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

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New Skys - the easiest way to search for overseas property New Skys Home My Portfolio New Skys Magazine Properties of the Week New Skys News Feedback Site Map Advanced Search NewSkys Forum Currency Converter Maps Weather Select a Country Tell a Friend Click here to subscribe to New Skys News, our FREE weekly newsletter. Featuring: Our Top Story The latest property news Articles and Properties of the Week Email ALERT! It has come to our attention that there are a number of emails circulating, purporting to come from New Skys. Read More Contact NewSkys Head Office 18 The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1PX Tel: +44 845 330 1449 info@newskys.co.uk Currently featuring 22,524 properties and 1,790 articles Whatever kind of overseas property you are looking to buy,a detailed search on New Skys is the quickest way to find it. A new way to sell overseas property, click here to view powerpoint presentation (1MB). We now cover Australia , Barbados , Bulgaria , Canada , China , Costa Rica , Crete , Croatia , Cyprus , Dominican Republic , Florida , France , Greece/Greek Islands , Hungary , Italy , Malta , Montenegro , Morocco , Northern Cyprus , Portugal , Slovakia , Slovenia , South Africa , Spain , Thailand , Turkey , and United Arab Emirates . - and there's even a Magazine section to give you background information and help you through the buying process. How to Advertise with us One of the best starting points for anyone looking for a home abroad is to attend as many exhibitions as possible. But where do you find the details in advance? Who knows when there's a show in your area? New Skys News does. Simply click here and before you know it you'll be stepping through the front door of your new home. Read more The white stuff Read more Costa Blanca investment Read more Dubai in detail Read more Successful pitch Read more Where on Earth? A different type of matchmaking service Read more Archive Property News Location: FETHIYE, TURKEY Price: FROM £170,000 FETHIYE, TURKEY Given the time of year, Turkey could not be a more appropriate destination to consider and you are unlikely to be bored with the country by Boxing Day – unlike the feathered variety! In fact, there’s so much to do and see in Turkey owning a home there will feel like Christmas Day every day. For a start, there are stunning beaches with great water sports and endless hours of sunshine, wonderful well-priced local restaurants, and for the history buffs among you, the area is chock-a-block with ancient monuments. Read More Location: MONACO, FRANCE Price: FROM €110,000 (£75,000) MONACO, FRANCE Monaco is the crème de la crème. This tax haven on the French Riviera is so upmarket and star-studded even A-list celebrities don’t automatically receive five-start treatment. Its hotels are sumptuous, its port and yachts within it are luxurious and its casino is known the world over. Wandering its streets down beside the marina, so pristine and perfect is everything, you could be forgiven for feeling you are in a commercial. But this is reality and perhaps surprisingly folk like us can afford to rub shoulders with the super rich. Read More Location: CLERMONT, ORLANDO Price: $319,900 (£187,500) CLERMONT, ORLANDO, FLORIDA Florida continues to beat the doom mongers who prophesy that its property market is overheated. Performing well (30% growth annualised in 2005) and being second only to Texas this year, the United States’ southernmost state continues to draw visitors and homebuyers to its shores. Read More Location: CARVOEIRO, ALGARVE, PORTUGAL Price: FROM €103,000 (£71,000) CARVOEIRO, ALGARVE, PORTUGAL The Algarve is an evergreen destination with British property buyers. While other areas and countries fall in and out of fashion, the Algarve continues to promise and deliver high quality properties on a stunning Atlantic coastline that enjoys over 300 days of sunshine annually. Carvoeiro, located only a 40-minute drive from Faro International Airport, is ideally situated on the Algarve to offer all that is best about the region. Read More Select a property type... Apartment / Condominium Villa / Detached House Town House Plot Only Country House / Finca Price Range in local currency Min... 50,000 100,000 175,000 250,000 350,000 500,000 750,000 1,000,000 Max... 50,000 100,000 175,000 250,000 350,000 500,000 750,000 1,000,000 Select number of bedrooms... 1 Bedroom 2 Bedrooms 3 Bedrooms 4 Bedrooms 5 Bedrooms 6 Bedrooms Select a territory... 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Argentina: Argentina Australia: New South Wales Australia: Northern Territories Australia: Queensland Australia: South Australia Australia: Tasmania Australia: Victoria Australia: Western Australia Barbados: Barbados Brazil: Brazil Bulgaria: Central Balkan Mountains Bulgaria: North coast/Varna Bulgaria: Rest of Bulgaria Bulgaria: Ski resorts Bulgaria: Sofia City and region Bulgaria: South coast/Bourgas Canada: Alberta Canada: British Columbia Canada: New Brunswick Canada: Newfoundland Canada: Northwest Territories Canada: Nova Scotia Canada: Ontario Canada: Prince Edward Island Canada: Quebec Canada: Rest of Canada Canada: Saskatchewan Cape Verde Islands: Cape Verde Islands China: Shanghai Costa Rica: Costa Rica Crete: Crete Croatia: Croatia Cyprus: Larnaca Area Cyprus: Limassol Area Cyprus: Pafos Area Cyprus: Rest of Cyprus Czech Republic: Czech Republic Czech Republic: Czech Republic Dominican Republic: Dominican Republic Estonia: Estonia Florida: Central Florida - Orlando/Disney Florida: Gulf Coast Florida: Keys Florida: Miami Area Florida: Rest of Florida France: Alsace France: Aquitaine France: Auvergne France: Brittany France: Burgundy France: Centre France: Champagne-Ardenne France: Charente France: Corsica France: Languedoc Roussillon France: Limousin France: Loire France: Lorraine France: Midi-Pyrnes France: Nord - Pas de Calais France: Normandy France: Paris / Ile de France France: Pays de la Loire France: Picardie France: Poitou Charentes France: Provence France: Provence - Cote d'Azur France: Rest of France France: Rhne Alpes Greece/Greek Islands: Greece Greece/Greek Islands: Zante / Zakynthos Hungary: Budapest India: Goa Italy: Rest of Italy Italy: Sardinia Italy: Sicily Italy: Tuscany Las Vegas: Las Vegas Malaysia: Malaysia Malta: Gozo Malta: Malta Montenegro: Montenegro Morocco: Morocco Morocco: Morocco New Zealand: New Zealand Northern Cyprus: Northern Cyprus Panama: Panama Philippines: Philippines Philippines: Philippines Portugal: Algarve East of Faro Portugal: Algarve Faro and West Portugal: Azores Portugal: Central Algarve Portugal: Inland Algarve Portugal: Madeira Portugal: Rest of Portugal Slovakia: Slovakia Slovenia: Slovenia South Africa: Eastern Cape South Africa: Kwa-Zulu Natal South Africa: Northern Cape South Africa: South Africa: Other South Africa: Western Cape Spain: Basque Country Spain: Cantabria Spain: Catalonia Spain: Costa Blanca: Alicante and South Spain: Costa Blanca: Inland Spain: Costa Blanca: North of Alicante Spain: Costa Brava Spain: Costa Calida Spain: Costa de Almeria Spain: Costa de la Luz Spain: Costa del Azahar Spain: Costa del Sol: East of Malaga Spain: Costa del Sol: Inland Spain: Costa del Sol: Malaga to Marbella Spain: Costa del Sol: West of Marbella Spain: Costa Dorada Spain: Galicia Spain: Ibiza Spain: Major Spanish Cities Spain: Mallorca Spain: Menorca Spain: Other Balearic Islands Spain: Other Canary Islands Spain: Rest of Spain Spain: Rural Spain Spain: The Canaries: Fuerteventura Spain: The Canaries: Gran Canaria Spain: The Canaries: La Gomera Spain: The Canaries: Lanzarote Spain: The Canaries: Tenerife St. Lucia: St. Lucia Thailand: Thailand Thailand: Thailand The West Indies: Saint Martin The West Indies: Turks & Caicos Islands Tobago: Tobago Turkey: Altinkum Turkey: Antalya Turkey: Bodrum Peninsula Turkey: Dalaman-Dalyan Turkey: Fethiye Turkey: Kalkan Turkey: Kusadasi Turkey: Rest of Turkey United Arab Emirates: Dubai United Arab Emirates: Ras Al Kaimah Enter Keywords: Home | Property Search | Property News | Featured Properties | Buyers Info | Useful Contacts | Exhibition Search | Overseas Property Club | Contact Us Designed by Internet Dreams , SW © NewSkys . 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PROPERTY IN SPAIN Property in Spain Property in Spain . Section for people wanting to buy, sell or rent property in Spain. Buying property in Spain Property market in Spain - News Buying a house in Spain - tips Buying a house in Spain - faqs Buying a house in Spain: taxes Mortgages in Spain Mortgages for non-residents Buying land in Spain Spanish banks Investing in property in Spain Renting accommodation in Spain Revaluation of property in Spain House prices in Spain per region Reasons for living in Spain Helpdesk Property for sale Property for rent Restaurants in Spain Hotels in Spain Shopping in Spain Travel in Spain Spanish culture Spanish recipes Beautiful places in Spain Healthcare in Spain News from Spain Fiestas in Spain Photos of Spain Spanish wines Spanish classical music Blogs about living in Spain Eigentum Spanien Le Marché inmobilier en Espagne Vivienda en España Thinking of buying a house in Spain ? The Spanish property market is a thriving, but complex, sector and more and more non-residents are taking advantage of low interest rates in Spain and reasonable house prices. However, it is very very important to consider all the possible pitfalls involved in purchasing property in Spain. This section is designed to help you to do so. There are many reasons to live in Spain , and lots of benefits to be got out of making a wise property purchase here. But, as is the case in any big, profitable sector, there are also alot of sharks swimming around in the real-estate sea, dying to get their jaws around that sales commission. So be very very careful , make sure you read as much as you can about how to protect your rights and your investment before taking the plunge. Learn the basics before you start looking. See our Spanish-English real estate glossary with full definitions of the most important concepts you'll need to know about the Spanish property market. And visit the sections listed below with useful information about the different aspects of buying property in Spain. Latest news on the property market in Spain - selection of news articles related to the real estate market here. Buying property in Spain - our new blog created to answer your questions and inform Mortgages in Spain - a brief introduction to the Spanish mortgage market, how it works and interest rates in Spain Mortgages for non-residents in Spain - details on how to apply for a mortage with a Spanish bank. Spanish banks - before applying for a mortgage, find out more about Spain's most popular banks and Spanish savings banks . Buying a house in Spain - advice to bear in mind if you are thinking of buying a Spanish property in FAQs format. See also tips . Buying land in Spain - special advice for people considering the option of buying land and building their own house. Property taxes in Spain - description of taxes involved in purchasing property and yearly property taxes in Spain . Useful Spanish vocab for buying a house - you should learn at least the basic terms. Check out our pronunciation guide too. Investing in property in Spain - a brief overview and latest figures on the revaluation of property in Spain . Renting property in Spain - if you want to buy to rent, then read this section and our free notice board of property to rent in Spain . Spanish lawyers - information on lawyers fees in Spain for property transactions Helpdesk - if you can't find the answer to what you are looking for, drop us a line and we'll try and help Houses for sale in Spain - take a look at the kind of houses available. Or check out our free Spain property for sale board. Property in Spain. © 2000 Euroresidentes. ItyIs Siglo XXI, Spain. About Euroresidentes

Selling home on your

Alaska Journal of Commerce: Selling home on your own can prove costly 04/22/02 [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Home Focus In this Issue Calendar Bulletin Board Movers & Shakers Business History Archive Around the World Legals Viewpoint Profile Cartoons Contact Us Advertise with us Subscribe About Us Classified ADs Oil & Gas Special Sections Wealthbuilders Fish Factor Travel Insight Property Wise Tech Watch Law Page Philanthropy Health Book of Lists -5° 17° 9° 8° 27° 33° 35° 41° 44° 39° 35° Choose City Anchorage Barrow Bethel Cordova Deadhorse Denali Park Dillingham Dutch Harbor Fairbanks Galena Haines Homer Juneau Kenai Ketchikan Kodiak Kotzebue McGrath Nenana Paxson Petersburg Pribilof Islands Sitka Skagway Soldotna Talkeetna Valdez Wrangell Yakutat Email Newsletter Palm Pilot Delivery Letter to the editor Comments Locate a copy [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] 042202 prop_wise 2 Alaska Journal of Commerce Late night television and local radio programming is rife with infomercials and advertisements touting how easy it is to buy and sell your houses, buildings and businesses all by yourself and save staggering amounts of money to boot. -- Web posted Monday, April 22, 2002 Selling home on your own can prove costly By Ken Jelinek For the Journal Late night television and local radio programming is rife with infomercials and advertisements touting how easy it is to buy and sell your houses, buildings and businesses all by yourself and save staggering amounts of money to boot. They can be rather insulting to those of us in the real estate industry because they attempt to make us sound unnecessary, unethical and expensive. But the fact is, you really can do it yourself successfully. Cynically speaking, however, you can also fix your own car, generate your own electricity, defend yourself in court, trade your own stocks and never visit a doctor. You could probably do your neighbor's job too. One day, when everything is perfectly computerized and digital, you probably won't need a real estate agent. But for now, for the rest of us, we need the help, and that help is going to cost us. So, before you go spiraling off in your declaration of independence, ask yourself, "If it's really so easy, then why aren't all real estate transactions conducted without an agent?" You might also ask yourself if you would want to eliminate the real estate agent and take on all of his or her responsibilities when you are already bogged down with your own life in general, and especially if you haven't done it enough to do it right or do it well? Then, listen closely to your answers because we professionals in the industry are often patching up real estate transactions gone sour behind the well-meaning do-it-yourselfers. Keep in mind that I'm referring to all professionals in the industry including agents, attorneys, loan originators, title officers, processors, surveyors, tax assessors, appraisers and inspectors. But I'm referring specifically to the agent because he or she is the center in this wheel. Nationally, only three to five of every 100 home sales consists of successful "For Sale by Owner" transactions. The vast majority of those that attempt it end up hiring an agent within the first 30 days after they have realized the true cost, time and demands required for marketing and showing a home. Locally, the statistics indicate 15-17 percent of FSBOs are successful. While there are a lot of reasons for this, one of the main ones is that we have a robust seller's market with relatively low inventory. This can be quite tempting for sellers to strike out on their own because it looks easier than it is. But even the owners that sell their own homes usually sell to a buyer who has an agent paid for by the seller. The truth is that the vast majority of all real estate transactions are completed with agents involved on at least one side of the sale, and for this reason, most transactions go very smoothly. But sometimes they don't. One recent seller took the advice of a local FSBO program on pricing his home. Several programs will give you limited service for a set fee. He put an ad in the paper and sold it within three days. When the appraisal report came back he learned that he priced his home too low but was still committed to that price. Sure, he might have saved 6 or 7 percent in brokerage fees but he lost a lot more than that to the happy buyer because his FSBO consultant didn't know the market well enough. In a similar incident, a very excited couple heard of a perfect home on the market For Sale By Owner in their neighborhood. The sellers told them that they didn't want to pay any brokerage fees and proceeded to negotiate down the asking price by $9,000, which made the buyers feel special. A market analysis revealed that the starting price was already about $10,000 too high. And yet, it's going to be sold at the same market price to the buyers whether or not they have an agent paid by the seller. Recently a buyer made an offer on a duplex that was accepted with a counteroffer to increase the earnest money. Both buyer and seller agreed verbally and the only thing lacking was the buyer's signature on that change. In the meantime, the seller sold the duplex to a second buyer to get a higher price and quicker closing. He now has two accepted offers on the same property at the same time. Which party in this potential lawsuit would you like to be? Not all sellers innocently try to save money on real estate commissions. Some choose to "overlook" disclosing pertinent and sometimes legally required information to buyers because doing so might lower the final sales price or prohibit a sale indefinitely because they can't afford to fix a deficiency. How would you protect yourself without the watchful eye of an expert? Agents usually take on quite a bit of risk in marketing your house for sale or driving you around looking at homes to buy. They pay for everything up front and often don't get paid until the day it is recorded, which makes him or her, actually, quite a bargain. On the other hand, you could do it yourself. Ken Jelinek is an associate broker with RE/MAX Properties in Anchorage. He can be reached at 907-257-0196. [an error occurred while processing this directive] © 2004 The Alaska Journal of Commerce and Morris Communications Corp.

Home Loan

Home Equity Scams: Borrowers Beware! Home Equity Loans : Borrowers Beware! D o you own your home? If so, it's likely to be your greatest single asset. Unfortunately, if you agree to a loan that's based on the equity you have in your home, you may be putting your most valuable asset at risk. Homeowners-particularly elderly, minority and those with low incomes or poor credit-should be careful when borrowing money based on their home equity. Why? Certain abusive or exploitative lenders target these borrowers, who unwittingly may be putting their home on the line. Abusive lending practices range from equity stripping and loan flipping to hiding loan terms and packing a loan with extra charges. The Federal Trade Commission urges you to be aware of these loan practices to avoid losing your home. The Practices Equity Stripping You need money. You don't have much income coming in each month. You have built up equity in your home. A lender tells you that you could get a loan, even though you know your income is just not enough to keep up with the monthly payments. The lender encourages you to "pad" your income on your application form to help get the loan approved. This lender may be out to steal the equity you have built up in your home. The lender doesn't care if you can't keep up with the monthly payments. As soon as you don't, the lender will foreclose-taking your home and stripping you of the equity you have spent years building. If you take out a loan but don't have enough income to make the monthly payments, you are being set up. You probably will lose your home. Hidden Loan Terms: The Balloon Payment You've fallen behind in your mortgage payments and may face foreclosure. Another lender offers to save you from foreclosure by refinancing your mortgage and lowering your monthly payments. Look carefully at the loan terms. The payments may be lower because the lender is offering a loan on which you repay only the interest each month. At the end of the loan term, the principal-that is, the entire amount that you borrowed-is due in one lump sum called a balloon payment. If you can't make the balloon payment or refinance, you face foreclosure and the loss of your home. Loan Flipping Suppose you've had your mortgage for years. The interest rate is low and the monthly payments fit nicely into your budget, but you could use some extra money. A lender calls to talk about refinancing, and using the availability of extra cash as bait, claims it's time the equity in your home started "working" for you. You agree to refinance your loan. After you've made a few payments on the loan, the lender calls to offer you a bigger loan for, say, a vacation. If you accept the offer, the lender refinances your original loan and then lends you additional money. In this practice-often called "flipping"-the lender charges you high points and fees each time you refinance, and may increase your interest rate as well. If the loan has a prepayment penalty, you will have to pay that penalty each time you take out a new loan. You now have some extra money and a lot more debt, stretched out over a longer time. The extra cash you receive may be less than the additional costs and fees you were charged for the refinancing. And what's worse, you are now paying interest on those extra fees charged in each refinancing. Long story short? With each refinancing, you've increased your debt and probably are paying a very high price for some extra cash. After a while, if you get in over your head and can't pay, you could lose your home. The "Home Improvement" Loan A contractor calls or knocks on your door and offers to install a new roof or remodel your kitchen at a price that sounds reasonable. You tell him you're interested, but can't afford it. He tells you it's no problem-he can arrange financing through a lender he knows. You agree to the project, and the contractor begins work. At some point after the contractor begins, you are asked to sign a lot of papers. The papers may be blank or the lender may rush you to sign before you have time to read what you've been given. The contractor threatens to leave the work on your house unfinished if you don't sign. You sign the papers. Only later, you realize that the papers you signed are a home equity loan. The interest rate, points and fees seem very high. To make matters worse, the work on your home isn't done right or hasn't been completed, and the contractor, who may have been paid by the lender, has little interest in completing the work to your satisfaction. Credit Insurance Packing You've just agreed to a mortgage on terms you think you can afford. At closing, the lender gives you papers to sign that include charges for credit insurance or other "benefits" that you did not ask for and do not want. The lender hopes you don't notice this, and that you just sign the loan papers where you are asked to sign. The lender doesn't explain exactly how much extra money this will cost you each month on your loan. If you do notice, you're afraid that if you ask questions or object, you might not get the loan. The lender may tell you that this insurance comes with the loan, making you think that it comes at no additional cost. Or, if you object, the lender may even tell you that if you want the loan without the insurance, the loan papers will have to be rewritten, that it could take several days, and that the manager may reconsider the loan altogether. If you agree to buy the insurance, you really are paying extra for the loan by buying a product you may not want or need. Mortgage Servicing Abuses After you get a mortgage, you receive a letter from your lender saying that your monthly payments will be higher than you expected. The lender says that your payments include escrow for taxes and insurance even though you arranged to pay those items yourself with the lender's okay. Later, a message from the lender says you are being charged late fees. But you know your payments were on time. Or, you may receive a message saying that you failed to maintain required property insurance and the lender is buying more costly insurance at your expense. Other charges that you don't understand-like legal fees-are added to the amount you owe, increasing your monthly payments or the amount you owe at the end of the loan term. The lender doesn't provide you with an accurate or complete account of these charges. You ask for a payoff statement to refinance with another lender and receive a statement that's inaccurate or incomplete. The lender's actions make it almost impossible to determine how much you've paid or how much you owe. You may pay more than you owe. Signing Over Your Deed If you are having trouble paying your mortgage and the lender has threatened to foreclose and take your home, you may feel desperate. Another "lender" may contact you with an offer to help you find new financing. Before he can help you, he asks you to deed your property to him, claiming that it's a temporary measure to prevent foreclosure. The promised refinancing that would let you save your home never comes through. Once the lender has the deed to your property, he starts to treat it as his own. He may borrow against it (for his benefit, not yours) or even sell it to someone else. Because you don't own the home any more, you won't get any money when the property is sold. The lender will treat you as a tenant and your mortgage payments as rent. If your "rent" payments are late, you can be evicted from your home. Protecting Yourself You can protect yourself against losing your home to inappropriate lending practices. Here's how: Don't: Agree to a home equity loan if you don't have enough income to make the monthly payments. Sign any document you haven't read or any document that has blank spaces to be filled in after you sign. Let anyone pressure you into signing any document. Agree to a loan that includes credit insurance or extra products you don't want. Let the promise of extra cash or lower monthly payments get in the way of your good judgment about whether the cost you will pay for the loan is really worth it. Deed your property to anyone. First consult an attorney, a knowledgeable family member, or someone else you trust. Do: Ask specifically if credit insurance is required as a condition of the loan. If it isn't, and a charge is included in your loan and you don't want the insurance, ask that the charge be removed from the loan documents. If you want the added security of credit insurance, shop around for the best rates. Keep careful records of what you've paid, including billing statements and canceled checks. Challenge any charge you think is inaccurate. Check contractors' references when it is time to have work done in your home. Get more than one estimate. Read all items carefully. If you need an explanation of any terms or conditions, talk to someone you can trust, such as a knowledgeable family member or an attorney. Consider all the costs of financing before you agree to a loan. For More Information The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues , visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel , a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSUMER 1-877-FTC-HELP www.ftc.gov April 1998