Filed under: Green Homes, Real Estate | Tags: green built homes, Green Homes
This week I visited 3 homes, two 5-star and one 3 or 4-star rated homes by Austin Energy. They were all beautiful homes in North/Central Austin. The first home dazzles you as you enter the house with a decorative stone wall with contemporary art niches. The colors and materials throughout the home are well chosen. The backyard is also really nice – big and backing to a wet weather creek. The rooms are all spacious and the floor plan is very usable. The second home is also a great home with a nice floor plan and yard. Being smaller, this one is not as expensive, and might be a great home for someone trying to stay under $500K. The third home was extraordinary. I really liked the large gameroom overlooking the beautiful yard full of trees, and the balcony off the master bedroom. There are some wonderful surprises in this home, from the shower in the master bathroom on down to the huge fridge in the kitchen. The seller says electric bills have run around $60/month in this 5-star green home!
Filed under: Real Estate
I think it will. Although this is not really a credit, it’s more of a loan, I think quite a few people will take advantage of it and will spend money on furniture or items for the home. Why wouldn’t they? If the government offers $7500 – as a credit on your tax return – and you can image many ways to spend that money…. hmmm… The important thing to remember is that the full amount must be paid back to the government over a 15 year period, or $500 per year (there is no interest charged on the money, which is nice). Ok, so the idea is to help first-time home buyers who might be needing some cash to make the deal work, but you don’t get the money until you file your tax return, likely after you’ve bought the home. So, if you can scrape together the cash to close on the house, then you get $7500 after the fact, you’re likely to spend it on stuff to go in the house, or repairs/upgrades, etc. I’m not sure that’s bad, and I really do think it will put more money into the marketplace. My advice is just to realize you do have to pay it back, and saving money might be a better alternative.
