Photo Courtesy: Beverly & Pack via Flickr

Today, April 22, 2010, is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Here are a few Earth Day facts from REALTOR® Magazine:

• Upgrading single-pane windows to ENERGY STAR windows can save a home owner between $126 and $465 in energy costs per year.
• Remember to turn off power strips and unplug electronics (TVs, computers, printers, and charging devices) because stand-by power can account for as much as 5 to 10 percent of a home’s energy use.
• Homes with brick veneer use 2 to 7 percent less energy than those with fiber cement siding.
• Clay bricks are recyclable. They can be reused in other structures or broken down to make new brick.
• Every year, nearly 900 million trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills
• In the U.S., about 28 billion bottles and jars are thrown away every year.
• It takes a 15-year-old tree to produce 700 grocery bags.

It seems that the trend down for home values is coming to an end. After a bumpy ride down, which began nationally in 2006, the residential real estate market is showing increasing signs of stabilizing. According to Fiserv and Moody’s Economy.com, some parts of the country will even see prices increasing slightly in the next twelve months.

As we head into this calmer market, CNNMoney.com is offering a deeper look in to what will shape the housing market in the coming months. An interesting and detailed review, this article provides worthwhile info for home owners, buyers and sellers.

Six Housing Trends

1. Distressed properties will keep prices under pressure.
2. Big homes are lagging small ones in the recovery.
3. Mortgage rates will rise as Uncle Sam exits the market.
4. Financing for condos, second homes, and jumbo loans are especially tough to get.
5. Buyers, rushing to beat the tax-credit deadline, will set off a flurry of spring deals.
6. Going green this year can save you more money.

See the entire article at CNNMoney.com

REALTOR Magazine has built an online quiz to test your knowledge of Green Real Estate. More and more people are becoming interested in energy efficiency and construction practices that are environmentally friendly. You can use this quiz to test your Green Knowledge.

To take the test, click this link to the REALTOR Magazine Quiz.

Sample Question #1:

1. All green-building programs should share the following attributes:
• Third-party verification
• A prescriptive “path” that sets green performance targets
• Documentation
• All of the above

Monroe Mechanical has created a project in downtown Cincinnati that includes more than 30 “Green” suppliers. As a continual leader in applying energy-efficient techniques, Monroe Mechanical is looking to provide information and key demonstrations of “green capabilities” to the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky tri-state area.

Visit the GreenSource Cincinnati website to view their renovated building and get a list of the participating suppliers.

Each month, the Greensource website offers great examples of green homes with terriffic slideshows from the homes. As this trend continues to evolve it is very interesting to see the homes that these trendsetters are creating.

You can accesss the Greensource website here, or by clicking on the picture to the left.