It gets complicated when you want to use a condo roof to harness solar power. Who pays for it? Who gets the power? Who gets the rebate when you sell power to the grid? Newly built condos have the advantage of having the solar (PV) system as part of the initial purchase. Adding it later
Ron Rothenberg 4Buyers Real Estate I’ve had a new energy-saving device for over a year, and I love it, and it has more than paid for itself a few times over, and it only cost me $20.00 at the Mass Save store website. It’s an Evolve showerhead, and it saves energy and solves the problem
In summer, my heating system is set to 55 degrees. Yes. I am a wimp. I do not want to wake up some night in August because I am cold. When it becomes “autumn,” the temperature gets cold enough to start running the program on the thermostat because it could be below 55 degrees any
Senator Downing of Massachusetts sponsored a bill requiring that home owners have a free energy audit of their house before putting it on the market for sale. The results of that audit are to be disclosed to potential home buyers. The rate of auditing shall be tracked. A rating system shall be developed. I think
Some HVAC problems are beyond what I know, so when [email protected] offered answers, I took the opportunity to share them with you. Here’s what they say: What's best for one house may not fit another house on the same block. For that reason, we answer a lot of unique questions about HVAC systems for homeowners
It is not clear to me whether sellers are getting more money for their old houses with wall insulation. I doubt that they are. Buyers who value sustainability lean towards new construction, which will be much better than even the best retrofit of an old house. But, insulation is not that expensive because of MassSave
Why am I talking about heating now? Because a buyer can’t feel how well the system works once it is shut off for the season. Even when we test it during home inspection, it is not the same as when it is fighting the winds howling outside. How they heat: Boilers send hot water or
Follow in my steps Ron Rothenberg 4 Buyers Real Estate “Walking is man’s best medicine” – Hippocrates, 3rd Century B.C. When I was 11, a friend’s mother bought me a stopwatch. I timed everything. I timed baseball games, I timed radio newscasts, I timed how long it took me to pee. How
And who couldn't use some of that? by Ron Rothenberg, 4 Buyers Real Estate I love rebates. I even love filling out rebate forms. I especially love receiving checks and gift cards. Right now, I’ve got a $715 gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I got it from the gas company
A seller can take all the light bulbs before closing. I have heard tale of sellers doing just that to be spiteful. Is it an urban myth? I cannot say for sure, since it never happened to any of my clients. Real estate has its own norms, which basically conform to law and common sense.