Archives for May 2011

Housing prices are up since 2001

A baritone sings the highs and woes of the housing market on NPR’s Planet Money. The 20-city composite data from March 2001 – February 2011 show that on average, U.S. home prices have actually gone up. Tune in here to the operatic version of the Case-Shiller Index by Timothy McDevitt, a graduate student at Julliard.

Over the past decade, the final note is audibly higher than the first, showing that home prices are up since March of 2001. Miami, one of the hardest-hit real estate markets, experienced explosive growth; since the 2007 peak, prices have dropped by about 50%. In contrast, Dallas prices remained slow and steady.

In the 1980s, economists Karl Case and Robert Shiller developed what is now known as Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price indices, calculated from data on repeat sales of single-family homes for the nine U.S. census regions. The 10-city composite measures the Home Index for 10 major metropolitan areas, and the 20-city composite reflects numbers for 20 metro areas.

A Total Bath Redo for $2,238

relaxing bathroom remodelSometimes it takes an addition to the family to kick a remodel into high gear. Such was the case for Lisa and Jim Steele of Syracuse, New York. The couple was “skeeved out” by the grim lone full bath left behind by previous owners, and they dealt with the eyesore by taking quick showers—never baths.

But with son Coby, now 3, on the way, they envisioned tub times full of toys for their little one. So, shopping sales and eBay for discounted fixtures, they began to create an inviting bath in their 1925 cottage, piece by piece.

read the entire article at thisoldhouse.com

Get ready for your summer road trip

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer and the travel season. An estimated 32.1 million travelers will head out of town, up from last year’s figure of 30.5 million, according to AAA projections. About 28 million alone will travel by car this holiday weekend.

If you’re planning to drive to your upcoming destination, travel smart with these road trip tips, provided by Couple Money.

  • Check out travel sites like Road Trip America, Lonely Planet, and AAA when planning your itinerary. Consider becoming a AAA member to save on lodging and admission to recreation facilities as well as to have peace of mind should your car break down. For $89 (for up to 2 members), you get the basic AAA benefits plus free towing up to 100 miles and additional services.
  • Prepare your vehicle for the trip by topping off fluids, inflating tires, and having an emergency kit ready.
  • Plan your pit stops by having paper maps and GPS handy. A great road trip includes good eats, so check out RoadFood for suggested diners, drive-ins, and dives.
  • Find the cheapest places to refuel. Use your smart phone to access apps like Gas Buddy and AAA TripTik Mobile to compare local gas prices. Drive at a steady speed and don’t haul heavy stuff (with the exception of children of course).

Canadian Use Facebook More Than Anyone

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Seattle: Number 1 Walkable City!

Walk Friendly Communities - Platinum Level

    Seattle is designated as a Platinum-level community due to top-notch planning and engineering, outstanding outreach and education, and strong enforcement and evaluation practices. Highlights of Seattle’s application include:

    • Seattle is a leading example of positive evaluation practices and has developed an outstanding reputation as a walkable city due, in large part, to the understanding of trends in pedestrian travel. This understanding comes from significant pedestrian counts that have been occurring biannually since 2006. Data is collected during the peak summer and winter periods and analyzed for seasonal and time of day impacts on walking volumes.

    • One of the main reasons Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan is such a successful document is the clear establishment of goals and measurable performance indicators. With the objective of becoming the country’s most walkable city, Seattle established baseline measurements, performance targets, and data collection processes to improve walkability. These indicators fit into the four main goals of the plan: Safety, Equity, Vibrancy, and Health and contain such examples as reaching ten new schools a year with outreach and increasing pedestrian volumes in selected count locations.

    Read the rest here.

    All About Gutters

    closeup illustration of gutter and downspouthalf-round copper gutters on a house with shingle siding

     

    An inch of rainfall doesn’t sound like much. But when it falls on an average-size roof, it adds up to a 1,900-gallon torrent sluicing off the eaves. That’s an awful lot of water that can cause an awful lot of damage if your gutters aren’t up to the task of controlling it. Yet we barely give gutters a second thought until they’re clogged and overflowing, or ripped from their moorings by ice and snow.

    So now that summer’s here, it’s time to take notice. Maybe a simple cleaning is all your gutters need, or maybe they need to be replaced altogether.

    If you’re starting fresh, there is a veritable deluge of shapes, sizes, and materials to choose from. Aside from pricey, maintenance-heavy wood troughs and short-lived vinyl ones, the best option for most of us is metal—elegant copper, understated zinc, rugged steel, or affordable aluminum. Metal gutters are durable and need relatively little care.

    Pictured: Copper half-round gutters and round downspouts nicely complement traditional house designs. Note how each section has been neatly soldered to the next for long-lasting, leak-free joints and a handcrafted look.

    Find out everything you need to know to properly size your gutters and downspouts.

    Read the whole article at thisoldhouse.com.

    Vivian Chiu: Inception Chair and more

    Vivian Chiu Inception Chair Furniture Design

    I’d have to say that, for me, some of the most creative and interesting work at this year’s ICFF and its satellite shows came from design students. One of these is Vivian Chiu, a furniture design student at RISD. What first caught my eye was her Inception Chair at the Noho Design District show, then later I noticed her Fu Lei Zhi bench at ICFF as well, and have since visited her website to see a slew of interesting work.

    Chiu seems fascinated by repetition and intricate pieces fitting together perfectly in a puzzle-like fashion. Together the pieces create a whole, yet separately, they function (to some degree) as well. In addition to the originality of the work, her craftsmanship is remarkable.

    To see more of Vivian Chiu’s work visit her site.

    Own your home faster with a short-term loan

    There’s a new trend among homeowners. Many are choosing to replace their long-term mortgages with short-term loans. More than one in three borrowers who refinanced opted for 15-year or 20-year mortgages at very low rates, said Frank Nothaft, chief economist for Freddie Mac in the company’s most recent quarterly survey.

    Some banks are offering fixed rates for shorter-term loans at under 3 percent. Jeff Lipes, president of the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association and senior vice president of Family Choice Mortgage near Hartford, Conn., says that financing a home for 7 or 15 years makes sense for those who meet two criteria — they want to own their house faster, and they have the cash to support the bigger monthly payments. But save they will.

    Consider a loan of $15,000 on a 15-year fixed at 5.5 percent with 13 years to go. Monthly principal and interest equal $1,225. In total, you will play $197,476. Refinanced over 7 years at 3 percent, monthly principal and interest come to $1,982, and the total note will be paid at $166,488. You save over $27,000 in interest fees.

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