Earth Day Opening Night Party; Canary Hotel April 14th 5-9pm

The last party we (Green Drinks, Loa Tree and Weekend Hippie) threw was sold out. 

Now our good friends at New Noise Santa Barbara are putting together our opening night shindig for Santa Barbara Earth Day. 

It is going to rock, we can already feel it. Are you coming? 

 

April Santa Barbara EcoBroker Newsletter

In This Issue:      Santa Barbara Real Estate Snapshot Industry News: Governor Signs Homebuyer Tax Credit Community: Canary Hotel Earth Day kick Off Party Community: Green Shorts Film Festival Community: Electronic Waste Collection Event April 23rd & 24th  Get Involved: Vote on Empower Today (deadline tomorrow) Get Involved: Plan SB Need Your Help Vocab Lesson: Cradle To Cradle Cool Websites of The Month: www.EcoBunga.com LATEST & GREATEST...     SANTA BARBARA REAL ESTATE SNAPSHOT:   March 16 - April 11, 2010 New listings: 216 Price Improvements: 146 Pending: 131 (break down:) Sub $1million: 92 $1-2M: 27 $2-4M: 8 $4-8M: 3 $8M+: 2 Closed: 87 Off Market:  96 Back On market: 43 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. IN THE NEWS: Governor Signs Home Buyer Tax Credit Bill   Governor Schwarzenegger today signed AB 183 providing $200 million for home buyer tax credits.  The bill allocates $100 million for qualified first-time home buyers who purchase existing homes and $100 million for purchasers of new, or previously unoccupied, homes. Eligible taxpayers who close escrow on qualified principal residences between May 1, 2010 and December, 31, 2010, or who close escrow on a qualified principal residence on and after December 31, 2010 and before August 1, 2011, pursuant to an enforceable contract executed on or before December 31, 2010, will be able to take the allowed tax credit. This credit is equal to the lesser of 5 percent of the purchase price or $10,000, taken in equal installments over three consecutive years. Under the bill, purchasers will be required to live in the home as their principal residence for at least two years or forfeit the credit (i.e. repay it to the state).  Buyers also must be at least 18 years old and be unrelated to the seller.  First-time buyers are defined as those who have not owned a home in the past three years. California has initiated its own homebuyer tax credit. The credit is for 5% of the purchase price, with a maximum credit of $10,000. That’s a dollar-for-dollar reduction against income tax payments that would otherwise be due.  Homebuyers must claim the tax credit in equal installments over three consecutive years, beginning with the year of purchase. Purchasers are required to live in the home as their primary residence for two years or forfeit the credit To be eligible, first-time homebuyers can purchase a new or existing home. Repeat or move-up homebuyers are eligible for the credit only if they buy a new home. Buyers of existing homes must close escrow between May 1 and December 31, 2010. The credit is available to buyers of new homes who sign purchase agreements between May 1 and December 31, and close escrow by August 1, 2011. Separate from the California tax credit is the federal tax credit. The federal homebuyer tax credit will expire soon. If your clients want to take advantage of this tax credit, they must act fast. The tax credit is available to buyers who sign purchase agreements on a new or existing primary residence home between December 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. Buyers have until June 30 to close the mortgage loan on their new home. Click HERE for a Federal and State Tax chart.   The above content is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a tax advisor.   COMMUNITY:   Canary Hotel CEC Earth Day Opening Night Party   April 14th 5-9pm  The last party we (Green Drinks, Loa Tree and Weekend Hippie) threw was sold out. Now our good friends at New Noise Santa Barbara are putting together our opening night shindig for Santa Barbara Earth Day. It is going to rock, we can already feel it. Are you coming? Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door  www.NewNoiseSB.com  Green Shorts Film Festival  Join the Community Environmental Council, in partnership with Traffic Solutions and other tri-county organizations, for the screening & awards presentation of the second annual Green Shorts Film Festival on Friday, April 16 at 7:30 pm at the Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara. Tickets for the event will be $7.00 at the door or in advance at the Lobero Theatre online. The Green Shorts Film Festival is an annual online film festival about saving our planet, helping our environment and being green. The 2010 contest theme is “Bringing it Home” (this year’s Santa Barbara Earth Day theme). This is the second annual Green Shorts Film Festival and is part of the Santa Barbara Earth Day 40, which will take place on April 17 and 18 at Alameda Park in Santa Barbara, organized by the Community Environmental Council. To learn more about the Green Shorts Film Festival, visit www.GreenShortsFilmFest.org To learn more about the Santa Barbara Earth Day festival, visit www.sbearthday.org    Free Electronic Waste Collection Event:   The City of Santa Barbara is sponsoring an Electronic Waste Collection event in April in celebration of EARTH DAY! This event is free to residents and businesses alike. When: Friday April 23 & Saturday April 24 Time: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (note earlier start time!) Where: Sears parking lot, 3845 State St. (corner of Calle Real and La Cumbre), Santa Barbara What will be accepted:  All business and consumer electronic devices ….TVs, Computer Monitors, Computers (CPUs), laptops, keyboards, mice, cables & cords, printers, fax & copy machines, hard drives*, stereos, DVD & VCR players**, telephones, cell phones, radios, microwaves and more! * Hard Drives will be completely destroyed and recycled according to FACTA standards. ** Sorry - but we CAN NOT accept DVDs, CDs, tape cassettes, batteries (of any kind), fluorescent bulbs, toner cartridges, or large appliances. We hope to see you there, and please spread the word to your friends, family and neighbors! For questions or more information, please call the Environmental Services Division at (805) 564-5631.   GET INVOLVED: Energy Financing Program For Home Owners: "Empower"   Join us in asking the Board of Supervisors to approve an energy financing program for property owners -- EMAIL NOW! The County Board of Supervisors is set to give its final approval to an innovative financing program at its Tuesday, April 13 hearing in Santa Maria.  If approved, emPowerSBC - an Elective Municipal Program to Optimize Water, Energy and Renewables - is expected to create up to a thousand jobs and substantial utility bill savings through energy and water efficiency retrofits and renewable energy installations at homes and businesses in Santa Barbara County. SEND AN EMAIL TO THE SUPERVISORS IN SUPPORT OF EMPOWER     Plan Santa Barbara Needs Your Input A Draft Program Environmental Impact Report has been prepared to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed Plan Santa Barbara General Plan policy amendments and future growth in the City to the year 2030 and beyond. You are invited and encouraged to provide written comments on the draft EIR document and to attend upcoming public hearings described below. Note that Public comments on the draft General Plan documents and draft EIR are requested no later than May 17, 2010, 4:30 p.m. More details here.    VOCABULARY LESSON:   Cradle to Cradle: A style of manufacturing that attempts to provide for recycling of all components, from their first use in one product to their reuse in another product.   COOL WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: www.EcoBunga.com Your guide to green giveaways and deals!   GREEN TEAM WEBSITE: We are proud to be your Santa Barbara Green Team and ready to help you with all of your real estate needs. www.SBGreenTeam.com   Join us for our 3 year Anniversary where it all began...Arnoldi's Tuesday April 20th 6-8pm 600 Olive Street   See you there...   Earth Day Booth: Come visit us at the Green Drinks/Village Properties Booth. April 17 & 18th. We are booth #225 near the Green Home Pavilion.   We are hosting an "informal" Green Drinks throughout the 2 day Earth Day Festival, come by for some refreshments and networking. FOR SALE: Laurel Springs Ranch 2720 Painted Cave Road Santa Barbara, CA 93117   Reduced recently to $10,900,000  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.  www.2720PaintedCaveRoad.com Retreat Center Website: www.LaurelSpringsRetreat.net   VACATION RENTAL: Casa San Miguel Available to rent by the night/week/ month. 3br/2ba remodeled home with roof top ocean view deck and jacuzzi. Features non-toxic cleaners, Natura mattresses, organic linens, energy efficient appliances and many more healthy/green details. Book a stay at: www.CasaSanMiguelSB.com 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.   www.SBGreenTeam.com Elizabeth Wagner & DeAnn Wilson Village Properties 4050 Calle Real Suite 120 | Santa Barbara, CA 93110 Elizabeth: 805.895.1467 or DeAnn 805.451.7488 www.SantaBarbaraEcoBroker.com and www.GreenHomesSB.com SantaBarbaraEcoBrokers@gmail.com

This email was sent to [email]. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemovetm Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. powered by

Weekly Real Estate Snapshot 4/5 - 4/11

New Listings: 69
Price Improvements: 43
Pending: 35 breaks down to:
     under $1 million: 22
     $1-2 million: 10
     $2-4 million: 2
     $4-8 million: 1
     $8 million+: 0
Closed: 22
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 16
Back On Market: 16

Data From Santa Barbara MLS and excludes mobile homes.

California Passes Large Tax Credit for Homebuyers

California has initiated its own homebuyer tax credit. The credit is for 5% of the purchase price, with a maximum credit of $10,000. That’s a dollar-for-dollar reduction against income tax payments that would otherwise be due. 

Homebuyers must claim the tax credit in equal installments over three consecutive years, beginning with the year of purchase. Purchasers are required to live in the home as their primary residence for two years or forfeit the credit

To be eligible, first-time homebuyers can purchase a new or existing home. Repeat or move-up homebuyers are eligible for the credit only if they buy a new home.

Buyers of existing homes must close escrow between May 1 and December 31, 2010. The credit is available to buyers of new homes who sign purchase agreements between May 1 and December 31, and close escrow by August 1, 2011.

Separate from the California tax credit is the federal tax credit. The federal homebuyer tax credit will expire soon. If your clients want to take advantage of this tax credit, they must act fast. The tax credit is available to buyers who sign purchase agreements on a new or existing primary residence home between December 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. Buyers have until June 30 to close the mortgage loan on their new home.

If you have any questions about how the California or federal tax credit may benefit your clients, please call me today.

The above content is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a tax advisor.

Count Down To Earth Day...

In case you are wondering where I will be on April 17th and 18th, the answer is at Earth Day in Booth #225 with my green business partner DeAnn Wilson.

Saturday April 17th from 11am-7pm and Sunday April 18th from 11am-5pm

Here we are last year!

And the year before...

We Need Your Help To Approve An Energy Financing Program For Property Owners

We need your help
Join CEC in asking the Board of Supervisors to approve an energy financing program for property owners -- EMAIL NOW!

The County Board of Supervisors is set to give its final approval to an innovative financing program at its Tuesday, April 13 hearing in Santa Maria. 

If approved, emPowerSBC - an Elective Municipal Program to Optimize Water, Energy and Renewables - is expected to create up to a thousand jobs and substantial utility bill savings through energy and water efficiency retrofits and renewable energy installations at homes and businesses in Santa Barbara County.

SEND AN EMAIL TO THE SUPERVISORS IN SUPPORT OF EMPOWER

Community Environmental Council's Culinary Masterpieces Locavore's Extravaganza!

 

See you there tomorrow, this is an event not to be missed and a great Earth Day kick off! 

Weekly Real Estate Snapshot 3/29 - 4/4

New Listings: 48

Price Improvements: 30
Pending:  41 breaks down to:
     under $1 million: 25
     $1-2 million: 11
     $2-4 million: 2
     $4-8 million: 1
     $8 million+: 2
Closed: 26
Off Market (expired, canceled, withdrawn): 46
Back On Market: 12

Data From Santa Barbara MLS and excludes mobile homes.

Green Shorts Film Festival Screening and Awards Event Friday, April 16, 2010 7:30 PM - 09:00 PM

Lobero Theatre 33 E. Canon Perdido Santa Barbara, CA 93101 View Map Join the Community Environmental Council, in partnership with Traffic Solutions and other tri-county organizations, for the screening & awards presentation of the second annual Green Shorts Film Festival on Friday, April 16 at 7:30 pm at the Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara. Tickets for the event will be $7.00 at the door or in advance at the Lobero Theatre online. (Tickets are subject to $1.50 per ticket Lobero Facility Fee; other fees may also apply.) The Green Shorts Film Festival is an annual online film festival about saving our planet, helping our environment and being green. The 2010 contest theme is “Bringing it Home” (this year’s Santa Barbara Earth Day theme). Awards will be presented immediately following the screening -- top rated videos will win great prizes, including a MacBook computer, gift certificates to Samy's Camera and more. This is the second annual Green Shorts Film Festival and is part of the Santa Barbara Earth Day 40, which will take place on April 17 and 18 at Alameda Park in Santa Barbara, organized by the Community Environmental Council. To purchase tickets in advance, visit the Lobero Theatre online . To learn more about the Green Shorts Film Festival, visit www.GreenShortsFilmFest.org. To learn more about the Santa Barbara Earth Day festival, visit www.sbearthday.org.

The Community Environmental Council Brand Story (aka What Our Mission Is)

Imagine our nation: free from its addiction to fossil fuels and on its way to stabilizing the Earth’s climate. Our homes run on energy from the sun, wind and waves, not dirty coal and dwindling supplies of foreign oil. We are free from worry about the planet our children will inherit, free to build a strong and sustainable economy. All of this is possible. It can happen in a single generation. And we are getting it started right here, in the Santa Barbara region, with our commitment to being Fossil Free by ’33.

Can our small community really play a part in shaping our planet’s future? We already have. Santa Barbara’s response to a 1969 oil spill sparked the first Earth Day and launched the Community Environmental Council. Led by CEC, our community inspired the nation by building one of America’s first recycling programs. We then helped to pioneer now-mainstream movements like local organic gardening, smart growth for cities and green building, even establishing the nation’s highest standards for energy efficiency. Some say America’s environmental past is firmly rooted in Santa Barbara. We say its future is about to be born here.

Overcoming our dependence on fossil fuel is the biggest challenge our community has ever faced and Fossil Free by ’33 is our equally ambitious response. Citizens, business leaders and policymakers of the Santa Barbara region have declared freedom from fossil fuels in one generation. Endowed richly with sun, wind and waves, brimming with human and financial resources, our community can save literally billions of dollars while creating thousands of jobs as we make this heroic change. And CEC has a down-to-Earth, step-by-step blueprint for how Santa Barbara can lead the way to this sustainable future.

This is your invitation to join a community effort that leaves behind “us vs. them”: it is about all of us, working together. Our strategy calls on everyone to pitch in: neighbors will share ideas for making their homes more energy efficient, companies will allow employees to telecommute, leaders will invest in clean energy infrastructure and all of us will advocate for statewide policy change. Best of all, the plan is realistic because it meets the needs of our region’s diverse families, workers, businesses and future generations.

We’re transforming how we travel, rethinking how we make and use energy, and renovating our homes and offices. We’re declaring our freedom from fossil fuels so that we can be free to build the future we want in a single generation.