Living Green In Houston, Tx (Houston, TX)
By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
The most commonly asked question when someone is consider moving to the Houston area is where they should purchase.  It's a huge City so narrowing it down to area is the first thing to consider. When looking at a map of the City it appears that so many things can be nearby.  It's only about 15-20 miles from one place to another.  But its important to keep in mind the traffic flow on different freeways.  With over 5 Million people in the Houston Metro area, traffic time can really add up - The other day I went to a Social Media Breakfast Downtown during Rush Hour.  I thought I would take the opportunity to make a short video of what Houston traffic can be like.   If you would like a Packet on Relocating to Houston with Tips on area and what to expect, I'd be happy to provide the informat...
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
I was in the middle of putting together a Class Presentation this morning for Lone Star College and thought it could be fun to put together a list of Daily Energy Saving Tips for a Week or Two. With Summer time coming, get ready for those Electric Bills to skyrocket!! In your home, there are a ton of Little Things to do (besides changing your light bulbs) that can help you reduce your bill.  With this being the first day, let's start with something easy.  It shouldn't even take 10 minutes to do. Phantom Energy Loads - We have a bunch of little things plugged in all the time.  Like our Coffee Pot.  We can set it to automatically turn off if we forget but the truth is, even when it is off - It is still using Electricity.  The majority of Electrical Devices pull what is called a phantom or...
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
I was searching for HVAC tape earlier today and someone on Twitter asked why I needed it, what it was going to do to help my house. Thought I would do a quick video explaining how it helps and why HVAC Tape is better than Duct Tape.  And for the record, I don't recommend doing this on your own.  :) But here is what I did with before and after video. If you are in Texas, it is mandated by State Law that there be a company to offer this service for Free.  If you are in or around the Houston area that Company is FreeLightingCorp.comOH, and by the way I got the tape at Home Depot.  
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
More importantly, who buys homes?  What is the typical buyer profile statistically speaking?  In Part One of the Series I discuss the need to 'Ditch the term GREEN' - It's confusing.  People don't understand it anymore because everything is 'GREEN' Reading through the comments of my post it is evident why we need to, as fast as possible, get rid of the word. It means something different to everyone It brings on Anger to some in light of recent and absurd Government spending Many people assume that it just means it costs more money We could go on and on.  But this is about noting the Obstacles and by the end of the Series, hopefully having an answer to overcome and move forward. While much can get lost in the written word I am actually embedding a video below to help explain what I am ab...
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
The Obstacle to Building and Selling Green in Houston will be a Series - this is the first of the series. Typically speaking in the Real Estate Market right now in regards to Green I would say that the average line of thought, the average acceptance of a 'Green' or 'Greener' home not only in Houston but around the Nation is very high. We have gone from a few years ago, the average consumer thinking that a 'Green' Home was Recycled and only beneficial to the Environment to Today - Understanding that not only is a 'Green' home better for the Environment, It is better for the Homeowner. This is a Drastic change in thinking for Society when you think about it in real terms and how fast this thought has changed.  Now, the acceptance of Greener Homes may be high, but do they sell? Regardless ...
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
The Stimulus Bill, it's rather confusing.  I have previously posted some of the Positive Sides to the Bill and this is part 3 of my Energy Efficiency Tax Credits in the '09 Stimulus Bill. If you have been following my Webinar Series through 'Turning Houston Green' on Greening the Existing Home, you know that this Saturday, Michael Strong and I will be going over Water and Lighting Fixtures.  Part of this will be in regards to Energy Efficient Water Heating Solutions which includes Tankless and Solar Water Heating. In doing our research, we noted that the Stimulus Bill changed the Tax Credits for this also.  Because the changes go through 2010, we think it is important for people to understand what it is you can actually get with your Tax Credits.  Be an educated consumer so that you can...
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By Stephanie Edwards-Musa, knitwit at thred UP
(thredUP.com)
Because negativity, whining and otherwise just Chicken Little type complaining makes me tired I always try to find the positive side to things. Since the Big News has been the Stimulus Package the past couple days, that's where I was trying to find something positive.  It should be no surprise that Energy Efficiency and Green Collar Jobs have a potential WIN with the Bill. I ran across an article on CNET that laid out much of this information and MORE Tax Credits for projects that have Electricity derived from Biomass, Landfills, etc. were extended through 2013.   Which we will Desperately NEED because they are now offering a $7500 Tax Credit for Plug In Electric Vehicles.  That should put a nice little strain on some already Taxed Grids throughout the US. The $2000 Cap on the 30 percen...
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Houston, TX Real Estate Professionals