LIFT PUMPS?

What the heck is a lift pump? I learned the hard way just exactly how important a lift pump is this week when mine went out. We bought our home 8 years ago and for the first time had a basement. Wow, how wonderful to have so much extra space and there was even a full bathroom down there. No more kids fighting over who had been in the bathroom too long and who was next. It was sheer bliss until last weekend when I woke up and thought something smelled amiss. After sniffing around to find out where the offending odor was I was dismayed to see a pool of stinky water surrounding a little used area of my basement laundry room. Evidently the bathroom drains into the lift pump hole and is then lifted up through the pump system into the main sewer system and discharged through the sewer line. Well, the lift wasn't lifting anything but rather pooling around the pump area and making a rather strong statement in my basement and up the stairs into the main floor. NASTY! Luckily, the plumber was able to come by on Monday and spent about an hour replacing the old pump. It took another day but finally the house began to smell better and the kids were able to use the bathroom again. Who knew that a little pump could be so important. You can bet I won't take my lift pump for granted anymore. As far as I'm concerned it is one of the most important gadgets in the house.

I'm Going Green

Last week I completed classes to obtain the Energy Works Certification. This certification process taught me how to understand different "green" elements in a home and how to market those elements when selling the house. Topics covered included Heat Pumps/Geo Thermal units, energy saving lighting, designing energy saving homes and other components of building/buying "green". It was an interesting class and I believe it will help me better inform my clients on money saving improvements as well as help educate potential buyers who are looking to buy my green listings. It is amazing all the new technologies out there which can help families save money as well as the resources we have. I'm glad I took the time to attend and get certified.

1st Time Buyer Alert

Attention all first time home buyers! The deadline for closing a home purchase in time to qualify for the Federal Governments Tax Credit is fast approaching. As of today all loans must be closed by November 30,2009. The pipeline for closing these loans is becoming clogged and will soon be filled up. If you are waiting to buy a home you need to move quickly to find the right house and get an offer accepted. The length of time between contract and closing is 30 to 60 days depending on your loan type. I would venture to say that if you don't have a contract in process by mid October you will miss out on the tax credit. The government doesn't care if your loan closes one day or one week later than the 11/30 cut off date.When it's over - it's over! There has been some recent talk about whether or not the President will extend the tax credit option but I would not count on it until I see it signed. Get your realtor to work or call me and I'll get the ball rolling. TAX CREDITS DON'T COME AROUND VERY OFTEN, DON'T MISS OUT!