Eco-friendly Solar Bench with WiFi

photo courtesy of Coroflot
Treehugger.com is breaking news of The Solar Inside, a collectively designed concept bench, is so much more than just a park bench.

Imagined by designers Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, and Owen Song, the Solar Inside's made with thin-film solar which works in a variety of weather conditions. The rechargeable battery not only turns the bench into a night-light but also provides wifi access.

Pendings Push Markets Higher

The Dow Jones rose over 214 points today driven mainly by good news in Real Estate markets. The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors rose in March for the second consecutive month and is up 1.6% higher than a year ago, with a 3.2% gain to 84.6 from February, when it was 82. According to Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, it may still take a while before the market gains enough momentum to firmly state that the downturn has been reversed, because the upturn may have been helped along by the first-time homebuyers tax credit that will lapse in December.

MayDay for GreenFest

A few May showers shouldn't drown out today's biggest outdoor environmental festival.
Celebrate and learn about sustainable living, working, and community at the Bloomfield Green Fest on Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Brookside Park. RAIN or SHINE

* See exhibits from over 40 local businesses and organization
* Hear guest speakers talk about green living, working, and community
* Learn about recycling, composting, and home energy efficiency audits

Stop by our EcoRealty table and enter the E-Book raffle.
This event continues Earth Day festivities locally and focuses on energy conservation and respect for the environment.

Our Busy Season

Homebuyers are returning to the market in growing numbers according to CNBC. U.S. home prices fell a record 8.2 percent in 2008 as the recession and the surge of foreclosures caused the worst devaluation of real estate since the Great Depression, according to the Federal Finance Housing Board.

A recent online survey by Century 21 Real Estate of those who say they will buy a home within the next two years points out how pricing is effecting the market:

* 78 percent of those surveyed say now is a good time to buy a house
* 68 percent say now is a better time to buy than six months ago

Besides falling prices, experts point to lower interest rates as an incentive. The rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages hit an average of 4.85% for the week ending March 26. It's the lowest rate since Freddie Mac’s weekly survey began in 1971.

Does Earth Day Still Matter?

This year marks the 40th celebration of Earth Day. But with green exploding everywhere and a progressive administration in the White House, do we still need it? Grist asked writers, activists, and business types from around the country to weigh in:

Out of This World

Today is the start of "Earth Week" with a long list of global events centering around Earth Day on Wednesday. For the last 10 years NASA has been featuring it's Image of the Day selected from the thousands of photographs snapped from its satellites and astronaut missions. The website publishes fantastic aerial imagery with highly detailed descriptions. Most are in the public domain and can be downloaded in high res form for personal use.

The Boston Globe is presenting its favorites in a breathtaking slide show format.The Earth Observatory is a website run by NASA's Earth Observing System Project Science Office (EOSPSO). This is the last week you can vote for your favorite from NASA's top 50 images taken in the past 10 years. Winners will be announced on the site on April 29th.

Above is one of NASA's Global Maps that show vegetation pictured as an index, of greenness. Greenness is based on several factors: the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.

The Way to FHA

“Without FHA financing, families would be unable to purchase homes and communities would suffer from continued foreclosures and blight,” said Lennox Scott, a member of National Association of Realtors® Real Estate Advisory Board.

Over the past 18 months, FHA has handled an increase in volume four times greater than 2007 levels, increasing its market share to over 30 percent.
NAR suggests a number of FHA improvements that will help maintain safe and affordable FHA loan products. These improvements include investment in staff and technology improvements; increased oversight and risk management; technical correction to help implement FHA programs; and monetizing the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit to allow buyers to apply it toward down payment requirements.

Happy Easter!

Our official White House eggs, dog, and wonderful news of rescued ship captain.

Banking on the Recession

The current national (and even global) financial melt-down is likely to grow worse before getting better. Yes, the Federal Reserve was put into place to prevent a major banking crisis from wrecking havoc on the nation in a 1929 style run but keep in mind, despite the stabilizing efforts of the Fed, inherent differences also place the system at risk. For example, derivatives were all but non-existent. According to the Office of the Comptroller, the five biggest banks in America control 96 percent of the total derivatives. This means a new round of failure, bail-outs and banking crisis could hit the nation at any moment should even one of these banks be exposed to major losses. Remember, banks must "make good" on those losses but with only 10 percent or even less of the capital required to pay out a claim, banks are simply unable to do so; creating the risk of a domino like default scenario.

This is another reason banks are not lending - they are frantically attempting to hoard as much cash reserve as possible in order to hedge against the risk of a default looming in the future. Again, savvy short sale investors should recognize the ongoing threat of tighter lending standards far into the future -without government intervention (and even with it), purchasing a home for decades into the future may simply be out of reach for many Americans.

Make sure you are doing business with a solid bank. Either deal with small local banks that have strong bottom lines, didn't engage in derivatives or other risky investments and are able to work with you personally...or, work with one of the A rated big banks. To find out how your bank is rated, visit www.TheStreet.com or www.MoneyandMarket.com which publishes a list of the best and worst banks in the US.

Your Neighborhood Commodities Market

Veggie Trader is a free resource for
bringing good food and good people together. Wish you could turn your excess plums into lemons, or maybe even a little cash? Use this site to find neighbors to swap with
or sell your excess produce to. Or if you specialize in growing tomatoes, find neighbors who specialize in other produce and form networks to share in the variety. Even if you don't have a garden, Veggie Trader is your place for finding local food near you.

If you live in the Montclair area, you can take your gardening to another dimension with Cornucopia. which conducts open gardens and composting demonstrations as well as many other activites which "encourage more efficient, effective and safer food Systems". Their first open organic garden day of the year will be April 25(2PM to 4PM) in Pat Kenschaft's garden at 56 Gordenhurst.

New Developments for NJ Solar

Gov. Jon S. Corzine today signed into law three Assembly Democratic measures designed to
improve energy efficiency, expand solar and wind energy production and promote solar energy usage in new homes.
The first bill (A-1558) sponsored promotes the installation of solar energy panels in newly constructed homes. “We can vastly improve the quality of life for all New Jersey families by encouraging investment in solar energy systems in all new houses,” said Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer). “Sound public policy and environmentally responsible practices can come together to provide dividends for generations.”

The new law requires a developer of 25 or more residential units to offer to install a solar energy system when a prospective owner enters into negotiations, provided installation of such a system is technically feasible as determined by the Department of Community Affairs in consultation with the Board of Public Utilities. (photo: Oregon DOT)

The Ups and Downs of Today's Mortgage Market

Mortgage Applications Jump
U.S. mortgage applications jumped last week as record low interest rates spurred a surge in demand for home refinancing loans, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed on Wednesday. The MBA said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage applications, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, increased 32.2 percent to 1,159.4 for the week ended March 20. Refinancing accounted for 78.5 percent of all applications. Borrowing costs on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, excluding fees, averaged 4.63 percent, down 0.26 percentage point from the previous week, reaching a record low, the MBA said.

Approval Rates Fall
Most people who apply for loans still receive them, with the pull-through rate - the percentage of applicants whose loans are approved - running about 60%, but that's significantly lower than the pull-through rate the Mortgage Bankers Association recorded during the height of the housing boom. In 2003 nearly 79% got their loans. Borrowers with scores of 750 or above accounted for 38% of loans issued during the second quarter of 2008, compared with just 23% just two years earlier, according to the MBA. Those with low credit scores of 650 or less represented only 15% of loans during the first three months of 2008, compared with 28% during the first quarter of 2006.

New Home Sales Spring Forward

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that new home sales rose 4.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 337,000 in February from a revised 322,000 in January. It was the first increase since July. Economists were expecting a sales rate of 300,000, according to consensus estimates compiled by Briefing.com. The report also showed that the median sale price of new houses in February was $200,900, down 18% from $245,300 a year ago. Are we starting to scrape the bottom?

A Tale of Two Towns' Fire Departments

This month marked two major developments in the Fire Departments of the adjacent towns of Clifton and Bloomfield. The doors finally closed on Clifton's Fire Dept #2, laying off several of its firefighters, as part of the city council's plan to save more than $4 million this year - a plan that will see 60 city jobs cut. Protests by firemen and residents have moved onto a community website.

At the same time, the Bloomfield Fire Department received International Accreditation with the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The Commission on Fire Accreditation International unanimously voted for the Fire Department to be accredited.

After an in depth evaluation covering all aspects of how the department is run (from management to operations), it was found that Bloomfield measured up to the rigorous standards that were required by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Of the 30,000 plus fire departments in the US, just 130 have received International Accreditation (no other Municipal Department in the State of NJ has attained this distinction).

Veggie Garden Vctory at the White House

Click on map to enlarge. Garden Map courtesy of The White House

Details in today's NY Times

Eco-Cash for Home Owners

So you didn't qualify for home buyer tax breaks or home owner loan modifications from the stimulus bill? Cheer up! You can now get up to $19,000 in upgrades to your house. Expanded tax incentives in 2009 and 2010 for energy-efficient and renewable-energy home improvements include $1,500 in tax credits for qualifying windows, doors, insulation, roofs, heating and cooling equipment, water heaters, and even wood and pellet stoves. You'll get a tax credit of 30% with no upper limit through 2016 for installing qualifying solar technology, small wind-energy systems, or geothermal-well systems.

Low Impact Living has a good breakdown of the savings potential from home improvements but the ultimate source for learning how to get the most tax credits is EnergyStar.gov.

A new homeowner could conceivably do a twofer -- combining the two breaks to REALLY cleanup!

It's Heating Up

I get asked all the time if buyers are coming back into the market. If the past few weeks are any indication, I'd have to say YES. Clifton for example has been one of the slower markets with literally 100's of 3 and 4 bedroom homes available a any given time. Most fall between 250k and 450k. When an appealing house comes online in an appealing neighborhood, buyers come out of the woodwork. Especially with the new 8k tax credit.

Two weeks ago, I took my best buyers to an open house "premier" on Jacklin St. It was across the street from a nearly identical Cape that had been on the market for months at 347K(very nice but a bit over priced). The newest was renovated and 299k. We could barely find a parking place. When we did, we couldn't walk through the house without tripping on another buyer's foot. Since the agent had already written up his first offer while awaiting more from other agents, we passed.

A week later we found another new "opening" less then 8 blocks away a well staged Colonial on Englewood for 329K. When I told the agent to expect an offer, she replied that there was already enough action for a "highest and best." We had one shot without knowing how many others. It turned out we were the lowest of five -- at least one was over the asking price. Maybe the good old days are back!

Cutting Edge Compost

On Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Civic Center, Nicholas Smith-Sebasto, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University will present a seminar on large-scale aerobic composting as used at MSU since 2007, sponsored by the Bloomfield Recycling Committee. The MSU composter can process approximately 2 tons of food residue daily at a cost of about $3 a day, produces compost for lawns and gardens, and diverts food waste from landfills and incinerators. Everyone is welcome to attend, particular schools, colleges, businesses, and other institutions with large amounts of food waste.

An excellent Mike Peters photo essay on the innovative process can be seen on the MSU website.
“The amount of food residue that ends up in landfills is astonishing,” said the Professor, “and the food waste that is thrown out and ends up in landfills is a contributing factor to the ‘build out’ problem that has reached a critical point in New Jersey.”

Making Home Affordable

On March 4, 2009, The Obama Administration announced new U.S. Department of the Treasury guidelines to enable servicers to begin modifications of eligible mortgages under the Administration's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan – announced by President Barack Obama on February 28, 2009. The National Association of Realtors has a detailed breakdown of The Plan.

Update:The government has just launched a website that walks homeowners through the process of qualifying.

Liongate Developer Bailing Out of Flood Plain Project

The latest development in our neighborhood's two-decade long effort to prevent a massive townhouse development on Liongate's flood prone Scientific Glass site is: No Development.

The site’s current owner, Arthur Fefferman, reportedly purchased the property in 2003 for 3M. The 104 town houses (scaled back from 124 in the original developer's plans) were to offer 1,500 to 2,200 square feet of "luxury" living for about 700k & up. Meanwhile, comparable townhouses near the center of town are now having open houses for units asking 350K.
An agent from Donovan Realty told me that the asking price for the 12.7 acre property is 13 Million. They also said they have no plans to list it on a NJ MLS. I did a GSMLS(Garden State Multiple Listing Service) search for comparable development spaces on NNJ. Nothing under 7M You'll find many larger CLEAN lots here for a lot less $$. Could it be that they're not listing on the MLS because they can't compete in that market?

Fefferman and the original Scientific Glass owner,are thought to have spent over$100,000 to remediate the former industrial site, but were unable to get it clean enough to received a final NFA(No Further Action) letter from the DEP. This realization -- along with the falling market for new construction -- may have shut him down. A member of The Bloomfield Third RiverBank Association wonders if "the DEP might require continuous monitoring. By whom? And who is going to oversee and enforce this monitoring, the condo association?"

$8,000 Tax Credit Finalized

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has launched a newly-designed web site that provides detailed information about the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers that is a key measure in the sweeping economic stimulus legislation just signed into law by President Obama. Homebuyers can find other helpful resources on the site.

In addition to being limited to first-time home buyers, the tax credit:

Is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.

Is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

Does not have to be repaid.

Has income limits of $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married couples.

Our Greenest Gov?

Brendan Byrne, the cover model of this month's Inside Jersey's Green Edition, has one of the best environmentalist records of any Jersey governor. He recently reflected on his legacy. (Video by Jennifer Weiss)

The Green Govs: Brendan Byrne

Building Solutions That LEED the Way

Green Depot is this country's leading supplier of environmentally friendly and sustainable building products, services and solutions. Founded in 2005, Its primary goal is to facilitate green living and LEED friendly building in communities so that it is accessible(you can even find them in Facebook), affordable and gratifying. Green Depot has showrooms in Newark, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, Greenport, Chicago, Albany (2009) and Newark, DE (2009), a new flagship retail location in Manhattan, and 10 additional distribution centers spanning the Northeast.

First Time Buyer Segment Now Nearly Half of NE Market

source: NAR 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
In the years of rising prices and quick sales, first-time home buyers made up a smaller share of the market. As affordability improves but sales slow, it is more difficult for current homeowners to sell their homes.

Unencumbered first time buyers are therefore a larger share of purchasers, now 46% in the Northeast.

Solar is Coming to a Corner Near You

Public Service Electric and Gas Company today asked state regulators to approve a $773-million proposal to bring 120 megawatts of solar power directly to communities and customers throughout its service territory.

PSE&G proposed a comprehensive program that includes the largest pole-attached solar installation in the country. It calls for the installation of solar panels on 200,000 utility poles as well as schools, municipal buildings, low-income housing and brownfield sites. In a statement, PSE&G said it would invest in, own and operate the grid-connected solar energy systems while collaborating with experienced solar developers, installers and manufacturers to develop projects.

“We designed our program to ensure that everyone has access to the benefits of solar energy,” said Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G’s president and chief operating officer. Speculation about the company's other possible motives can be found here.

Newark-based PSE&G is New Jersey’s largest utility with 2.1 million electric customers.

How They're Recalculating Your FICO Score

This might be a good time to update your credit reports. Fair Isaac, the developer of FICO scores, has made the biggest change to its mathematical credit score model since it was introduced in 1989. Scores will still be on a 300- to 850-point scale. But the company estimates that 40% to 50% of borrowers’ scores could go up or down by more than 20 points. Depending on your situation, you may get some good news -- or not.
The chart above is not up to date but will give you an idea of the key components. Some interesting consumer reactions can be found here.

8K Tax Break to Brake Housing Crunch?

The US Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposal that would give a significant tax break to anybody who buys a house by the end of the year. (The Stimulus Plan is expected to pass within a few days.)

Assuming the tax break is approved, it will do away with the first-time homebuyer stipulation, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports, allowing anyone who purchases a primary residence to claim the tax credit with no payback requirement.

UPDATE(2/12): The tax credit was reduced to $8,000 in the Conference Committee. It should be signed into law as soon as 2/17. Stay tuned.

Ground Hog Free Zone

It's gotta be tough being a ground hog in NYC. Aside from Staten Island Chuck, you just can't dig anywhere without hitting something hard. New Yorkers go about unaware of what is happening just beneath their feet: Power pulses, information flies, and steam flows. The city’s infrastructure starts just below street level, but it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to nationalgeographic.com. Click on picture to enlarge. Click here to see the true scale of cross section.

Existing-Home Sales Show Surprising Gains

Existing-home sales rose unexpectedly in December while inventory declined, led by a surge of sales in the West, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – jumped 6.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.74 million units in December. The number compares to a downwardly revised pace of 4.45 million units in November, but 3.5 percent below the 4.91 million-unit pace in December 2007.

For all of 2008, there were about 4.9 million existing-home sales -- 13.1 percent below the 5.65 million transactions recorded in 2007. This is the lowest volume since 1997 when there were 4,371,000 sales.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said home prices continue to fall significantly.
“It appears some buyers are taking advantage of much lower home prices,” he said. “The higher monthly sales gain and falling inventory are steps in the right direction, but the market is still far from normal balanced conditions. Buyers will continue to have an edge over sellers for the foreseeable future.”

Border Wars in Woodland Park

From The Clifton Journal:

A real estate developer is still eyeing a residential road atop Garret Mountain for service to a Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) housing project, despite a City zoning board's unanimous decision to reject the proposal.

Since October of 2006, Garret Pointe Associates, based in Short Hills, has been battling Clifton's Zoning Board of Adjustment for permission to use Paxton Street as an entrance to 144 housing units that would sit on approximately 9 acres of an old quarry in Woodland Park, formerly West Paterson. A small fraction of the units would be designated as low and moderate income housing.

Last month, the Board voted to deny an application for a use variance to turn Paxton Street into an ingress for the complex.

"The access to the site that existed in West Paterson was to be built on the side of a cliff in Clifton. In preserving our namesake, as per our Master Plan and as per the state plan in protecting the environment, we chose what we could do to protect the mountain," said City Planner Dennis Kirwan.

Frank Carlet, the Clifton-based attorney for Garret Pointe, said the developer is not finished pushing for use of the roadway. He said the firm would take their case to court because Paxton Street is the only option for access to the apartments.

Holzi and fellow neighbors formed Mountainside Organization and have been fighting against development along the mountain for about 30 years. The West Paterson planning board originally denied the Garret Pointe application in 2002, but a state judge overturned the ruling.

Big Belly

Convincing cities throughout the U.S. to go green is not as easy as it appears. There will always be resistance from skeptics who don’t believe in green house gases, as well as from those who fear change. Take for example DEC Green Corp., a Bronx based green company which manufactures The Big Belly -- the world’s first and only solar powered compacting receptacle, designed to reduce the need for the deployment of garbage trucks by as much as 70%. With Big Belly, municipalities can reduce the carbon footprint by not having to run their trucks multiple times each day or week. The benefits include reduction in fuel emmissions, less vehicular congestion and compacted trash occupies less space in our landfills. The Big Belly site links to a video report which appeared on The Discovery Channel(and many more media clips).

Tale of Two Towns

We've discussed Sperling's Best Places web site in regards to other towns in our area. Besides their top 10 lists, the site provides many other resources for comparing communities. Clifton & Little Falls are next door neighbors of very different sizes, but similar demographics(click on graphic to enlarge).

Day One

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task,

A Time For Service

Our incoming President has helped transform this Martin Luther King day into a day of service. It signals the beginning of a new era of community service that is energizing our nation. A good place to start is by getting involved with charities such as the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
Food Donors annually contribute 56% of the 21 million pounds of food distributed by the FoodBank in the 2006 - 2007 fiscal year. This is a valuable contribution to our effort to fight hunger close to home. These donations enable the FoodBank to meet the food and nutrition needs of the hungry in their 18 county service territory.

Things Needed (NO GLASS, NO EXPIRED ITEMS)
· Canned Meat and Fish (Tuna)
· Canned Fruit and Fruit Juice
· Canned Pasta, chili, soup
· Pasta, Dried Beans, and Brown Rice
· Peanut Butter and Jelly
· Baby Food, Diapers, Formula

30 Year Rates Continue to Dip Below 5%

Freddie Mac's latest surveys are showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.89 % with an average 0.7 point drop for the week ending January 15. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.69 percent. The 30-year FRM has not been lower since Freddie Mac started the survey in 1971. 15 year morgages can now be had for 4.6%

3 Into 1 -- Wow!

(click on graphic to enlarge)
It's taken 3 years of flogging this blog, but we've finally reached a pinnacle of NJ eco/real blogdom. We've tried to focus on the positive and timely aspects of real estate, land/use and environmental innovation with a mix of optimimism and realism. For most of the last couple of years, one of our favorite portals, NJBlognetNews.com has had us on its Top Ten list of "Influencial NJ Liberal Blogs"(we're still not sure what's so liberal about real estate, land use or environmental consciousness). We were pleasantly surprised, this week, to see that they moved us up to the top of it's ranking. Next week, we'll try to do better.

Green House Gets A Mood Ring

The BrightBuilt Barn is an attempt to push the envelope of sustainable design. It is the practical outcome of an in-depth collaboration by a Who's-Who team of Maine's green engineers and professionals, and a visionary client to create a super green, offsite fabricated net-zero building that can be adapted and replicated over time. Designers, building fabricators, high performance building experts and solar energy professionals from all over the northeast have participated in the project.

The barn glows green when it is producing more energy than it consumes; yellow indicates a borderline condition; red means that energy usage is currently higher than required to meet our yearly Net Energy goal.

This could add a whole new dimension to "keeping up with the Jones'es".
'

Perception vs Reality

Although home values in the Northeast have declined an a slower rate than most of the country, home ownerrs are still in denial about their local market. (click to enlarge)

Essex Goes EBay

In the bad old days, it took serious political connections -- or an eagle eye for those small print classifieds -- for a vendor to find out about government contracts in time to submit a serious bid. Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo has just unveiled the new Essex County Purchasing Portal, an interactive web site that enables vendors of all sizes to learn about procurement opportunities with Essex County. The site is his latest initiative to improve operating efficiency and enhance outreach to the business community.

"This uniquely designed web page is our latest tool to inform and link vendors with procurement opportunities with Essex County," DiVincenzo said. "Through this portal, vendors can register their company with Essex County and be automatically notified about various procurement opportunities that fit the business profile they submit.

The Executive also noted the potential savings for Essex County in photocopying and postage costs, and the amount of hours employees spend mailing and faxing documents, could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It should also lead to increased competition among vendors.

The easy-to-navigate web site can be accessed directly or by clicking on the Purchasing Portal link found on the Essex County web site,The cyber portal includes listings of all contracts for competitively bid goods and services, requests for proposals and qualifications, and cooperative purchasing opportunities.

Vendors who want to do business with Essex County must register their business on-line and provide contact information and their New Jersey Business Registration Certificate. Vendors can then select the types of contracts they would like to be notified about from a list of 83 commodities. This information can be easily accessed by vendors or members of the public. Those interested in easier access to other government clients can look here.

Resolving to Green Up Your Home

Why not make some resolutions now that will help you lower your carbon footprint and increase the energy-efficiency of your home throughout the winter and for years to come. You don't have to wait for an act of congress. Planet Green will ease you into the coming "Green Year" with these 10 money-saving green home improvement ideas.

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. - Albert Einstein

First Aid for Homeowners

The number one resolution for many this year will be getting our financial house in order. If making your mortgage payments is becoming problematic, the place to look in New Jersey for help is the
Homeownership Preservation Refinance Program. HPRP is an affordable financing alternative to borrowers whose current mortgage is no longer appropriate for their current financial situation. The program provides a 30 or 40 year mortgage loan that is fixed at a low interest rate for the life of the loan. Both 30 year and 40 year loans are available. The HPRP program provides one on one mortgage and financial counseling to help with bills, closing cost assistance, and aid is available to all families earning up to 140% of area median income.

The loan provided can be equal to 100% of the appraised value of your house or 103% of the appraised value if you include private mortgage insurance in the mortgage loan.
You may be eligible for this assistance if you have recently experienced a financial hardship because your mortgage payment has increased due to terms such as a rate reset, and if you have been denied a mortgage modification.

You can also locate additional assistance programs offered by the state of New Jersey that can help you with paying many other types of bills and debt.

Happy 2009!

NY, NJ Counties Rank Highest in Property Taxes

No surprise that NJ still has more of the highest taxed counties than any other state. or even that Bergen, Essex and Passaic are all on national the top 10. What's interesting in the latest breakdown from The Tax Foundation is that there's nowhere to run if you work in our Metro Region. Westchester and Nassau lead the pack in taxes with Rockland and Fairfield counties close behind. NJ continues to rule the top 20 as well. Illinois has the only out of area county(#15).

Tax Foundation Senior Economist Gerald Prante and Analyst Mark Robyn use newly updated Census data from the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS) to rank counties across the country according to various property tax measures.

Christmas Wishes With Hope...

...for a New Year of Peace and real Change.

Geoff

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/k6lJ0Szi85WJlRrJNygf
(seems to run better on cable than DSL)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmUipa1kc4

Climate Change in Washington

One of the President-elect's last announced appointments to his "Green Team" is his official science advisor: the renowned physicist John Holdren. Holdren advised the Obama campaign on climate and energy earlier this year and at one point was designated as a surrogate spokesman on those issues for the candidate. Dr. Holdren was president of The American Association for the Advancement of Science. from 2006 to 2007, and is well known for his work on energy, climate change, and nuclear proliferation. He's a passionate fighter of global warming(a term he has long maintained is misleading). Growing up in San Mateo, CA, he was a classmate of mine in San Mateo from grades 4 to High School. One of the nice guys and always the smartest!

Is THIS as Low as it Gets?

At 4.74%, Zillow's update yesterday reached the lowest level for 30 year mortgages anyone around here can remember. We suspect the stampede to refinance had something to do with the bump up to 4.94 today. With the Fed rate virtually ZERO, we may have just about hit bottom.

Biggest Losers -- Billion Buck Edition

Can't believe how much money you've lost in the past couple of months? Neither can we. But we're pleased to say that our misery has some serious company.

Here's The Silicon Alley's Insider's unofficial list of The Biggest Losers: 20 global moguls who have gotten creamed in the recent economic collapse.

Bill Gates, Sumner Redstone, Rupert Murdoch and Warren Buffet are a few of the lower hanging losers.

Those folks are small potatoes next to the Biggest Loser of Them All...

Timing the Housing Market? The Times Says It's Time

Realtors have been forecasting a perfect storm in recent months, and it looks like the waves are beginning to swell out there. We've seen a trifecta of record home inventories, declining prices, and interest rates hitting record lows.
Now, The NY Times has suggested that the time may be at hand to jump into the housing market. (This was their single most emailed story today) Right now, their focus is on first-time homebuyers.

If you’re hoping for a recovery in the housing market, you ought to be cheering on the first-time home buyers. When they purchase homes, their sellers are free to move on or move up, stimulating further sales. Meanwhile, first-time home buyers have the same advantage they have always had, which is that they do not have to sell their old place before buying a new one.

What we often forget is that first time buyers don't have the luxury of gambling on the market bottom. Once they can afford it, they jump in. They cannot risk losing what may be a fleeting opportunity. Once there is activity at the bottom, upper tiered buyers, who wanted to move years ago, can sell and move on. The next generation of wealth is going to be made here. At the lowest rates in years, some analysts are predicting rampant inflation ignited by all the money being printed to pay for this mess. It's only been about 27 years since 30 year mortgage rates peaked at 18%

Top 10 Priorities for That Dream House

So what's lasting value? Here's a list of homebuyers' most sought-after features, according to the National Association of Realtors.

1. Central Air Conditioning
2. Garage with two or more spaces
3. Walk-in closet in master bedroom
4. Backyard/play area
5. Cable/Satellite TV-ready

6. High-speed Internet Access
7. Separate shower in master bath
8. Patio
9. Fencing
10. Home newer than 10 years old

If you have looked in the past and not found these features in your price range, it may be time to check again, while properties are "on sale." Be sure to consider features that will make homes more valuable in the future, such as energy-efficient construction and appliances and shorter commuting times. Features like water or mountain views, good schools, recreation opportunities and unique architecture never go out of style.

Calling All River Rats

A Great Conveniency, a Maritime History of the Passaic River, Hackensack River, and Newark Bay is a newly published book by American History Imprints. Commencing in the early 1600s with the European exploration of the local waterways, it explores how the rivers facilitated early settlement and expanded the highway network into the hinterlands.

Clifton's Environmental Protective Commission is sponsoring a presentation on the book by author Kenneth Olsen, a professor at MSU, scheduled for December 3 at 7:30PM at Clifton's Allwood Library(on Lyall Road off Market).