About Smart Windows!

Glazing that allows you to switch between transparency and translucence at the push of a button is prohibitively costly right now, but chromogenics research and competition may soon allow home owners to enjoy the energy-saving benefits of "smart windows."

"Switchable glass," also known as "smart windows" lets you control the level of transparency and a U.S. Department of Energy initiative is taking a close look at the technology's energy-saving qualities.

The special class of glass is scientifically known as chromogenics, glazing materials that selectively control the spectral aspect of radiation.

Electrochromics, which appears to be the most suitable chromogenic technology for energy control, is the subject of the most intensive research. Electrochromics employ materials that react to electric voltage.

When voltage is applied to liquid crystals, quartz and other materials sandwiched between sheets of glazing, the materials react by losing their visible qualities and become transparent.
Flip the switch off and the materials return to their original state, creating a tint, frost, or shade that reduces the passage of light.

Available in brand names Thermosee, SageGlass, Polyvision, ChromaFusion and others, the glazing systems can create open, inviting, transparent glass-walled spaces you can instantly transform into private areas.

Because the glazing offers darkening qualities, they also have a potential for energy-saving applications that could help offset the special glazing's high costs.
"Switchable glass can costs hundreds of dollars per square foot," said Lisa Gonzalez, president and CEO of Design Alternatives in Santa Clara.

Related technologies include:

• Thermochromic materials changes optical properties in response to temperature changes. It mainly consists of liquids or gels sandwiched between layers of glazing. Thermochromic windows are designed to block solar gain. A drawback is that they reduce visible light transmission.
• Photochromic materials change their properties in response to light. Photo gray sunglasses are the best known example. When photochromic materials change their transmittance, the absorptivity is increased, thus causing the glass to absorb more heat. On sunny cold days, they absorb solar heat and room source heat and then radiate some heat back to the surroundings. On sunny hot days, they do not reject as much solar heat as reflective windows.

"Picture a window as an appliance, one that makes you dramatically more comfortable, saves you energy and always allows you to enjoy the view," said Jay Schrankler, vice president of Honeywell Home Comfort Systems. The company recently teamed with SAGE Electronics to develop and introduce user-controlled window glass.

"This alliance uniquely combines the technical breakthroughs of SAGE's electronic window glass with Honeywell's recognized leadership in building control technologies. This combination of capabilities and shared vision has the potential to revolutionize the window industry," said SAGE founder and president John Van Dine.

Look for companies to test market "smart" windows this year.

By Broderick Perkins: Reprinted with permission from REALTOR.com

How To Prepare Your Home For Sale

You’ll get a lot more money for your home if you know what will impress a buyer. These simple steps can get you 10-20% more for your home.

• Think about the first impression your house makes from the street. Look at your house with a critical eye.
• Don't draw attention to any negative attributes.
• Pay attention to details. Update or fix even small things that are broken.
• Remove any dead plants.
• Weed out any extra furnishings, clutter and personal belongings. Help the buyer feel like his/her belongings could have a place there.
• Trim any bushes that block light; light sells homes.
• Don’t make major improvements to a kitchen; you won’t make your money back. Instead, put on a fresh coat of paint and clear your countertops.
• Don’t totally remodel your bathrooms; fresh caulk may be all you need.
• Keep all rooms clean, even if you have to pay your teenagers to clean their rooms!
• Clean and organize your closets; buyers will think that if you don’t keep your closets neat, perhaps critical structural details of your house (plumbing, wiring, etc.) aren’t being kept up either.

From Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Contributor, The Today Show

CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes Spotlight - Sally Adams

For over a decade, Sally Adams has been a cornerstone of the CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes management team. Joining the firm during its start-up phase, Sally was integral in the development and growth of the company's many divisions which now serve the communities of the San Gabriel Valley.

Sally is an astute and enthusiastic Real Estate professional. Her extensive lending and escrow background gives her great insight into the importance of detailed contract instructions, the need for informed customers, and the ability to see the 'big picture.' This philosophy continues to pay off as CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes consistantly receives high marks and awards for customer satisfaction and sales production.

Well known for her dynamic and positive attitude, Sally is typically at the center of CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes' many community service projects. From Monrovia Make A Difference day to the City of Hope's - Walk 4 Hope race, Sally Adams is a proud cheerleader for her company's team. Her energy is endless and is fueled by the need to do right by her community.

Sally is also a champion for continuing education. She believes that REALTORS must continue to evolve in both practice and technology in order to stay in step with today's savvy Real Estate consumer. Therefore, year after year Mrs. Adams invests hours in the education of both her Real Estate team and herself.

Sally Adams is a pro-active and involved owner at CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes. Leading by example, she continues to develop benchmarks for her growing team. She is a caring and energetic professional who meets challenges, develops solutions and takes pride when her team achieves.

How to choose a real estate agent.

I’m Robyn Moreno for howdini.com. If you’re in the housing market as either a buyer or a seller, you may be looking for a good real estate agent. But how can you tell if a person is honest? Here to help us tell the honest brokers from the potentially shady ones, is Gerri Willis. She is CNN’s personal Finance Editor and author of Home Rich: Increasing the Value of the Biggest Investment of Your Life. Welcome Gerri, how are you?

Hi Robyn.

Why is it important to one, interview these real estate agents and two, what questions should I be asking?

You’ve absolutely got to interview these agents. Because you don’t know who’s going to work with you unless you really sit down face-to-face. Look: get some suggestions from friends and relatives, people in the area who can tell you who’s really good, who’s in touch with the market. And then sit down and grill them. You have to ask them questions to find out, are they active in the market you’re interested in, the neighborhood you’re interested in, and then do they sell the kinds of houses you’re interested in? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been lined up with an agent who is actually selling gabillion dollar houses when I’m not buying a gabillion dollar house. You really need to find a match in terms of price tag. Now a great way to go after this is to think about is the agent active in the neighborhood I’m interested in. If I’m selling my home, are they active in my neighborhood? Look: if you find a really good agent who lives three blocks from you, if you’re trying to sell this house, they can be over to your house pronto to help you sell. They can show your house any hour, they’re available all the time. They know all the ins and outs of the neighborhood. It’s a real help if you’re looking to sell.

What are the responsibilities of an agent?

Well, they’re supposed to give you all the information you can. Look, if you’re a seller, they’re supposed to tell you every offer that comes in on your house, if people are qualified. You know, sometimes I think people worry, am I getting all the information I should from your agent. They’re not supposed to let anything hang back. These folks are going to help you do everything, soup to nuts. They’re going to help you stage your home. You know, they’re used to the entire process, you know, they’re not just there for the close or just there to land the contract. They have to help you get the house ready for sale as well.

Are there really some signs of a good agent, some things I should be looking for?

Well your agent should be web-savvy; you’re probably going to have to put your house on the web to sell it. They’ve got to know the technical aspects of their job, as well as having great personal communication skills. You know, you’re looking for somebody who can really do it all, and you’ll only really know that if you sit down with them and talk to them one-on-one.
What about some flags of one that’s really bad, or maybe just unscrupulous?

Well, I think you really want to think about, is this person doing it full-time. There are lots of newbie’s in the industry; they came in during the boom, who really don’t have a lot of experience. I think right now you should be looking for somebody who’s been in the marketplace for at least eight years. That means they’ve had experience in a down market, so they know what to expect right now. What is the role of a home inspector, and why do you say that one should not be so closely aligned with your agent?

Hey, look. The home inspector is probably the person who is most important to the process of buying for the buyer, and the person who gets the least investigation by the buyer. Typically, people simply just take the recommendation of their real estate agent. Well I have to tell you, a lot of these inspectors are really close to the real estate industry, they know what inspectors do their inspections really quickly, and those are the people they’re going to recommend. You want somebody who’s going to have your interests at heart, who’s going to spend a long two hours looking at absolutely everything having to do with the house, the roof, the, the basement, the foundation, the plumbing, the electricity, and make sure everything works properly. This person has to work for you, not the real estate agent.

Gerri Willis, thank you so much. Great information on how to find the best real estate agent for you.

My pleasure.

I’m Robyn Moreno for http://www.howdini.com/.

REALTOR Spotlight - SGV Commercial

Commercial REALTORS Linda Vidov and Craig McKenzie came together as a team in early 2007 and have quickly become one of the San Gabriel Valley's most dynamic commercial teams.

Their shared years of experience, technical know-how and marketing strategies led Linda and Craig to honors as a top team in 2007.Together Linda and Craig have the resources and expertise to provide clients with each aspect of any transaction from financing, pro-forma market analysis, title and escrow, 1031 & 1033 exchanges, development and property management.

Craig McKenzie specializes in industrial development, sales and leasing throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. Craig's six years of commercial brokerage experience included the development and marketing of a 250,000 square foot industrial complex in Rancho Cucamonga. Craig has over 25 years of management experience with international log home manufacturer and exporter, National Log Homes as well as nationally with such companies as Thorn International, and Wells Fargo and Company. Craig's years in banking have uniquely positioned him with a complete and well rounded working knowledge of the concerns and financing alternatives of small business owners and investors. Craig has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Finance.

Linda Vidov specializes in Office and Industrial sales and leasing throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. Linda previously worked in the finance area of Real Estate with Wells Fargo specializing in mortgages, refinances, home equity loans & lines of credit as well as other consumer and business products. She also has over 6 years of Project Management experience with companies such as US Concepts and Diageo as well as 4 years with Kaiser Permanente. Linda has a Bachelor's degree in StrategicManagement and Marketing from CSU, Sacramento.

To learn more about Linda Vidov and Craig McKenzie, you can visit them on-line at http://www.sgvcommercial.com/ or contact them direct at 626.358.1858

REALTOR Spotlight: Joe Garcia

Joe Garcia is a well-known and highly distinguished citizen of Monrovia, CA who has amassed a reputation for being a proactive and diligent advocate of Historic housing in the San Gabriel Valley.

A resident of Monrovia since 1987, Joe began his civic career when he became involved in the Historic Preservation Ordinance Committee which he chaired. Since then, he has lead and taken part in a myriad of organizations that seek to maintain the décor, architecture and beauty of the homes that lined the foothills in the early 1900s. His efforts and successes brought Joe to the Monrovia City Council in the late 90s and in 2007 he celebrated his first decade as a councilman. A proud historian, he also serves as an Executive Board Member of the Monrovia Historical Society and the Monrovia Historical Museum.

Joe is also a visionary and has the foresight to take-on projects and ideas that modernize and beautify Monrovia. As a past-Chairman of the city's planning commission, he has had direct influence in the countless projects that have made our neighborhoodsso attractive to visitors. He introduced Monrovia's 'Art in Public Places Program' and 'Percent for Public Art Ordinance' that seek to merge artistry with the innate beauty of our foothills and streets.

Now he brings his energy, dedication and professionalism to the craft of Real Estate in Monrovia. Joe's affiliation with CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes is a testament to his gift of creating relationships that bring together the resources and people that can accomplish great and wonderful things.

His intimate knowledge of Historic properties in the San Gabriel Valley gives his clients the advantage of working with a Real Estate professional who understands the uniqueness and value that every address possesses. Joe Garcia's civic involvement has broadened the scope of his knowledge and this grants his clients a proven practitioner that can maneuver and coordinate through a transaction efficiently.

To learn more about Joe, contact CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes at 626.358.1858 or on-line at http://www.c21ab.net/ or http://www.homesbyjoegarcia.com/

2002 Bellavista, Arcadia now Available for Sale by Joe Garcia. For more information call 626.358.1858

Green Remodeling Tips

Going green has become more than just a trend, especially when it comes to home remodeling or improvements. Buyers are looking for homes with energy efficient and cost saving features now more than ever!

Here are some tips to consider:

1. Demand for green housing has been growing—46% of buyers would like a green home, according to an August 2007 report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) onhome buyers’ preference.
2. Before purchasing any of these items for your home, check with your local gas and electric company for possible tax credits and rebates. Also check with federal, state, and local government agencies.
3. Estimate your potential savings by using one of the many online free energy audit calculators.
4. If you need to buy appliances consider ENERGY STAR® rated appliances. You can get moredetailed information about the ENERGY STAR® program on their website as well as a list of products that qualify for rebates.
5. Contact your local CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes Real Estate Professional. Their experience and local knowledge can help you decide which home improvements will be best for you.

For more information on going green:

• Office of Energy Efficiency http://www.energysavers.gov/
• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy The Most Efficient Appliances www.aceee.org/consumerguide/mostenef.htm
• Energy Star ® http://www.energystar.gov/
• DOE Consumer Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfor/