trick or treat!

HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!

something special for you!

As a special favor to my former and future clients, I've partnered with TexEnergy Solutions to SAVE 20% OFF your HOME ENERGY AUDIT and reduce energy consumption by GREEN-O-VATING your current home.

Taking steps to save money on monthly utility bills can lead to improving your home’s marketability. A Home Energy Audit is a step in the right direction! A home energy audit will:

1. locate and quantify energy waste and comfort issues in your home,
2. propose and prioritize reasonable, affordable solutions,
3. provide an evaluation of the proposed alternatives, and
4. calculate your payback timeframes and return on investment.

A reputable certified energy auditor will provide documentation every step of the way. Your energy audit will establish a benchmark by considering the current condition of your home and utilizing your recent utility bills. You will learn how your home stacks up against the Energy Star requirements before you perform the improvements and you will be able to quantify which improvements or repairs will have the greatest impact and attach a price-tag to each improvement individually.

Your energy auditor’s diagnostic inspection will probably include, but may not be limited to:

Your attic, insulation, and ductwork. In the heat of the summer, attic temperatures can reach 130 degrees. Leaking and improperly insulated duct systems cause an average loss of 30% of conditioned air in a typical home.

Testing of your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. Nearly half of an average home’s total energy bill is for space heating and cooling. Not only should your HVAC system be in optimum operating condition, it should also be properly sized. Believe it or not, an over-sized system can use energy inefficiently, resulting in unnecessarily high utility bills and high temperature swings during mild weather.

Thermostats. A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to bring a space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, by maintaining the highest or lowest required temperatures for four or five hours a day instead of 24 hours, a programmable thermostat can pay for itself in energy saved within four years.

Windows and doors. Audits will expose air penetration and leakage. A blower door test for air and duct leakage. It’s important to determine the air infiltration rate of a building for several reasons: reduced energy consumption, avoidance of moisture condensation problems and uncomfortable drafts, and analysis of indoor air quality. Airborne contaminants impact allergies, asthma and other illnesses.

Appliances.

Hot water system.

Lighting system and bulbs.

Shower heads and toilets.

Irrigation system and swimming pool/spa, if applicable.

The inspection will help you make an informed decision once you know the cost and the effectiveness of each of the recommended improvements. The payback calculation will give you a reliable estimate of the timeframe for you to recover your costs and begin to achieve a positive return on your investment.

If you would like to take advantage of this offer, call me at 214.528.5888 or send an email to joan@AlexColeRealEstate.com. I'll send you a card to present to TexEnergy Solutions so you can take advantage of this opportunity between now and March 30, 2009.

what's in your tap water?

Well, I did it! I bought my SIGG bottles (two of them) at Whole Earth Provisions where both Klean Kanteen and SIGG are available. I chose SIGG because I loved their design choices!

No more plastic bottles for us! We have a water filter in our kitchen so we always have easy access to clear, clean-tasting filtered water. I will never live without a water filter again! But in the event you decide to drink tap water you may want to know in advance what's in your water. The Environmental Working Group has established a Tap Water Database using the water quality reports available through the Environmental Protection Agency. You can plug in your zip code and find out whether your local water is up to par.

Want to try it? Here's the link:

http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater/index.php

the environmental impact of plastic bottles

"More than 90 percent of the environmental impacts from a disposable plastic bottle happen before the consumer opens it," said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council. "Oil for plastic, oil for shipping, oil for refrigeration and, in a small % of bottles, oil for recycling – sadly most PET bottles go to landfills." As a rule of thumb, scientists say that you can fill a PET bottle ¼ of the way with oil to symbolize how much energy goes into every bottle.
Worldwide, over 60 billion tons of plastic waste is produced every year. Plastic is particularly damaging because it is not biodegradable and plastic particles eventually become part of the food chain - as they have for example in our oceans. In some parts of the sea, there is five times more plastic than plankton. Neil Seldman, a waste recycling expert, has labeled our plastic problem as "potentially more dangerous than global warming." (SOURCE: http://www.sigg.com/)

Want to FREE YOURSELF from the plastic bottle? Both Klean Kanteen and SIGG provide a great alternative. To find out more visit their websites and check them out. Wouldn't they make fabulous Christmas gifts?!

http://www.kleankanteen.com/index.html

http://www.sigg.ch/

Dallas/Ft Worth tops major metro areas for job growth

The Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total employment in July 2008 for the Dallas region stood at just over three million, an increase of 68,000 jobs over the year, while nationwide jobs declined by 0.1%. Find out more...

http://www.dallaschamber.org/NewsLetter/october_2008/jobs.html

Urban Reserve...in the news again

If you haven't already seen it, be sure to pick up a copy of the October FD Insert to the Dallas Morning News. The By Design Section features the Urban Oasis at Urban Reserve. And if you haven't yet taken a drive down Vanguard Way you are in for a real treat! Be sure to check out Lot #7 and Lot #12. Lot # 7 will be Jay's and my future home and Lot # 12 can be yours!

Here's a link for a preview to the FD/By Design article:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/classifieds/news/homecenter/realestate/stories/DN-fdluxe_urbanreserve_1002fas.ART.State.Edition1.47e34e6.html

texas state fair

Have you visited the Texas State Fair yet? The weather couldn't be better! I took these photos with my cell phone so they're not quite as distinct as one would like to see....but you get the idea. Mother nature is alive and well at the Fair!

Don't miss the bird show. It's fabulous - as always! The white bird is an albino red-tailed hawk......and of course the owl is one of many others that fly unrestricted at the bird show.

And be sure to check out Skies of Butterflies at Texas Discovery Gardens. The chart we received at Skies of Butterflies indicates this was a Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. In addition to a number of varieties of butterflies they are also featuring garden plants that attract butterflies.