The idea of Bulldozing houses is nothing new.  Although the banks are not blowing up homes for alturistic reasons…I think we can all agree that removing home inventory is good for all of us.  In 2010, Warren Buffet advised that ”blow up a lot of houses” was a viable option and similar to ‘cash for clunkers’ auto program.  I always thought bulldozing abandoned homes and returning the land to a raw state was a smarter solution than handing out money in the form of a homebuyer tax credit.   The tax credit cost billions of dollars, put money into the hands of a few people blessed with good timing and did little to reduce inventory.  

Bankers, why not take the “TNT” strategy one step further.   Donate unwanted houses to local non-profits vs blowing them up?  Make a call to Habitat for Humanity, for example?   I can’t understand why Habitat is still building new homes, when we can’t get rid of the ones that are causing problems in our neighborhoods.   Habitat needs to change their business model with the times and so do our lenders.  Families, who are in dire need now, wait up to 6+ months for a new home to be built and the cost of building from scratch far exceeds the costs of rehabbing properties, in most cases.    

Just my two cents….

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1. The elaborate clubhouse that is a fixture in many subdivisions has lost its appeal, as have community association-run swimming pools, health clubs and golf courses, said Cardis, who reports that consumers think of these things as “tradable” items — they’re basically indifferent to whether these amenities come with the deal.

“I think that’s all economically driven,” he said. “If you were to do a survey of homeowner-association fee increases in the past 24 months, there would be a high percentage that have shortfalls and are raising their fees by significant amounts, sometimes doubling them.”

One neighborhood amenity, though, that scored high desirability in the study: walking paths.

2.  Green is good — and getting better.

“I was very surprised,” Cardis said. “I had been hearing that green (home features) aren’t quite here yet, that people aren’t willing to pay for them. But frankly, I was stunned by the increase in demand. This is our fourth year (of this particular study), and we’re seeing an increase every year.

“The magnitude of desire (for environmentally friendly home features) is high, considered a must in some categories,” he said.

Among the consumer-described environmental “must haves”: energy-efficient windows, appliances and insulation. “Desirable” features included recycled building materials, “green” flooring, and tankless water heaters that consume less energy by heating water on demand.

3.  Kitchens haven’t lost an iota of importance to buyers, Cardis said. In particular, consumers voiced a preference for “big” kitchens, though it’s not clear how big is “big.”

“I think that’s the biggest limitation of the study, that the perception of what is large or energy-efficient isn’t defined, and we’re planning to do more on that,” he said. “But they do want a sizeable kitchen, relative to the house, and that’s the important takeaway, rather than (consumers saying), ‘Not really, I don’t need that.’ ”

But within that kitchen, it had better have a freestanding island — 41 percent called it a “must” and 38 percent said they really wanted one.

4.  Consumer tastes are changing on how they’d prefer to bathe, Cardis said.

“Whirlpool baths are something they’re definitely ready to let go of,” he said. “They put them in and (the tubs just) sit. People use them once every two years.”

Instead, plain old soaker tubs in the master bath got a warm response in the survey, though the greater preference now is for oversized showers with seating, he said.

5.  Other “outs” or borderline interests: home theaters, traditional living rooms and dining rooms, mud rooms, hobby/game rooms.

“Musts” or at least, objects of strong desirability: granite countertops, home-office space, fireplace, two-car garage.

Article written by Dian Hymer of Inman News.

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In celebration of Earth Day, Why6Percent.com offers 5 fun and easy idea’s that perserve our environment and better the wonderful planet we all live on!! 

Plant a Tree.   As the date also roughly coincides with U.S. Arbor Day, over time Earth Day has taken on the role of tree-planting.   Planting trees helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cleans pollution, secures soil in place to prevent erosion, and provides homes for a lot of biodiversity.

Build or Put up a Birdhouse.  Get together with your family and build a birdhouse or make a bird feeder to encourage the local bird population, which plays an important role in every ecosystem. Use objects that would’ve otherwise been thrown away to create beautiful works of art…Here, the possibilities are endless…

Reduce, reuse and recycle all day long.  Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in lots of packaging. Support local growers and producers of food and products – these don’t have to travel as far and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Take your drink container with you, and don’t use any disposable plates or cutlery.  Recycle all the things you do use for the day or find other uses for things that you no longer use.  Carry a cloth bag for carrying things in and recycle your plastic bags.

Get children to recycle their old toys and games.   By giving their old toys and games to younger children who could make use of them, older children learn two lessons:  One is about giving to others and the second is about reusing and recycling instead of throwing things away.  Adults can also do this with clothes, electrical items, books and more.  Learn about product exchange communities like Freecycle and other alternatives.

Pick up the Trash. Rid litter from our roadways. Many groups use the weekend of Earth Day to clear roadways, highways and neighborhood streets of litter that has accumulated since the last clean-up day. Many companies donate gloves and bags for clean-up groups and villages organize bag pick ups. Once the group has collected the trash and placed the recycled bags along the road, get the village public works department to pick the bags up. It’s a wonderful community project. Great for scout troops, rotary clubs and the like.

Why6Percent.com would like to remind our readers that every day is Earth Day.  We are doing our part to improve the planet and we encourage you to do the same.   Every effort makes a Big Difference!   and a big thank you to Wikipedia for this information contained in this article.

Through 2010, homeowners who install energy efficient windows, insulation, roofs, doors or heating and air systems can apply for a 30 percent (up to $1500) tax credit for each product they purchase. 

Even better….homeowners can receive a 30 percent tax credit through 2016 (with no spending limits) when they purchase green, energy saving products such as solar systems, geothermal heating pumps, small wind systems, residential fuel cells or micro turbines.  For complete details, visit the Energy Stars Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency website.

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As part of the Clean Energy Bill passed in 2007, the incandescent light bulb, we all know and love will be no more in the U.S.

To read about the pro’s, con’s, pluses and minuses of this huge change, CLICK HERE.

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To see more pictures and read about the features of this home, CLICK HERE.

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Find out what organizations in your area pick up unused or unwanted items.  These type of organizations often include Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Veterans Associations, Churches, Hospice Groups and other local non-profit organizations.   

Donations to non-profits are tax deductible for the donor;  most provide hassle-free pick up at your door;  people need the items that you no longer use; recycling unused items is good for the environment.  So donate that stuff you never use.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. 

Another way to get rid of stuff you no longer need is on the internet at Freecycle.   At Freecycle.org, you list items you no longer need and select someone from a list of takers to donate them to.   Freecycle has local branches, so check out their site for a location near you.

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“Green” condo’s are becoming a hot commodity in the real estate market.   The typically pricey units are located in large metro area’s and are designed to appeal to the young professional and members of the X and Y Generation.

Green condo’s, often called eco-friendly condo’s or lofts, include a wide variety of features and ammenities.   Their designs usually include the use of alternative and recycled building materials, green roofs, solar energy, energy star appliances, water conservation and reclaimation. 

Eco-friendly materials often used in green condo’s include bamboo flooring, No VOC paints, sustainable hardwoods, recycled glass, carpets made from recycled inner tubes, wallpaper made from recycled magazines, solar heating and cooling systems, on demand hot water heaters, water storage and recycling systems.  

Green condo’s are usually located in area’s close to public transportation and within walking distance to shopping.  In addition to being a good marketing ploy, green condo’s are now a luxury, hip niche in metro area real estate.

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The U-Haul Website has a Free Box Exchange Service.   The U-Haul Box Exchange is a messageboard that you can use to trade, sell or buy reusable boxes and moving supplies. With every reuse of a box, a new box is prevented from entering the cycle.

To get started, you will need to create a U-Haul Customer ID.   To post a new message or to see posted messages in your region, simply click on that region listed below.

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P.S.  Sellers should remember to take advantage of a free home listing at the InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  Thousands of Home shoppers visit the site daily to look for new listings, video tours, real estate advise and more.  Don’t miss the traffic.  The Infotube Featured Home Service is Free for Why6 customers.

In the spring, start new plants by placing in a pot or long-length planter and cover with plastic. The seeds germinate in a few days, once they are large enough you and the kids can plant them in the ground.

This keeps the kids interest because it’s a fairly fast project and teaches them to garden and to  recycle the dead plants for next planting season.  It’s fun, give it a try!

Tip for A Private Space that Holds Kids Interest  

1. Draw a square in the soil

2. Plant an outline of plants that will grow tall and make a private garden room

3. The perfect plant for this is the Sunflower which will give them privacy in their garden room

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