U.S. Inspect Blog

Planning on doing a weekend project and have your iPhone nearby? You might want to download some of these neat apps! How about the EZ Loan Calc app for starters to figure out the money needed for a project and estimate what a loan would cost you. You might also like the Handyman Sidekick, which converts and saves units of measurement for wallpaper, gardening, painting and flooring projects.

On this past Tuesday, March 24, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment completed markup on the HOME STAR Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. The bill was favorably forwarded by a voice vote to the full committee on Energy and Commerce. From here it goes to the full committee for their consideration. Another small step in a long process. Stay tuned.

Woah!! A surprise guest greeted us at the chimney opening!

--Reid Stever, Philadelphia Inspector

The following is a guest post contributed by Nicole Adams. She writes on the topic of construction management degrees, but has written many interesting articles on other home-related topics as well. She wrote this one especially for us. It's on ways to improve the value of your home--especially for those looking to sell. Thanks Nicole! She provides her email at the end of the post and welcomes your comments. Enjoy:

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Home’s Value

This is kind of cool view of Beacon Hill and the MA State House yesterday on a dreary, VICTORIOUS day in the old town.. (Boston)

--Rob Amaral, Massachusett's Inspector

A day after we looked at houses, I was taking Gene’s advice and scouring the website he had sent me. South Riding is a large area, but on our first day of house hunting, we had been all over. I only found three more listings that were not already under contract that fit our criteria and price range that we hadn’t already seen.

What Is HOME STAR?
You know ENERGY STAR, the Department of Energy's (DOE) home appliance and new home construction ratings for energy efficiency. Now meet HOME STAR, a federal program under consideration by the White House that would create more than half a million new jobs over the next two years by offering homeowners direct incentives for improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

2009 was a pretty tough year for most involved with commercial real estate. We actually had a decent year because we had established some strong relationships with companies involved with commercial real estate workouts and foreclosures. Their volume picked up substantially and continues to do so. Early 2010 indicates a continued tough road for CRE for now. It has been interesting to notice the varying attitudes of those involved at the various industry events we have attended.
 

I am a first-time home buyer and this is my Tale. It all began with our (my and my wife's) decision to buy our first home. You can read the previous chapters in our tale here. Our story continues below...

Being "Ready"