The Bush Administration unveiled on October 1 additional mortgage assistance for homeowners at risk of foreclosure. The HOPE for Homeowners program will refinance mortgages for borrowers who are having difficulty making their payments, but can afford a new loan insured by HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

The HOPE for Homeowners program will refinance mortgages for borrowers who are having difficulty making their payments, but can afford a new loan insured by HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The program begins October 1, 2008 and ends September 30, 2011.

Under the program, lenders will refinance loans to 90 percent of a house’s current value, automatically giving the owner 10 percent equity.

Call the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline at 1-877-601-HOPE to learn more.

If you need assistance selling your home or navigating through the short sale process, please call me at 303-475-1500 to better understand your options.

Energy prices are on the rise across the nation. As a result, heating
costs will consume an increasingly larger portion of a household’s
energy budget. That’s why it’s important to check your home to insure
that your heating dollars aren’t being wasted.

When cold weather approaches, use this checklist of simple ways to
make your home more comfortable and keep those escalating energy bills
at bay.

Check for Leaks

Weatherstripping and caulking is probably the least expensive,
simplest, most effective way to cut down on energy waste in the
winter. Improperly sealed homes can waste 10 to 15 percent of the
homeowner’s heating dollars. Take these steps:

1. Check around doors and windows for leaks and drafts. Add
weather-stripping and caulk any holes you see that allow heat to
escape. Make sure doors seal properly.

2. If your windows leak really badly, consider replacing them with
newer, more efficient ones. Keep in mind, however, that replacing
windows can be expensive - it could take you quite awhile to recover
your costs from the energy savings alone. But new windows also provide
other benefits, such as improved appearance and comfort.

3. Every duct, wire or pipe that penetrates the wall or ceiling or
floor has the potential to waste energy. Plumbing vents can be
especially bad, since they begin below the floor and go all the way
through the roof. Seal them all with caulking or weather-stripping.

4. Electric wall plugs and switches can allow cold air in. Purchase
simple-to-install, pre-cut foam gaskets that fit behind the switch
plate and effectively prevent leaks.

5. Don’t forget to close the damper on your fireplace. Of course
the damper needs to be open if a fire is burning; but if the damper is
open when you’re not using the fireplace, your chimney functions as a
large open window that draws warm air out of the room and creates a
draft. Close that damper - it’s an effective energy-saving tip that
costs you nothing!

6. Examine your house’s heating ducts for leaks. Think of your
ductwork as huge hoses, bringing hot air instead of water into your
house. Mostly out of sight, ducts can leak for years without you
knowing it. They can become torn or crushed and flattened. Old duct
tape - the worse thing to use to seal ductwork, by the way - will dry
up and fall away over time, allowing junctions and splices to open,
spilling heated air into your attic or under the house. It’s wasteful.
According to field research performed by the California Energy
Commission, you can save roughly 10 percent of your heating bill by
preventing leaky ducts.

Check Your Insulation

1. Insulate your attic. In an older home, that can be the most
cost-efficient way to cut home heating costs. Before energy efficiency
standards, homes were often built with little or no insulation. As a
result, large amounts of heat can be lost through walls, floors and -
since heat rises - especially ceilings.

How much insulation should you install? Typical framed homes now
being built in California’s Central Valley must meet insulation
requirements of R-38 insulation in ceilings and R-19 for walls and
floors.
2. Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door to prevent
warm air from escaping out the top of your house.

3. Seal holes in the attic that lead down into the house, such as
open wall tops and duct, plumbing, or electrical runs. Any hole that
leads from a basement or crawlspace to an attic is a big energy
waster. Cover and seal them with spray foam and rigid foam board if
necessary.

Check Your Heating System

1. Get a routine maintenance and inspection of your heating system
each autumn to make sure it is in good working order.

2. Replace your heater’s air filter monthly. Your heating system
will work less hard, use less energy and last longer as a result. Most
homeowners can replace filters and do such simple tasks as cleaning
and removing dust from vents or along baseboard heaters.

3. If your heating system is old, you might consider updating it. A
pre-1977 gas furnace is probably 50 percent to 60 percent efficient
today. That means only half of the fuel used by the furnace actually
reaches your home as heat. Modern gas furnaces, on the other hand,
achieve efficiency ratings as high as 97 percent. By replacing an old
heating system with one of the most efficient models, you can cut your
natural gas use nearly in half!

4. Use your set-back thermostat. California houses built today must
have them. If you have an older home, consider installing one. A
set-back thermostat allows you to automatically turn down the heat
when you’re away at work or when you’re sleeping at night, and then
boost the temperature to a comfortable level when you need it.
Remember - it takes less energy to warm a cool home than to maintain a
warm temperature all day long. Properly using your set-back thermostat
could cut your heating costs from 20 to 75 percent.

5. Reverse the switch on your ceiling fans so they blow upward,
toward the ceiling. Ceiling fans are a great idea in the summer, when
air blowing downward can improve circulation and make a room feel four
degrees cooler. A cooling draft is a poor idea when it’s cold,
however. By reversing the fan’s direction, the blades move air upward
in winter. This is especially valuable in high ceiling rooms, where
heat that naturally rises is forced back down into the room.

6. Make sure all hearing vents are opened and unblocked by
furniture or other items. This will ensure that the air is evenly
distributed through the home.

Change a Light Bulb

1. Lighting our homes can represent 20 percent of home electricity
bills and is one of the easiest places to start saving energy. If
every household changed a light to an ENERGY STAR(R) one, together
we’d save enough energy to light 7 million homes and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions equivalent to that of 1 million cars.

article courtesy of:

Kelly Rosato, AHIT(R) Certified Home Inspector
Colorado Home Inspection Professionals
http://www.cohip.com
hi@cohip.com or 303-748-1388

Pride of Ownership

• #1 reason.  You can paint the walls.  You can even tear down a wall to make your kitchen bigger. Attach perment fixtures, add a deck and create your customized personal living space. The message is its yours to decorate and be proud of.

Appreciation

Mortgage Interest Deductions

• Property Tax Deductions- real estate property taxes paid for a first home and a vacation home are fully deductible for income tax purposes.

Capital Gains Exclusion

• As long as you have lived in your home for two of the past five years, you can exclude up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a married couple of profit from capital gains. You do not have to buy a replacement home or move up. There is no age restriction, and the “over-55″ rule does not apply.

Mortgage Reduction Builds Equity

• Every month, a portion of your monthly payment is applied to the principal balance of your loan, which reduces your overall loan balance.  Ask me how this works as I have several examples of loan balance payoff.

If you would like to learn more and discuss your options in a very casual, relaxed environment, call me at 303-475-1500 to set an appt.  Take the first step, you will be glad you did.

Thanks again to Matt Mayo, Nick Close, Steve, James and Steve.  Click here to go to their website for more information.  Tell them that Jay referred ya!  They even power their trucks with Bio-Diesel fuel.

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Other acts scheduled to perform include John Mayer, the Black Crowes, O.A.R., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Spoon, Flogging Molly, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, the Roots, moe., Citizen Cope, Andrew Bird, State Radio, Martin Sexton, Ingrid Michaelson and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Tickets will be on sale March 29 via TicketHorse.com and milehighmusicfestival.com. Two-day passes cost $150. This is a new event which will bring great exposure to North Stapleton.

]]> http://www.key2denverhomes.com/2008/03/20/tom-petty-dave-matthews-headline-new-mile-high-music-fest-this-summer/feed/ http://www.key2denverhomes.com/2008/03/06/are-you-tired-of-so-many-phonebooks-landing-at-your-door/ http://www.key2denverhomes.com/2008/03/06/are-you-tired-of-so-many-phonebooks-landing-at-your-door/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:27:25 +0000 Jay http://www.key2denverhomes.com/2008/03/06/are-you-tired-of-so-many-phonebooks-landing-at-your-door/ If you are like me, most of your information searches end up on google vs thumbing through huge phonebooks.  If you would like to remove your address from this unwanted nuisance,  Verizon, Dex Media  and Yellow Book have set up an opt out service.

Dialing 1-877-243-8339 will opt-out of receiving DEX phone books. Also, calling 1-800-929-3556 to opt-out of receiving Yellow Book directories. If you want to opt-out of the Verizon phone book, you can call 800-555-4833.

I feel better already, knowing this will contribute to less waste.

Rick has this to say about his experience with Jays’ Home Sale Program

“As Trustee for the property that was sold, I needed to be certain that every detail was executed in a timely and accurate manner. Jay assisted me in the preparations necessary to get the property on the market with the best possible presentation. He worked to accommodate my busy schedule. Jay also made sure I had the closing documents to review in advance to save us all time and eliminate any surprises. Even though the buyer expedited the closing, everything went off without a hitch.”