Your Lake Arrowhead REALTOR®

Archive for the ‘Info for Buyers’ Category

 Your Lake Arrowhead Realtor would like to share some local Lake Arrowhead Information with you.

An odd thing happened to a tree on a property my buyers are about to close escrow on. THE TREE was removed over the weekend! What to do and whom to blame?

Now to be upfront and fair, the tree in question was supposed to be removed…..AFTER the close of escrow.  Why? Well, my buyer’s home inspector expressed concerned about “the tree” in question growing through the large, cedar deck out back. Though it looks all “woodsy” and gives one that feeling of “living in the forest,” trees, especially cedars, can affect the integrity of a deck. Cedar trees GROW quickly, as this one had. Already the beautiful and healthy 50 foot tree was touching the sides of the deck that was built around it. Not a good thing.

My buyer decided not to ask the sellers to deal with this problem during escrow, instead he would have the tree removed at a later time. AFTER closing. He asked me for names of tree service peeps and I gave him a link to  The Association of Builders, San Bernardino Mountains.  He contacted several and was waiting for their response when….

…The listing agent of the home my buyers are purchasing calls me. “Did you know “the tree” was removed this weekend?”

Well, of course I didn’t. And, neither did my buyer. This could have gotten really ugly or down right nasty, but thankfully, the sellers were there when the tree guys showed up (without being told too by my buyer) and the sellers gave them the “thumbs up” to proceed.

And though we haven’t closed escrow (in a couple of days), my buyer is taking full responsibility.

 Whew!

Your Lake Arrowhead Realtor would like to share some local Lake Arrowhead Information with you.

I think I can safely say that most folks are interested in making their home a “healthy environment,”and at the same time  save money and help the preserve our planet, right? Of course! It’s a no-brainer. So I thought I’d share some ideas that I’ve learned over time, and try to practice. Some are easy. Some are fairly inexpensive. Some are quick fixes. 

 1. LIGHT BULBS: Replacing your “incandescent light bulbs” with “compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL)” can actually save 3/4 of the electricity that you normally use. CFL cost approx. $2.00 – $3.00, BUT they can last 10,000 hours and use only about 27 watts compared to a regular bulb which uses as much as 100 watts. BIG SAVINGS over all. 

2. WATER HEATERS:  Turn down the temperature of your water heater to around 120°F.  Next, insulate your hot water lines so they don’t cool off to quickly between uses.

3. WINDOWS: If your windows are old, it may be time to put in some energy-efficient ones. Replacing windows may save you 7-24% on your heating and air-conditioning bills. Not everyone can afford to replace windows, though. In that case, go around and check each and every one, chalk and apply weather stripping where needed.

4. HEATING & COOLING: Once a month (at least) check your heater’s filter. Especially in winter. If it looks dirty, CHANGE it. A dirty filter will make your system work harder, thus costing you more $$$. Also, a once-a-year heating/cooling check-up by a professional is a great idea. SAVINGS!!!

5. TOILETS:  Most of us are flushing tons of money down the drain! Your potty could be consuming an average of 20.1 gallons of water per person, per day, if you’re not using a low-flow toilet. That’s approx. 30 percent of an average home’s daily per-person indoor water use. A “newer” toilet may reduce one person’s annual water use from 27,300 gallons to 12,500 gallons. AND, while you’re checking out a new potty, think about a low-flow shower head. HUGE savings!

Feel free to share your ideas… the more the merrier. We’re all in this together!

If you’re looking for more “Green” ideas, check out some of the useful links below.

ENERGY STAR

GREEN HOME GUIDE

AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR AN ENERGY EFFICIENT ECONOMY