Chic vs. Geek: Are you ready for a Deep Energy Retrofit?

With Earth Day approaching, you might consider doing a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) of your home to improve efficiency. But it doesn’t come cheap!

CHIC (PEARL)

When you’re looking into a DER, the best place to start is with a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) audit. That’s when a professional energy auditor visits your house to test for air leaks and run other tests to determine your home’s energy efficiency. Based on that report, you can target the most wasteful features of your house for upgrades and get the most bang for your buck.

GEEK (KEVIN)

Doing a DER on a budget can help inspire you to think outside the box and get a little creative. There are tons of tax incentives and government programs to assist with financing the project, and a little research and extra leg work can point you to contractors who make energy efficiency pencil out as part of their mission to protect our environment and build a more sustainable world.

Happy Easter!

Whether you celebrate by going to church, hunting for eggs, or just indulging in chocolate, we wish you a blessed Easter Sunday!

Geek's Number Talk: Santa Clara County Market Snapshot - Feb. 2022

The Santa Clara County market continues to heat up. House inventory in February was down 17% from one year ago. Consequently, properties are staying on the market half as long and selling at 23% higher rates. The window of opportunity is open slightly wider for condos, but not by much.

Long story short: If you’re considering putting a property on the market, it’s go time!

Chic vs. Geek: It’s go time!

The deadline to file your 2021 federal income tax return is less than one week away on Monday, April 18th. Are you ready?

CHIC (PEARL)

Buying a home is a huge investment, but it also comes with tax benefits for the homeowner. Did you know? The IRS offers a number of deductions and credits to both first-time homebuyers and longtime owners, such as mortgage interest deductions and credits for renewable energy upgrades like solar panels. Check out this list of available opportunities compiled by Investopedia.

GEEK (KEVIN)

If you want to take advantage of tax breaks, you have to be prepared to itemize your return, which could involve hiring a professional accountant. So the first thing you want to do is make sure you’d get a much better deal itemizing rather than taking the standard deduction. If it doesn’t pencil out, why spend all that time and energy when you could be relaxing all weekend?

Gratitude: World Health Day

Yesterday, the World Health Organization celebrated World Health Day by focusing global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being. We hope you join us in protecting our environment today and every day!