Sonoma County Properties

Hello Readers…from time to time I’ll bring in a guest blogger who’s vision is aligned with mine, albeit housing, sustainability, music, or our Slow Life here in Sonoma County.  Introducing Irene Turner, owner of Irene Turner at Home, an international interior design firm based here in Sonoma County.  Irene’s mission is to create and share beauty in all forms that uplift the spirit and make people feel good.  Here she talks about a couple of my key interests…sustainability and Jack Johnson’s role to inspire people through his music to impact their world.  Please welcome Irene Turner.

If you think that one person can’t have an impact, think again.  A couple of weeks ago my cousin from Germany came to visit us with his family.  His oldest son has only been studying english for two years and seemed to be fluent.  One way he was taught English was an assignment to find something to memorize.  He chose Jack Johnson’s song the 3 R’s.  He not only learned all the words by heart, but he also did a whole report, in english, about the 3 R’s, with Jack Johnson’s lyrics as the bases, and started a 3R campaign in his school!

What exactly are the 3 R’s?  For those of you who don’t know…here from Sheryl Eisenberg and the Natural Resources Defense Council is the simplest explanation I found…

1. Reduce: Reduce means using fewer resources in the first place.  This is the most effective of the three R’s and the place to begin.  It is also, I think, the hardest because it requires letting go of some very American notions, including: the bigger the better, new trumps old and convenience is next to godliness…Reduce is a comparative word.  It says:cut back from where you are now….
2. Reuse: Before you recycle or dispose of anything, consider whether it has life left in it….Reusing keeps new resources from being used for a while longer, and old resources from entering the waste stream.  It’s important as it is unglamorous.  Think about how you can do more.
3. Recycle: Recycling is the R that has caught on the best.  Partly, this is because there are so many curbside recycling programs today…What keeps it from being a total piece of cake is the rules.  Every municipality has its own, and they are not always as straightforward as they could be.…read more

For those of you who have children, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has a great kid’s page to help teach them these habits.  Wouldn’t it be great if all our kids learned this at home and in school, by our example and through educational investigation?

The point of this whole matter for me is that Jack Johnson, one man who is environmentally minded created a song (see the video below)… And, established the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, to support environmental, art and music education now and into the future. As part of his 2010 world tour, the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation will offer direct and matching donations to All At Once partner non-profits. Jack Johnson will once again donate 100% of his 2010 tour profits (as he did in 2008)  to charity.  His influence is such that he inspired one child around the world in Munich, Germany to memorize his song, and lead his class in a 3 R campaign.

While we all may not be Jack Johnson, we, each and every one of us, can start practicing the 3 R’s today and teach our children and grandchildren to leave our world a better place then how we found it!

Nature is God made visible. Nature is God known through our senses. When we love and serve nature, we are worshiping the Supreme Being.
~ Amma

Saving our planet is truly a Little Bit of Beauty™!

The U.S. government’s home buyer tax credit was extended to April 30, 2010 and will most likely not be extended again. This tax credit can benefit first-time home buyers up to $8,000 and current homeowners up to $6,500, provided they meet certain guidelines. And because this program is a tax credit – it does not have to be repaid.  You apply for this credit when you do your tax return.  Of course, it is always in your best interest to seek the advice of a Tax Attorney or your CPA to find how these credits fit your particular needs.

The California tax credit is a little different in that you must apply for the credit within 14 days of closing escrow and you are only eligible to take one third of it per year (for three years). The tax credits are available for taxpayers who purchase a qualified principal residence on or after May 1, 2010, and before January 1, 2011. Additionally, these tax credits are available for taxpayers who purchase a qualified principal residence on or after December 31, 2010, and before August 1, 2011, pursuant to an enforceable contract executed on or before December 31, 2010.  The purchase date is defined as the date escrow closes. Taxpayers may apply for the tax credits if they have entered into a contract before May 1, 2010, as long as escrow closes on or after May 1, 2010.

These tax credits are limited to the lesser of 5 percent of the purchase price or $10,000 for a qualified principal residence. Taxpayers must apply the total tax credit in equal amounts over 3 successive tax years (maximum of $3,333 per year) beginning with the tax year in which the home is purchased.  The tax credits are nonrefundable and unused credits cannot be carried over.

There has never been a better time to take advantage of this tax credit because many Sonoma County Properties seem to be priced below market value.