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Green News Alert:  A new paint additive, Insuladd, developed by the government, cuts energy costs and reduces mold and mildew.

Insuladd insulating paint additive increases the “Mean Radiant Temperature” of any home or office and provides energy savings by reflecting and dissipating heat.   Reports show an average decrease in utility bills of 20 percent (and, as high as 40 percent for in some homes) after a home or building has been painted with the additive.  

Product Features:

• Increase the R value by making paint insulating.
• It is safe and non-toxic
• It can be applied to roofs, walls and ceilings.  Interior or exterior.
• It works in hot or cold climates.
• Reduced heating and cooling costs, while increasing comfort.
• It prevents mold and mildew by blocking moisture and condensation.
• It can be added to any house paint.
• Can be used for all residential or commercial paint applications

Tips for Using the Product:

• Add the mixture to your paint, then stir throughly before applying.
• If you want a satin or gloss finish, add Insuladd to the primer coat and first coat.  Apply a finish coat without the additive.
• If you want a high gloss coat on trim, don’t use the additive.
• Insuladd will leave a very slight texture to the walls that can be felt, but usually isn’t visable.  It may hide cosmetic defects such as gouges, dents and surface imperfections if 2 coats are applied.
• Insuladd is ideal for light colored paints and you will notice no change in the color of your paint.
• If you are using a dark paint, Insuladd may lighten the color by up to one shade.   If this is a problem, tint the paint one shade darker at purchase.
• Don’t pour the mixture into a one gallon paint can to avoid overflow.  The additive will overfill a full gallon of paint.  Pour the paint into a 5 gallon can, add additive and mix.  Left over paint with additive can be stored in the original container for touch ups.

Paint, insulate, save money on energy bills, increase the comfort of your living space, prevent mold and mildew.  What’s not to love.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  We have been helping home sellers since 1988 and we can help you too.  Check out all the freebies on our site.

I have been watching HGTV’s “Real Estate Intervention” for a few weeks now.  As a real estate professional for the last 25 years, I give this program a Big 2 Thumbs up!!  If you are buying or selling real estate, this program is a must see.   Check it out on Thursday nights at 10:30E/9:30C on HGTV. 

The HGTV Synoposis of the Show is:   In this current real estate market, pricing is everything. And the best way to really find out how much your house is worth is to check out the competition. Real Estate Intervention takes motivated sellers on a tour of other listings in the same area and same price range. They’ll get to see firsthand who their competition is and whether they’ve priced their house right. Does the competition have better closets? Granite counters? A bigger backyard? Which home is the best value for the dollar? We’ll help them determine the best way to get top dollar — and in the end we’ll see which home sells first!

Bonus:  Do you want to be on TV???  If you are confused about how to price or market your home and want objective advise, can contact HGTV and be on the show.  Click this link to contact HGTV. and tell them InfoTube.net sent you.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  We are here to help you buy and sell real estate.   If you like what we do and you want to receive updates about our short, informative articles, click on the RSS feed on the right hand side of the page.

We are starting a Darwin-like award for the building and contracting industry.  Here are the nominee’s for Worst Contractor of 2009, so far.  If you have an entry, please email your picture to the address shown below.  Believe me, we need all the chuckles we can get!!

Entry #1:

Look honey, the two car garage you’ve always wanted.

No, we’re not kidding and someone even hung drapes.  Ugh, I’m getting seasick just looking at it.

Can anyone say surveillance contractor for the government?   Hey, we’ve spotted a spider web in zone 5.

Do you want a printed receipt?  Click Yes or No.

Unless you can top this, we may have the Winner of the Bad Contractor Award for 2009.  But, we are still accepting entries until December 31st. 

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent FREE WEBSITE.  If you have an entry for our Bad Contractor Award for 2009, please email your pictures to tommi@infotube.net.  We find that in a bad economy, laughter helps.

This seller certainly knows that complete disclosure about any property problems is essential in the purchase or sale of real estate.  

Happy Monday and thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale or rent website.  Good luck on your sale…whatever the reason for your move (:

A delight for commuters and motorcycle enthusiasts alike, The Zero is a new electric motorcycle with sharp style and enough speed to embarrass other bikers at stop lights. 

Made in California, the Zero is fast, agile and a joy to ride.   “People have waited decades for these things to be practical”, said Neal Saiki, inventor and founder.  “We make every part of the bike”, said Saiki, “It’s very light and half the weight of a normal motorcycle.”  In addition to being pollution-free, the street and dirt versions of the bike are silent when running. 

One limitation for consumers may be the bike’s range and price.  It runs between 40 and 60 miles, before it needs to be re-charged.  And, the price is a bit steep at $13,500, which is about double the cost of a gas powered equivalent.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale or rent website.  Seller’s can post property information on InfoTube.net for FREE.  Buyers can search the database for thousands of properties often seen no where else on the web.

Being raised in rural Missouri, the concept of using goats (goating out a property) to clear and maintain land is not a new one.  But, for many people, the idea of using goats, instead of noisy mowers, to help with the chores is an option they never considered.

Goats, What’s Not to Love?  In addition to being very cute and smart, goats are great at clearing brush and weeds without using gasoline, polluting the air or disturbing the peace.  Mowing by goat means less work for busy people, it is chemical free and the little darlings automatically fertilize as they work. 

Even Silicon Valley and other metro area’s are looking to the environmentally, friendly goat as a non-tech means of maintaining their grounds and property.  Google “hired” 200 goats to maintain the grounds at its Mt. View, CA headquarters.  Yahoo, located just a stones throw away, must have loved the idea because they also rented goats to cut their grass.  Even cities are joining in the goat movement.  Mesa, AZ has used goats to maintain the land around their water reclaimation plant for quite some time.

All “Kidding” Aside….  If Rent-A-Goat appeals to your lazy and green side, renting one is as easy as locating your nearest goat farm.  Or, you can visit GoatFinder.com, which has a directory for goat rentals for 10 states.  But beware before you rent, using goats has risks, like a deep attachment.  Goats are so cute and friendly, it can be very hard to say Goodbye when the work is done. 

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent website.   Please search our fresh listings for some great deals or place a FREE property listing about your home.

Cluck, Cluck…Do the funky chicken.  A new movement is occurring across urban area’s and cities in the country, namely raising chickens for “pure” food, fun and profit.  

Not just a hobby for hippies.  Today, urban Chicken farming has caught fire in some of the most sophisticated cities from coast to coast.  Madison, WI was among the first cities to allow limited numbers of chickens.  New York city has allowed chickens for years.  Other major metro area’s which give a thumbs up to fresh eggs from suburban back yards include:  Chicago, IL; Albuquerque, NM; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and many other major area’s.

• Don’t Run Afowl of the Law:  If raising cute little chicks appeals to you, make sure you know the laws in your area before you buy a cool coop.  Many cities, or nosy neighbors, may take issue.  For example, in Kansas City, MO, the birds can’t roam or be raised within 100 feet of a home or business.  No Crowing Roosters in Madison, only layers are allowed.  Some cities limit the number of chickens on residential property to 5 or 6.  So, please check the law before you get too excited about raising your own omelet.

Birds Eye View:  After looking into the new trend, we give a thumbs up for the chickens coming home to roost.   With Americans ripping up sod to grow victory gardens, aren’t chicken’s a natural next step?  And, who doesn’t think fresh eggs are better for your family and better tasting?  What do we have to lose?  Chickens are cool and advocates for urban chickens say that they are quieter and cleaner than dogs.  And, children of all ages love feeding them and gathering their own breakfast eggs.  

Chickens are a Good Thing.  For more information about raising chickens in your backyard, visit BackYardChickens.com, which boasts 30,000 members or urbanchickens.org.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net, your homes for sale or lease FREE website.   Please search through our listings for some great deals, and find a roost of your own!! For an MLS and Realtor.com listing for owners, builders and investors, click here.

Pictures are crucial in motivating buyers and showcasing your property.   In fact, homes advertised with great pictures attract 50 percent more interest and sell much faster than other homes that are poorly marketed.

Taking great pictures of your home is easy for the most novice do-it-yourselfer, if they follow these tips from the pro’s.  

1. Staging the Shot is Critical:  No People and no pets in the picture help the buyer imagine themselves in the room.  Flowers always help.  Remove all clutter and evidence of anything personal.  Move furniture to look good in the picture, even if you don’t live that way.
2. Lighting:   Turn on all the lights, but leave the fluorescents off because they distort colors.  Light candles in the fireplace (shown top left) to punch up ambience.  Shoot one exterior shot at twilight (shown below) with all the interior and exterior lights on.

     3.  Camera Angle:  Stand in Corners of the room and aim the shot toward the other corners.  The room looks bigger, if there are no more than 2 walls in the picture.   Crouch down and take the shot from a kids height (may explain why houses get smaller as we get older) to make any space appear larger.   Try to keep the back of the camera parallel to walls or doorways to make the room feel taller.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale or rent website.   If you are serious about selling a home, remember that a picture paints a thousand words and each one should motivate buyer to take a look inside for themselves.  If you aren’t using 20 good photo’s in your InfoTube.net home ad, please do yourself a favor, grab your camera and upload some new ones.  You will be very glad you did!

PRICE REDUCED.  JUST REDUCED.  PRICE DROP.  PRICE SLASHED.   These are the Signs of the Times, but why?  Who cares, really?

Although, Realtors love the phrase and evidentally believe it to be  a powerful message, PRICE REDUCED, means only one thing…the listing was overpriced.   It doesn’t mean it still isn’t.

So, why do Realtors hang banners advertising that a price has been dropped?  Do they believe that buyers care that an asking price was reduced from $250,000 to $200,000, if comparable homes in the neighborhood are priced at $175,000?   

Maybe, the hoopla is all about the agents themselves.  Maybe, it is a secret way of gloating to one another that they finally got their unrealistic seller to drop their price.  Woo Hoo, We Were Right. 

In any case, I find signs with swinging distress messages very unmotivating, somewhat negative and kind of sad.  They are the antithesis of salesmanship.  And, when I see these type of signs, my mind immediately conjures images of a stale listing, a probably dated interior, repair issues and a difficult seller.   

In my opinion, a good salesperson, who works on behalf of the seller, would post signs that gave buyers important, exciting news about the property.  “Seller Financing”, “Zero Down”, “Lowest Price in Area”, ”Free Appliances” or “Special Financing.  Positive messages, such as these, are informative and helpful to buyer and seller, alike.

Before Realtor’s spends any more of their hard earned money on negative messages, or homeowner’s allow another one to be posted, I hope they stop and ask themselves, “Why are we doing this and Who really cares???  

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  We have been helping buyers and sellers for 20 years and we are here to help you sell and market your home.  Please visit our site to post a Free Property Listing or Search for Great Deals from the Privacy of Your Home.

Developer and Real estate trust ProLogis looks upward to ’electricify’ its cash flow and reduce its overhead. 

ProLogis, who owns more rooftops than anyone in the world, announced  plans to develop the rooftops (equal to 10,000 football fields) of their existing buildings, and lease the space to power companies to install solar panels.

From the press release:

Headquartered in Denver, Colo., as a manager and developer of real estate, ProLogis is actively seeking out electric utilities to lease out its rooftops as a way to earn extra income with no capital investment, while meeting the company’s goal of contributing to global sustainability.

As a real estate investment trust, ProLogis isn’t interested in owning the solar installations, but rather in engaging utilities as a renter of its space. Utilities make solid tenants that will enter long-term leases, as most power-purchase agreements for solar power generation are for 15 to 20 years.

ProLogis manages more than five hundred million square feet of industrial space and they are putting all of it to good use on three continents. Actually, ProLogis owns more rooftops than anyone in the world – they have available space in twenty-four countries across the globe. The amount of space is equivalent to approximately 10,000 football fields.

 Although Prologis continues to develop new buildings on virgin land, their plan to put solar panels on their rooftops is a win-win for ProLogis, power companies and the environment.  It makes good use of existing, undeveloped real estate, feeds the electrical grid and generates cash flowAdded Bonus:  In addition to increasing cash flow for ProLogis, adding the solar roof panels also insulates their buildings, reducing their operating costs and their carbon footprint, simultaneously.

Kudo’ to Prologis for thinking “out of the box” and on the grid.  Maybe it will encourage other developers to do the same.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.   The purpose of our products and our job is to connect home buyers and sellers.  Please search our website for thousands of properties for sale or rent.  Or, place a Free Property Listing on our Website, with our compliments.

A city councilman in Utah , Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the east mountains, Until a new neighbor purchased the lot below his house and built a new home.

The new home was 18 inches higher than the ordinances would allow, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the city to make sure they enforced the lower roof line ordinance.

The new neighbor had to drop the roof line, at great expense.

Recently, Mark Easton called the city, and informed them that his new neighbor had installed some vents on the side of his home.

When the city went to Mark’s

to see what the vents

looked like,this is what they

found…

Sorry, but we had to chuckle and thought our readers might enjoy this, especially on tax day.  We’ve heard about neighbors who use spite fences to communicate their feelings about their neighbors, but this was a new one for us.   

Creative real estate or housing anyone???  A friend sent me an email with pictures of a very sweet little pad.  I love this and wanted to share it.

Entry Way and Stair Case

Kitchen and Living Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bath with Walk in Shower

Doesn’t this home seem very modern?  Perhaps, something you would see in a swanky highrise condo in a big city????

SURPRISE:  HERE’S THE INCREDIBLE PART I LOVE

The one bedroom, one bath loft apartment was built inside a 1940’s grain silo.

The old grain silo was recycled into this upscale apartment, after it was purchased and relocated to the grounds of the Homestead Inn, located in New Braunfels, TX in 2007.

If this isn’t an example of creative craftmanship, I don’t know what is.  Love those Texan’s!!!

Thank you, Pat for forwarding this wonderful property information to me.  Hopefully, it will encourage others to think “out of the box” when it comes to creating affordable housing and perserving our resources.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  Feel free to place a free property listing, or search our database for thousands of great deals on real estate from coast-to-coast.  

If you know of a unique or smart piece of property, please send us the details and pictures.  Our readers love real estate and we love sharing the resourceful and creative spirit of the American people with our readers.

This short video clip offers a very interesting look at changes in world demographics and the progress of information technology.  Do yourself a favor and watch this one.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website. Place a free property listing on the site or search our database for thousand’s of property listings.

Calling all Frank Sinatra fans.   You now have a chance to own a piece of Rat Pack History for only $4.8 million. 

Villa Maggio, Frank’s desert hideaway, located 30 minutes from beautiful Palm Desert, CA is up for sale.  Mr Sinatra named the gorgeous estate after the role he played as Private Angelo Maggio in the movie “From Here to Eternity”.

Some more interesting facts about Sinatra’s Villa Maggio include:

• Old Blue Eye’s built his desert hideout in the 1970’s.  He used it as a getaway for his family and friends.
• The property sits on 7+ acres and is perched over the valley at an elevation of around 4300 feet.
• The estate includes a main house, two guest houses, swimming pool, heliport and lighted tennis courts. 
• The Rat Pack traveled on the Pines to Palm Highway to reach the mountain top hideaway, or they they flew to Palm Springs, then Sinatra helicoptered them to the property.
• Sinatra owned the property for 12 years, then donated it to Loyola Marymount University, which sold it for $1.4 million in 1989.
• The property is presently owned by a celebrity.
• Sinatra designed the kitchen in the home himself.  He loved to cook, especially pasta dishes.  His kitchen has remained unchanged through the years.
• Photographs of the famous hideaway are fantastic.  Click Here to check out the wonderful slideshow of Villa Maggio.  (One picture features the original telephones with 50 lines).

Thank you visiting InfoTube.net.  We hope you enjoyed taking a wonderful walk down memory lane with us.   Please accept our invitation to place a Free Property Listing on our website, or search our database for thousands of great deals on homes for sale or rent.

The History of the Holiday

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.

On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of irish bacon and cabbage.

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Today, cities around the world turn green and join together to celebrate St. Patty’s Day.   Check out the photoslide show from National Geographic for some fun unusual celebrations from around the world.

Happy Saint Patrick’s day from InfoTube.net homes for sale website.