Today’s new home construction projects, such as house developments on Long Island, now offer the “green” choice: Energy Star rated new homes. Energy Star new construction homes are new houses that meet certain stringent government guidelines for energy efficiency.

To be considered an Energy Star efficient new home, these new houses must meet these guidelines set by the government at www.energystar.gov:

1. Effective Insulation 2. High-Performance Windows 3. Solid Construction 4. Efficient Cooling and Heating Equipment 5. Energy Efficient Appliances 6. Third-Party Validation

What exactly is an Energy Star rating and how is it the green choice?

We’ll talk about green options. Unfortunately, the term is tossed around so often that many companies claim many products are “green” simply because they cause less damage to the environment than another product. When we discuss about green, we’re talking a major impact of contaminants or a significant conservation of energy.

With homes, the main green impact is energy savings. Electricity and heat can be conserved in a number of ways, reducing the demand on fossil fuels. Electricity, which is clean when used, still needs to be produced. Generally, it is produced by coal or other fossil fuels with tremendous negative effects on the environment. By reducing the electric demand, you effectively reduce the amount of toxic fuel that needs to be consumed. By doing a few things in your new home, you can significantly reduce the electric demand.

First, you need to take advantage of high quality insulation in new homes. Use enough insulation to adequately protect your new home from the weather. Ideally, you should insulate your walls, attic, floors and basement to help maintain an even inside temperature. The more consistent the temperature inside, the less often your heating system needs to go on, using energy to level the temperature.

Next, consider your windows. With new construction, you can use higher efficiency windows that reduce drafts, insulate outside cold air and help block ultraviolet light (which can fade fabrics, paint and carpets, requiring you to replace them sooner).

Tight construction is key. Small cracks and holes can create significant air flow points that allow heat to escape in the winter and air conditioning to escape in the summer. When this happens, your heating and cooling systems need to work overtime to compensate. Plugging these holes will significantly reduce your energy expenses. With new construction, tight and solid construction, especially around ducts and pipes leading outside, you will have a major impact.

Finally, as you choose a builder, for example www.EmmyHomes.com on Long Island, be sure the new houses have a verification of their Energy Star rating. This protects you to make sure that you are getting the energy benefits that you should get from your new construction.

Craig Axelrod is one of the senior developers from Emmy Homes. Emmy is which is one of Long Island’s premier real estate builders. Emmy’s Commack real estate features new construction in Commack. Visit EmmyHomes.com for information.

People who become wealthy wholesaling real estate are business geniuses. Fortunately, they’re also generous, and willing to share their secrets with others. It seems that real estate entrepreneurship and philanthropy go well hand-in-hand. In fact, I just recently heard an interview on public radio that sparked my interest. Bruce Marks, a business mogul from New York, has started an entire nonprofit giant. His success is based on the idea that generosity can pay enormous dividends.

As soon as Marks graduated from the MBA program at New York University, he got a job as a regulator at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. With the goal of helping those less fortunate than himself, he soon secured another position as a union activist for Boston hotel workers. By the time he was hired at the Union Neighborhood Assistance Corporation in New York, Marks knew how to run an ethical business. Eventually, he got so good at what he was doing for UNAC that he started his own nonprofit organization, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).

NACA’s mission is to help prevent home owners from facing foreclosure and repair their credit. He believes that in a healthy economy, people can afford housing and can obtain the credit necessary to own commodities and necessary items like cars. Through NACA’s program, people can refinance their home loans for free. They also offer free credit counseling, and loans for prospective home owners without down payments. NACA has remained successful because they set up agreements that their clients can adhere to. Since they’re not greedy, they maintain their customer base.

Currently, NACA’s biggest campaign is against sub-prime lenders and their greedy practices. Marks is going after banks like Countrywide, who have caused thousands of home owners to foreclose. While NACA’s aggressive campaigns put many financial institutions, others, like Citigroup, have benefited from partnerships that offer affordable lending solutions to prospective home owners.

Real estate investors are so happy with their success, they’re quick to both boast about their deals and share knowledge with others. Bruce Marks’s business follows that model. While he earns money as a financer, he also repairs peoples’ credit and offers them the opportunity to live the American Dream. When everyone benefits, we can all enjoy the REI Lifestyle.

Michael Kimble’s daily blog at Wholesale Real Estate blog has more daily tactics and news, as well as real estate investing videos. He also has 4 free marketing systems that you can download, at : Wholesale Real Estate tips.

Its hard enough just to talk to strangers, but when you add to the fact is stranger who is possibly under duress because they are in jeopardy of losing their home adds more pressure to an already uncomfortable situation.

As investors it is very essential to value that a lot of homeowners in United States are facing just this conditions, and we could be there cure-all to all their troubles.

If you know that you have the ability to perhaps halt a foreclosure by running out of imaginative deal between you and the home owner, you could be a blessing they are looking for a taking a very worrying load off their hands.

This kind of internal incentive should give you no difficulty when it comes to having to see the homeowner for yourself, writing them a letter, or if that failed, attaching a letter to their door.

What time is the Most Excellent Occasion to Involve Yourself in a Pre-foreclosure?

For the best results in the pre-foreclosure procedure, its always best to find the properties that have lots of equity. Always make sure that you cautiously research the home for sure from troubles or other related deformities that might alter your opinion of the property.

This step is important because if the homeowner is behind on their mortgage payments, if there are damages or structural problems with property, its highly possible that they will not be able to pay for the restoration needed.

When you send a letter always make sure that you’re polite, to the point, and keep an open empathy of the homeowners difficult and precarious situation. With a high increase of foreclosures in the Denver Co area the aura consideration should always be felt when writing a letter to homeowner in distress. Always try to put yourself in the homeowners choose and see how they are feeling.

Melvin Bojacavich has been an investor for the past 35 plus years. He has a blog that is about Denver Co Homes for Sale. It is an insightful blog on the Denver Co Homes for Sale market and how he has made a fortune in this region.