Register Real Estate Advisors

As a Green designated realtor I am always searching for new updates in the Green market with new homebuilders.  This week I sat down with a local Houston builder and talked about the Green features that go into their homes, The builder is GreenECO, the builders representative, Jeff and I talked quite extensively about the Green features that were added in the building of their homes.  

We started with the roof, as you know the roof has the sun beaming down on it all day so GreenECO uses an LP product called TechShield. This is a standard feature that is used in the designing your roof that reduces the heat entering your attic by up to 17 percent. This product has a radiant barrier built into the other side of the roof decking that is facing your attic, the radiant barrier is perforated to allow the exchange or flow of moisture that occurs during the building process which will stop the growth of mold. TechShield is also an energy star product and if you click on the hyperlinks above it will take you to the LP website and show you in detail the Green features that were used in the design and development of the their product.

When consumers’ think of Green the first thing they tend to think of are windows.  This is the feature that impressed me the most with GeenECO. Most new homebuilders will keep the window orders the same for the whole community.  GreenECO orders windows by home so when the technology changes they are at the forefront of ECO change.  The window will look the same on the outside but might have a different ECO footprint inside.  The reason for this is the window industry is constantly improving the efficiency of windows and as a Green homebuilder they will pass on the new efficiencies to you the homeowner.  

I will continue in future blogs with more Green tips and more Green features that are in GreenECO homes and if you or your friends are interested in seeing a GreenECO home you can contact me at jack@rrea.com or 936.777.2265

Welcome to our online open house for 5710 Vestavia Drive. Please take a look at this beautiful home for lease. If you submit your feedback at the bottom of this page, you will be entered to win a $25 Visa card. Thanks for your time! Submissions will be accepted until April 9th at 12PM.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 70183291 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

I found this article very interesting from ABC news story about products used in building your home that are made in American, the list does not only apply to new homes but to when you are doing any type of renovations. Here in Texas we have a tremendous amount of Made In America products and all we need to do is use them. If you are a Veteran remember to carry a copy of your DD-214 with you while shopping at Lowes for you 10% discount, Home Depot will only honor this on certain Federal Holidays. If you have any questions or comments contact me Jack Haymes at jack@rrea.com or 972.777.2265

You can find the original article HERE.

In Bozeman, Montana, Anders Lewendal is hard at work building a home he hopes will be a blueprint for creating jobs in America.

Lewendal, an economist turned builder, is constructing a house made entirely from American-made products. Everything from the nails, screws and bolts, to the steel, staples and bathtub is made in the United States.

In all there are more than 120 products from more than 33 states. However, the builders do acknowledge that using American products can be more expensive.

A box of nails is $5 more than those made in China and steel is $146 more a bundle. Even though certain goods are more expensive, in total, the cost of the house is nearly identical. Currently, the all-American home, which is not yet finished , is running only 1 to 2 percent more than a foreign-sourced house.

Lewendal is convinced that if every builder bought just 5 percent more American materials it would create 220,000 jobs.

Here’s the list of products Lewendal is using to build the Made in America house:

Product	Manufacturer/Supplier	State
Windows	Amsco Windows	UT
J bolts/foundation	S.C. Prototypes	MT
J bolts/foundation/stock	Pacific Steel	UT
Gorilla Duct tape	The Gorilla Glue Co	OH
4″ perforated pipe, radon	Northern Pipe Co.	ND
4″ pvc fittings	GPK	ND
pvc glue	Oatey	OH
8d ring shank nails	True Spec	CA
16d sinkers	Griptite	WI
1/2″ foundation nuts	CAT	IL
gun nails	Maze	IL
damp proofing	Mulseal/Tremco	OH
Rebar	Nucor	UT
Concrete	CMI	MT
Concrete Portland	Ash Grove	MT
Concrete aggregate	CMC. Beglade	MT
Concrete sand	CMC. Beglade	MT
Hangers, straps, H clips	Simpson Strong-Tie	CA
TJI’s	I-Level Truss Joist	OR
2×4′s and 2×6′s	RY Lumber	MT
Plywood	Potlatch	ID
2×4′s and 2×6′s	F.H. Stoltze	MT
2×4′s and 2×6′s	Idaho Forest	ID
PL 400 sub floor adhesive	Loctite	CT
MiraTEC fascia	CMI Corp	PA
treated plate	McFarland Cascade	WA
T braces/framing	Appleton Supply	WI
sill seal	Reflectix	IN
powder actuated pins	TW Ramset/Redhead	IL
foam board	Dow	IL
Spray paint	Rustoleum	IL
Spray insulation	JM Corbond	MT, TX
Screws	Por Pac	CO, CT
Wire joint	Thomas & Betts	TN
Spray paint	ACE	IL
paint	Sherwin Williams	OH
Window foam	Touch n Seal	MO
Caulking	White Lightning	OH
Plastic elect. Straps	Handy Straps	WI
meter base	Eaton/Cutler Hammer	PA
electric panel	Eaton/Cutler Hammer	PA
Breakers	Eaton/Cutler Hammer	PA
PVC pipe/fittings	Ridgeline Pipe	OR
2″ Romex connectors	Bridgeport	CT
Boxes	Allied	OH
Wire-service, romex	Southwire	GA
staples	Sturgeon Bay	WI
4/0 SER straps	Sturgeon Bay	WI
Telephone wire	3M	MN
wire connectors/crimp sleeves	Ideal	IL
wire staples	Sturgeon Bay	WI
Furnace disconnect	Eaton/Cutler Hammer	PA
recessed cans	Juno/Schneider Electric	IL
recycled glass	Livingston Landfill	MT
Furnace	Trane	TX
Cooling Coil	Trane	TX
HRV	Trane	TX
Air Cleaner	Trane	TX
Zoning/Thermostats	Trane	TX
Ductwork	Norwesco	WA
Screws	Brynolf Manufacturing	IL
PVC	Cresline-Northwest	WA
Condensate Trap	Airtec	MA
Registers/Grilles	Hart & Cooley	MI
Allthread Rod	Chicago Hardware	IL
Pipe Brackets	C&S Manufacturing	WI
Conensate Pump	Franklin Electric	IN
Unistrut	Cooper B-Line	IL
Flexible Duct	Atco	TX
Duct Sealant	Hardcast	TX
Flex Duct Straps	Source 1	OK
PVC Glue/Primer	Oatey	OH
Thermostat Wire	Honeywell	MS
Exhaust Fans	Broan	WI
Concentric Vent	Source 1	OK
Exhaust Hoods	Broan	WI
Nuts/ Washers	Perine Danforth	WA
Dryer Box	In O Vate Tech	FL
Duct Liner	Johns Manville	CO
Duct Liner Pins	Hardcast	TX
Allthread Anchors	ITW Buildex	IL
Ductstrap	Colombia Man	WA
Manual Dampers	Norwesco	WA
Sill Sealer	Reflectix, Inc.	IN
PVC Primer and Cement	Oatey	OH
PVC Pipe	Cresline-Northwest	WA
Pex Pipe	Viega	KS
Kitchen Sink	Moen	PA
Kitchen Faucet	Moen	NC
Kitchen Basket strainer	Dearborn Brass	TX
Kitchen disposer	In-Sink-Erator	WI
Bathroom Pedestal Lav	Mansfield	OH
Bathroom Lav faucet	Moen	NC
Bathroom Lav sink	Mansfield	IL
Bathroom toilets	Mansfield	IL
Bathroom toilet seats	Kohler	AR
Master Shower	Aquaglass	OR
Master shower valve	Moen	NC
Master shower trim	Moen	NC
Master soaker tub	Aquaglass	OR
Master soaker tub trim	Moen	NC
Master soaker tub valve	Moen	NC
Bathtub waste and overflow	Watco	MO
Full Bath tub/shower	Aquaglass	OR
Full Bath tub/shower trim	Moen	NC
Full Bath tub/shower valve	Moen	NC
Water Heater	Bradford White	PA
Pex Fittings	Zurn	TX
PVC Fittings	Sioux Chief	MO
Hangers/pipe insulators	Sioux Chief	MO
Roof Jack	Oatey	OH
Plumber Putty	Hercules	NJ
Wax rings	Hercules	NJ
Thread Dope	Hercules	NJ
Plumber tape	Smith/Cooper	CA
Black pipe	RJB Wholesale, Inc	WA
Black pipe fittings	Anvil International	NV
Gastite pipe and fittings	Gastite	MA
Soulder Flux	Rectorseal	TX
Soulder	Exeon Inc.	IL
Copper Pipe	Cerro Flow Products Inc.	MO
Copper fittings	Elkhart Products Corp.	IL
Backflow preventor/PRV	Watts	ME
Expansion Tank	Amtrol	RI
Hose bibs	Woodford	CO
Chattahoochee Pencil Company	Atlanta	GA

Wow! This week is busy! So busy, we forgot to publish White Board Monday yesterday. While a day late, this week’s WBM is about VA Home Loans. Forward this to a veteran in your life looking for a home!

We have great schools, shopping, golf and restaurants galore.  My Champions Forest has it all. We are lucky enough to be surrounded by 2 Championship Golf Courses both of which have held PGA events. –I hate to tell some of you that it’s not just about the golf—but Champions is a great community and it’s people like you and I that make this a great area.  My wife and I shop, eat, socialize and most important we live here. So when you are looking for a community that has it all, look for me in the Champion Forest area, I’ll be at the Starbucks in Randall’s or Barnes and Nobles answering my email from the day or maybe at Lowes looking at how to spend my 10% off coupon.  If you would like to receive a discount coupon for our Lowes just email me at jack@rrea.com and I will put you on the Lowes mail out and when your interested in becoming part of our community or relocating from our area contact me at 936.777.2265 or jack@rrea.com.

Building community one home at a time.

Houston Association of Realtors just announced that Mortgage rates hit another low. Follow this link below to the article and when your ready to buy call me.

See the original article HERE.

Mortgage rates hit new historic lows last week, as the average 30-year fixed rate fell to 3.87 percent, according to Freddie Mac Mortgage Market Survey released Thursday.

The 30-year dropped after nudging up a bit the previous week to 3.98 percent, but overall the rate has remained below 4 percent for a couple months. Other rates hit new lows, including the 15-year, which fell to an average 3.14 percent, down 0.8 percentage points.

Compared to the same period a year ago, average 30-year fixed rate was 4.81 percent and the 15-year was 4.08 percent.

While I was out and about showing properties in Liberty County this weekend I saw a lot of signs from the USDA. I just want to remind everyone that the USDA still has properties out there as well as the properties from the Texas Veterans Land Board. Whether you qualify for a VA loan or a loan from the USDA programs your first call will be to me at 936.777.2265 or you can email at jack@rrea.com

Terms – This is one aspect of your Real Estate transaction that is the most over looked.  Whether you want to negotiate a deeper discount on the price or you would like to have the seller make more repairs than they are willing to.  These are terms of the transaction and whichever side I represent you on…. Terms Rule…. Your interests are the reason we are in Business and as my client I will use my Expertise/Experience as a CNE (Certified Negotiation Expert) Designated Realtor in guiding you through the best possible Real Estate Transaction.

Veterans,

The most important document when you are getting out of the service is your DD-214 member 4 copy. Your DD-214 can be used for many things when returning to civilian life, (employment, home loans, land loans and discounts). I normally carry a copy of mine in my wallet to get the 10 percent off at Lowes and Home Depot but recently my DD-214 had become unreadable and I could not find my original member 4 copy. After searching on the web I came across this website that will get you another copy free of charge. http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ It took my copy about 3 weeks to get to me and I am back in the discount arena. When you receive your new copy take it down to the county you live in and register that as an official document with the Clerks office so they will always have a copy of your DD-214 on file. Coming home is a good thing and we Thank You for your service

Jack Haymes
Register Real Estate Advisors
936.777.2265 Cell
281.676.5595 Fax

NOTE: This post is late because of the webmaster, not Jack. I appologize.  -Webmaster

Veterans,

Thank you for your service, while another Veterans Day is upon us I want to remind all Veterans that in my opinion one of the first steps when separating from the service is to join a VSO (Veteran Service Organization). My choice is the Disabled American Veterans to which I am a lifetime member. They can guide you through the winding road of VA medical-rehabilitation benefits, as well as represent your interests when going up for reviews. Texas Vets have additional benefits available to them with land and financing options for Veterans who have lived here for more than six months. Give me an opportunity to serve you and find your next homestead. Thank you for your service.

Jack Haymes USN
Register Real Estate Advisors
936.777.2265
jack@rrea.com