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!
Energy Wise Wish List 110118
What Would You Ask For? I've been invited to a meeting of national thought leaders. We are being asked to show what we are doing to reduce energy use in the United States. I'm working on my presentation and would like to hear your thoughts. My contact at DOE has visited Fresno and knows what we do, so he knows that my presentation will be "outside the box" and quite different from most of the rest of the presenters who will be promoting certifications, rebates, ratings, etc... none of which we use. Rather our message is basically, "turn the American free enterprise spirit...Continue Reading!
Decisions Making: Energy Wise & Otherwise 110125
503 Scott Clovis CA Options Tonight Rob and I will discuss the decision making processes that are going in to our current renovation project at 503 Scott in Clovis, CA... especially around the Comfort System. Of course we would like to have all the decisions made before we start, but this one threw us a curve... A buyer came along. We love buyers and having the job pre-sold. (That happens about half the time) But buyers almost always want to change things. This one assured us that she wouldn't want to change very much, and at first she didn't. Now, most recently she...Continue Reading!
Manual J The Easy Way 110201
Manual J and HVAC WrightSoft Last week we discussed how the buyers request to condition her garage, 444 more square feet, brought the Manual J load calculations front and center to our thinking. Before, we knew the smallest Mini Split Heat Pump would work. Now, we had to know our total heat load exactly. Could we still get the job done with the smallest Mini Split? Our HVAC contractor, Gary Richardson re measured and confirmed everything and fired up his WrightSoft Manual J computer program and confirmed that we could still heat and cool the project, even after they convert the...Continue Reading!
Success Stories: Lee Siebert 5815 E. Shields Fresno CA 110222
80 Year Old House Flipper This is our friend, Lee Siebert at 5815 E Sheilds. You may have met Lee at the last field trip. Lee liked the house and saw so much potential ($47K in "our" neighborhood where we've been selling for $160)... so we sold it to him. He's now more than half done, learning Home Performance as he goes along, and excited to get on to his next one. He's chosen to do most of the work himself and says he's lost 20 pounds. We'll have photos of work in process and interview Lee tonight. This will be...Continue Reading!
By Dave Robinson
By Jack Frost
By Andrew Martinez
By Debra Little