Green Real Estate Appraiser

Rebates and Free Stuff to Save Water in San Diego

Posted on November 11, 2014 | Leave a comment

We all need to save water, and save money! Have you looked at your latest water bill? Like most of us we got a bit of a shock with the summer’s water bill.

Here is some resources where you can get free stuff or free help conserving water and changing your landscaping.

Landscape training classes: The three-hour seminars are fast-paced and informative. They offer solutions to common landscape problems. Participants will learn to think about landscapes from the soil up. In addition, they will learn how to design landscapes that are sustainable in the San Diego climate. Class topics will include how to make the best use of the region’s limited rainfall, irrigate efficiently and choose the best plants for each yard.hen sign up for a FREE California-Friendly Landscape Class!

See schedule at: http://www.watersmartsd.org/programs/california-friendly-landscape-training-classes

Residential Water Surveys: All California American Water customers – both homeowners and renters – are eligible for a free program that will help you save water and money. By calling the conservation office or signing up at one of our conservation events, a certified conservation expert will visit your home to identify ways you can save water. A California American Water conservation expert will check for leaks in your current indoor and outdoor water systems, and at the same time provide conservation tips and devices. After the survey is completed, you will receive an individualized report with an evaluation of their results and personalized recommendations for further water conservation. Contact the San Diego County conservation office at (619) 522-6407 to schedule an appointment for your free survey today.

Conservation Devices
California American Water offers free water-saving devices to all San Diego County customers. Come stop by your local office at 1025 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach, CA 91932 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. to pick your free water-saving devices today.

Call to get current class schedule for: California-Friendly Landscape Training Class, Site Evaluation Workshop, Rainwater Capture Workshop and Planting Irrigation Workshop.

Website: http://amwater.com/caaw/learning-center/wise-water-use/san-diego-rebate-information/page16988.html

When we here more we will post. If any of our readers have heard of programs please let us know.

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

What To Watch – Property Values Increasing/decreasing

Posted on November 8, 2014 | Leave a comment

Wages stagnate, everything going up in prices, who will be able to buy your property?

For the second month in a row, a majority of the new jobs added were low-quality positions, existing below the median wage level. The lowest wage category alone accounted for nearly one-third of the new additions listed in the jobs reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is clear evidence that we are still in the grips of a low-wage recovery.

Digging deeper into the numbers, we see that food service and drinking places (the main component of the lowest wage category) accounted for the largest employment gains last month. This sector, which pays an average hourly wage of just $12.57, added nearly 42,000 positions, representing approximately 20% of all the October jobs.

Unfortunately, low-wage jobs like these do not provide enough income to boost consumer spending or encourage more borrowing, so their overall impact on the economy is negligible.

In total, 55% of the jobs added in October fell below the median wage level.

Commenting on the latest employment numbers, index creator and Dent Research co-founder Rodney Johnson said: “More than 200,000 new jobs looks good in a headline, but we cannot ignore the types of jobs that are being created. When job quality is factored in, it’s still a low-wage recovery. The jobs we’re adding do not increase overall consumer spending or borrowing, and, therefore, won’t expand the economy in a meaningful way. Each month that we see more additions below the median wage line is another month that delays a full recovery.”

Disclaimer: for entertainment and information purposes only

SolarCity to Offer Own Loans to Homeowners

Posted on November 4, 2014 | Leave a comment

SolarCity, the nation’s largest provider of rooftop solar, said Wednesday that it is offering direct loans to homeowners in California and seven other states who want to own their solar energy systems.

Recent growth of the rooftop solar industry has been fueled foremost by lease and power-purchase agreements that allow customers to buy electricity at a discount from utility rates, typically over a 20-year period, while the solar company owns and maintains the equipment.

Those deals can offer upfront savings with little or no money down. But analysts are predicting a shift toward buying, as confidence grows in the technology and better financing emerges.

San Mateo-based SolarCity says its new, 30-year loans will replicate and improve upon the savings and assurances of a power-purchase agreement. Customers repay the loans according to their power production, billed in kilowatt-hours.

“Nothing like this exists. It combines the benefits of a PPA with ownership,” SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive said. “Our motivation is always to make sure the (solar energy) system is performing, because if it doesn’t, the loan doesn’t get paid back.”

The loans only become more attractive than a lease if the customer incorporates their federal investment tax credit for solar.

Describing a $30,000 loan for a rooftop solar array, Rive said the borrower would initially repay the loan at 16 cents per kilowatt-hour. After the first year, a $9,000 solar tax credit can be used to buy down the loan to 11 cents or 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Rebates and Free Stuff to Save Water in San Diego

What To Watch – Property Values Increasing/decreasing

SolarCity to Offer Own Loans to Homeowners

Follow Blog