Real Estate and Related Topics

I know I am mean to you folks who live north of the Virginia/ North Carolina Border when it come to the weather..... and this post will be no different!

I just read a very informative post (now Featured) by Reuben Saltzman about insulating the rim space in your house, called Before you insulate your foundation walls, start with the rim space. When you see the drawings and read the article and links you can see how important it would be. There is a very convincing argument for it with a picture of snow melted all around the base of a house, melted by escaping heat. The temperature outside when Reuben took the photo......-15 degrees! Need I say more!!

I have become very attentive to insulation and saving energy of late, the technology has advanced it seems quiet considerably. I work with new construction and re-sales so I see ( and feel) the difference in the new homes most of which are Energy Star Rated of some description. I have one house that is Energy Star Certified which means the utility bills will be 30% less than the same house without all the energy saving features. It was immediately noticeable in the heat of the summer when the house was under construction. The thermal sheets in the roof made the house much cooler than ones without.

With the advances in building materials and required standards, todays houses have just by following the guidelines come a long way from quite recently, however the tecnology is only as good as the person who installs it. So it is important to check, this is why regular and scheduled visits to your house while it is under construction is important. Ask an inspector to do a schedule of visits if you are not sure of what to look for. There are companies out there who will test and advise you on the energy efficency of your house, even after it's been built for a while they can come in and see where you are throwing money away.

Oh wait I almost forgot to be mean to anyone who dosen't live in North Carolina, well because it's Christmas I will go easy on you. If it ever gets to -15 degrees where you live and you're not in a walk in freezer what the hell are you doing living in a place like that. It has been nasty here lately with temperatures dipping into the 40's, and my joints are starting to let me know how old I'm getting, man if I still lived in Philadelphia I'd be in a nursing home already!!!! I dont know if I can take two more months of this, roll on Spring! Nah it won't be cold that long we'll see 60's soon......... SUCKER!

“I Can’t Take Another Winter Of This!!”

How many of you are saying this right now? I mean it’s only October for goodness sake, No Power! Snow! Downed Trees! Heating Bills Skyrocketing!

I feel for you, I do! I lived in Philadelphia for years but I was younger so the cold didn’t bother me as much and  before Philly I lived in Dublin, Ireland so I knew a bit about nasty weather. The massive amounts of snow which stayed around for weeks on end became misery.

Now that I’m older I can’t stand the cold that’s why I love North Carolina. Look it can get cold here in fact it was cold this weekend, but here’s the thing it doesn't last for weeks and weeks or even days and days, it normally gets nicer sooner rather than later.

When we moved here it was November and we had a yard sale before moving and I sold my snow shovel, ( someone said you won’t need that in North Carolina). January we had two feet of snow and I had a spade, which was fine because we weren’t going anywhere, the roads were impassable so we hunkered down and enjoyed the beauty, a week later the snow was almost gone!!!

So fast forward about 12 years, a couple of big snow storms, a huge ice storm, a really embarrassing debacle in Raleigh that made the city the laughing stock of the country over a bit of ice. Well no more!! Nowadays the slightest mention of freezing weather, snow flurries, ice storms and the Dept of Transportation is out in force salting every surface they can find. It works great, it snows, you stay home for a day and then the next the roads are clear and it’s out the door!
If you have kids, imagine them being able to play outside most of the Winter without getting frostbite! If you run or play sports how does the winter affect your schedule. And if you are getting to retirement age do you really want to spend your golden years behind a snow-blower?

Did I mention we have golf courses also? Call me ...we should talk!I

Things To Do In New York This Winter, While Waiting To Move To North Carolina.

1, Plow the snow from your driveway, footpath and half way down the block!
2, Calculate how much you could be saving in taxes if you lived in North Carolina!
3, Watch “The Last of the Mohican's” ….filmed in North Carolina
4, Call your kids, who live here.... and ask them what the weather is like.
5, Call your parents who retired here.....and ask them can you move in while you sell your house!
6, Drop the price of your house $50,000......they don’t cost that much down here!
7, Find someone who is moving to New York from North Carolina......OK never mind!!
8, Plow snow from the back porch and driveway!
9, Pay the heating bill and see # 2
10, Call your agent and ask them if they are on ActiveRain, if not you might want to re-consider!
11, Pack your stuff (it will sell eventually) no need to pack the snow plow!
12, If the Occupy Wall Street Crowd are still there (I doubt it) see if they would like to Occupy your house!!
13, Plan a garden..... you’ll need to add two more growing seasons to the one you’re used to!
14, Cancel the time share, we have it all here, well except for the volcanos.
15, Start taking a hard look at outdoor furniture!
16, Start watching sports teams with obscure names like The Panthers, The Hurricanes ( they won a Stanley Cup......seriously)
17, If you like Basketball you will need to look at indoor furniture as well!
18, That snow ain’t going to plow itself, now get out there and plow the driveway before the wife gets home!!!
19, Watch “Dirty Dancing”....filmed in North Carolina!
20, The cars that go round and round really fast.That’s big, really big here, it’s called NASCAR !
21, Research the family tree to see if there’s a rich old uncle somewhere!
22, Next time there’s a showing, beg them to buy your house!
23, Get a job with a company who have a division in North Carolina, then ask for a transfer!
24,  Donate all your sweaters, overcoats and thermal underwear to a good cause!
25,  Go to bed and dream about your new home in North Carolina!!