Dave's Dallas Homes Blog

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After all the presents have been unwrapped, egg nog consumed, New Year celebration hangover defeated, it’s time to pack away your special ornaments, your lights, decorations, and tree topper.   If you’re like me, you are  eyeing the calendar to see when bulk trash is coming so you can put your tree on the curb.    

Want an alternative?   Check out Earth 911  for locations near your home where you can take your tree for recycling.    The upside is that some of these locations allow you to take mulch from the trees home with you.   Bring your own shovel and containers.  

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Always interested in solar technology,  I have recently been  fascinated by a company called NanoSolar.   Founded in 2002, their  mission is to  deliver cost-efficient solar electricity, and they are doing  this with affordable  breakthrough solar technology.   This technology will potentially change the way we power our world.  

Because  NanoSolar’s flexible solar product is printed on rolls of conductive film instead of fragile wafers or glass panels, this thin material could be cut to fit almost anywhere.   Imagine a sun-exposed  exterior wall of your home, the shingles on your roof, the tops of our cars, all covered with this thin solar film.   With our needs ever-growing, tapping in to the sun’s rays will help us power today’s needs and beyond.    There is no doubt that this type of technology is coming to our homes; and I am excited, not only for the cost savings it will mean for all of us, but also for the limitless renewable energy this technology will unleash.  

I envision all of our homes becoming miniature power stations, feeding power from solar cells and wind turbines into a collection of storage batteries that will allow us to use nature’s forces when they are abundant and the stored battery power when they are not.    These technologies are not just for the wealthy or the eco-geek, they are our future.   When we as consumers begin educating ourselves on what is coming, we will soon be able to shape our future homes and businesses into self-sufficient havens.   Are you ready?

Here  is a great article from U.S. News & World Report  about Congress’ recent decision to phase  out incandescent  light bulbs  beginning in 2012.   That’s  four  short years away.   The article explains cost, the “colors” of the light, disposal, and safety precautions when using fluorescent lights.   Are you ready?

View  my  latest listing at 4263 Republic Drive in Frisco, Texas, on my website.

I’ve been toying with this question myself  lately, and I’d like to hear  your thoughts.   I love my truck but gas prices are not  getting any cheaper, and I cannot help but think that there may be  better choices out there.   I need a truck for my business, but appreciate the four door convenience I currently have with my crew cab.    So what options are out there?  

I found a site about an all-electric vehicle from Phoenix Trucks  that looks promising for the future, crew cab trucks and SUVs as well.   They will be available to consumers in late 2009.   I was just on the Chevy Volt site too.   Very cool but still just a concept at this point.   Execs say it has an 85% chance of mass production, very  good by concept car strategies.   By far the  Toyota Prius is one of the most popular, we see them every day, along with the Ford Escape Hybrid.   Which vehicle will be right for you?   I believe we will all be rethinking our options in the near future.

With the changes in tomorrow’s vehicles, it also brings up another question:   How will our homes, towns, and cities  have to change to  allow us to run and drive these cars?    It’s mind boggling, and  we’ll save that for another blog.   With so many technologies  available beyond the current  gas hybrid models today that it brings me back to my original question:   Have  you considered a hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel vehicle?  

I am asked by Buyers and Sellers almost every day about the  market in Dallas.   Reading the national news with splashy headlines depicting doom and gloom in  the  housing market, you can’t help but think that the sky is falling.   Well, I’m here to tell you that it is not all doom and gloom.   I ran across a positive  article (for a change) about homes sales in Dallas in the Dallas Morning News today that pretty much sums up the points Realtors have  been telling Buyers and Sellers all year.  

First of all, the sky is not falling.   Are homes sales down this year compared to record sales last year?   Yes.   Why?    The average person  reading the headlines can be  understandably  confused about whether this is a good time to buy or sell.   The best solution for confusion is education.   Learn as much as you can about your local market.   Talk to an experienced Agent who can help decipher the numbers.    

For Buyers, high inventory means a lot of properties to choose from.   Many homes right now are well-priced, and interest rates remain low.   If you have good credit, a 10% down payment, and verifiable income, you should be able to qualify for a home loan.   If any one of these three criteria are shaky, speak with a mortgage professional about options you may have and what loan programs might work best for you.  

For Sellers, it’s time to get down to business.   Speak  with a knowledgable Agent  about what your home is worth.   Be realistic about  pricing your home because if you aren’t, the Seller down the street will be.   Do the things your Agent suggests.   If your Agent has not given you a list of items you need to take care of to get your home sold, find one who will.   It may cost you a few dollars up front, but the payoff will be a shorter time on the market, translating into more money in your pocket than if you sit on the market for months and  months, only to  end up taking the last lowball offer that comes in.

In the end, do your homework.   Talk to a professional Realtor or Mortgage Lender  about your options.   Don’t hesitate to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to jump in.   The water in Dallas is fine.  

My wife and I took our daughter to the Gaylord Texan Resort this weekend; and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the bulbs I could see were either fluorescent or LED.   In every lamp and light in the room, to the lights in the hallways, to the Holiday decorations in the huge atrium, we saw energy saving bulbs  throughout the hotel.   Not only are they saving energy for the planet, they are saving a huge amount of money on their electric bill.   Way to go, Gaylord Texan!

Found another good site to take a look at.    Check out  www.EnergyStar.gov.   It’s full of information about energy saving products, home improvement tips, finding Energy Star  homes and builders, tax  credits, and more.    

I was so excited when we went to our local home improvement store to purchase CFL’s for our guest  bathroom lights.    Our five current bulbs give off massive amounts of heat and made our guests  feel like they  were in a sauna while trying to get showered and dressed in the mornings.    As we were looking for the right wattage to replace the  bulbs, I was pleasantly surprised to see both three-way  and dim-able fluorescents.   Good to know for the next time we’re replacing our lamp bulbs.   We found what we needed and soon, five bulbs totaling 240 watts were replaced with five bulbs totaling 35 watts, giving the same amount of light, and putting out next to no heat.

Then last evening, WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas ran a story about the disposal of CFL bulbs, how they contain a trace amount of mercury, and the need to dispose of them  in an environmentally friendly manner; and it dawned on me that most people have no idea where to dispose of these bulbs.    According to the news story, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Elliotts Hardware may accept the bulbs but are placing them into the trash, the same as you could do at home.  

So I did some checking and found out two great places to take your bulbs.    The best place to take them is the Home Chemical Collection Center.   It is located at 11234 Plano Road,  Dallas, TX 75243, Mapsco 28-A.    The second place I found was Ikea in Frisco.   They are located at 7171 Ikea Drive, Frisco, TX 75034.   A quick phone call  confirmed they accept the bulbs and dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner.  

As long as you are going to the trouble to save a little of the earth’s energy, and save yourself some money, take the  next step to do the right thing for our environment and dispose of the bulbs correctly.