Tips on buying a new home in Houston, TX
The Woodlands: Why Master Planned Communities are Thriving
by Sherry Karasik
When you buy a home, you are literally buying a neighborhood and a community. Today, master planned communities are thriving across the United States, reflecting a trend in the housing market for well-planned, multi-generational, and diversely populated communities. Sophisticated singles, young families, executive couples, move-ups, and active adults are buying into these communities in search of a higher quality of life.
What exactly is a master planned community? It is a large, new home, "self-contained" community that typically features entries, parks, recreational areas, schools and shopping. Within the community are smaller communities with varying home styles and price ranges to choose from.
A look at one of the country's highest rated master planned communities, and the highest rated in Texas -- The Woodlands -- explains why this trend is gaining momentum. Located 27 miles north of Houston, the 27,000-acre community consists of eight separate and diverse villages, with neighborhoods that "meet every budget, every lifestyle, and every dream." And the community just keeps on growing.
Click here to read more about The Woodlands in Houston, Texas
Green Energy Choices Save Money and the Environment
Courtesy of Green Mountain Energy
We all dream of being homeowners - whether we are purchasing a home for the first time or designing our dream retirement house. There is a tremendous sense of achievement in realizing that dream and stepping into your new house for the first time. According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, nearly 70 percent of all Americans own their homes. That's nearly 73 million households.
Did you also know that according to the EPA, the average US household is responsible for emitting nearly 60 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air each year? Carbon dioxide is a green house gas that contributes to global warming. To put this into perspective, it's the same amount of CO2 put in the air by driving nearly 133,333 miles in a year, or the equivalent of nearly 11,000 cars driving an average of 12,000 miles in a year. Multiplied out by 73 million households, that's a lot of pollution.
The good news is there are three very simple, yet powerful choices we can make as homeowners to reduce the amount of CO2 our household puts into the air each year.
Click here to read more about green energy choices