Problems with Traditional Paint

According to the EPA, the concentration of pollutants inside your home is several times that of the great outdoors. The reason is quite simple, lack of proper ventilation. Obviously, the most dangerous time for you, your children and your pets is during the painting process and the few weeks after the painting has been applied. Traditional paints contain airborne chemicals known as VOC’s. VOC’s can headaches, fatigue, dizziness and possibly even cancer or heart disease. These concentrations are strongest when paint is fresh, but can linger around your house for years.

Environmentally Sound Paint Solutions

1. Low VOC Paints — Due to environmental regulations and increasing consumer demand, paint companies have developed new house paints that emit little or no VOCs.  This is achieved by using water as a base instead of traditional, petroleum-based oil solvents. Low VOC paint is now widely available at most hardware stores with prices comparable to more traditional paint.
2. Natural Paints — A natural paint does not contain heavy metal or any VOCs.  Natural paints and wood finishes are often composed of natural plant dyes, oils, and waxes. There are various forms of natural paints on the market, including clay and milk based paints. These natural paints still have a ways to go as they tend to be more expensive and all less durable than traditional paint.
3. Lime Wash — A reasonably inexpensive green alternative to traditional paint is lime wash.  Limestone, a calcium-based mineral, is combined with water to form a simple, natural paint that is the basis of all whitewashes.  Lime wash can be used indoors or outdoors and forms a unique, glowing finish that comes in a variety of colors.

As your start to tackle your next renvoation project consider all your paint options and how they fit into your plan. Eco-friendly paint is just one step in making your renovation green. I encourage you to read all of the “focus on green building materials” posts before you get started. Also visit our FHA 203K Renovation site to learn how to finance your next green renovation with 203K Financing or a FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage

Focus on Green Building Materials — Terrazzo

Focus on Green Building Materials — Bamboo

Focus on Green Building Materials — Reclaimed Exotic Hardwood

Jonathan Blackwell FHA 203K Renovation Specialist Hometown Lenders Atlanta, Georgia, 30317	Work: 404-551-3845 Mobile: 404-519-5383 www.203KLoan.net

Bathroom Renovations

EnergyStar Appliances

Kitchen Renovations

EnergyStar Doors & Windows

Imagine shaving 30%+ off your monthly energy bills in 2009. Now is the right time to take advantage of those savings. Don’t let these rates slip away.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

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From toilets to tubs, we use around 60% or our household water supply in the bathroom. Don’t fret though there a few simple changes we can tackle that can dramatically reduce that consumption

Inefficient Toilets — Toilets guzzle nearly 27% of your household water supply every year. Older homes often have toilets that average nearly 3.5 GALLONS PER FLUSH! If you haven’t updated that old toilet I suggest you get hopping as newer low flow toilets consume less than a third of that outdated guzzler you have now. In fact, if you toilet is using more than 1.6 GPF then it is time to make a change.

Wasteful Showers — Although not as bad as toilets, showers can also be huge water wasters. Some fancier systems with multiple heads can actually burn through 80 gallons per minute. Federal guidelines for a single head shower require 2.5 gallons per minute or less, but you can take it even further and get one of Delta’s new H20 Kinetics head that only use 1.6 GPM.

Water Heaters — American households waste an average of 6.35 gallons of water per day waiting around for the water to heat up. Wait no more however and get yourself a tankless on demand water heater to have instantly hot water. Check for your individual state, but you might just get a tax credit for purchasing one.

Faucets — Finally, while you are making all the other water saving changes you might just want to go ahead and increase efficiency at the faucet as well. Most faucets run about 2.2 GPM or less, but newer models may just use a paltry 1.5 GPM.

Ready to stop wasting all that water? If you are short on cash for those renovations contact us for an FHA 203K Green Renovation Loan and we can take care of that bathroom, along with those old energy wasting windows and appliances while we are at it!

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

So much of today’s existing housing stock is in the form of foreclosures. Many of them aren’t livable and have been vacant for some time. What if we could get a movement going to help take these properties and provide affordable green renovations for buyers in need through FHA 203K renovation loans? Not only are you fulfilling the mission of FHA 203K, to restore and preserve America’s existing housing stock, but you are also incorporating money and energy saving green improvements into those homes. I’m not talking about solar panels and wind turbines here; I am talking about simple and affordable improvements like EnergyStar windows and appliances, low flow toilets and showers with on demand water heaters. Not only would these kind of improvements benefit the planet, but they would also help the low to moderate income home buyers save on their monthly energy bills. That makes their mortgage more affordable, lessens the likelihood they default on their mortgage and helps restore the integrity and quality of the neighborhood by ensuring that its homes are in good condition and OCCUPIED!

It seems like such a simple idea. Why are we not doing it? The government has shelled out well over a trillion dollars to bailout banks, brokerages and even car dealerships, but no one has thought that it might kill two birds with one stone to turn existing foreclosures into affordable green renovations that are cost effective and available for low to moderate income home buyers? Who am I to say, but I think that is a damn fine plan to help restore America’s housing market and get our neighborhoods back on track.

Jonathan Blackwell

www.203KLoan.net

404-551-3845

When most homeowners want more space or a fancier place they call Real Estate Agent and start their search for a new home. It doesn’t have to be that way though, you don’t have to move out to move up! You can just RENOVATE.

Recently homeowners wanting new digs have found the going a bit tougher. Both Fannie Mae and FHA have instituted tough new rules aimed at homeowners looking to buy a new place and rent out their current residence until market conditions improve. For both you now must have significant equity, 25% and 30% respectively, to use the rental income on your current residence to qualify. That means that many people now have to qualify for both mortgage payments. Obviously, that simply isn’t possible for many homeowners. All is not lost for those wanting a bigger space though, they just need to look a little closer to home.

Both FHA 203K and Fannie Mae Homestyle Renovation Loans allow homeowners to refinance and renovate their current residence. They allow it all based on the after repair value of the renovations instead of what your home is currently worth. Only have 10% equity currently? That is not a problem for FHA 203K or Fannie Mae Homestyle renovation loans, they are only concerned with the equity you will have when you are finished with your renovations! So, how can you use a Renovation Loan?

New Freestanding Appliances, Complete Bathroom Remodel, Adding a New Master Bathroom, Upgrading Heating & Cooling Systems, New Siding, Fresh Paint Inside or Out, Attic Build-Outs, Finishing the Basement, Making the House Handicapped Accessible, Complete & Total Renovation, Adding a 2nd Floor, Adding a New Master Bedroom, New Deck & Outdoor Kitchen Area, Upgrading Doors and Windows, New Hardwood Flooring or New Carpet, New Lighting, Upgrading Plumbing & Electrical System, New Fixtures for Bathrooms and Kitchens, Opening Up a Floorplan, New Kitchen Counters, Vaulting Your Ceiling, Going Green with Solar Panels, and Building a New Garage to name a few!

There are hundreds of ways these loans can help you create the house you want without having to pack and unpack a moving truck. You can even add those green and energy efficient improvements you have wanted while you are creating your new space. If you are in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee or Virginia and would like to discuss your FHA 203K or Fannie Mae Homestyle choices go visit our quick and easy Renovation Advisor now!

Jonathan Blackwell

FHA 203K Specialist

Hometown Lenders

203KLoan.net

404-551-3845

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Blackwell

http://EzineArticles.com/?Renovation-Loans—You-Dont-Have-to-Move-Out-to-Move-Up!&id=1547327

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

TerraMai floors are a mixture of numerous tropical hardwood species, reclaimed from antique railroad ties and other salvage sources in Southeast Asia. Our floors are used in residential, municipal and commercial applications where environmentally responsible, beautiful, stable and durable solid wood is desired.

TerraMai flooring can easily be used in kitchens and bathrooms, providing it is professionally installed, finished and sealed for moisture control. TerraMai flooring can also be used over concrete slab floors and with radiant heat systems, using industry-accepted techniques. Specific product recommendations are available upon request.

Composition and Materials
TerraMai flooring is a genuine, unfinished, solid wood product composed of a variety of reclaimed tropical hardwoods. It is likely to include Asian rosewood, merbau, ironwood, padauk, chengal, takien, narra as well as other species. Latin names of the dominant species are available upon request and on our web site. TerraMai flooring provides a beautiful and resilient floor under light or heavy wear. Every variety in the species mix is hard fibered, minimizing slivering and splintering. TerraMai flooring polishes with use (under friction) actually increasing its wear resistance.

Color
TerraMai flooring can be purchased in a random color mix (Jungle Mix) or color sorted to create floors of a generally distinct hue (ie. Rose, Gold, Cinnamon and Blonde Mix). All mixes will contain a variety of species and colors. Color can vary widely within any given species of tropical hardwood. TerraMai floors offer a wider spectrum of color than a single species floor. Due to size limitations and the natural variation in wood, TerraMai samples cannot be guaranteed to represent all color possibilities. Lighting and room color can also change the perception of hardwood floor coloration. Wood color will change when finish is applied.

Our exotic reclaimed woods include:

• Teak
• Tropical Mixes (Cinnamon Mix, Gold Mix, Jungle Mix, Rose Mix)
• Hevea

Teak
Our Teak is approximately 50 to 100 years old, reclaimed from pilings under structures in northern Thailand, Burma and Laos slated for demolition. Age and environment have seasoned this wood into an incredible swirl of mellow browns, tans and silvers.

This wood begs to be touched. Plantation grown wood cannot compare.

Cinnamon Mix
A blend of our darkest woods running from musty golds to deep chocolate browns. It is comprised of Merbau, Alan Batu, Sepetir and Ironwood reclaimed from antique railway ties.

Cinnamon Mix offers steadfast durability and features the rich inviting warmth that only the finest antique rainforest woods can achieve.

Gold Mix
Gold Mix has a rich amber hue distinct from any other hardwoods. Oxide stains, seasoning checks and spike holes imbue Gold Mix with history and character, denoting the untreated hardwood railroad ties that are its source.

Comprised of Keledang, Balau, Giam and Chengal.

Jungle Mix
Inspired by the vibrant, random array of colors found in our Asian hardwoods, we have mixed bright roses, muted golds and chocolate browns to create a playful and unpredictable grab bag of marvelous looking wood.

Rose Mix
Rosewood railroad ties? In Thailand, they used what they had and what they had was Rosewood! This amazing blend may also contain Pyinkado and Narra and other rose-toned species.

Burgundies, pinks and purples laced with gold create a deep, plush patina. Laden with character this mix is one of our most rare and most desired.

Hevea
Our Hevea flooring is produced from “orchard salvage” - from rubber tree plantations of Southeast Asia.

After about 25 years of producing latex for the rubber industry, rubber trees are culled from the plantation and replaced. The wood from these trees is utilized to produce our Hevea flooring.

It is similar in appearance to Oak and nearly as hard as Teak. It is available as either an unfinished or a pre-finished product, and for those desiring a custom color, Hevea takes a stain nicely.

Thanks to the great people at GreenHomeGuide.com

http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/product_detail/563/C113

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

By James Duffy

The buzz about the Housing Stimulus Bill that President Bush signed into law last month is the $7500 tax credit that First time homebuyers receive now through July, 2009. The bill, H.R 3221 bill was signed into law in July. There was a lot of content in that nearly 800 page bill, but one of the nicest, if you don’t own a home already, is that First Time Homebuyers will get a tax credit of up to $7500, in the year they purchase the home, if purchased between this past April 9, 2008 - July 1, 2009.

This $7500 gift will be phased out for single filers making $75K a year or more, up to $95K when there is no tax credit. Married folks, that is $150K, and the credit phases out by $170K earnings per year.

The bad news: You will have to pay this tax credit back in equal installments of $500/year for 15 years. Consider it an interest-free loan from the government, recouped a bit at a time each April 15. If you sell your home before 15 years, then the balance will be recouped that year.

Although, there are some caveats to that. If you sell the home before 15 years and no there has been no appreciation, it is forgiven. If you die before 15 years, the loan is forgiven, it is not passed on to your heirs. Well, at least you have that going for you!

Yeah, okay, it is a tax credit that is really just a no interest loan to be repaid over the next 15 years. What good is that? Well, here’s 3 ways it can be good.

STRATEGY 1: Use the $7500 tax credit to pay down debt. Now is a terrific time to buy a home, and the tax credit just makes it easier and more attractive. That said, too often I find young, first time homebuyers around Atlanta eagerly get into a home, with good financing. But, they bring a couple credit cards along with them, and with that burden, the house is a point of stress rather than a home that is a source of joy.

So, now’s your chance. If you are wanting to buy that home but just cannot seem to off-load that credit card, then take a good, hard look at this opportunity. If it is right for you, then jump at it. If you are not quite sure, you can call me and we can see, or you can call your CPA and check it out from that angle.

That all comes back to my 4 Step Priority of Cash Flow that I teach first time buyers. Here is your opportunity to knock out steps one and two right away. Explaining the 4 Steps is a whole other article, for a future date.

STRATEGY 2: A $7500 tax credit will be a money seed that grows into a tree. This just came up with a first-time buyer in Marietta, GA who just closed on the first home for he and his wife. When I told him of the tax credit, the borrower simply stated, “We don’t need the money, and we will have to pay it back, so can we just refuse the tax credit?” Well, I don’t believe that is an option, but I suggested that, not needing the money, he and his wife take the credit when it arrives, and invest it in a conservative investment with an 8% rate of return. They are out there. I can put you in touch with a good CFP for advice, if you like.

Well, let’s see:

5 year total: $7500 becomes $10,421
10 year total: $7500 becomes $14,480
15 year total: $7500 becomes $20,120

It’s not enough to retire on, but it sure gets you a long way to Step 3 of my 4 Step Priority of Cash Flow; all on Uncle Sam. Okay, not all, you have to repay the $7500 by $500 a year, but that is at tax time each year. For a lot of folks who are W-2 income earners, it becomes a somewhat painless recovery of the funds. So, use this gift wisely.

STRATEGY 3: A $7500 tax credit can buy more home. I talk to prospective buyers often who would love to jump in and buy the home they want; but have to wait for something to happen before they can afford their dream house. Usually it is one spouse returning to work, or something along those lines.

Well, if income is set to jump within a year, and that home that you really want is just out of range, then the tax credit could make that happen for you now. Let’s assume a buyer has a payment comfort level of $1600/month. Assuming a 3% down payment the buyer can afford a home in Roswell, GA for approximately $210K. PITI on this home would be $1585 assuming a 6.5% 30 year fixed FHA mortgage.

Hypothetically the prospective home buyer could use the tax credit to increase their monthly housing budget allowance from $1600/month to $2200/month and still be within their comfort range for the 1st year. Remember, the tax credit will effectively put $625/month into their checkbook for the 1st 12 months.

“Yeah, but that only appears next April. That’s not fair math. I won’t see that money for months!”, you might be screaming. No, you can adjust your W-4 withholdings, and bring home more out of each paycheck to cover the payment until the spouse goes back to work next year. Simple. (*As always, consult with a tax professional, etc.)

How much more home would a $625 monthly budget buy? About $90,000.

You don’t like the $210K home and can’t see staying in it long term. How about the $300K home? Now we’re talking. Just be careful with this strategy. Like the Force, use it wisely.

Jim Duffy is a Mortgage Banker with Phoenix Global Mortgage in Atlanta, GA, and has helped thousands finance their homes over the years. Check out his blog, http://www.MortgageLenderAtlanta.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Creative-Uses-For-the-$7500-Tax-Credit&id=1451063

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

Originally created by Venetian construction workers as a low cost flooring material, the workers used marble chips from upscale jobs to create Terrazzo. The workers would usually set them in clay to surface the patios around their living quarters. Now construction workers have expanded the use of Terrazzo from just marble chips to materials using glass, granite and other recyclable materials.

One of the most popular Terrazzo surfaces is made from recycled glass and cast concrete. The glass used is both post consumer as well as post industrial. The final product contains 80% to 95% post-consumer recycled content, and as such, relies on the material being produced and consumed in the first place. Terrazzo is as durable as granite and less porous than marble which makes for a long lasting AND beautiful green addition to your home.

As always when selecting green building materials, look for local manufacturers to reduce transporation based pollution cost.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845