If you’re new here, you might want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!First Time Home Buyers Prioritize Energy Efficiency Home Intel “As first time home buyers step into the real estate market they are looking at things very differently then their parents did. Trends that make a home stylish now go beyond [...]

Tax Credits Make It Difficult to Interpret Housing Data WSJ.com Developments blog “The home buyer tax credit continues to complicate the task of figuring out what’s going on with underlying demand for homes. … After the tax credits expire, buyers will have less reason to rush. If interest rates start to rise from today’s unusually [...]

Energy Star under fire, faces major overhaul Inhabitat “The Energy Star Program may be facing a major overhaul after congressional auditors reported that they were able to receive certification for a number of ridiculous fake products including a gasoline-powered alarm clock. Maine’s Senator Susan Collins announced that this week she will be proposing changes to [...]

Contractors talk kitchen and bath trends Professional Remodeler “The National Kitchen and Bath Association predicts 2010 won’t see any dramatic or sweeping changes in terms of consumer tastes; traditional styles, dark colors and flexible faucets round out the top picks for remodeling projects. Remodelers can expect homeowners to be prudent, experts say.” California’s Tax Credit: [...]

New Lead Paint Law Effective April 22, 2010 Home Construction and Improvement “The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has new lead paint laws going into effect on April 22, 2010. The new lead paint laws require any renovation work performed on houses built before 1978 to be performed by a certified contractor. Obviously his new [...]

“Cash for Caulkers” Program to Boost Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market Professional Remodeler “A recent SBI Energy market study titled Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market’ reports that energy-efficient windows already far outsell other types of fenestration products in the home remodeling industry. Combined with the HOMESTAR program and ARRA incentives this market will see double-digit growth over [...]

Obama proposes $3,000 home energy rebates Reuters President Barack Obama on Tuesday shared the details of his proposed “cash for caulkers” energy efficiency rebate plan. Reuters reports: “The efficiency plan, which must be passed by Congress, is intended to prompt Americans to invest in everything from insulation or new windows to overarching energy upgrades of [...]

Recent data reported by the U.S. Commerce Department shows that home remodeling was a bright spot in the troubled U.S. construction industry. Year-end figures from the Commerce Department show that spending on private, residential remodeling in 2009 totaled $125.6 billion — up 8.2 percent from 2008. Meanwhile, new residential construction spending came in at $134.8 [...]

Nailed by recession, home remodelers look to rehab results in 2010 Dallas Morning News “Home remodelers that have been hammered by the recession can look forward to better times in 2010. Forecasters say the home improvement and fix-up business should pick up this year after a 25 percent slide in activity since 2007.” Building initiatives [...]

Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, 2009-2010 Remodeling Magazine In a summary of the data-driven report, Remodeling Magazine writes: “Falling home prices pushed the value of remodeling investments down for the fourth consecutive year, but small-scale projects and replacements may be leading the way to recovery.” Find out which project deliver the most value for homeowners. [...]