It's Official- Cell Phones are Killing Bees | Inhabitat

The signals cause the bees to become lost and disoriented. The impact has already been felt the world over, as the population of bees in the U.S. and the U.K. has decreased by almost half in the last thirty years – which coincides with the popularization and acceptance of cell phones as a personal device.

Read more: It's Official- Cell Phones are Killing Bees | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World It's Official- Cell Phones are Killing Bees | Inhabitat

Foreclosures Up in NY/NJ Area while Dropping in Most of US

DS News is reporting that the latest data from RealtyTrac shows foreclosure activity in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level in 40 months. Filings were reported on 219,258 properties in April, down 34 percent from a year earlier. RealtyTrac says these figures don’t necessarily mean we’ve turned the corner since the slowdown can be traced to delays in processing. The curb in activity wasn’t entirely widespread. Foreclosures hit a new record high in Nevada, while defaults spiked in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The foreclosure process is taking much longer in some states. The average timeframe from initial default notice to REO in New Jersey and New York was over 900 days in the first quarter of 2011, more than three times the average timeline in the first quarter of 2007 for both states.

Bin-Ladin Fixer-Upper for Sale in Florida

For sale: Large, abandoned Mediterranean-style home with 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms. $1,999,000.

Location:: Just 30 minutes north of DisneyWorld

Notable history: Once owned by Khalil bin Laden, brother of the world’s once most-wanted man, Osama bin Laden. Abandoned after the family fled the U.S. immediately after 9/11, the home sold in 2006, at the height of the Florida real estate boom, for $4,043,800. However, the new owner went bankrupt and was sentenced to prison for fraud.The mansion was then foreclosed on in 2007 and re-listed for sale in 2009.

Unfortunately, the bin Laden home needs a major facelift. The home was marred by vandalism, including broken windows, and other “damages including a safe thrown down a stairway and bullet holes in the walls.” While there has been some interest in the home, real estate agent Autumn Norris-Maker told NBC News that finding financing for a home this run down has always been a sticking point.

More details at Zillow.com

Live Where You Work?

The Live Where You Work program is a home mortgage incentive program that provides low-interest mortgage loans to homebuyers purchasing homes in towns where they are employed. The goal of LWYW is to build stronger communities by promoting homeownership and encouraging people to live closer to their jobs. This, in turn, will reduce the need for cars and increase the use of alternative transportation such as walking, biking and public transit.

If you would like to buy a house in the town where you currently work, then LWYW might be right for you. Employees benefit from attractive mortgage rates, more flexible loan application review and underwriting criteria, and reduced commuting times to work. Municipalities benefit from having a committed workforce living nearby, and the activity and economic vibrancy that comes with people living near where they work.

Eligible Properties: Properties must be located in a participating Live Where You Work municipality. Eligible properties include one-family units, including condominiums, (new and existing), and existing 2 to 4-family unit properties that are more than 5 years old. Some Live Where You Work municipalities include *Urban Target Areas (UTA). In Urban Target Areas eligible properties can also include new two-unit residential dwellings. Properties must be located in State designated Smart Growth locations.

(*) To determine if your proposed house is within an Urban Target Area (UTA), visit the Smart Growth Locator at www.njlocator.gov, follow the instructions and look up UTAs by using the UTA list.

Further details are available on their Fact Sheet or call 1-800-NJ-HOUSE.

Municipalities Currently Participating in the LWYW Program include
• Atlantic City • Jersey City • Paterson • Bayonne • Keyport • Plainfield • Belmar • Morristown • Rahway • Carteret • Neptune • Trenton • Cherry Hill • Newark • Washington Twp • Edgewater Park • New Brunswick • Woodbridge • Elizabeth • Old Bridge • Orange • Passaic

(*) Urban Target Areas (UTA) are based upon census data. To find out if an address is located in a UTA, you will need to identify the census tract within which the address is located. Email me if you would like to be updated on any changes to the above list as a result of the 2010 Census or changes to the Spart Growth parameters.

Un-Natural Selection -- How We Affect the Evolution of Other Species

Most of us understand the basic mechanism of natural selection: Those creatures that can adapt best to their changing environment survive to reproduce, and those individuals that can't die out.
It turns out that we've become our own unforgiving environment especially in the past century. While animal breeding may be the most pro-active example of man's conscious attempts to speed up the evolutionary proces, there are countless other examples of unnatural selection. From elephant tusks to resistant bacteria, this month's New Scientist lays out a long list showing how we've inadvertently changed the nature of the Flora and Fauna that surround us,

Millions of years ago, the natural environment was shaping us into the species we are now. Today, we create our own environments, which has its consequences for many other species. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Star Trek used to emphasize the premise that their planetary explorers should do nothing that would change the natural order of things wherever they landed. What would Captain Kirk say today?

Famous, Fabulous and Homeless?

How does Nicolas Cage get behind on his mortgage payments? The same way other rich and famous people do. Catch up on Nick's current woes as well as those of other celebrities from bankrate.com.

Prospects for Double Dipping in Housing Market

Housing is feeling awfully double dippy. S&P/Case-Shiller home-price data out Tuesday showed a 3.3% year-over-year drop in February, while the index's measure of 20 metropolitan areas was just a hair above the crisis low seen in April 2009. For banks, the renewed downturn is likely to mean some pain, although not necessarily a crushing blow. That is largely due to the jobs picture. Today's unemployment rate of 8.8% is almost exactly where it was in early 2009. But back then joblessness was rising. Now, it is falling. If that trend holds, and if renewed price falls don't near the 10% level, banks probably won't see a serious increase in delinquencies. Even underwater homeowners are less likely to default if they remain employed.

And one possible silver lining in the Case-Shiller data was that the size of month-to-month declines has been slowing of late.

Notable Facts for Earth Day

The Department of Interior reminds us that the greatest shallow-water offshore wind energy potential in the U.S. — which is 1,000 gigawatts of electricity, or one quarter of national demand — lies off the Atlantic Coast.

Through energy efficiency measures, the U.S. has the potential to reduce annual non-transportation energy consumption by roughly 23% by 2020 — the equivalent of taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks off the roads.

Supersizing Solar in NJ

New Jersey may not exactly be the sunniest state as far as solar compatibility is concerned, but it continues to be one of the most supportive for solar subsidies and innovative installations. Now it can also claim the title of the largest single installation in the U.S. Avidan Management, one of the state's largest commercial Realty companies has just formally commissioned the giant array on the rooftop of it's Edison complex.

Peak Season for Best of Green

The Grammy and Oscar winners for this year are history, but you can still go on TreeHugger's website and check out both nominees and winners in just about every Green category you can imagine. What is the greenest computer, the most helpful smart phone app, the coolest concept gadget, the best sci-tech blog? Who is the greatest green geek to follow on Twitter? Included are TreeHugger results from readers polls in such categories as Green Celebrity and Musical Group.

Then, head on over to Planet Green, where you can rate the winners in each category in their View and Vote slideshow polls, open through April 22. Once the picks are in for the highest rated organization, person, product, or idea in each category, they'll have a final vote:for the best in show of Best of Green.

Freddie-Mac Expects Housing Market to Spring Forward

Our number one backer of residential home mortgages has just released it's forecast for the spring Real Estate Market. We've picked out some major highlights:
Unemployment declined for the fourth straight month to 8.8 percent, and net employment sprung up by 216,000, the largest monthly job gain since last May and a hopeful signal that the labor market was warming up. On a March-over-March basis, employment was up by 1.3 million…Driven by low mortgage rates and home prices well below peaks, homebuyer affordability is at the highest level in at least forty years, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Indeed, sales contract signings for existing homes were up in February, positioning the market for a bounce up in settlements during the second quarter, the traditional time for the seasonal upswing in sales…..Look for home sales to be up about 5 percent in 2011 compared with 2010, on a calendar year basis…. short-term rates will remain low and supportive of household borrowing. The coupon difference between 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages has gradually widened to about three-quarters of a percentage point….The rental market should continue to have gradually warmer market conditions as well, with rents continuing to pickup and vacancies dipping.

If Solar Energy Got the Same Subsidies as Fossil Fuels...

The Energy Establishment contends that renewable energy sources like solar power and wind are decades from being viable alternatives to fossil fuels. A pro-solar group One Block Off the Grid disagrees. To challenge this longstanding myth advanced by opponents of subsidies for renewable energy, the pro-solar group put together the Infographic at right.

Germany, for example, only receives 2.6% of the sunlight as the US does, but still manages to produce 60 times as much solar power. How do they do it? According to Triple Pundit, it was done through a  government-introduced mechanism called a feed-in tariff (FIT) that was first initiated twenty years ago. The tariff requires utilities to connect renewable energy generators to the grid and buy the electricity produced at a rate of 65 to 90% of the retail cost. Other countries have now replicated this model.

Meanwhile, the GOP has proposed massive new cuts for renewable energy subsidies.

Paint Your Home and Get Your Mortgage Paid -- For Free!

Homeowners having trouble keeping up with their payments may have a new option available to them. Along with loan modifications, short sales, and going cold turkey by defaulting with their lender, they can now opt to get a free paint job -- and turn their house into a billboard. Adzookie, is an innovative mobile advertising company known for its direct advertising on smartphones. They sum up their tempting offer on their website:

Adzookie will pay the home-owner’s mortgage for at least three months with an option to extend up to a year. If the contract is canceled by Adzookie or the home-owner during the contract period, they will paint the house back to its original colors.

The other likelihood is that their town's Zoning Board will step in with new restrictions -- if there is nothing currently spelled out in their codes. For those on busy streets, this could be an effective, if temporary, win-win. For those on quieter streets, this could make them busy(and unpopular with their neighbors) if they're the first to take the dare and jump in. Some neighbors may actually prefer it to some other options.

Be warned that Adzookie is not a huge company and has already gotten thousands of requests within a week of it's announcement. It is planning to pick 10 to get the ball rolling this spring. CEO, Romeo Mendoza, is now looking for other advertisers to sign on so it might help as many as 100 homeowners this spring.

Realtors® Urge Congress to Approach GSE Reform Slowly

Washington, DC, The National Association of REALTORS® is urging Congress to move cautiously when reforming government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Reforming America’s housing finance market can only be achieved through a forward-looking, comprehensive approach that supports the housing and economic recoveries, said NAR President Ron Phipps in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Capital Markets today. “As the leading advocate for home ownership, NAR strongly agrees that the existing system failed and that reforms are needed; however, redesigning a viable secondary mortgage model that will protect taxpayer dollars and serve the country’s home owners today, and in the future, can only be achieved through a methodical, measured effort,” said Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I.

NAR is concerned that without a comprehensive plan for reforming the secondary mortgage market, proposed legislation to quickly constrain Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before an adequate replacement secondary mortgage market mechanism is established will further disrupt the still fragile housing market recovery.

“REALTORS® agree that increasing private capital in the mortgage finance market is necessary for a healthy market and for reducing the government’s involvement; however, proposed legislation that relies only on private capital to operate the secondary mortgage market will slow, if not stop, the housing and economic recovery,” he said.

Phipps testified that the pendulum on mortgage credit has already swung too far in the wrong direction and is hurting consumers and the economy. He added that quick decisions aimed at punishing certain market players will only punish the taxpayers by constraining their ability to access affordable mortgage financing, and that making it harder for those who can afford a safe mortgage does not further the goals of the recovery.

“Home ownership is a pillar of our economy. NAR research shows for every two homes sold, a job is created, providing needed revenue to both our state and local economies. This must be considered when debating the future of federal housing policies,” said Phipps.

Banks Increasing Incentives to Encourage Short Sales

A year ago, the big news was the government's $8,000 buyer incentive to jump start the housing market. Last summer, Wachovia(now Wells Fargo) began extending cash incentives to homeowners willing to sell their homes as a short sale, rather than going through foreclosure. Borrowers who have found themselves upside down on their Wachovia mortgage could receive 1% of the purchase price (minimum of $2,500) when they sell their home as a short sale. The borrowers get their cash incentive after the successful sale.

More recently, Chase is reported to have raised their ante to as much as $30,000 for higher valued homes. With the Bank's approval borrowers in a short sale sell their property of less than they currently owe in home loans. The lender forgives a portion of the mortgage in order to allow the seller to sell the property.

In the past short sales have been given a bad reputation, often taking longer than a traditional sale, often nine months or longer to obtain the necessary approval of the lender. Many homeowners are intimidated by the whole process and let their home go to foreclosure. They may lose out on a short sale that could in fact be a better choice in the long run.

Banks know that underwater owners are more likely to do a strategic default. Lenders would rather lessen their losses by proactively offering pre-approved short sales to their underwater owners than have the homes go through a foreclosure. Recent studies have proven that the cost of a foreclosure is significantly more than a short sale. Lenders have recently figured out that a short sale ends up saving them money and is in fact quicker than a foreclosure. Wachovia and Chase have set themselves apart from other lenders by turning foreclosures into short sales instead of the other way around. It creates a win-win situation for the homeowner and their Lender.

More info on Short Sales here.

MIT Scientists Create Artificial Solar Leaf That Can Power Homes

An April fools prank? Not likely, since this was published in Inhabitat.com on March 28th. Scientist Dr. David Nocera has perfected a low-cost, artificial leaf-like device, that like a real leaf, mimics the process of photosynthesis. Nocera announced the creation of a miniature solar cell at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society last week. Nocera hopes to use his “leaf” to help make individual homes capable of becoming their own self-sufficient power stations.

Nocera’s “leaf” is ready for commercial production and distribution. Hopefully one day soon, each home will find it as common as a hot water heater!

Looking for a Cause -- updated

(I ran this piece over 5 years ago. Good to know they're still going strong!)Bloomfield,NJ: The New Jersey Conservation Foundation has preserved over 100,000 acres of land throughout the state to protect our state’s precious natural resources and beautiful natural areas. NJCF’s land protection program focuses on select project areas and greenways that have been identified as critical to our future. From the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, NJCF has protected farms, forests, wetlands and urban and suburban parks.
Through acquisition and stewardship, NJCF protects strategic lands; promotes strong land use policies; and forges partnerships to achieve conservation goals. Since 1960, NJCF has protected tens of thousands of acres of open space. For more information, call 1-888-LAND-SAVE, or visit njconservation.org

How a Loan Modification or Short Sale Affects Your credit score?

Bloomfield, NJ – Your credit score will be affected by late mortgage payments and a short sale. However, there are 2 things that are considered horrible on your credit report. Foreclosure and bankruptcy.

Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale to avoid foreclosure by clicking here.

A foreclosure or bankruptcy will almost immediately lower a credit score by around 100 to 120 points. (The number is not hard and fast – it all depends upon what the score was before the foreclosure, and other factors that the credit bureaus don’t like to share.) The way that they write the algorithm, a foreclosure will keep on pushing your score down for the next 2 years! A foreclosure can also stay on a credit report for 7 years.

Short sales are different from a foreclosure. Short sales and loan modifications by themselves do not hurt a credit score (depending on how they are reported.) It is the missed payments that ding your credit report. How a short sale is coded/reported to the credit reporting bureau does make a difference in the affect it has on your score. It could be reported as a charge-off, a 120 day late payment, or a settled account.

Any of these are dings on the credit report, averaging 100 points. Here is the good news. The way they do the algorithm, it will damage your score for a shorter length of time than the 2 years a foreclosure does.

How a short sale is reported to the credit bureaus is something that can be negotiated as part of the process of the sales negotiations. Good negotiators can have a positive impact here. But, in the end, the credit score should not be the first thing to consider when facing the decision to short sale a home. You need to look at what is best for your family financially. The credit score is secondary to that.

Get advice from a trusted source, and then make an informed decision.

February Existing Home Sales Decline following Sustained Gains

Washington – Existing-home sales fell in February following three straight monthly increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dropped 9.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.88 million in February from an upwardly revised 5.40 million in January, and are 2.8 percent below the 5.02 million pace in February 2010.

Lawrence Yun NAR chief economist, expects an uneven recovery. “Housing affordability conditions have been at record levels and the economy has been improving, but home sales are being constrained by the twin problems of unnecessarily tight credit, and a measurable level of contract cancellations from some appraisals not supporting prices negotiated between buyers and sellers,” he said. “This tug and pull is causing a gradual but uneven recovery. Existing-home sales remain 26.4 percent above the cyclical low last July.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey2 shows first-time buyers purchased 34 percent of homes in February, up from 29 percent in January; they were 42 percent in February 2010.

All-cash sales were a record 33 percent in February, up from 32 percent in January; they were 27 percent in February 2010. Investors accounted for 19 percent of sales activity in February, down from 23 percent in January; they were 19 percent in February 2010. The balance of sales were to repeat buyers.

The national median existing-home price3 for all housing types was $156,100 in February, which is 5.2 percent below February 2010. Distressed homes – sold at discount – accounted for a 39 percent market share in February, up from 37 percent in January and 35 percent in February 2010. “The decline in price corresponds to the record level of all-cash purchases where buyers – largely investors – are snapping up homes at bargain prices,” Yun explained. “We’d be seeing greater numbers of traditional home buyers if mortgage credit conditions return to normal.”

NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said buyers should look into loan availability as soon as they decide they want to buy. “Despite very affordable mortgage interest rates, credit remains a challenge – buyers should check their personal credit, and mortgage availability in their area,” he said.

Real Estate Do's and Don'ts

As spring approaches, HGTV's FrontDoor.com is a great resource for anyone wanting to get up to speed in the Real Estate market. They've recently asked some of today's top real estate experts to compile a list of moves to make and mistakes to avoid when buying or selling a home.
Along with their brief but informative video clips, you'll find links dealing with every aspect of home ownership and a search engine for recent MLS listings anywhere in the U.S.