You may have heard a lot about the economic “Stimulus Bill” that President Obama signed in February of 2009, but you may not know how it can save you money.

Part of owning a home is the regular maintenance a home requires. This maintenance can range from major appliance replacement to a new roof. Often home owners inherit items within their homes that are less than desirable. Items like inefficient and/or leaky doors and windows come to mind. Replacing these items is a major investment in your home that should ultimately pay off with energy savings.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (or the “Stimulus Bill”) has made changes to the energy efficiency tax credits available to Americans.

The biggest change is that the credits have been raised from 10% of the cost to 30% of the cost for installations put in place from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1500 over this two year period. Along with that, the cap of $200 on windows has been removed.

It should be noted that some ENERGY STAR qualified windows will not qualify after June 1, 2009. It is important that you check to see if the windows you are considering installing will qualify for the tax credit. Absolute Construction and Remodeling Inc. can help you install qualified windows.

Looks like asphalt, but its not!

Did you know that metal roofs can look just like asphalt roofs and be significantly more energy efficient? This Metro Shingle roof is an example of how a metal roof can look like traditional asphalt shingles. Your savings don’t need to stop with a tax credit, you can get immediate savings to your heating and cooling bills with a metal roof.

ENERGY STAR Water Heaters, Furnaces and AC Systems Qualify for Tax Credit

Roofs and windows aren’t the only things that qualify for tax credits.  Everything from HVAC systems (furnaces and air conditioners), to water heaters, to insulation and even the car you drive can qualify.  If you’d like to learn more about how you can take advantage of the tax credits available, or if you are considering a new water heater, furnace or air conditioning system, contact Absolute Construction and Remodeling Inc.  The following website may also be of interest to you:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits 

If you are considering alternate energy sources for your home, please be aware that Absolute Construction and Remodeling Inc. has experience with geothermal heating systems. Geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters and solar panels are not subject to the $1,500 maximum tax credit. This is true for fuel cell, and small wind energy systems as well. In addition credits for these systems are available through 2016. These credits are especially applicable to new home construction and secondary residences where credits for ENERGY STAR roofs and windows do not apply. 

In today’s world the concern for energy efficiency in our homes is a Hot topic.  We hear about “Lower your costs with Energy Star”, “Put money back in your pocket”.  Is this truly the case?  Here are a few numbers to get you thinking just from a laundry standpoint.

Top loading washers on average use 65 gallons of water per load.  Front load washers use an average of  20-25 gallons per load.  Top load washers have a spin out speed maxing at 600 rpm’s .  Front load washers have a max spin of 1000 to 1200 rpm’s, depending on the model.

What does this mean to you as the consumer?  Less water = less money being spent on a water bill.  Higher spin out speeds = dryer clothes, which translates into shorter dry times in the dryer, which equals faster turning laundry loads, along with less energy being spent on Electric or Gas.

Truly, you save money when using Front Load Laundry, but more importantly, you save TIME and you also help to save our environment.  Both of the latter I feel are more important than the money aspect.  Time is Money, and by helping to preserve our environment, we save money down the road via taxes, and already being in compliance with EPA regulations that are bound to hit us sooner than later.

Word of Advice:  If you are considering purchasing Front Load Laundry, remember that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on the biggest and best, you want to talk to an experienced sales person, and have them fit you with a machine that will do that job without breaking the bank.

Justin Woessner

ApplianceSmart

952-930-1736

10 Reasons why you need Life Insurance

1.)    You have a loan on a vehicle

2.)    You or your children have loans for college

3.)    You have credit card debt

4.)    You have personal loans

5.)    Your spouse relies on your income

6.)    You are saving for retirement

7.)    You have outstanding medical bills

8.)    You have young children

9.)    You have a mortgage

10.)  You have a second mortgage

Why is life Insurance Important?

Life Insurance won’t guarantee you’ll never face a tragic situation, just as wearing a seat belt won’t keep you from crashing your car. Whatever hopes and dreams you have for your loved ones can still be realized, even if the worst were to happen.

REAL EXAMPLES:

~Husband/father was driving home from work and lost control of his vehicle. He was killed instantly leaving wife to raise two kids, a $200,000 mortgage and loan for vehicle.

~The couple each had a $500,000 dollar life insurance policy to pay for his $15,000 funeral, $200,000 Mortgage, $20,000 Car loan and also covered expenses to raise children.

~A 19-year old was riding in a vehicle with a few friends. The driver wasn’t paying attention and ran a red light getting T-boned by an on coming vehicle killing the teenager instantly.

~Her parents carried a $100,000 policy which paid for her funeral, college debt and some medical expenses. Parents also missed work for 6 months which life insurance paid for.

~Mother/Wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was given 6 months to live. Family incurred $90,000 in medical bills and many trips to and from hospital. They spent the last two months traveling and shortly after she passed away leaving two children.

~Husband/Father received $250,000 in life insurance which was used to pay for funeral, medical bills, travel expenses and time missed from work.

American Family Insurance offers 25% discount with your home & auto insurance. We offer another discount on your auto insurance with a life insurance policy.  To find out your rate on your home, auto & life insurance go to my link under partnerships and click on American Family Insurance.

Office: 763-428-1004      Fax: 763-428-3063

What is the purpose of this program? FHA loans provide mortgage insurance for a person to purchase a principal residence in metro or rural areas. The mortgage loan is funded by a lending institution, such as a mortgage company, bank, savings and loan association and the mortgage is insured by HUD.

Advantages about FHA:

• Borrower’s credit can be much lower with FHA versus a conforming loan.  I’ve seen approvals for borrowers with 570 scores.
• Borrower is eligible for approximately 97% financing on a purchase and with the Nehamia program up to 6% of the final contract sales price for down payment and/or closing costs.  So you can buy a home with no down payment out of your pocket and get a great rate!
• Eligible properties are one-to-four unit structures, including farm housing located on 2 acres or more of land adjacent to an all weather road.
• Available for first-time and repeat homebuyers.
• Approved for new construction and resale homes.
• Interest rates are as good as conforming rates.
• Borrower can refinance and take Cash Out for up to 95% of the appraised value!!

FHA is a great option for those who do not own other properties and want to purchase a home with little or no money down. It is also great for borrowers who want to refinance and pull cash out of their home up to 95% of appraised value. FHA however is more expensive and not always the best program. To find out what loan program is right for you just give me a call at 612-481-7841 and we can go over your specific needs to find the right loan for you. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more market news.

Eric Ollestad, Mortgage Consultant

work (763) 416-2653     cell (612) 481-7841

Hello all,

Its Eric Ollestad with Mortgages Unlimited.  I’m excited to introduce myself as the Mortgage Consultant for JWC Residential Construction.  I’ve worked with JWC since the very first construction project and I’ve helped the owners and many friends, family and clients find the right loan for their specific needs.  I’ll be blogging periodically about market conditions and updates on interest rates along with different products available for refinancing, purchasing and new construction.  Big thanks to JWC Residential for all of their support and partnership.  Check back soon for my first blog about FHA financing.

Eric Ollestad, Mortgage Consultant

work (763) 416-2653     cell (612) 481-7841