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Market conditions and cutting energy costs Published January 9, 2010 So how is the market doing? Out of 315 houses listed behind Galveston’s Seawall, there are six percent that are pending sales. November, 2009, there were eight percent pending and in April, 2009, there were 13.9 percent pending. If you are selling, are you in the market to sell or are you just on the market?Next week there will be tips on how to be in the market and not just another house with a sign in the yard. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age of residential units in the United States is around 25 years. Of course, the median age would be much higher in Galveston due to our much older historical housing stock. A primary activity of a real estate professional with the National Association of Realtor’s Green Designation will be to work with clients and customers who want to incorporate green features in the aging stock of existing homes. As promised from last week’s column, the following are lower level upgrades to your house, sometimes referred to as Retrofitting, to improve energy efficiency and conserve resources: programmable thermostats, Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (recycling required when no longer in use), lighting controls such as timers, dimmers and occupancy sensors, water heater jackets, Energy Star appliances, duct sealing, rain barrels, low-flow faucets, weather-stripping and caulking. These have been judged as to payback time in years, added costs, annual savings, 10 year savings and 1 year ROI (return on investment). 2010: A great year in Galveston’s remarkable recovery. David Bowers is President of the Galveston Association of Realtors® and is associated with House Company Realtors. Contact David at (409) 771-4637 or at david(at)davidbowers.com - Written By David Bowers |
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