In This Issue:
LATEST & GREATEST... DeAnn and Elizabeth are very excited to announce our new Website. We are proud to be your Santa Barbara Green Team. Please visit: www.SBGreenTeam.com
SANTA BARBARA REAL ESTATE SNAPSHOT:
January 18 - February 15, 2010
New listings: 181
Price Improvements: 96
Pending: 94
(break down:) Sub $1million: 66
$1-2M: 14
$2-4M: 7
$4-8M: 2
$8M+: 0
Closed: 82
Off Market: 87
Back On market: 36
This is a look at statistics provided through the Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service over the past month. They include single family residences and condos, from Carpinteria to Goleta.
Lending Snapshot:
The Financial News Keeps Getting Better. The New Year has started off by offering several very strong incentives for purchasing a home early in 2010.
To begin with, the First Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit of 2009 was extended into 2010. However, there are strict parameters that must be met. A buyer must be in escrow no later than the end of April and must close their loan by the end of June to qualify. No one knows if it will be extended again, so buyers may want to firm up a purchase early in the year. Also the FHA is starting to make their lending policies a bit more restrictive as the lending and housing market recovers. Increases in cost along with more stringent criteria have already been announced and should be implemented by the summer. Buyers contemplating an FHA loan might have an advantage if they purchase a home early in the year before these changes take place.
Remember, these loans go as high as $729,750 for a single family home in Santa Barbara with as little at 3.5% down!
Long term loan rates are up slightly as the Fed nears the end of its purchase program of Mortgage Bonds, but are still near historic lows. It is anticipated that rates could increase somewhere between 0.5–1.0% by the end of 2010, yet another incentive to purchase early in the year.
All this could mean that we are at or are near the farthest point in the pendulum’s arc of restrictive lending policies, and are hopefully seeing a return to common sense lending.
By Maddox Rees of Coast Village Lending
GREEN NEWS: Real Estate Sector: A Key Player in Energy Efficiency The real estate sector plays a key role in energy efficiency and conservation. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined that cost-effective energy efficiency measures in buildings could reduce building emissions by 30% from the 2020 estimated baseline. Basic improvements include improved building insulation, greater heating and cooling efficiencies, energy-efficient lighting, and energy-efficient appliances.
Learn more about the United Nations' Sustainable Building & Construction Initiative here
Our communities are facing greater challenges regarding water supply and infrastructure. How much water does an individual use daily?
10 Water Trivia Facts: - How much of the earth’s surface is water?
80%
- How much of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking water?
1%
- How much water does an individual use daily?
Over 100 gallons (all uses)
- In which room is the most water used? Bathroom
- How much water can you save by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and before bedtime? 8 gallons a day
- How much water can a leaky toilet waste each day? 200 gallons
- How much water is used in the average five-minute shower?
15-25 gallons
- On the average, how much is used to hand wash dishes?
9-20 gallons
- How much water is used to produce a single day’s supply of U.S. newsprint?
300 million gallons
- How much water is used during the growing/production of a single orange?
13.8 gallons
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Home Water Conservation Conservation is the easiest and cheapest way to protect our water supply. The Eco Starter Kit and Green & Healthy Kit from Eco Hatchery include essential water conservation products that save a typical U.S. household 7,000 gallons of water and $165-$260 in utility bills annually! View kit contents and order online at: www.ecohatchery.com/actionpack
COMMUNITY:
The Green Coast Innovation Zone Santa Barbara & Tri Counties
It is a business truism: winners see opportunity in adversity. An enormous economic opportunity in New Energy emerged across this country in the last two years, even as the economy itself withered and contracted... Nobody has envisioned New Energy’s potential more vividly than a small group of ambitious folks in the often-overlooked San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura tri-county region of California’s central coast... Community leaders there, having had a taste of regional development in the IT boom of the late 1990s, now intend to turn the dream into real energy deals and real sustainable growth and to turn the tri-county region into a “Green Coast” booming with New Energy opportunity.
They have embarked on a pioneering effort to define exactly how a region can join together to create a New Energy boom. In doing so, they may be creating a template for regional New Energy economy coalitions throughout the nation. The instigator was Henry Dubroff, Editor of the Pacific Coast Business Times. As he traveled the beat in 2008-09, he talked up the idea of a Green Coast to Bill Buratto, President of the Ventura County Economic Development Association, Dave Davis, Director of the Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council, and Mike Manchak, President of the Economic Vitality Corporation. The concept of the Green Coast Innovation Zone (GCIZ) came out of those conversations. For the full article please reference:
GET INVOLVED:
40th Anniversary of Earth Day April 17th and 18th Next month on March 16th, Green Drinks, Loa Tree and Weekend Hippie will be hosting a joint Green Drinks Earth Day Celebration.
Help Haiti Rebuild Haiti Earthquake Rebuilding - Let's all help to rebuild Haiti to be the world's example of a sustainable community!
Please donate today to help Global Green USA ensure that disaster resistant, healthier, energy efficient housing, schools and other structures appropriate for Haiti are built in the months ahead. As we work on the rebuilding, we will help supplement aid efforts as we work with other organizations -- helping to provide solar flashlights and other ‘sustainable’ aid for lighting and water purification that can assist in the long recovery from this humanitarian crisis.
VOCABULARY LESSON:
The Senator was so outraged by what he saw that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Because of these events, Santa Barbara is considered by many to be the birthplace of the environmental movement.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and this year’s 40th Anniversary celebration will take place on Saturday & Sunday, April 17-18th at Alameda Park.
COOL WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: www.theGoodGuide.com- Find safe, healthy, & green products
- Search or browse over 50,000 food, toys, personal care, & household products to see whats really behind the label
- Get expert advice and recommendations on products to quickly learn the impacts of what you buy
- Find better products and make purchasing decisions based on whats important to you.
|  | Tuesday, February 16th
Cafe Shell 1112 State St.
6-8 (ish) pm
Next Month: Green Drinks, Weekend Hippie and Loa Tree are putting on the Earth Day Kick Off Party!
Tuesday, March 16th
Carr Winery 6-9pm Live Music from Spencer the Gardener and others, Food Vendors and good times!
Suggested donation at the door and all proceeds go to the Community Environmental Council
Join us as a fan on Facebook: Green Drinks Santa Barbara
FOR SALE:
Laurel Springs Ranch
2720 Painted Cave Road Santa Barbara, CA 93117 Listed at $12,000,000
160 acre, 5 parcels Turn key retreat business, panoramic views lodge that sleeps 30, yoga studio, main house, multiple guest houses, spa, solar heated pool, barn, riding arena, pond, hiking trails, plentiful water, organic garden & more.
Retreat Center Website:
SOLD 212 Mohawk Road Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Sold at $727,500
Mesa property just steps to the beach, Lazy Acres and The Wilcox Property. This house is ready for it's eco-friendly remodel! Large lot and charming home with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.
SOLD
5481 Calle Ocho Carpinteria, CA 93013 Sold for $860,000
A beautiful, wooded, creekside .70 acre lot. 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathroom home.
The new buyers are excited and ready for their GREEN REMODEL!
SOLD
270 Canon Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Sold for $930,000
Beautifully remodeled 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on a private lane. Arched doorways, hardwood flooring, stone fireplace and dining area in living room. Gourmet kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances and breakfast area. Main bathroom with separate tub and shower with Travertine tile work. Separate laundry room & 2-car garage. Terraced garden with fruit trees and mountain views.
Your Referrals are always welcomed and appreciated!
Please forward this informative newsletter to all that are interested in:
Green Homes, Real Estate and a healthy lifestyle.
You can help us grow the green home movement in our community.
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