PDX Market Action June 2010

Filed Under PDX Market Action · Tagged:  

April 16, 2010 by Deborah ·

Announcing Solarize SE, Phase II!

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SE Portland has a program underway to solarize SE PDX.  Phase I is complete and my friend who participated said it was the most rewarding experience she’s had in a while.  By pooling resources and purchasing solar PV panels in bulk, homeowners are able to lower the costs of materials and installation.
Even if you don’t live in SE, please forward it on to everyone you know so that we can spread the word.
Also, it may be worth checking in with Tim O’Neal at Southeast Uplift to see if other neighborhoods in the city are doing their own solarizing.
My very best to you all,
Deborah

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you for signing up for Solarize SE.  If you’re reading this email, you are on the list!  In the first round of Solarize, your neighbors combined to build a 350kW clean energy powerplant  (equal to taking 650 cars off the road!) right here on the roofs of SE Portland.  Well, we’re doing it again and you can get involved!
How it works:
- You and your neighbors all buy solar PV at once, allowing the contractor, Imagine Energy, to increase efficiency and buy the equipment at lower prices.  They pass those savings on to you for dramatically lower costs, especially after incentives.  The more people join in by the deadline, the lower the prices drop for all.
What to do:
1) Tell your friends: Forward this email to your friends and tell them to sign up at www.solarizeSEportland.org to get more information about upcoming trainings.  Again, the more that join in, the better the deal gets.
2) Attend 2 training sessions (free): We’ll teach you all about the how solar PV works, how the pricing and incentives impact things, and what the process will be like.  Meet other neighbors who already went solar in Phase I of Solarize Portland.  You must attend one Basics of Going Solar with Solarize SE, and one topical session of your choice.  You can do both of these in one day, or split them up at your convenience (see schedule below).  Already know all about Solarize?  We can tell you how to take a quiz and sign up for a site assessment immediately.
3) Sign up for a site assessment: Once you’ve been to the training and think Solarize is right for you, sign up to have IE solar experts come evaluate your home and tell you what your options are.
4) Go Solar PV!  …Or Not….You’ll get a contract with a week of your site assessment. If solar PV wasn’t right for you, you can tap into community discounts on solar hot water or a Home Performance Energy Audit.
Visit www.solarizeSEportland.org for updates, and don’t forget to Spread the word!
-The Solarize Team:
Imagine Energy and SE Uplift
Check out the amazing pricing….see attached.
Upcoming Workshop Schedule:
Tuesday, March 16th
Old Laurelhurst Church
3212 SE Ankeny St
*5:30-6:30 – The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
*7-8 – Technical nuts & bolts…equipment, installation and how it all works
Saturday, March 20th
East Portland Community Center
740 SE 106 Ave.
*11-12 – The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
*12:30-1:30 – The bottom line…paying for solar with incentives, tax credits and financing
Tuesday, March 23rd
Mt. Scott Community Center
5530 SE 72nd Avenue
*5:30-6:30 The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
* 7-8 -  Spinning the meter backward…net-metering with the utility and understanding your energy bill
Saturday, April 3rd
St. David of Wales
2800 SE Harrison St.
*11-12 – The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
*12:30-1:30 – Technical nuts & bolts…equipment, installation and how it all works
Tuesday, April 6th
Duniway Elementary School
7700 Se Reed College Pl
*5:30-6:30 – The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
*7-8 – The bottom line…paying for solar with incentives, tax credits and financing
Saturday, April 24th
Old Laurelhurst Church
3212 SE Ankeny St
*11-12 – The Basics of going Solar with Solarize SE
*12:30-1:30 – Spinning the meter backward…net-metering with the utility and understanding your energy bill

Tim O’Neal
Sustainability Coordinator
Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition
503.232.0010 x 313
Uplifting community advocacy since 1968.

March 11, 2010 by Deborah ·

Client Testimonial

Filed Under Client Feedback · Tagged:  

I guess I should call this my “braggin’ wall.”  Recently, I represented a great couple who had decided they wanted to make a lifestyle change.  So together, we listed and sold their house in the Mt Scott/Arleta neighborhood and they bought a cool condo downtown.  My Principal Broker (the boss) received this nice letter and I wanted to share it with you.  My goal is to make my clients’ transactions smooth and successful! I can’t help but love getting praise like this!

Dear Eva Sanders,

My wife Mary and I just sold our home on SE 66th St in Portland and bought our new condo at SW 1st St with the help of Deborah Giles.

We met her by chance when we went to an open house in our neighborhood.  She kept in touch after that, and we began the process of preparing, then having the house on the market, and looking for what we wanted with her.

Deborah was a warm, involved professional who listened to our dreams and organized a plan which matched who we are.  She used active, well-planned advertising, and was a very active communicator through the process.  She also was supportive, in an “adult way,” as several tense complications developed.

She certain is an asset to your realty group, and she was marvelously helpful to us.

Sincerely, John and Mary E.”

 

June 1, 2009 by Deborah ·

Rehab Financing Program

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So you’ve found your dream house, but there’s one small problem.  It could stand some sprucing up, but you don’t have the cash to buy it and renovate it.  That’s where the FHA’s 203k financing program can help.  There is no doubt that as homeowners walk away from houses they can’t afford there will be a certain amount of deferred maintenance that new homeowners will face.  So the FHA is offering up to $35,000 to take care of those needed improvements whether it’s a home you want to purchase or a home you already own and plan to refinance.  Here are the basics:

  1. May be used for the purchase or refinance of one-to-four (single family) residences including HUD REO (means “real estate owned”) properties.
  2. The loan can be an adjustable or fixed-rate mortgage.
  3. The funds to purchase or refinance are combined (and pays off existing liens) with the funds needed to repair or rehabilitate the property. Repairs are completed after closing but you can’t do a “cash-out” refinance.
  4. Instead of two separate closings for two loans, the rehab funds are lumped into a single escrow.
  5. The money can be used to update a home, handle safety issues or pay for a big ticket item you need (like a new paint job or a roof).
  6. Same rules apply in terms of appraisals, property values must be sufficient to make the loans and the buyer must have the means and credit eligibility to get the loans.
  7. Sorry, but investors are not eligible (including REO sales).

May 29, 2009 by Deborah ·