The Greenest thing to do is keep your home! Free Foreclosure Prevention Workshop

As much as I would love to sell your home for you, the greenest thing for the planet, your family and your wallet is to keep your home no matter what. No moving, no boxes, no gas guzzling semi to haul your stuff, and no additional consumerism as you purchase new shelf liner.

This is from the California Board of Realtors:

FREE FORECLOSURE PREVENTION WORKSHOP
Friday, June 12th from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. at the Irvine Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine , CA 92606
PLEASE NOTE: This event is only for CLIENTS facing foreclosure. This FREE workshop will educate homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments on what to do to avoid foreclosure. Lenders and HUD-approved counseling agencies will be on-site to assist with loan workouts. Avoid foreclosure scams! You don’t have to pay for this workshop and these services! To RSVP, please email your name, address, phone number and lender information to: http://us.mc633.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=misidoro@fairhousingoc.org or call (714) 569-0823 x225.

Please pass this on to anyone you know who may have a fear of loosing their home to foreclosure. I'll be there, so I can get this education to help others.

Sometimes, it's not all about selling homes...

Now you can use your tax credit towards your down payment!
I just read this in the California Board of Realtor's Realtor onlline magazine:
Big Improvement to First-Time Buyer Tax Credit
- Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Tuesday said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment. Previously, most buyers wouldn't receive the funds until after they filed their tax return, and that deterred some people from using the credit. FHA’s approved lenders will be permitted to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.
WHAT GREAT NEWS FOR THE HOMEBUYER WITHOUT THE FUNDS FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT! There are so many great buys in So Cal right now, and with this news, the door is open to so many more than before!!! What is your vision and how can we help you?

One person can make a difference!

As I was walking to my recycle bin, I felt proud to know that 3 months earlier I went to my Homeowner's Association meeting and asked them why we did not have a recycling program. They said they had never put in a recycling bin because they thought it cost more money. I brought them a print out from waste management company showing that the association actually gets paid to have a recycle bin.
If you belong to a neighborhood that has an HOA, go to the meetings and let them know little things that they can do to green up the complex. One HOA I know of saved $60,000 a year by replacing the regular outside light bulbs with CFC (compact fluorescent) bulbs. Or, they can change the sprinkler timers and systems to only water when needed, and save lots of money on the water bill.
You probably won't see a reduction in dues, but maybe you can play a small part in keeping the dues from going up every year.