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: Will Home Buyers Stampede for $18,000?
WSJ Developments blog
“Tuesday, we told you that the (financially troubled) state of California is poised to offer home buyers up to $10,000 to get off the fence and to the dotted line. The $200 million program, split between first-time buyers of existing homes and new units, should keep the Golden State’s sales moving along post spring-selling season. But, it might not get off to a peaceful start on May 1: Get ready for a stampede early on as some buyers rush to overlap with the federal tax credit that’s dangling as much as $8,000 to buyers. (Yes, that’s up to $18,000 for buying a house.)”
HOMESTAR 101
Center for American Progress
“The HOME STAR program is a new initiative to create jobs in the construction industry and make it easy for every American homeowner to quickly and immediately cut their rising monthly energy bills by improving the energy efficiency of their homes. HOME STAR will empower homeowners to seize control of skyrocketing energy costs, create good living-wage jobs, and drive economic recovery in the United States. The program is designed to jumpstart construction and manufacturing jobs by offering rebates to consumers who invest in home energy improvements and energy efficient products and services.”
People power in short supply for green tech
CNet’s Green Tech blog
“In the burgeoning clean-energy business, there’s a clear need for technical breakthroughs and investment dollars. A less visible resource that’s also badly needed is seasoned entrepreneurs. One of the biggest challenges facing newly formed green-tech companies–and the field overall–is a lack of people with the appropriate technical and business skills, say experts. That’s not surprising given that so many industries, such as energy storage or solar, were relatively quiet the past two decades.”
