New Homes Features of

Features of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes : ENERGY STAR What is ENERGY STAR? | Newsroom Search What are ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Features of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Benefits of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Homebuyer Resources New Homes Partner Locator For Residential Building Professionals PRODUCTS HOME IMPROVEMENT NEW HOMES BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT PARTNER RESOURCES -- Home > New Homes > Features of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes -- -- Features of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes ENERGY STAR qualified new homes achieve their energy savings through a variety of reliable and established technologies and building practices. Builders are free to select the energy efficiency features used in their new qualified homes, tour the home below to learn more about the technologies and practices that are typically included. Tight Construction (Reduced Air Infiltration) Tight Ducts Improved Insulation High Performance Windows Energy Efficient Heating & Cooling Equipment Benefits of ENERGY STAR for Homebuyers > Looking for a new home? Print and take this helpful checklist (184KB) with you to be sure you are getting the 'most' house for your money. Benefits of ENERGY STAR for Home Industry Professionals < What are ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes? Benefits of ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes > -- Products | Home Improvement | New Homes | Business Improvement | Partner Resources Newsroom | Privacy | Contact Us | Site Index EPA Home EPA Search DOE Home DOE Search

buy property to prevent

Neighbors Buying Property To Prevent The Establishment Of A Group Home The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Issue: Housing About News In court Take action Publications More resources Topics : Information sheets Advocacy resources on fair housing Jump to an issue: Advance Psych. Directives Children Civil Rights and the ADA Criminalization Education Elders with Mental Illnesses Housing Insurance Involuntary Commitment Managed Care Medicaid Medicare Rx Drug Benefit Mental Healthcare Privacy Restraint and Seclusion Supports in the Community - SSI - Temp. Assist. for Families Voting Fair Housing Information Sheet # 3 Neighbors Buying Property To Prevent The Establishment Of A Group Home Imagine the following scenario: A house in a residential neighborhood is for sale. A provider of residential services to persons with mental retardation believes that the house would be a great location for a group home for three women and submits a bid to purchase the house. Neighbors of the seller learn of the provider's interest in the home and meet to develop strategies for preventing the women from moving into the neighborhood. Eventually, the neighbors conclude that the only way to prevent the provider from purchasing the home is to submit a higher bid. The neighbors realize that none of them can afford to buy the home alone, so they pool their resources, give the money collected to one of the neighbors, and that person offers the seller $5,000 more for the home than does the provider. The seller sells the home to the neighbor acting on behalf of the group. Do the actions of the seller or of the neighbors who purchased the home violate the Fair Housing Act? The FHA makes it unlawful to discriminate in the sale or rental, or to otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a handicapof (A) that buyer or renter; (B) a person residing in or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is so sold, rented, or made available; or (C) any person associated with that buyer or renter. 42 U.S.C. 3604(f)(1). The FHA contains an exemption for single-family houses sold or rented by an owner, provided that the owner does not use the services of a real estate agent or broker, own more than three such single-family houses, and, if the owner is not a resident, has not completed more than one sale within a 24-month period. 42 U.S.C. 3603(b). Thus, assuming the listed conditions are met, it is likely that the owner cannot be found liable under the 3604(f)(1) of the FHA. But what of the neighbors, who banded together to buy the home in order to prevent persons with disabilities from living there? Courts that have faced this and similar scenarios have answered the question in different ways. In Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. v. Babin , 18 F.3d 337, 344 (6 th Cir. 1994), the Sixth Circuit called action similar to that described above as "normal economic competition." The Babin court analyzed the liability of the neighbors who contributed extra funds to make the purchase possible under 3604(f)(1), specifically the "otherwise make unavailable" provision. The court explained that, in normal economic competition, every purchase of a unique commodity affects availability to others. Thus, the court concluded, finding the neighbors liable would cause the statute's reach to be overbroad, and it affirmed the summary judgment entered by the court below. A claim also was asserted against the seller and the neighbors pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 3617, which makes illegal interfering with the exercise and enjoyment of the right to fair housing. The Sixth Circuit also rejected this argument, finding that the seller was motivated purely by economic considerations and that, while the purchase of the house disrupted the provider's negotiations, it did not prevent the provider from making an even higher bid on the property. Babin, then, stands for the proposition that actions related to the purchase of property — even when taken for the sole reason of preventing the use of that property by persons protected under the FHA — is "normal economic competition" and therefore is not a violation of the FHA. Not every court that has considered the issue since the Babin decision has agreed with that proposition, however. In United States v. Hughes , 849 F. Supp. 685 (D. Neb. 1994), the court denied a motion to dismiss and found the Babin decision "plainly wrong" in suggesting that there is an economic competition exception to the FHA. In Hughes , the court determined that a lender, who agreed to finance the purchase of property knowing that the intention of the buyer was to prevent the establishment of a group home, could be liable under 42 U.S.C. 3617. The court held that a bank violates the FHA by intentionally aiding buyers in keeping a home from other purchasers because those other purchasers are or are associated with persons with mental illness: [T]rue ' economic competition' does not exist when the purpose of the competition is to deny a protected person access to housing, as opposed to securing housing for oneself or for investment purposes. In fact, it is irrational to spend money for the purpose of prohibiting someone else from living next to you, if the reason you do not wish to live next to that person is because he or she has a handicap protected by the Act.-- Hughes at 686 (emphasis in original). A third opinion on this issue adopts the Hughes analysis. In Step-by-Step v. Lazarus , No. CV-97-1006 (M.D. Pa. Oct. 17, 1997), the court, in denying a motion to dismiss, held that the FHA "does apply to a buyer who purchases a property with the intention of preventing the purchase by an entity planning to use the property as a Group Home for members protected by the Act." Id. , slip op. at 1. In reaching this conclusion, the court agreed with the Hughes reasoning and stated that normal economic considerations do not exist where the underlying intent of the purchaser is to discriminate. The court found support for this proposition in 24 C.F.R. 103.20(a), which allows the filing of a complaint against "any person" engaged in a discriminatory housing practice, and in 24 C.F.R. 100.50(b)(3), which makes it unlawful to engage in "any conduct" that denies or makes housing unavailable to persons with disabilities. As these cases demonstrate, determining the motives of a buyer, seller, or neighbors and whether such motives are legally relevant is a complex issue. On the one hand, Congress has clearly mandated an end to discrimination in housing, and a narrow interpretation of the FHA, such as in Babin , allows persons with discriminatory intent to prevent individuals with disabilities from moving into a community. On the other hand, examining the private motives to all the various parties to a real estate transaction may be both unwieldy and burdensome. Clearly, it is helpful to fair housing advocates that the reasoning in Babin — even though articulated by an appellate court — was not convincing to the next two courts to consider very similar situations. While it remains too soon to make any definitive pronouncements on the merits of the issues, it is apparent, given the holdings in Hughes and Step-by-Step , that the actions of neighbors who buy property to prevent the establishment of group homes remain subject to viable challenge under the FHA. This information sheet was produced under a contract with the Advocacy Training/Technical Assistance Center of the National Association of Protection & Advocacy Systems For more information, contact Michael Allen, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 1101 15th Street, N.W., Suite 1212 Washington, D.C. 20005-5002. Phone: 202/467-5730 ext. 117. E-mail: Michaela@bazelon.org . Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 1212 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202-467-5730 Fax: 202-223-0409 Email: webmaster@bazelon.org Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 1212 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202-467-5730 Fax: 202-223-0409 Email: webmaster@bazelon.org

house rental Home Page

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(3) Listing #226 Breckenridge Accom:  3 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 10: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): $200 - $520 Breckenridge Colorado vacation rentals TRUE SKI IN/OUT Peak 8 2br/2ba & loft "Ski Watch" (3) Listing #231 Breckenridge Accom:  3 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 1 Half Bath Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 100 - 400 Breckenridge Colorado vacation rental Condo in the Center of Breck! Walk to Slopes (3) Listing #418 Breckenridge Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 90 - 330 Copper Mountain Colorado vacation rentals return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Copper Mountain Colorado vacation rentals Copper Mountain Condos Copper Mountain Inn (3) Listing #415 Copper Mountain Accom:  3 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 12: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 175 - 650 Copper Mountain Colorado vacation rental Slope Side Condo -Ski in / Ski out (3) Listing #242 Copper Mountain Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 99 - 359 Dillon Colorado vacation rental return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Dillon Colorado vacation rentals New Large Townhome Dec. Open Mt. Views, Near 4 Ski Areas (3) Listing #8 Dillon Accom:  2 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Townhouse: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 115 - 200 Dillon Colorado vacation rental Near World Class Ski Areas Keystone, Breckenridge, etc. (3) Listing #227 Dillon Accom:  2 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 6: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): $665 - $1295 Durango Colorado vacation rentals return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Durango vacation rentals A PERFECT CONDO ESCAPE WINTER DATES STILL AVAILABLE! (3) Listing #408 Durango Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): $145 - $299 Durango Colorado rental 2 SKI IN - SKI OUT Condos Winter Wonderland (3) Listing #241 Durango Accom:  3 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): $150 - $350 Frisco Colorado vacation rental return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Frisco Colorado rentals SKI CONDO ON LAKE DILLON Near Copper/Breckenridge/Keyst Listing #143 Frisco Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 6: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): $525 - $1925 Frisco Colorado vacation rental Awesome Lake Forest Condo! Spectacular Views Lake/Mts! (3) Listing #245 Frisco Accom:  2 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 6: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 125.00 - 250.00 Frisco Colorado vacation rentals FriscoMountain -The Ski Condo Peak One and Mount Royal (3) Listing #92 Frisco Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 6: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): $840.00 - $1750.00 Frisco Colorado vacation rental Inspiring View of Mountains High Speed Internet (3) Listing #118 Frisco Accom:  3 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): $800 - $2100 Keystone Colorado vacation rentals return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Keystone Colorado vacation rentals Luxury Mountain Condo Great Views all Amenities (3) Listing #305 Keystone Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 1 Half Bath Condo Sleeps up to 8: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): 665 - 1855 Keystone Colorado vacation rental River Run with Extras 2 BR/Free Wireless Internet (3) Listing #319 Keystone Accom:  2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 6: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): 725 - 805 Silverthorne Colorado vacation rental return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Silverthorne Colorado vacation rentals New Clubhouse, Sleeps 10 Affordable, Central, Views (3) Listing #94 Silverthorne Accom:  3 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Condo Sleeps up to 10: Weekly Rate (USA Dollars): 560 - 1900 Winter Park Colorado vacation rentals return to top of Colorado page or return to state list of USA vacation rentals Winter Park vacation rental Hi COuntry Haus Cozy Romantic (3) Listing #103 Winter Park Accom:  3 Bedrooms 1 Full Bath 2 Half Baths Condo Sleeps up to 8: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 50 - 258 Winter Park Colorado vacation rentals House in City of Winter Park Borders Forest & Forest Trails (3) Listing #131 Winter Park Accom:  4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths House Sleeps up to 15: Daily Rate (USA Dollars): 200 - 650

foreclosure property North Dakota

North Dakota Foreclosure Listings Information at Business.com Advertiser Center · Help Web News People Jobs Search the Business Internet ® North Dakota Foreclosure Listings Databases and listings of residential, government and bank-owned foreclosures in North Dakota. Home > Real Estate & Construction > Property Listings > Foreclosure > US States > North Dakota Sponsored Links Foreclosure Listings Free Service lets you Discover Foreclosed Real Estate in Your Area Free-List-of-Foreclosures.com North Dakota Foreclosure Search National Foreclosures, Reos Auctions & Trustee Sales Free www.bankhomesdirect.com Pre- foreclosure Leads Freshest lists available Az, Ca, Fl, Mi, Nm, Wa www.defaultresearch.com North Dakota Foreclosures Search for 1000s of Bank & Government Properties Now for Free! www.foreclosurefreesearch.com North Dakota Foreclosure Get Full Foreclosure Listings Free Hud, Reos, Bank Homes. All Here www.foreclosure.com Foreclosure Listings $170,000 Loan Under $560/month Rates at Historic Lows. Save Now! mortgages.nextag.com Popular Searches Forclosure property listings in North Dakota foreclosure homes in North Dakota foreclosure listings in North Dakota homes foreclosed in North Dakota North Dakota foreclose home North Dakota foreclosure home North Dakota foreclosure house North Dakota foreclosure list North Dakota foreclosure listing « more more popular searches [x] North Dakota Foreclosure Listings North Dakota foreclosure properties North Dakota foreclosure property North Dakota Foreclosure property listing North Dakota foreclosure real estate North Dakota foreclosures North Dakota home foreclosure North Dakota house foreclosure North Dakota real estate foreclosures Featured Listings RealtyStore: North Dakota Foreclosure Listings Save 20 - 50% on Foreclosure and HUD real estate. Ideal for investors, bargain hunters and first timers. Free trial membership (Credit Card required). www.realtystore.com RealtyTrac: Foreclosed Property Listings in North Dakota Provides foreclosure search engine for North Dakota with daily data updates, tax roll information, and photographs. Free 7-day trial. www.realtytrac.com Sponsored Links I'm Paying Cash For Homes Any Price, Condition, Or Location Sell Your Home Quickly & Easily www.webuyhomesaz.com North dakota foreclosures Homes for Half Price. 500,000 pre- foreclosure listings . Try it Free! www.RealtyTrac.com Foreclosure Listings Buy Foreclosures from 50% off Search 600,000 listings for only $1 www.Bargain.com/Foreclosures Fresh Bankruptcy Lists Custom lists. Phone #, address, etc Accurate. Daily Updates. High ROI. www.ClickData.com Listings Absolute Foreclosures: North Dakota Provides a daily index of property foreclosure listings throughout the US. Search by state, county, city or zip code. www.absoluteforeclosures.com FederalHomes.com: North Dakota Offers state-specific foreclosure listings for residential properties. Includes local mortgage and realtor resources. www.foreclosurenet.org ForeclosureFreeSearch.com: North Dakota Free online resource offers foreclosure property listings by state. Includes links to mortgage and real estate information resources. www.foreclosurefreesearch.com ForeclosureNet.net: North Dakota Foreclosure Listings Bank foreclosure and government foreclosured property listings in North Dakota and across the US. Homes, rental properties, and commercial. Free Trial. Free Trial | Search Listings | Foreclosure Info. | Testimonials www.foreclosurenet.net RealtyStore: North Dakota Foreclosure Listings Save 20 - 50% on Foreclosure and HUD real estate. Ideal for investors, bargain hunters and first timers. Free trial membership (Credit Card required). www.realtystore.com RealtyTrac: Foreclosed Property Listings in North Dakota Provides foreclosure search engine for North Dakota with daily data updates, tax roll information, and photographs. Free 7-day trial. www.realtytrac.com Registry Line: North Dakota Offers a daily feed of foreclosure property listings in North Dakota. Become a member to access complete listing details. www.registryline.com Search the Business Internet ® Advertiser Center | Account Login | About Us | Careers at Business.com | Featured Listings Privacy | Terms Of Use | 2000-2005 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Selling Home

Smartmoney.com: Real Estate: Sell Your Home — Fast Thursday December 29, 2005 3:32 PM ET U.S. Markets close in: :28 Search (choose an option below) Quote Charting Earnings Ratings Competition Financials Profile Key Statistics Insiders Site Search News (Enter Symbol) advanced search SmartMoney Select My Portfolio Tools Maps Stocks Advanced Trading Funds ETFs Personal Finance Autos Career Journal College Planning Debt Management Health Care Insurance Life LTC Insurance Real Estate Retirement Tax Guide Economy & Bonds Small Business SmartMoney TV SmartMoney Magazine SmartMoney University Business Travel Technology SmartMoney Mobile Holiday Survival Guide Select Homepage Stock Screener Market Map 1000 Fund Screener Stock Compare Fund Map 1000 Fund Compare XStream Quotes More... Portfolio Tracker Watchlist Calendar Intraday Alerts News Alerts Sector Tracker ETF Center Map of the Market XStream Quotes Stock Screener Stock Compare Price Check Calculator More... 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The Market Now ForexTV Futures Life Stages CEO Interview Sturm Screen Mossberg Report Subscribe Give a gift Customer Service Media Kit Editorial Calendar Custom Publishing Investing 101 Taking Action Strategic Investing Quizzes More... Please enable javascript to properly view the menu. Site Map DJIA 10789.06 -7.20 Nasdaq 2219.66 -9.28 S&P 500 1255.08 -3.09 Rus 2000 679.31 -0.77 10 Yr Bd 4.36 -0.01 DJTA 4248.75 24.82 Wil 5000 12585.54 -25.30 S&P 400 743.20 -0.93 Nas 100 1655.52 -11.58 Sign up now for FREE SmartMoney.com Newsletters Enter your email address below Personal Finance : Real Estate : Selling : Sell Your Home — Fast Real Estate Sell Your Home — Fast By Stacey L. Bradford Click here for more stories by Stacey L. Bradford . In This Section A Seller's Checklist Choosing a Broker Wisely Selling Without a Broker Taxes When You Sell Your Home More... Related Content Ask SmartMoney Who Gets the Home? To Rent or to Buy? Advertisement 4.25% APY with hsbcdirect.com Online Savings. Earn 8X the national savings average and make money into big money. No minimums. No monthly fees. Member FDIC. Email This Story Print This Story Save This Story Send Us Your Comments Add this column to your News Alerts (New!) IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO sell your home in a matter of days rather than months, you might want to take some tips from 32-year-old Mona Ross Berman. To get her Washington, D.C., townhouse ready for sale in early 2004, the interior designer went through every room, sweating the details. She rearranged furniture, added sophisticated coffee-table books and strategically placed vases and throw pillows to create a cozy environment. She then organized every closet to showcase her ample storage space. Finally, she removed all personal items, including her wedding photos, so potential buyers wouldn't associate the house with someone else. "I think that if you can get a home to show well, it can get you [better results] than it really should," Berman says. Her strategy worked. Within four days of placing her property on the market, she had five offers in hand. Long gone are the days when you can simply throw some cookie dough into the oven and get an offer for your house. Thanks to the Internet, home buyers are more sophisticated and demanding than ever before. At a bare minimum, would-be sellers need to dispose of clutter and make any necessary repairs. But to really make a property stand out from the crowd and sell quickly, sellers might need to do the following. 1. Hire an Interior Designer A well-decorated home will sell faster and for more money than one that looks frumpy. That's why more and more sellers are hiring interior designers to do everything from rearrange furniture and paint walls a neutral color to rent artwork. This service, known as "staging," can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small job to several thousand dollars for high-end properties, says Patricia Dugan, a realtor with The Corcoran Group. Experts across the country agree that the investment is worthwhile for most properties. According to 2002 data from Coldwell Banker, staged homes in the San Francisco Bay area spent just 25.3 days on the market and sold at the asking price, while "non-staged" homes languished on the market for 48.2 days and sold for 2% below the asking price. This information is based on more than 3,000 homes sold between Jan. 1, 2002 and Oct. 31, 2002. 2. Hire an Organizer A lovely décor will get you only so far. To really get the buyers chomping at the bit, you need to highlight your home's storage space as well. That means everything should be clean and organized — closets, bathroom vanities, the garage and basement. It might sound trivial, but your home's sale really could rest on whether your linen closets can comfortably store your towels. If you identify more with Oscar Madison of "The Odd Couple" than with Felix Ungar, it might make sense to hire a professional organizer for $75 to $100 an hour. This is especially helpful for those who've lived in their homes for many years and don't know how to dig themselves out of the mess. Some organizers will even help run a yard sale that could end up paying for their services. If you're not sure how to find this type of service, ask your realtor. Most have a list of pros at their fingertips. 3. Hire a Photographer Up to 74% of home buyers start their search online, according to the National Association of Realtors. Indeed, the Web has become such an important marketing tool that all the realtors we spoke with encourage their clients to hire a professional photographer, which can cost as little as $100, for their online snapshots. Think of it this way: If someone doesn't like how your home looks on the Web, he or she won't bother to make an appointment to see the property in person. Is that a risk you're willing to take? While putting photographs online isn't exactly new, there are some emerging trends. Six years ago it was OK to have one outside shot of the house, says Tara Rogers, director of marketing for Real Living, a Columbus, Ohio-based real-estate firm. Now, some potential buyers want to see up to a 10-picture slideshow detailing multiple rooms before they commit to a walk-through, she says. Dare to post small, grainy pictures, and risk little foot traffic in your home. 4. Try Marketing Gimmicks Despite impressive national home-sale figures, some local markets are starting to soften. For example, homes in the western suburbs of Boston are starting to languish on the market for up to 90 days after previously selling in just 15 to 30, says Nelson Zide, co-owner of ERA Key Realty Services, a Framingham, Mass.-based real-estate brokerage. Zide recently started implementing marketing gimmicks to increase the number of potential buyers to walk through his clients' homes. "I haven't done this in 12 or 13 years," he says. What strategies does he use? Rather than slash the asking price, he might encourage condo owners, for example, to pay the maintenance fees for a full year, or ask home owners to provide buyers with a cash rebate that's marketed as a decorating allowance. Nine times out of 10, such gimmicks cost less than it would to drop the asking price enough to attract a buyer with a smaller budget, says Zide. It's just one more way to get a potential buyer excited about your home. 5. Hold Open Houses The benefits of an open house are debatable. Industry experts agree that they tend to benefit realtors more than home owners. (After all, it's a great way for realtors to get new clients.) But that doesn't mean that they can't work. The key is to hold them at various times of the day and week so that folks with busy schedules can squeeze in a viewing. Real Living's Rogers says her company's agents make sure to schedule open houses on Saturdays, as well as in the evenings so people can stop by after work. Another technique more people are implementing is to hold open houses at the time of day when their house shows the best. If you have a beautiful garden, show it off during the morning before the flowers start to wilt. If you have a stunning view of the sunset, make sure people get to see the late-afternoon light. In other words, if there's one thing that you love most about your home, be sure to share it with potential buyers. For more on selling your home, read our recent article . 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