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Copyright Betty Jung 2009
It’s the day after Christmas and you find yourself with lots of used gift wrap from all those presents that were under the tree. Most recyclers won’t accept it curb-side. Now what to do with it all? Here are some tips from KGW’s blog and Metro.
I found these tips on the Real Simple magazine’s blog. Here are 15 tips to recycle your Christmas gift wrap:
15 Ways To Recycle Wrapping Paper
- Shred it and use as pretty packing material for future gifts or to pack those eBay sales you plan to make during the new year.
- Use it for paper crafts with the kids, children can do wonders with left over paper.
- Create book covers for ones that you may want to disguise… I’m not referring to Rudolph-themed papers, but the non-holiday themed papers you may have used like these Indian papers which can look so beautiful around a few select books in your office adding pattern and color.
- Cover craft boxes using a thin coat of polyvinyl acetate glue to secure the paper to the box. Paper Source makes a PVA glue that I swear by. While you’re at it, cover shoe boxes too!
- You can also cover paper magazine holders…
- Or a pencil holder!
- Create sewing patterns by drawing your design on the white side and cut.
- Line the cat’s litter box! Really!
- Use it for shelf paper in your pantry or closet.
- Line your dresser drawers.
- Decoupage a chair seat, top of a stool, or the front of a dresser for instance.
- Use a craft punch in either a square or round shape and stick the shape to a piece of card stock in the same shape for firmness, then stick another to the opposite side. Use a hole punch to add a hole towards the top of your shape and put ribbon or string through the hole and tie it onto future gifts or to label foods or craft supplies in your home.
- Frame your favorite pieces as works of art.
- Decoupage a flower pot.
- Lay your favorite pattern beneath a sheet of glass on your desk or coffee table to add color and/or pattern to your room.
If you want to recycle the wrinkled papers left over from presents but feel like all hope is lost — it’s not. Remove all tape and on a flat surface, use your hands to smooth out the paper. Then cut the torn edges off so that you have a rectangular or square piece. You can then set your iron on a very low heat setting and iron the paper on the white side. Of course, please exercise caution — recycling wrapping paper is the goal, not burning down your home!
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 
Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Chown Hardware is offering a Free Remodeling Seminar in their Portland showroom:
Portland Location
333 NW 16th Ave
Portland, OR 97208
(503) 243-6500
Aging in Place Remodeling Seminar
Saturday, December 5th – 10:00 – 11:00
Thursday, December 10th – 10:00 – 11:00
Learn about planning your remodel for future or current special needs. Speakers for this seminar will be Kaye Powell, Chown Hardware VP and Randi Reed, Neil Kelly CMKBD Certified.
I also read a blog about decorating a small space. Inasmuch as the trend is or will be smaller, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of those decorating tips:
Below is a list of 10 things NOT TO DO when designing for a small space. They are written by Libby Langdon. S Interior Design added additional commentary where relevant. (Shown in italics)
The top 10 biggest mistakes people make in small spaces are:
Leaving your walls white: White walls won’t technically make your space larger and they lack personality. Spice up your space, have a little fun, and paint some color on your walls!
A great example of this is powder rooms. Chose a bold, rich color and wrap the room painting all walls and the ceiling.
Using large-scale furniture: Oversized pieces can hog square footage, and using better-proportioned furniture will help you to create a more functional and comfortable living space
It is best to use multi- functional furniture in small spaces such as a upholstered storage ottoman as a coffee table.
Lack of light: Not lighting your space effectively makes it look smaller, and if you can’t see an area in your room, it’s as if it’s not there! Capitalizing on natural light, while also bringing in artificial light is imperative.
Use light to highlight architectural details and artwork.
Using short shelving and cabinetry: Using full-scale shelves and cabinets that go all of the way up to the ceiling will visually draw the eye upward, making the ceiling seem higher, and your space feel larger.
Apply this same principal to your drapery. Bring it full height, ceiling to floor regardless of the actual window height.
Keeping clutter: Holding onto too much stuff and not throwing away clutter can make even a large space feel small, so when in doubt, throw it out!
I echo that sentiment ‘when in doubt, throw it out!” If you cannot bear to get rid of something, put it in storage and rotate bringing it into the room trading it out for another item, not adding it on.
Using small-scale accessories: Large lamps, artwork, candles, vases, and accessories will create the appearance of a larger space with more height. No wimpy lamps!
Think big impact with one or two accessory items versus a lot of small items that get lost among one another.
Not using mirrors: Mirrors reflect light, whether it’s daylight or lamplight, and they visually make your space appear and feel larger by adding depth and dimension to your interior.
When possible make sure the mirror reflects something pleasing to the eye such as a floral arrangement, or colorful piece of artwork.
Not capitalizing on your wall space: Think vertically and get your walls working for you! Mount shelving or storage systems up on your walls to display collections, and store additional items so that you don’t waste precious table space. This will also help to focus your items in one spot, so that your space feels more organized.
No one has ever complained that they have too much storage space regardless of room size . You can cover shelving with decorative fabric treatments if you want to add color and interest
Using all wood furniture: It makes a room feel clunky and bottom heavy; by mixing in glass-topped tables with wood pieces, you give your room a lighter, airier, and more open feel.
I adhere to this even in larger rooms. Mixing materials will always give you a better end result.
Using small area rugs: A small area rug can look like a postage stamp and make your room feel cramped; using a large rug creates an extended visual line and gives the illusion of more square footage.
By:
Libby Langdon, founder of Libby Interiors and interior design expert addresses these very issues on HGTV’s celebrated show Small Space, Big Style where all of the featured spaces measure in at less than 1,000 square feet. Edited by Suzanne Lasky, S Interior Design
If you’re a Boomer, there’s a website that serves age 50 and older in all areas related to life planning, volunteering, learning, active living, community and enjoyment. Find out about the latest news and resources to support adults in transition and discover, design and engage your future – Life By Design NW.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Douglas Fir Tree (Image Copyrighted Do Not Copy)
The Christmas Tree, or “Weinachtsbaum,” is a popular tradition that began in Europe but is now found in countries around the world.
In the 7th century, a monk traveled around Germany and nearby countries converting people to Christianity. According to legend, like St. Patrick did with the shamrock, he used the fir tree’s triangular shape to teach the people about the Holy Trinity. The fir tree (“Tannenbaum”) became a symbol of Christianity and was decorated and hung upside down from ceilings at Christmas in central European countries to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Problem is, however, people aren’t buying Christmas trees like they used to. Sales have dropped by 50% in the past 40 years. In fact, the majority of people seem to favor “plastic” over going green. There are just too many Christmas trees this year and the nursery business has a glut of them. I’ve read two different reports about Christmas trees lately - and both weren’t good for the tree industry. However, in an effort to go green, it would be better to purchase a local Christmas tree than going the artificial route this year. There was a story that says “fake” is out and the real thing is in. Nothing smells as good as a real live evergreen tree.
Here’s the link to my Christmas Tree Farm Guide for U-Pick farms from last year.
Quick Christmas Tree Facts:
- there are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year
- there are close to half a billion real Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers
- North American real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
- Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead.
- there are more than 4,000 Christmas tree recycling programs throughout the U.S.
- for every real Christmas tree harvested, up to 3 seedlings are planted in its place the following spring.
- there are about 500,000 acres in production for growing Christmas frees in the U.S. much of it preserving green space
- there are about 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S. and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry.
- it can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6-7′) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years.
- the top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
- the top selling Christmas trees are balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine.
(Source: National Christmas Tree Association)
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
From HGTV Website
The other day I happened to catch an HGTV show about kitchen remodeling. Here’s the segment I saw. You might know, I wrote a post last year “The Granite Rut” about how out-of-date granite is. “It’s so 2005″ the Oregonian recently said in their newspaper. The HGTV show had concrete counter tops (nice), wood floors, white cabinets that were exceptionally plain with polished nickel drawer pulls and faucets. The appliances were still stainless steel. When’s that going to be on the outs? The new wall colors were gray and neutrals. Simple, clean, contemporary lines. The original kitchen had a wallpaper border (out!), painted cabinets (out!) and black appliances (out!), country curtains (out!).
Now come the new colors for 2011. I guess all the farmer’s markets throughout the U.S. have made their impact on our choice (or rather the designers’ choices) for colors in 2011. To read more about those color trends, check out this link. Earthy, bronzes, milky whites, greens, black, gray, etc. seem to be the color trends for 2011.
It still seems that neutrals are the best choice as well when you go to sell your house. I had a house listed a while back with every room a different color – purple, red, yellow. The home was hard to sell and since they were limited on time and money, it was put on the market with those colors. The house did sell and the new owners immediately painted a neutral color throughout. When you put your house on the market, it should appeal to the masses, rather than just to one buyer who might like purple or red. Sorry folks, it still is “builders beige” or as HGTV says, gray’s now the “go to” color, when you want to get your home sold.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
On November 1, clocks need to be set back one hour at 2 a.m. for local daylight savings time - which will then become 1 a.m. local standard 
time instead.
At that time, the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you change the battery in your smoke detector as well. While you’ve got your ladder out to check your smoke detectors, why not change a light bulb? By switching to energy efficient bulbs in your ceiling fixtures, you could save $30 a year per bulb on your electricity bill. Energy efficiency lighting is particularly important in the Fall when Daylight Saving time ends and the days will be shorter.
Find out more about lighting rebates and discounts.
There is also stimulus monies available from the American Recovery and Investment Act for tax savings you can count on:
Here’s the Energy Star website with the information. Until December 31, 2010, homeowners can take advantage of a variety of tax credits of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500 on a variety of energy saving products placed in service in 2009 and 2010. Insulation, windows, doors, roofing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, tankless water heaters and alternative energy programs, such as solar panels and wind turbines.
There’s great information from the Remodeler’s Council on the Energy Tax Credits – take a look.
Clicking on their website, this image becomes interactive.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Check out my Lake Oswego Living.A Photo Blog later today, there will be a new photo posted. Every Monday a new one will be added.
—————————————————————-
This Fall must have been the prettiest we’ve had in a very long time. At least, I don’t remember having one this nice where all the leaves
were in their finest colors.
were in their finest colors.Here’s a list of some places you can drop off your leaves. By now, hopefully with the rain all the leaves have fallen off the trees. I had already loaded up 15 trash cans of leaves and the other day had around 7 more. I think I’m done raking now. However, I have a compost pile and it will love my leaves! If you don’t have a compost pile, here are some sites locally for you to take your leaves:
2009 Leaf Depot Locations
- Lents Park – SE 92nd and SE Holgate, in the eastside parking lot
- Stanton Yard – 2929 N Kerby, west of Emanuel Hospital
- Westmoreland Park – SE 22nd and SE Nehalem, in parking lot next to the baseball field
- Gabriel Park – SW 42nd and Vermont, in the upper parking lot
Only leaves will be accepted. No other yard debris will be allowed. Please contact Metro Recycling at 503-234-3000 or use your curbside yard debris container for this material.
2009 Leaf Depot Fees
- $5.00 per car load
- $10.00 per truck, SUV, or trailer load
- $20.00 per truck and trailer (5 cubic yard maximum)
- No commercial loads – these individuals will be referred to small local businesses, commercial recycling centers, or Metro.
SOME ADDITIONAL SITES
Metro South Transfer Station, Oregon City (503) 234-3000
Pacific Land Clearing & Recycling Center, Oregon City (503-656-7793)
S&H Landscaping Supplies, Tualatin (503-638-1011)
LAKE OSWEGO
The City of Lake Oswego does not have a leaf drop off program. Residents should use compost bins, take leaves to a drop off site designated by METRO or use the yard-debris containers provided by Rossman Sanitary Service. Rossman customers who require additional collection can also use “Kraft” bags available at most home improvement stores.
WEST LINN
Leaves may be disposed of in your yard debris container provided by your garbage hauler or you may take leaves and other yard debris to the Dan Davis Recycling Center located at 4001 Willamette Falls Drive. Call Dan Davis Recycling for hours, rates, and information (503) 655-1928 or visit their website http://www.plcrecycling.com/dan-davis.html Call West Linn Refuse & Recycling for curbside recycling information (503) 557-3900.
TIGARD
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
This past weekend, we had quite the storm here in Portland. On Monday, we had an incredible day. Weren’t all the Fall colors absolutely phenomenal? Today’s to be a repeat! However, last weekend, local forecasters were meeting to discuss what our winter would be like. None of the weathermen seemed to agree. Their predictions for this year ran the gamut from lots of snow like last year to very little snow.
If you’ve already forgotten the six days last winter during our Arctic Blast, Oregon and southwest Washington saw anywhere from 6 inches to 22 inches of snow. It was, according to the National Weather Service, the largest snowfall the region had seen in 40 years. And the 18.9 inches of snow in Portland made it the snowiest December in nearly 70 years. Last year’s winter weather was clearly influenced by La Niña, the periodic cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean surface that tends to create colder, wetter winters for the Northwest.
The typical barrage of winter storms that hit Seattle and Portland may or may not occur this winter. Kinda of like economic predictions, no one knows for sure. The current El Niño is likely to fade and may not have as big a role in this winter’s overall weather pattern than during a typical El Niño year. Other factors are pointing to a winter very similar to that of 2002-2003.
Copyright Betty Jung 2008
Old Man Winter isn’t too far away. It’s important that you begin to winterize your home before winter arrives to prevent weather damage. If you fail to act in time, you may be in for some hefty repair bills. As the saying goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some tips:
- Clean the Gutters
Clean out gutters by scooping out loose debris, washing out the gutter with a hose, and flushing out the downspouts. Another option you might consider is installing gutter covers which allow water to flow through, but keep leaves and other debris out. This is something I have to do. My gutters poured water into my house this weekend but not because they were clogged. Gutter repair is now on top of my “to do” list for this week.
-
Insulate Pipes
To protect your pipes, wrap and insulate them with heating tape. Check for leaks and cracks so that minor repairs can be made before Jack Frost causes major damage. Had this happen in 1996 when my house flooded because of a frozen pipe. Don’t want that to happen again either.
- Trim Tree Branches
Winter storms can pack quite a punch, sometimes powerful enough to knock down tree branches and other debris. Trim branches that hang over your home or that look as though they may snap.
- Insulate Your Home
Cut heating costs this winter by checking the insulation in attics and basements. The Insurance Information Institute recommends that attics be kept 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the outside air to prevent snow from melting and re-freezing.
- Clean Out Chimneys, Furnaces, Boilers and Heaters
Have your chimney, and furnace checked. Servicing them once a year can prevent smoke and other damage to your home. Make sure to keep your home’s temperature at 65 degrees or higher to prevent pipes from freezing.
- Seal Windows and Doors
Make sure that your windows and doors are properly sealed by double-checking the weather stripping. Use weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors to prevent heat from escaping in cold months. This is also the time to put up storm windows, if necessary.
Here are some more tips from our Oregonian.
And, in case you need or want to know the difference between sleet, freezing rain and flurries, here’s that information from NOAA.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Today is the day when all bloggers are uniting to remind folks to make a difference and to help in reducing their carbon footprint. Climate Change – Blog Action day is today!
“More than any other country, action taken by the United States to limit greenhouse gases and build a clean energy
economy is needed to achieve a sustainable solution to our global climate crisis.
This December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a global response to climate change. As a world leader in greenhouse gas pollution as well as clean energy technology, the United States needs to take bold action by implementing comprehensive clean energy policies to curb emissions.
Nobel Peace Prize Winner and President Barack Obama has said that climate change is an urgent threat, and now is the time for him to lead the United States in confronting the climate crisis.
This is a chance for people around the world and in the United States to join together in telling President Obama that we want him to lead the United States in taking bold and significant action to reduce greenhouse gasses.
Time is running out, and our planet can’t afford to wait.”
If you want ways to reduce your carbon footprint and want some “green” ideas, check out some of my past blog posts in my green and recycling category.
For “green” construction and building products, here are some sites mentioned by the Housing Guru:
www.energy.gov – U. S. Department of Energy
www.energystar.gov – joint program of EPA and DOE to certify energy standards
www.usgbc.org - U. S. Green Building Council
www.nahb.org – National Association of Homebuilders
www.eia.doe.gov – Energy Information Administration
www.epa.gov – U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
www.pathnet.org – Public-Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology
www.repp.org – Global Energy Marketplace
www.greenseal.org – promotes manufacture, purchase, and use of eco-friendly products
www.awea.org – American Wind Energy Association
www.ases.org – American Solar Energy Society
www.globalgreen.org – non-profit organization that sets environmental certification standards
www.nsf.org – not-for-profit testing laboratory
www.dsireusa.org – The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy
If you want to know what your carbon footprint is, you can calculate it here.
Make a difference, starting today.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Recycling has been around for a very long time but it became popular in the ’70s with homes recycling glass, plastic and metal. However recycling actually started long before that time. There was recycling during World War II when Americans recycled metals by the ton. During the depression era in the ’30s housewives recycled flour sacks into dish towels, pillowcases, aprons and even into children’s clothing. And paper has been recycled in Britain for over 90 years. Now with computers, modems, monitors, etc. we’re into a totally different type of recycling.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
If you’re thinking of remodeling, renovating, painting or doing some repair work you need to know about HB 2134.
I’ve written two posts (here’s Part 1) about lead poisoning and the effects of lead. There was new information that surfaced in Part 2 of my post that some of the homes built in the 1980s in certain areas contain lead and not just in homes built prior to 1978.
Now comes HB 2134 just recently passed and signed by the Governor into law. This new legislation requires anyone who performs renovations on target housing or child-occupied facilities with lead base paint to be:
- certified by the Department of Human Services and
- licensed as a lead base paint renovation contractor by the C.C. B. (Contractor Construction Board).
This law will become effective January 1, 2010.
What Renovation means:
- The modification of any existing, or part of a structure, that results in the disturbance of paint and includes modifications of painted doors, sanding, scraping and other activities that may generate paint dust including the removal of walls, ceilings, major re-plumbing and window replacements.
What Target Housing means:
- Includes most housing constructed prior to 1978.
What Child-Occupied Housing Means:
- A building, house, or portion of a building, constructed prior to 1978, visited regularly by the same child, six years of age or under, on at least two different days within any week including day-care centers, pre-schools, and kindergarten classrooms.
To obtain more information on this new law here’s the link.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Once Fall is here, it seems the year is almost over because the next several months seem to whizz past us so 
quickly. However, Halloween comes first and is just around the corner. Since Monday’s are my “fun” day, here are some tricks and treats for you. Also, check out some of my past posts:
- Halloween and Haunted Houses (2008)
- Fall Festivals and Events (2008)
- Pumpkin Patches (2008)
- All-Hollows Eve (2008)
There is lots of concern and talk these days about living “green” – reduce, reuse and recycle. Therefore, to help make your Halloween green, here are some tips:
- Buy organic and local. Visit one of the many pumpkin patches I wrote about last year on this blog. After Halloween, break your pumpkins or gourds into pieces and place them in the woods or a field far away from your house to feed deer or other animals providing them with their own Halloween treat of seeds and pumpkin flesh. Or, dry the pumpkin seeds for the bird feeder.
- If you purchase bales of hay to decorate your porch, buy barley hay which can later be composted and used as mulch for your garden or flower beds.
- There have been dentists in our area who buy back unused candy to avoid trips later to their dentist. Or, Wheels on Meals and children’s charities appreciate donations of unused and unopened candy. You can also crush hard candy and use them as toppings on your Christmas cookie dough before baking or as dessert toppings.
- Reuse old clothes from around the house for costumes. Here’s some tips for “green” costumes. If you’re out of time and need a last minute costume, here are some ideas for eco-friendly costumes.
- Donate any costumes to children’s hospitals or any number of charities.
- Instead of purchasing a plastic container or plastic pumpkin to collect those goodies, craft a treat bag by sewing a drawstring on old pillowcases and let the kids decorate them with non-toxic markers or paints instead. Or let the kids decorate brown paper bags you’ve recycled.
- Bake cupcakes without paper muffin cups or make other healthy snacks or treats and make your own goody bags with the kids and especially include Monster Toes!
- Use nature’s bounty for decorations utilizing Fall leaves, hay bales, corn stalks and more of the pumpkins,gourds and apples. Make old- fashioned candy apples as the treats. Help the kids make a scarecrow, or two.
- Craft – Buy or make decorations that can be reused. There are many outlet stores locally where you can buy inexpensive items and decorate further for Halloween to make them look like something out of a magazine.
- Check out this website – Green Halloween - for more eco-friendly ideas.
- There’s an eco-friendly website that lists “green” crafts, projects for Halloween.
- Recycle items from around the house. Use old milk bottles and use as luminaries to light your walkway or cut off the top and use as a plastic bucket for the treats. Use egg cartons to create decorations like this bat.
- When buying treats, buy in bulk or products with limited packaging. Or, better yet give non-food treats like funky pens or pencils.
- You can also reuse a brown paper bag by crafting items that can be reused later for other purposes like this grocery bag.
- Don’t litter with left-over candy wrappers, figure out a craft project to use up all the wrappers. While in Hawaii last year, there was a cart in the local shopping mall that had purses and other accessories all made out of recycled candy wrappers, juice containers, etc. that they were selling.
- Walk, don’t drive to neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. Better yet, have a masquerade party for the kids.
- Trade decorations or costumes with the neighbors or family. Get more mileage out of what either you or they already have.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
A “tear down” is a house that is uninhabitable or deemed unsafe. Houses are also torn down to make way for a new project, i.e. shopping
mall, subdivision, freeway, roads, etc. Perhaps you’ve read about the cities throughout the U.S. who are also bull-dozing foreclosures that have been vandalized and completely ransacked thereby reducing their values.
The City of Lake Oswego occasionally finds itself in possession of a house whose useful life is over, usually in a park or natural area. In the past, the City has torn these houses down and trucked the remains to a landfill. More recently, the City has adopted the practice of house deconstruction.
From the City of Lake Oswego’s HELLO LO! community newsletter comes word that our local government jurisdiction contracts with private firms who provide deconstruction services. They may disassemble the house on site, or push it over and truck it to a sorting warehouse. In either process, usable items such as fixtures, appliances, and windows are removed. Some items can be sold, others are donated. Even plants can sometimes be transplanted and “reused” in a new landscape. After the reusable items are salvaged, remaining materials are sorted for recycling. Wood, brick, glass, ceramic, metal and carpet can all be given new life.
What’s the coolest thing the City of Lake Oswego has ever recycled? Carpets from the library were removed by a carpet vendor, washed, re-stamped and sold for reinstallation in a public housing project. For similar residential recycling services, it’s actually become cheaper than the costs to dispose of the material at a landfill.
In addition to recycling building materials, the City buys recycled goods for its own buildings. The City uses refurbished furniture instead of buying new whenever possible. For example, the City refinished City Hall lobby furniture instead of replacing it. In addition, the City constructs employee cubicles with re-covered panels rather than buying new ones.
Oregonian staff writer for the Homes & Gardens Section, Shannon Quimby, used recycled items and reused everything she could for her house. She had been documenting it on her blog. And, years ago at a Street of Dreams here in Portland, I can’t remember which one, a house was totally decorated using items purchased from Goodwill that they painted, reupholstered, reused etc.
If you don’t have your own tear-down to use and recycle, there are several places in Portland where you can buy salvaged material:
- The Rebuilding Center. 3625 N Mississippi Ave. (503) 331-1877
- Hippo Hardware. 1040 E. Burnside St. (231-1444)
- Habitat for Humanity Re-Store 66 S.E. Morrison (503-293-6247)
- EchoHaus. 819 SE Taylor St. (222-3881) (New materials made from recycled products)
- SCRAP 2915 NE Martin-Luther King Jr., Blvd. (294-0769)
If you’re not building or remodeling with recycling materials, many of these places are just fun to go and visit. In fact I’ve visited most of them.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Oregon ranks third in the nation and is considered a “smart city” in sustainability which includes recycling according to a new government report. Click here to see the results for all the cities nationwide.
However, there have been two shows I’ve seen on e-waste and cybercrimes that have been bothering me. Not only because of the subject matter but also because I feel our left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing and it is affecting all of us worldwide. Does e-waste=cybercrime?
The first show I saw was on PBS’ Frontline about toxic dump sites. I had written three posts (E-Waste & Recycling Part 3, E-Waste & Recycling Part 2, and Recycling Electronics part 1) about e-waste and it being dumped in China. I got to feeling better about the whole subject of e-recycling by the time I wrote the second post when I learned there were recyclers here in Oregon not dumping in China all the e-waste we’re religiously recycling.
But wait a minute, just when I thought things were ok, the Frontline show said not only are recyclers dumping in China, but they’re also dumping in Ghana, India, South Africa, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Malaysia, etc. India is generating its own e-waste as 7 million computers were sold there last year alone.
What did the producers of the show find in those places? Hundreds of millions of pounds of e-waste — computers whose data hadn’t been completely erased being sold to criminals with all your personal and private data along with computers that had sensitive security data from many segments of our government, from Northrup Grumman with sensitive government contract information, computers from school districts with the name of the school still on the computers, as well as computers from banks and financial firms. The hard drives from those computers were being sold for only a couple hundred dollars to the scammers. In many situations, in fact in too many situations they already have your bank numbers and have been robbing you blind and clearing out accounts from the e-waste we think we’re all recycling–we’re recycling it right into the hands of criminals. The criminals were watching pictures of your family, looking at your wedding photos and retrieving all your private information. Women were cooking and melting circuit boards for the gold from the mother boards as well. Someone in the show said the only way to get rid of the data is to take a hammer and pound the hard drive. In spite of all our e-laws, or what recyclers say, it’s too expensive to safely dispose of all our e-waste. And the problem will only get worse and grow larger.
The second show I saw was about cybercrime on The Charlie Rose Show and how that is one of the biggest threats against our country and our security, yet the government is dumping their e-waste with sensitive security data, and our information right into the hands of those who can inflict terrorism on all of us and our country.
What usually happens when I write a post is I temporarily place it in my “draft” file until I either have it completed or am ready to publish it. By the time it’s ready, there usually is another story breaking that adds to my post, reinforces what I say, or adds fuel to the fire. That’s what happened with this post. As soon as I had it completed came the story of the massive cyber-attack on this country’s computer and Internet services. Perhaps the U.S. ought to be looking at all the e-waste that is being dumped in foreign countries, as many of our email addresses and this country’s private and secret data is still on those computers, to determine its connection to cybercrime.
Also, I’ve been posting local e-recycling events on my blog, but feel I can no longer do that in good conscience knowing where all our e-waste is going. Maybe after posting this I’ll hear from someone again like Free Geek who can reassure me that this isn’t happening. However, I doubt if I will be feeling better any time soon! Do you?
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
We’ve had hot weather lately and now’s the time to pay attention to that air conditioner in your home. In addition, kids are out of school 
and that refrigerator door will be opening more, there may be more laundry not to mention more dishes. With all the “green” talk, there are actually five energy guzzlers and since everyone is looking for ways to cut costs, with some minor adjustments this summer, you can cut back and save money at the same time. Here are some tips from the Energy Star website:
1) HVAC System
Your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is the worst offender. Most households employ some sort of climate control 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout both the hottest and coldest parts of the year. In fact, heating and cooling represent 50% of the average household’s annual energy bill, a total of $1,175.
How to cut your bill: Program the thermostat so that the HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard while you’re at work or asleep. By Energy Star estimates (This story was originally published on AOL on August 18, 2008), you’ll save $180 annually by reducing the temperature by just two degrees in the winter, and adjusting the air-conditioner two degrees higher in the summer. Now’s also the time to make sure everything is working properly by having the air conditioning system and your heating system serviced.
2) Water Heater
Your water heater works around the clock to provide enough hot water for showers, laundry and dishes, among other things. As a result, it represents 13% — the second-biggest chunk — of your annual energy bill. That’s $305.50 for the average household.
How to cut your bill: Dial down the heater’s temperature to 120 degrees from the standard 140 degrees. That’s a perfectly adequate temperature for all the hot-water needs in your household. Lowering the temperature 20 degrees reduces your annual bill by 6% to 10%, or $18 to $30. Another trick: Wash clothes in cold water only. That alone can cut your bill by another $73 a year while keeping your clothes just as clean.
3) Refrigerator
Is your refrigerator running? It periodically cycles up to draw maximum watts and keep the temperature consistent. Worse, it does so each time someone opens the refrigerator door for an extended period of time. The fridge accounts for 5% of your annual energy bill, or $117.50 for the average household. Expect to pay twice that if you’re one of many consumers who use an ancient, inefficient model for spare food storage in the garage or basement.
How to cut your bill: A refrigerator cycles on less frequently if the coils beneath and behind the unit remain clean and dust free. Keeping the fridge at a moderate temperature (36 to 38 degrees, not lower) helps, as does regularly defrosting the freezer to eliminate ice buildup on the interior coils. Got a second fridge that’s been around for more than a decade? Recycle it. One bigger fridge is more efficient than two smaller ones. Plus, you’ll knock out the $150 or more in annual energy bills.
4) Clothes Dryer
A dryer can’t earn the Energy Star label right now. There just isn’t enough information about what makes one more or less efficient than another. Washers and dryers collectively account for 6% of your annual energy bill with the bulk of that amount coming from the dryer. That’s $141 for the average household.
How to cut your bill: Splurge for the most energy-efficient clothes washer you can afford. A more efficient washer wrings more water from your clothes, cutting drying time in half. If you can’t afford a new major appliance, be sure to use your dryer’s moisture sensor settings. It’ll turn off as soon as the clothes are dry. Cut your drying time in half, and you’ll cut your bill in half, too.
5) Dishwasher
Loading up the dishwasher may be more efficient than hand-scrubbing, but it comes with a convenience fee. Dishwasher use represents 2% of your annual energy bill, or roughly $47.
How to cut your bill: Let dishes air dry instead of using the drying feature which doubles the appliance’s power draw. That simple move could reduce your bill by $20.
Source: Energy Star
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Gas is on the rise here in Oregon as stated in the headlines recently. Then again it was stated it was at it’s high end and wouldn’t be going up any higher because of a large surplus. However, now that gas is under the $4.00 mark, I have been wondering if there would be continued discussions about alternative sources of fuel. Will cheap gas mean a return to gas guzzling ways? Just the other day I read that gas is expected to go higher once again but not to the levels of perhaps $4.00/gallon.
On OPB, I saw a show indicating when high gas prices hit the roof, foreclosures started their massive uptick at about the same time questioning whether those high prices were the “straw that broke the camel’s back?” In California for instance, the trend was to move out to the suburbs such as Hemet and other parts of Riverside County making long commutes for people going to work. When gas hit $4.00 many were paying $500 a week just in gas to fill their cars. That money could have gone to pay other bills such as their mortgages. And, in fact, it’s been reported that’s what homeowners did, fill their tanks but not pay their house payment.
Reconnecting America is working on making cities more walkable and transit-oriented. Oregon does a great job with its transit system; however, I’d love to see some of our cities closed off to cars making them more accessible to walkers as in Europe. I’ve always thought that Lake Oswego would be a great community to have its downtown closed off and have a transit system or trolley take us to its core. With its European-type buildings, I can envision having Lake Oswego’s downtown as a “walkable-only neighborhood”. Portland’s car-free walkways started last Sunday.
The talk of a four-day work week hasn’t been taken seriously, our gas/oil dependency hasn’t been taken seriously, and the manufacture of our cars hasn’t been taken seriously. When gas prices were high, I thought everyone would be talking about it or doing something to change things. I know the car industry is starting to take notice but why do we always do too little too late? Al Gore had presented both presidential candidates with the challenge of reducing the U.S.’s dependency on oil within 10 years. Both candidates accepted that challenge. Now that we have a new President what will happen?
Author Kenneth Pollack said on the Charlie Rose TV show on PBS that oil is our biggest threat to our national security and the only reason we care about the Middle East is because of oil. I saw a show the other day where an oil company said there’s enough oil in California alone for the next 100 years! And what about T.Boone Pickens’ plan? Is anyone taking that seriously to see if it has merit?
At one time I was on a four-day work week and loved it. I had Friday’s off and when there was a national holiday on a Monday, it gave me four days off. The four-day work week was started in the ’70s when the oil crisis hit and we had long gas lines. We were on an odd-even arrangement to fill our gas tanks. Unfortunately, the oil crisis seems to have taken a back seat again to other issues. Let’s all hope that our President will in fact work towards reducing our oil dependency and it is taken seriously this time. A nice feature of Portland is that we don’t have to travel far to get anywhere. One of just many reasons why people want to move here.
The City of Portland’s website has a link to a PBS Series on the ecological challenges we are facing world-wide. Portland is featured. If you haven’t seen the film, here’s a link to it.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Here are some great tips I found on the Clackamas County “Trash Talk” website:
SCHOOL RECYCLING:
Use the Three Rs at the End of the School Year:
Reducing… the amount of trash your school sends to the landfill!
Reusing… your old school supplies. Set up a reuse area where students and staff can place materials they no longer need that can be utilized in the fall by others.
Recycling… during locker clean-out days. Make sure monitored and labeled recycling containers are placed in hallways next to the trash cans.
Why Bother?!?
The end of the year can be the busiest time of year for teachers, students and administrators. It is also the busiest time of year for your trash cans. Each year when students clean out their lockers, paper and other materials that could have been recycled or reused get needlessly thrown away. Developing a system to deal with these materials involves students in a hands-on environmental project, practices resource conservation and could even save your school money.
But How?
First Make a Plan:
I. Recycling During Locker Clean-Out Day
- Contact your local garbage hauler to see if you can receive extra recycling containers for that day or need to arrange for additional recycling collection.
- Provide outreach through signs or announcements so that students and staff are aware of the program and how to participate.
- Label containers clearly explaining what goes in and what stays out.
- Place containers next to trash cans and provide monitors to make sure students are not contaminating the recycling bins.
- REMEMBER…what does not belong in the paper recycling bins:
- paper with paint, a lot of crayon or any glitter
- tissue, crystal and some art paper
- plastic type or laminated paper
- paper toweling, napkins & tissues
- food contaminated paper
- ream wrappers
II. Set Up A Reuse Area
- Many materials students throw away at the end of the school year can be used again in the future. Examples include crayons, notebooks, markers, glue, scissors and many other school supplies.
- Find an area to set aside as a reuse area and encourage students to bring to this central location items that can be reused again next semester.
- Designate a “reuse closet” for these materials. In the fall staff and students will be able to obtain these school supplies free of charge.
III. Other Ideas
- If you have damaged or obsolete textbooks to get rid of, your hauler will take them! Just be sure to contact your hauler for directions on preparation and to arrange for pick-up.
- If your school hallways are divided by grade level, see which grade level can recycle the most material without contaminating the recycling bins. Think about providing incentives.
- Check to see if your garbage hauler can provide you with roller carts for your paper recycling. They can be easily wheeled in and out of your hallways, making it a lot easier for all involved.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
With our weather getting nicer, perhaps you’re dreaming of a new kitchen or adding an extra bath to your home. Nothing is more important than your family’s safety. Getting a construction permit before you build or remodel helps protect your loved ones from potentially deadly mistakes. Faulty work can cause house fires, flood damage and structural instability. With a permit, a certified inspector will examine your project to make sure it’s safe and up to code. You and your family can rest easy, avoid costly repairs down the road and preserve your biggest financial investment – your home.
Local agencies throughout the city have their building codes on-line. If you’re planning to update your home by remodeling portions of it, or adding on to an existing structure, you should check out whether a permit is required and what the building code is for your area.
When selling that property you so lovingly remodeled, here in Oregon you will be required to complete a 12-page Property Disclosure form. On that Property Disclosure form Page 3, Line 104 appears the following:
The Property Disclosure specifically asks if you did any additions, remodeling, etc. and if you obtained permits. When selling your house, a buyer can and should ask to see those permits.
Here are the websites for the 3 areas I write about in this blog for building codes and permit information:
- City of Portland
- City of Tigard
- City of Lake Oswego
- City of West Linn
- Clackamas County
- Washington County
- Multnomah County
- State of Oregon
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
This post was intended to be published on Earth Day (4-22) but somehow it got missed. It got lost and saved as a draft instead of being published. However, every day is “Earth Day” and for more information and history about that day, here’s the official Earth Day website. On a TV show I heard a commentator say “just pick one” when discussing going green. In other words, pick one thing you could commit to such as either recycling, gardening and growing your own food, energy saving, a hybrid car, driving less, remodel or build with green materials, etc. If each of us just chose one thing, we’d all be in a far better place in the world.
If you’re not going to do any remodeling but want to go “green” anyway, RIS Media offers these simple and cost-effective tips that you can incorporate into everyday living to help turn your home into a more energy-efficient investment:
1. Recycle. It’s free, reduces household consumption and increases energy efficiency.
2. Save Water. Install low-flow shower heads and faucets to cut back on water flow. A simple fix-shorten your shower times and shorten your water bill.
3. Conserve Rain Water. Set up barrels in your backyard to collect rain water and snow for watering plants and shrubs. Use this to water your indoor plants, too.
4. Reduce Electricity. Remember to turn off the light when you leave the room and to unplug your computer and other electronics and appliances when not in use. These small gestures will not only save energy but will save you money on your electric bill as well.
5. Replace Light Bulbs. Replace your current light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting. These bulbs use 30% less energy, but produce the same amount of light and last longer.
6. Drive Less. You may not be ready to give up your SUV, but why not trade it in for a hybrid?
7. Double up on Printing. Configure your computer to print on both sides of the paper. This saves paper, trees and you running out to the store last minute to buy a new supply.
8. Adjust Refrigerator Temperature. Refrigerators use the most electricity in your house. Adjust your fridge to the average temperature of 37 degrees F and your freezer to 0 degrees F.
9. Support Local Farms. You will be cutting back on gas and decreasing our dependence on oil with the trucks that are used to ship produce.
10. Dry Clothes Outside. Hang your clothes outside and get that fresh smell. You’ll also be reducing the amount of energy you use in the home.
If you are going to replace any appliances, always look for the Energy Star logo on any appliances that you purchase and the Earth Advantage website has some great information/classes to help you either remodel or go green.
So try it, just pick one thing and as Nike says “Just Do It!”.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
‘Tis the season, with the weather warming up, soon you will see more garage sale signs on every corner telephone post. In fact, I’m getting ready to do the same 
thing. With downsizing an option I’m considering in the near future, I realize that although I give away items of clothing and household goods to Goodwill on a routine basis, I still have too much stuff. Also, if you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, one of the areas that a lot of sellers overlook is the garage. Just think how nice it would be for that potential buyer to view a clutter-free, empty garage. Sometimes homeowners do a great job clearing out the clutter in the house but then go and put everything in the garage instead of packing it up or giving it away.
If you are thinking of putting your home on the market this Spring-selling season, clear out that garage. To help, here are some tips to hold that “perfect” garage sale from Allied Van Lines and from move.com comes an article showing how added value is gained by cleaning out your garage.
Also, there’s a FREE toxic trash disposal on May 1 and 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at PCC Sylvania Parking Lot P-10, 12000 SW 49th Ave., Portland (503-234-3000) for disposal of household hazardous waste. Go to www.oregonmetro.gov/roundups for more information as to what unwanted waste Metro will collect that day – NO ELECTRONICS, however.
On a side note – this post brings to mind something that happened years ago on a showing. When I called to set up an appointment, the seller told me they would be out of the home during the time my buyers and I would be there. When I got there they were true to their word and had left the house. When we opened the kitchen door leading to the garage, there they were – the entire family sitting in their car! We all had a good laugh. I guess they didn’t think they could actually leave to go somewhere in their car or go for a walk around the block – no the kids, husband and wife were sitting in their car in the garage waiting for us to leave. It’s really best if you the seller leave the premises, not just the home, when people are coming through to take a look.
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© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
It’s Spring, the time when people start thinking about sprucing up their houses.
If you’re thinking of selling anytime soon, painting the house may be on the top of your list. The paint color you choose says a lot about you. Painting a house is a big decision and can cost a lot of money. The color you choose will also affect the way you feel about your house and its resale value. You don’t want to make a mistake.
Paint chips sometimes don’t give you a good indication as to the true color if you are painting a large space. Buying several quarts and painting a large area on your house will give you a better idea as to the look you want.
Add to that the role your Homeowner’s Association may play. My neighborhood requires approval from our HOA should we decide to change the house’s original color. If the color remains the same, there’s no HOA approval required. Some neighborhoods have Architectural Review Committees to review your color choices. There’s one neighborhood I am aware of that painted all the houses the same color – blue. Speaking of blue, from my real estate experience, it has been the hardest color to sell.
In many Portland neighborhoods, beige seems to be the popular choice of developers and builders which is why we Realtors® refer to it as “builder’s beige”. What’s the most popular color? Yellow.
Can’t afford to paint the whole house but want a new look? Consider painting just the front door. A little splash of color goes a long way and it’s the first thing the new buyer will see. Make sure there’s no raw wood exposed or blistering/peeling paint anywhere especially on the siding or trim as that could cost you later. Here’s a website devoted to just helping you paint your house with lots of tips. Now go get that paint brush..
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
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