A contemporary, beautiful, and sustainable building design was made by Baenziger Coles. The building is a beach house, designed to fulfill the need of having a retreat house which has a good integration to the outdoor environment, and can support some wonderful outdoor activities. Sustainability is a priority, regarding its connection to the environment.
This eco construction was designed and built very carefully to create a good relationship with the nature surrounded and the neighborhood. It has three parts with simple arrangement, the first floor, the ground floor, and the lounge area.
The development process of this sustainable home faced some challenges, especially the site condition. The site condition is flat and can not provide something interesting and dinamic which usually can be provided by undulating or sloping topography. Another challenge is to create a two story house in an area dominated by single story houses. The arrangement should be done carefully to minimize the impact of the building’s bulk on affecting the view, and the decreasing of solar penetration. The other challenge is how to provide some outdoor supports and another supports to deal with the inhabitants’ activities.
There are some new innovations in this eco friendly building which are hidden. They have 10 roof top mounted solar panels, hidden nor nor can the eaves gutters which have been hidden behind the angled timber clad blades on the western and eastern facades. The spaces are designed to be easily opened or closed based on the needs. The using of Vertical glazed panels between the perimeter glazing provide a connection to the partitioned spaces.
The using of environmentally friendly building materials, taken from local site, especially the recycled materials support the achieving of sustainability. Natural and recycled materials such as spotted gum, recycled stone from the fireplace chimney and garden bed walling for the BBQ and meals area’s wall, wooden materials, etc were used. Random pattern Castlemaine slate is used as the apron finish surrounding the house and as a pathway connecting to the workshop and garage.
Another sustainable features are also provided for this eco friendly building. This building adopts cross ventilation and thermal stack ventilation to provide good air circulation. Small hydronic heating system fueled by a gas fired boiler is also used. Concrete thermal mass is also adopted, supported by good insulation and cedar sun louver canopies to control the sun exposure. The using of glazed facades also provide natural day lighting.
You can win Wicked tickets and a parking pass from Beacham & Company! The show is at the Fox Theater on September 20th at 8pm. I love Wicked! My dad took us to see it in London a few years ago....
This Photographers Life (Architecture + Interior Design)
Way over yonder, off in the distance Towards the mountains there in the west
These longhorn cattle, are gettin' restless God help us all, if they stampede
Chris LeDoux -- Stampede
The greatest fear lenders have concerning the herd of underwater borrowers is that loan owners may stampede to the exit. If the masses come to believe they will get years of free housing -- which they will -- or if loan owners believe the consequences of default are minor -- which they are -- or if underwater borrowers believe prices aren't coming back soon -- which they aren't -- then collectively the masses may all default and totally crush the banks and our banking system.
Strategic default is gaining momentum, and in places like Las Vegas where most of the housing stock is inhabited by loan owners who would greatly benefit from strategic default, efforts to get the heard to stampede resonate loudly. Show the herd how they benefit financially, and you can get them to move.
By VALERIE MILLER LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS Posted: Jul. 29, 2011 | 2:01 a.m. Updated: Jul. 29, 2011 | 9:48 a.m.
Their television commercials about mortgage defaults ignited a debate about ethics and financial responsibility. Now, the two Las Vegas lawyers behind the ad campaign say people are misunderstanding their message.
The Haines & Krieger TV spots advise homeowners that their friends and family are staying in their homes without paying on their mortgages, and offer to show clients how to do the same.
But George Haines and David Krieger, the lawyers who appear in those ads, say the message is not that those homeowners with the means to pay should skip out on their mortgages.
Actually, yes, the ads do tell loan owners they should skip out on their mortgages. In Las Vegas, with many loan owners 30% to 50% underwater facing payments double a comparable rental, they should strategically default.
These attorneys are being wimps and offering lawyerly evasions. If they really wanted to tell people the truth, they should stand behind their words and the implications. Most of Nevada is so far underwater they should default. It's in the best interest of their families to do so.
Rather, the commercials are offering a lifeline to people who might otherwise lose their homes through foreclosure.
"The ad campaign is geared toward empowering consumers with information they did not have," Krieger said.
The ad wants to empower people with the information to strategically default. More power to them.
The commercials have brought business to Haines & Krieger, a law firm offering mortgage modifications, bankruptcies and short sales. But that increased business is not just from those people looking to bail on their financial responsibilities, Haines said.
"These are people who are undergoing dire circumstances and need some time in their homes to get their lives together," he said.
They need some time in their homes? Is there some reason they couldn't spend that time in a rental? These guys should at least make their bullshit pass the giggle test.
Lenders, real estate professionals and consumer advocates have criticized the TV spots. Nasser Daneshvary, the director of the Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, worries about the devastating ripple effect of people bailing on their mortgages.
"When you dump your house, you increase the odds that your neighborhood will become blighted, or a rental community," he said. "You are in turn damaging Clark County and the greater community."
Egad! A rental community! The horror of it.
The blight argument is nonsense. Mr. Daneshvary is wrong on many levels. First, his contention that rental communities are blight is ridiculous. Blighted areas often are inhabited by renters paying low rents because they are undesirable and nobody wants to live there. The blight comes first, and the habitation by renters paying very little comes second. It's not the other way around.
The extension of his argument that renters lead to blight which damages the greater community is insulting to all renters. Based on this statements, I conclude he is a loan owner who probably should strategically default but doesn't have the courage to pull the trigger. If he owns in Las Vegas, he is almost certainly under water. Nearly 90% of owners are.
But the Haines & Krieger partners say their ads are simply letting distressed homeowners know they have options, and need not just sit and wait for eviction after receiving a foreclosure notice.
That is not accurate. Their ad is aimed at people who are currently paying their mortgages but considering default. The target market for this ad has not received a foreclosure notice.
"Most of our clients really can't afford their mortgages and need a modification," Haines said. "You have people who can't afford their mortgages and can't get the lenders to negotiate with them."
Krieger says many clients work out loan modifications and avoid foreclosure.
"We don't advocate foreclosure," Krieger said. "It will ruin their credit."
Daneshvary is skeptical of the lawyers' explanation. Viewers, he says, are smart enough to get the point of the TV spots.
"As for the ad itself, as consumers, we know what the message is, 'Follow your neighbor by getting out of monthly payments,' " he said.
Yes, that is exactly the point of the ad. It's unfortunate the attorneys felt they couldn't simply admit it.
Michele Johnson, president and CEO of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Nevada and Utah, said she believes the Haines & Krieger spots are encouraging people to strategically default on their mortgages.
Yes, the ads are encouraging strategic default.
"I find it irresponsible advertising," she said. "I think it certainly attempts to legitimize defaults."
The number of people still living in their homes with delinquent mortgages is hard to calculate, Daneshvary adds. Because out-of-state investors bought multiple houses in Southern Nevada during the real estate boom, many foreclosed homes were never occupied full time.
However, Daneshvary estimates about 30 percent of Las Vegas Valley homes are now in some stage of loan delinquency.
A 30% delinquency rate is astonishingly high. It is reasonable given the circumstances. If a 30% delinquency rate is maintained long enough, 90% of the housing stock will turn over as the 30% in delinquency is turned over three times.
The option of strategically defaulting on your mortgage has been gaining in popularity over the last few years.
A Nevada Association of Realtors report released in January found that 23 percent of those surveyed "walked away" as part of a strategic default.
Any another 77% failed to admit it... I made that up.
Johnson points to the damage a mortgage default does to a person's credit: About a 100-point drop in the credit score as a result of the first missed house payment, and another approximately 100 points off when the second mortgage payment is missed.
Nonprofit services, including Consumer Credit Counseling, will help people get loan modifications for free, she said.
In response to all the criticism, Haines notes that plenty of Southern Nevadans are already staying in their homes without making payments, regardless of Haines & Krieger's commercials.
ForeclosureRadar.com, a Discovery Bay, Calif.-based tracker of distressed real estate, said recently the average number of days it takes to foreclose on a home in Nevada rose to 319 days, up from 239 days a year ago.
"Why are banks taking so long to foreclose? They don't have their ducks in a row," Haines said. "It is a product of the banks."
Contact reporter Valerie Miller at vmiller@lvbusinesspress.com or 702-387-5286.
The banks have their ducks in a row, they simply lack the balance sheet strength to write down all the bad debt, and if they did foreclose on everyone and put the houses for sale, they would so saturate the MLS with product the prices would get pushed back to 1970s levels while the market cleared out.
Bad luck compounded
Every house has a story. The HELOC abuse cases are interesting, but the property records reveal other stories. Today's is very sad. The peak buyers of today's featured property paid $592,000 on 5/31/2006. They couldn't have timed the peak any worse. They borrowed $422,000 and put $170,000 down. The asking price will completely wipe out the down payment. Every penny is gone.
The remaining owner of this property is a widow according to the property records. The stress of losing $170,000 and the family home is bad enough, but this woman also lost her spouse. Very sad. Unfortunately, the market does not care about this widow's problems. I hope someone pays enough for her to get out without damaging her credit as well. The $2,200 monthly cost of ownership is at or below rental parity, and even an FHA buyer's cost of ownership is only $2,800. Somebody will likely pay this price.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This property is available for sale via the MLS. Please contact Shevy Akason, #01836707 949.769.1599 sales@idealhomebrokers.com
Beds: 2 Baths: 2 Sq. Ft.: 1562 $280/SF Property Type: Residential, Condominium Style: Two Level, Spanish Year Built: 2006 Community: Woodbury County: Orange MLS#: S663108 Source: SoCalMLS Status: Active On Redfin: 42 days ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Model Perfect very affordable light and bright home located in the fabulous and highly sought after Woodbury Community in Irvine just blocks from the coveted Woodbury Elementary school, community pool, and Woodbury shopping center. 2 balconies including one off the master suite which features a private full bath, great kitchen with lots of cabinets, cozy gas fireplace in the living room, 2 car garage, and much much more! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proprietary IHB commentary and analysis
Resale Home Price ...... $438,000 House Purchase Price … $592,000 House Purchase Date .... 5/31/2006
Net Gain (Loss) .......... ($180,280) Percent Change .......... -30.5% Annual Appreciation … -5.7%
Cost of Home Ownership ------------------------------------------------- $438,000 .......... Asking Price $87,600 .......... 20% Down Conventional 4.53% ............... Mortgage Interest Rate $350,400 .......... 30-Year Mortgage $76,358 .......... Income Requirement
-$298 .......... Tax Savings (% of Interest and Property Tax) -$459 .......... Equity Hidden in Payment (Amortization) $147 .......... Lost Income to Down Payment (net of taxes) $75 .......... Maintenance and Replacement Reserves ============================================ $2,208 .......... Monthly Cost of Ownership
Cash Acquisition Demands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ $4,380 .......... Furnishing and Move In @1% $4,380 .......... Closing Costs @1% $3,504 ............ Interest Points @1% of Loan $87,600 .......... Down Payment ============================================ $99,864 .......... Total Cash Costs $33,800 ............ Emergency Cash Reserves ============================================ $133,664 .......... Total Savings Needed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have always felt that it is surprising that more instances of spy cams in rental housing are not happening more often. The latest incident that I have come across is pretty amazing though. Two Bulgarian students who came to Tampa found their apartment littered with spy cams after living there for a couple of months.
The cams were hidden as smoke and motion detectors that were attached to a wireless router and then sent to an unknown party. The thinking is that since these two girls were very attractive and did some modeling work the images may end up on some porn sites.
Late Monday, two Bulgarian women discovered the covert cameras in their apartment. And now the Bulgarian students are afraid their every move — from sleeping to showering — may have been broadcast on the Internet.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and says detectives have recovered some equipment and are following several leads.
However, between Tuesday night — when a report about the episode appeared on Bay News 9 — and Wednesday morning when detectives returned, some of the electronic equipment was removed, said sheriff’s spokesman Larry McKinnon.
The women didn’t answer their door Wednesday, but in an interview Tuesday with Bay News 9 said their landlord has a key to the apartment.
My advice to those renting apartments is to do a walk through of the apartment occasionally. Check the smoke detectors and any other wired appliances in the apartment. The odds of this happening are fairly long but the reality is that the conversion of micro-tech and spy equipment is making these cameras much harder to detect.
Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.
Actually, yes, the ads do tell loan owners they should skip out on their mortgages. In Las Vegas, with many loan owners 30% to 50% underwater facing payments double a comparable rental, they should strategically default.
A 30% delinquency rate is astonishingly high. It is reasonable given the circumstances. If a 30% delinquency rate is maintained long enough, 90% of the housing stock will turn over as the 30% in delinquency is turned over three times.
