar o vender una casa, ejecución hipotecaria, ventas “cortas”, las bienes raíces, documentos pertenientes a las bienes raíces, el proceso de comprar o vender casas, y acerca de los profesionales.  Aunque mi propia oficina está colocada en Montclair, mi compañero Fernando Acosta y yo decidimos tener las sesiones en Berkeley para este evento porque esta oficina es muy disponible al transporte público, se puede viajar allá con más fácilidad desde todas áreas del este de la bahía y hay  más estacionamentos allá.  También tendremos un representante hipotecario hispanohablante disponible para preguntas y respuestas. 

   El propósito de esta Puerta Abierta y otros en adelante (el 21 de junio y el 19 de julio) es de proveer más información al público, y frequentemente nuestros amigos hispanohablantes no están seguros de como proceder, ¡especialmente con el montón de papel en inglés!  Queremos proveer servicio a los hispanohablantes tal como a los anglosaxones.  Proveeremos consilio e información gratis concerniente cosas a dentro de nuestro conocimiento  sin cualquiera obligación.  Varias oficinas alrededor de la bahía - San Francisco, San José,  Santa Rosa, por ejemplo- van a abrir sus puertas para el programa de Puertas Abiertas los tres sábados ya mencionados.

    Si conocen a personas quienes quisieran consultar acerca de cosas de las bienes raíces en español, por favor pase la información.  Estaremos en 1495 Avenida Shattuck en Berkeley de las 10 a.m. hasta las 2 p.m. sábado, el 17 de mayo.  Háblame por teléfono o por correo-e si quieres más información.

    The iris is much more popular in gardens this time of year.  I notice a number of  bearded iris ready to show off their blossoms in my yard.  Each day I check their progress, and they’re opening any day now.  Spring and summer really provide many feasts for the eye!

     No wonder there seems to be an increase in home sales during this time (there are other contributing factors, as well, of course).  A well-presented home outside as well as in does have its advantages.  Some of it is psychological, the bursts of color and the eye-appeal, but there is no doubt that home buyes are affected by appearances.  It is amazing the effect de-cluttering the flowerbeds, trimming old blossoms and leaves, and laying down some bark mulch can have.  These are not expensive or difficult tasks, either.  If you’re thinking of selling your home, take a walk around the outside and see where you can trim, thin, substitute or add.  One thing I do that is simple, is have flower pots, both hanging and on the ground, to provide additional color.  These are easily changed with my mood, and with seasons, too.  It’s good for the soul, and if you’re selling your home, for your pocketbook!

Lo que quisiera es que Uds. respondan para que yo sepa si hay interés en artículos en español aquí en nuestro sitio del red.  También ¿que tipo de artículos les interesaría más?  Respondan, por favor, para darme un idea de cuantos de Uds. están allá en el mundo del red mundial interesados en bienes raíces.  Espero respuestas. . . 

  I don’t want to leave anyone out, for sure.  What I wrote  above is an invitation for Spanish speakers to participate in my blog.  We have lots of Spanish speaking friends and relatives who are interested in real estate.  Speaking of “real estate”, the expression for that in Spanish is “bienes raices”, literally,  ”property or belongings for roots”.  How descriptive is that?  Don’t we put down our “roots” where we live?! I asked that I hear from Spanish speaking folks to let me know if they’d like to read things in Spanish here. 

     What an odd situation!  Here are hundreds of houses sitting virtually empty, not selling and losing value.  Home buyers have the opportunity to be very picky, yet it’s more difficult to obtain the funding.  And rents are rapidly rising!  The renter and home-buyer have switched roles!  My heart goes out to the renter and the seller.

     A positive side does exist in this situation.  As rents continue rising, the renter may decide to become a first-time home-owner.  These are definitely interesting times and bear continued watching as they unfold. 

From a financial standpoint, owning a home pays important dividends. Home equity is the largest pool of wealth for most American families. Historically, home values have appreciated at an average of 6 percent a year. And interest on mortgage payments is tax deductible.

However, putting down roots in a home imparts just as significant social benefits. Taking pride in one’s home and community means homeowners are more likely to vote and to volunteer. Homeowners create stronger neighbor and community connections. And putting down roots promotes neighborhood stability.

Statistics tell us that there are significant disparities in homeownership rates across the

A critical part of that effort comes in the form of education and training. In our company has incorporated fair housing education into the basic training program for all new sales associates. After completing the training, participants sign our Fair Housing Pledge, certifying their personal commitment to provide equal professional service to any prospective client, customer or resident of any community. In addition, we have developed our own proprietary Fair Housing Policies and Procedures handbook, which is distributed to all of the company’s sales associates.

As realtors, we are committed to delivering the most complete service possible. Part of that promise means we aim to provide each and every one of our customers with equally professional service every step of the way.  Whatever the vision of the American Dream looks like, it’s our job to help make that dream a reality.

———-

This article has been adapted from Todd Mendoz,  the chairperson for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Casa Coldwell Banker Hispanic Network – a group of more than 150 talented Spanish-speaking real estate professionals who are dedicated to outstanding service, integrity and helping members of the Latino community achieve the American dream of homeownership, in which I participate. 

     The good news is that lender seem to be much more accepting of short sales than they have been, and seem to see the wisdom of selling before foreclosure and making the process as painless as possible.  If you’re not in a desperate rush to move in, and if you can look past the unkempt property (and not all are unkempt), you could end up with a terrific home puchase!

     Some visitors are really open to chat and find me very unthreatening.  Others have a list of questions, but “please, do not add any information - I’ve got this well at hand!”  Then there are the few who actually look like they’re trying to tiptoe out without me seeing them - even when they’re passing right in front of me!  I guess they are really trying to avoid a hard sell, which most agents won’t do anyway! 

     One of my favorite guests is children.  They are so enthusiastic!  Being a former teacher, I like children anyway.  There are those who look to see what is interesting to explore; others look for things to play with; and others take the task of choosing a home very seriously.  They make some pretty cool comments, trying to influence their parents. 

     I guess what I’d like the public to know is that I feel I’m there to help in any way I can.  I really feel that’s what my job is, especially when I’m at the Open House.  Yes, I am very much wanting to sell the house, but I don’t want to pressure people if it’s not for them.  I’m sure most agents feel the same way.  It’s o.k. if you have an agent already; it’s o.k if you don’t want to work with an agent now; it’s o.k. if you have a list of reasons a mile long why that particular house won’t work.  The agent can possibly point you in a productive direction if you open up to him/her!

So the next question is, if the real estate market is sluggish, why don’t lenders lower mortgage interest rates to pep it up?  The answer is–are you ready for this?–FEAR.  With a perceived shaky market, and with the raising of the ceiling on conforming loans, the lender feels he is taking a greater risk, and to cover that, keeps mortgage interest rates from being reduced.

The up side of this is that interest rates are not THAT high, compared to other periods of time.  I remember buying a condo in around 1992 at 12% interest, and friends of mine have reported having mortgages at much higher rates than that.  So if we look at overall trends, we’re in an o.k. place regarding interest rates right now!