Historic Phoenix Real Estate

In general, women make most of the household financial decisions. That applies to remodeling projects as well, where female homeowners say they want stylish, eco-friendly counters and floors, plus easy ways to save water and electricity.

8 Top Items on Women’s Remodeling Wish Lists »

Women hold $5 trillion in purchasing power each year and make most of the financial decisions regarding the home, from the purchase to remodeling projects. When it comes to being green at home, female homeowners say they want eco-friendly features that:

- make sense for their lives
- reinforce their feelings as chic, smart buyers
- are easy to do
- save them money
- improve their families’ quality of life
- minimize their impact on the Earth

During a panel at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Celia Canfield of West Coast Green, Linda Hebert of Diversified Marketing & Communications, Sara Lamia of Building Coach and Michelle Roberts of Chatham Hill Res. Design & Build, shared these eight ideas for embracing your domestic green goddess.

Monitor How Much Energy You Use

New technology has made it possible for homeowners to keep track of their energy consumption and adjust accordingly to save money. Wireless energy dashboards sit in your home and monitor energy data from your electricity meter. Find out what times of day offer the cheapest electricity delivery rate. There are even products that let you monitor your consumption while you’re outside the home.

Shown here, the PowerTab In-Home Display provides wireless real-time information on power consumption and electricity rates.

Photo courtesy of Energy Aware

Harvest and Recycle Rainwater

Rainwater harvesting involves collecting water either from the roof or the ground and then diverting it to storage tanks. For every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof area, 600 gallons of water can be collected for harvesting.

Rainwater can be used for watering your garden as well as for flushing toilets, washing laundry and bathing. Rainwater stored in food-grade HOGs can be used as an emergency potable water supply.

Rainwater is soft water, which means that it won’t cause a build-up of calcium in your plumbing like hard water can. You can drink rainwater as long as your roofing material does not contain toxic materials.

Photo courtesy of Rainwater HOG

Use Recycled Glass

Colorful, randomly patterned recycled glass is a high-end product that is visually self-explanatory and a great conversation starter. Whether you use it in countertops or a decorative window, showcase your green chic and “green brag” to guests.

©2008 Joel Puliatti for Vetrazzo

Ask for Native Wood

Install flooring that uses wood that’s native to the area. It gives a personal touch to your green efforts and makes a strong, memorable impression.

Make Recycling a Habit

Integrate custom recycling bins into your kitchen design, like these seamless chutes, so it’s stylish and second nature.

Choose LED Lighting

Beautiful LED lighting can introduce fine art to the meaning of green. These energy efficient fixtures can be intricate, unique and colorful.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Keep your family healthy and comfortable with technology that improves indoor air quality. MaxAir, for instance, creates a high-efficiency air stream that transports vacuumed dirt, dust and odors from throughout your home through a network of in-wall tubing directly to the power unit.

Photo courtesy of H-P Products

Learn About Biomimicry-Based Technologies

Stay on top of the latest green technologies that can be used for and around your home.

Companies are designing innovative household products that imitate biological processes in nature, while not tapping natural resources. Some examples:

- Sharklet: A special pattern inspired by the microbe-resistant properties of shark skin inhibits bacterial growth. The pattern on an adhesive film will repel bacteria pathogens from hospitals, public restrooms and consumer products.
- Lotusan paint: A self-cleaning silicone exterior paint based on the lotus flower’s highly water-repellent surface and its self-cleaning properties.
- Gecko tape: Modeled after a gecko’s ability to adhere to various kinds of surfaces, the tape will allow items to defy gravity.

Photo courtesy of Sharklet Technologies.

Erica Sagon
The Arizona Republic

More pre-owned houses are coming with home warranties these days. But when it comes to renewing the warranty – the service contract that shields homeowners from unforeseen repair costs – consumers are asking: is it really worth the cost?

A standard warranty runs $300 to $500 for a year of protection, which covers the cost of repairing or replacing a home’s major systems and appliances. Home sellers typically pick up the tab for the first year of coverage. Extended coverage plans for pools, spas and washers and dryers can be purchased at an extra cost.

Advocates say contracts provide peace of mind and budget protection for consumers, especially first-time buyers. Homeowners pay $30 to $100 for each service call, which is a fraction of the market rate for service and parts.

But some consumers have long criticized warranties as false protectors.

The contracts have quirky policy loopholes and are hard to understand on the first read. Homeowners also complain about lousy service from contractors and that warranties are simply a bandage for bigger problems.

Phoenix resident Monique Ashton recently filed a claim for a leaky bathtub faucet. She paid a $40 service fee, but the leak returned.

When she called more than a month later to report the problem, it was considered a new claim and took another $40 to fix.

Apparently, the warranty company allowed a 30-day window to follow up with complaints. The stipulation was probably in the fine print of her contract from the vendor.

“I was really irritated with them,” Ashton said.

It is common for consumers to misunderstand the warranty’s terms, said Pattie Hackmann, vice president of sales for Fidelity National Home Warranty.

The Better Business Bureau advises consumers to read the contract thoroughly and ask plenty of questions about what is and is not covered.

There are plenty of limitations and exclusions. For one, warranties don’t cover secondary damage. So, if your toilet malfunctions and leaks all over the floor, the warranty covers the broken toilet but not the damaged floor.

Secondly, warranties don’t cover pre-existing problems.

The Arizona Department of Insurance, which licenses vendors and takes complaints from consumers, advises people to read their contracts thoroughly before signing.

Denial of a claim is consumers’ top complaint, followed by delays and unsatisfactory results, said Erin Klug, spokeswoman for the department.

“We definitely will try to advocate on people’s behalf,” Klug said. “We’re not always successful. It’s very dependent on the contract language.”

It’s hard to say how widespread the problems are because the state isn’t sure how many policyholders are out there. Unlike California and some other states, Arizona does not require companies to report the number of warranties sold.

Consumer complaints of home warranties haven’t translated to slower sales, though. Anecdotal evidence and company records indicate that warranty sales are at their highest.

Fidelity National Home Warranty estimated a “phenomenal” 36 percent increase in sales in Arizona from 2003 to 2004, Hackmann said.

Consumers are vastly more aware of home warranties today than they were a decade ago, Hackmann said.

Part of this can be attributed to real estate agents, who are the key marketers for home warranties. Some agents even get a kickback from the vendors.

Realtor Darrell Blomberg carries brochures for five or six warranties when meeting with his clients.

Some industry experts claim that homes with a warranty sell faster than unwarranted homes, but Blomberg said that’s not the case in metropolitan Phoenix.

Given the tight inventory of homes on the market, sellers don’t have to offer extras to snag buyers, Blomberg said.