New Site For Green Earth Equities

Shaky Econoomy… Now What? 110809

Investment Strategies Turning Crises to Opportunity OK. We've had a volatile couple of weeks on the national economic scene.  It's sent shock waves thru the public so there's been a lot of profit taking and looking for safe havens for investment.  Our realtor Jennifer says some of her home buying clients are deciding to wait and rent.... But what does it mean for us, the Energy Wise Real Estate Investors?  Are the formulas that we used last year still valid?  Is this still a workable business model?  Is it a good idea?  A great idea? Or a good way to waste money?   How...Continue Reading!

110802 Energy Loading Order & What’s Most Important

Energy Loading Order & What's Most Important? Choosing What Will Your Budget Allow After Enlightenment, we have a "Menu" of Green Options that is so large (and ever expanding) ... that there is no way we can do "Everything" Tonight we will address the question of how to choose and how to best use the budget that we have. BTW that's really important... having a budget. In our business it depends on the initial purchase price, and the ARV, After Repaired Value. No matter how high our ARV or how big our Spread, we still can't do everything. So how to choose the most...Continue Reading!

TED 1000 Energy Monitor 101123

Home Monitoring System Tonight we'll talk all about residential Energy Monitors. We'll compare several options that are available today, including some disturbing info from some field testing... and then I'll show you the installation of one of the most popular monitors in a 12 minute movie that I shot while installing the TED in my new home in Virginia.   Most importantly, we'll discuss the new marketing concept that we are considering... including the monitor, installed and all set up, with the sale of the home. Remember, we're paying half the low bill for two years anyway.  Now we'll keep the account...Continue Reading!

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com 101130

Online Assets The wonderful thing about living now, in this digital age, is that anyone can learn (almost)anything that they want to. Did you know that even MIT courses are available free on the internet?   So there's no excuse for ignorance. The main challenge is to sort out the best information from the sales pitches and other distractions.  We'll be creating a list of the best websites that feature reliable unbiased information on Building Science and Home Performance.  Tonight we'll go over the mega-site that has become my favorite. It's a compilation of several blogs and sections that are definitely worth looking at....Continue Reading!

Heating Costs Calculator 101207

Fuel Choices Tuesday we will unravel the questions about which is the best fuel to heat with. Is gas cheaper than electricity? Is oil cheaper than propane? Are pellets cheaper than wood?... and on and on ... Of course the answer is,  "It depends." So we'll look at some of those variables, specifically as it applies to our renovation work.   And we'll introduce a common unit of measurement,   =   a million btu's.   Otherwise we are left trying to compare gallons to therms to cords to tons etc. We'll look briefly at the math and then go to an online calculator that...Continue Reading!

1810 Norris Dr. East Fresno CA Progress 101214

Windows, Driveway, Landscaping... Dave's off again with his wife, Luelle, recently honored as the world's leading luxury River Cruise agent, for a European Christmas visiting scenic Vienna, Prague, etc... From our G.E.A.R. survey we noticed there's interest in a variety of "back office" tools including, SmartSheets. This being the case, I thought I'd take the opportunity to review the SmartSheet on the primary property we've been following at 1810 Norris, Fresno CA. I hope to have Rogelio Covarrubias on hand to discuss the details and answer any questions concerning the project.  Look forward to meeting with you tonight at 6pm. Best wishes and Christmas...Continue Reading!

Using SmartSheets Task Management 101221

Online Tracking Software Rob's presentation last week on the use of SmartSheets was preempted by his interview with our Project Manager Rogelio Covarrubias and update on 1810 Norris Drive in Fresno. Tonight we'll be demonstrating our use of SmartSheets on Norris.  Field Trip January 6th Dave will be in California for the Holidays, continuing their family tradition of White Christmas at Shaver Lake, and will have a few days before returning to Virginia. So we're taking this opportunity to schedule a field trip to look at the two houses we have currently in renovation. You'll see the work that we'll talk about on...Continue Reading!

Squeezing the Spread 101228

Year End Greetings… Tonight we will investigate the changes in the real estate market that we've seen in 2010. Some of these changes create challenges for our original business plan, so we are flexing and changing our plan to meet the changing environment. We will discuss our new direction and show CMA's and MLS details and photos of what we are aggressively offering on right now.   Field Trip Reminder On Thursday the 6th, you can see our two active projects as well as the one we just bought.   We'll also look at the best deals available at the time, evaluate them,...Continue Reading!

Buying Too Many Houses? 110104

Crises or Opportunity? I hope your holidays had time for reflection on the the blessing of Christmas and the blessings we have just living in this country and you took the time to contemplate the possibilities that could happen for you in 2011... and build somewhat of a game plan to actualize as many of them as possible. That's what I was doing at our annual family retreat to the snow at Shaver Lake. When I got home and checked in with Jennifer I was surprised to find that we may be more successful in our year-end buying spree than we expected....Continue Reading!

Home Performance Career 110111

Green Job Market Wow, on my drive back to Virginia on Route 66, it's 4 below zero here in Weatherford Oklahoma. They really need Home Performance here!  As you know, our site is all about Home Performance from the Energy Wise Investor's point of view and not specifically designed for HERS Rating or any other ancillary career.  One of my main suggestions has been, "Dont quit your day job,  Start this stream of income on the side,  And let it build.  As your experience and confidence and income build, you might want to make a change."   But several have said, "I dont...Continue Reading!