changescapeweb, Author at Sandra Meranda

June 13, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Best Guidelines to follow when Choosing Solar Panels

Since electric power costs are not exactly all that great in many areas around the world, there is an increasing need for alternative sources of electricity that happen to be eco-friendly and easy to use. Although solar power has been around for a fairly long time now, there have been developments in the field that it a better choice as time goes by. The best thing about this is that solar power will give you a chance to stay either partially or completely independent from your local power grid with the right solar power setup. You would do well to look for an installation company that allows you to get the job done without worrying about the details, but that will require some inquiries and research so you can find the right company for your needs. The following guidelines will give you a few ideas you can use in making this happen:

Lowering your electric bill

There needs to be a certain balance between how many panels you have and the space you have to work with. For the most part this will depend on the budget you have available and the space you may possess around your home. Consumption levels still depend on your appliances, electronic devices and more, so these details will need to be tracked before you can move on to actually purchasing a solar panel setup.

Breaking even on the costs

This is one really important part of the process of purchasing, installing and using a solar panel setup, since the price of one still happens to be a pretty hefty one. You will need to find a proper balance between your setup and consumption, as well as the orientation of the panels and what you have to work with in terms of landscape. A great time to install solar panels would be right after moving into a new home, straight after the reliable moving company has dropped off your belongings and you still have some freedom to choose what you want to do without having to deal with a lot more work than you otherwise would.

Keeping your system efficient

There are some hours of the day which happen to be more productive for solar power, which is between 8 AM and 4 PM, so you will need to keep that in mind so the solar panels will be unobstructed in those hours for maximum efficiency. Any shade on the panels will only diminish their ability to collect and store energy, so you will need to focus on moving any items out of the way if the shadows become a problem.

Maintaining the panels

You need to choose an installing company that allows you to get regular maintenance done to your panels once in a while as part of the original deal. Although they require minimal maintenance, you should still keep that in mind when you look for solar panels, avoiding shady companies and second hand solutions.

P.S. Real estate is booming this Spring! Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years. It is never too early to get your home ready for the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Spring market. Don’t miss out on your dream home & interest rates below 4%. Call me for details today!

May 28, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Fifteen Shades of Green: Building Design Tips

Green building is not an invention of 21st century. However, sustainable design has been out of the scope of architects for quite a long time. As the resource shortage and the severe climate changes impose actual dangers on the environment and the society, “green” building reached its peak. These constructions are healthy for both the nature and their occupants.

The most impressing thing to the ordinary viewer is probably the ingenious design. Each building has unique and transcendent look. Although architects are free in the expression of their creativity, they still follow certain techniques. On the other hand, the expert builders should adopt specific techniques and get updated on the current trends.

1. Long Life, Loose Fit, Low Energy

In other words – sustainability, flexibility and energy – efficiency. The idea was presented by the Welsh architect Alex Gordon. His prophetic vision has become the basic of the nowadays green building.

2. Social impact and Functionality

Designing a built environment that complies with both the social and ecological needs is corner stone in sustainable architecture. The building should not only serve its primary purpose as an administrative space or home, but it should also improve or add up to the surrounding environment.

3. Location

The location determines the approach that the architect and the expert building team will undertake. What are the benefits and the downsides of a certain area? Making use of the natural resources such as light, water, wind and soil will shape the future design of the building.

4. Adjusting To The Climate

What makes a sustainable building so special is that its design is perfectly adjusted to the local climate. This allows making the most of a certain environment, even if it’s not exactly favorable.

5. Reuse, Reduce and Recycle

These principles don’t apply simply to the materials used in the construction. Many architects choose to work with buildings that don’t function anymore. Instead of destroying the old place and rebuilding it again, they use the existing structure. In this way builders and architects reduce the waste.

6. Quality Materials

Sustainable buildings are made to last. That’s why these constructions usually incorporate good – quality and eco – friendly materials.

7. Landscape

As mentioned earlier, sustainable building is not only about creating a structure. Include also the exterior that surrounds it. The outdoors environment will contribute to the aesthetics and the energy –efficiency. For instance, strategically situated trees can shade out the area, decreasing the energy for cooling the building.

8. Durable Interiors and Low Maintenance

One of the primary characteristics of sustainable building is an interior with timeless design. The indoors spaces should require minimal resources for their maintenance.

9. Indoor Air Quality

The building services should use low or no – VOC s products such hard surface flooring and non – toxic paints and finishes to ensure the high quality of indoor air.

10. HVAC System

This system will control the residential climate, ensuring that building doesn’t use more energy than needed.

11. Energy Conservation

Architects come with different creative ways to incorporate renewable energy resource in the construction – from solar panels and passive solar integration to glazing and high – efficiency appliances.

12. Water Systems

The most popular choices are rainwater harvesting systems and tankless water heaters. The collected water is then used for the sprinkler systems in the landscape.

13. Insulation

This is another feature that has huge influence on energy conservation. Heating and cooling contribute sufficiently to the building’s energy consumption.

14. Ventilation

There are two types of ventilation – passive or natural and mechanically powered. The choice depends on the local climate specifics.

15. Eco – friendly appliances

Everything that can save you energy and thus decrease the carbon pollution can be incorporated – from water and energy conserving household appliances to office equipment.

Real estate is booming this Spring! Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years. It is never too early to get your home ready for the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Spring market. Don’t miss out on your dream home & interest rates below 4%. Call me for details today!

April 22, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Top 5 Real Estate Sales Tips and Guidelines to Follow

There are a lot of things happening on the real estate markets around the world, but things may not be all that bad for everyone involved. It has a good set of challenges involved, but with the right time and research being done, you will find a buyer for your property without too much trouble. The tips ahead will give you more information on that matter and how you can make your sale a reality:

1. The first and foremost thing you need to do is to ensure you have a proper maintenance done to your property before you put it on the market. There is no point in trying to sell something that doesn’t have a good look and happens to be in disrepair. A potential buyer will want to see all aspects of a home and if they see something that doesn’t work all that well, they will not feel interested in what the property has to offer. You need to ensure you manage even the smallest of issues, as they will become a big problem. Broken doorknobs, faulty duct-work and pipework, as well as any other types of damage will need to be dealt with promptly or else you will have little chance of a sale on any market.

2. You can focus on getting some staging done for the exterior of your home. A nice, fresh coat of paint, making your landscape shine and even some nice furniture to add to the overall appeal. The more comfort you have out there, the more welcoming the home will look overall and potentially more interesting to buyers.

3. You need to make sure your future buyers have unrestricted access to your property so they can see it in all its glory. There are many ways you can do this, but you should ensure you have done this ahead of time to allow your real estate agent to look at things and let them point out the good parts of your home while downplaying its weaknesses. Giving the agents a key and access is extremely important, so make sure you also have a good time they can do viewings, since this will make your potential sale more likely to happen.

4. Stick to keeping your prices as reasonable as you can. There are many buyers today that happen to be aware of the ways they can find more about prices in the area, so you will need to keep that in mind and that they will know if your price is abnormal and bloated. You can ensure a faster sale if you set your price at about a 10% or so lower than the rest of the homes in your area. This should still give you what you need, but you will not have to wait for a long time to make your sale as a result.

5. Another step worth taking is to de-clutter the entirety of your property, keeping it clear and allowing it to shine with more space than it had before you do that. If needed hire a professional house clearance company to help you out. You would do well to remove any personal items from the property as well, as this will allow people to project their own vision of what the home must look like instead.

For more helpful property maintenance tips read at this site

March 10, 2015 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Pending Home Sales Rise in January to Highest Level in 18 Months

WASHINGTON (February 27, 2015) — Improved buyer demand at the beginning of 2015 pushed pending home sales in January to their highest level since August 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All major regions except for the Midwest saw gains in activity in January.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed 1.7 percent to 104.2 in January from an upwardly revised 102.5 in December and is now 8.4 percent above January 2014 (96.1). This marks the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year gains with each month accelerating the previous month’s gain.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says for the most part buyers in January were able to overcome tight supply to sign contracts at a pace that highlights the underlying demand that exists in today’s market. “Contract activity is convincingly up compared to a year ago despite comparable inventory levels,” he said. “The difference this year is the positive factors supporting stronger sales, such as slightly improving credit conditions, more jobs and slower price growth.”

Yun also points to more favorable conditions for traditional buyers entering the market. All-cash sales and sales to investors are both down from a year ago¹, creating less competition and some relief for buyers who still face the challenge of limited homes available for sale.

“All indications point to modest sales gains as we head into the spring buying season,” says Yun. “However, the pace will greatly depend on how much upward pressure the impact of low inventory will have on home prices. Appreciation anywhere near double-digits isn’t healthy or sustainable in the current economic environment.”

The PHSI in the Northeast inched 0.1 percent to 84.9 in January, and is now 6.9 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest the index decreased 0.7 percent to 99.3 in January, but is 4.2 percent above January 2014.

Pending home sales experienced the largest increase in the South, up 3.2 percent to an index of 121.9 in January (highest since April 2010) and are 9.7 percent above last January. The index in the West rose 2.2 percent in January to 96.4 and is 11.4 percent above a year ago.

Total existing-homes sales in 2015 are forecast to be around 5.26 million, an increase of 6.4 percent from 2014. The national median existing-home price for all of this year is expected to increase near 5 percent. In 2014, existing-home sales declined 2.9 percent and prices rose 5.7 percent.

For more info: https://www.realtor.org/news-releases/2015/02/pending-home-sales-rise-in-january-to-highest-level-in-18-months

Real estate is already booming for the New Year! Last year was the busiest real estate market that we have had in years. It is never too early to get your home ready for the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Spring market. Don’t miss out on lower home prices & interest rates below 4%. Call me for details today! 314-691-1320

October 7, 2014 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Looking for a Quick & Easy Way to Grow your Business?

One key component of being successful is to stay connected and build a relationship with your customers and clients. As a business grows, most businesses owners realize after the fact, that they don’t have the same amount of time to stay in touch and build customer loyalty as they once did.

What is the solution then? Find a system that will help you stay in touch.

The SendOutCards system is a valuable tool that will help grow your business. Never underestimate the power of sending a personalized greeting card and/or gift. Sending cards is a simple and easy way to help build better relationships with your customers who will become life long, faithful customers. And those types of customers provide referrals without ever asking. In other words, free word of mouth advertising. (The best kind!)

If you are a business owner, please take a moment to check out just a few of the ways you can use SendOutCards in your business to help you get and keep more customers.

Send Birthday Cards to all your customers. You will stand out because you will be the only “business” to remember their birthday.
Upon meeting a new customer, send a nice to meet you card. If you can get a picture with them, add that to the card! They won’t throw away a card with THEIR picture in it.
Send a Thanksgiving holiday card. Your card will get there before others send the typical holiday card, thus making you stand out.
Upon closing new business, send a gift or gift card with your thank you. Think about the impact of a real estate agent or mortgage broker including a $50 Home Depot or Target gift card with their thank you, to help the new owner make their home nicer.
Use a SOC card to ask for referrals. Ask them “Who else do you know that would love the XYZ service I have provided you?”
Thank people for giving you referrals!
Be mindful of your customers’ life events (i.e., sickness, births, anniversary, death, marriage, graduation, moves, loss of pet, etc.) Send an appropriate card.
Send a thinking of you card for no reason other than to say “Thinking of you and hope you have a great day!”
Send a reminder postcard for appointments, meetings, and new announcements (like an open house, new services or products, etc.)
Send a heartfelt card of gratitude every day (preferably in first thing in the day). It will make YOU feel better and put you in a better mood knowing you touched someone’s life. You will then start your day off right.
Use photos to personalize your cards. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and for a business person, “A picture could be worth a thousand extra dollars (or more).”
Use SendOutCards to build and strengthen your personal relationships. Never forget a birthday again by utilizing SOC’s easy-to-use contact manager, complete with birthday and anniversary reminders!

Think about it this way. Do you remember the last greeting card you received? Of course you do. Did you open the envelope and read the card? Did you even save the card for awhile? Display it? Now think about the last email you received from someplace you have previously done business with? Are your answers the same? I’d bet not.

I believe appreciation marketing is the best way to grow your business. If you like, you can click on the link below to Send a Free Card. SendOutCards is an easy to use system. Or feel free to contact me and I’m happy to give you a guided tour.

To your success!

Lory Fabian

Lory Fabian is a Marketing Distributor for SendOutCards – https://loryfabianmarketing.com/about/

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