Market Gets Tense for Home Buyers

By Gino Blefari, President and CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Have consumers in the market to buy a home already missed the boat? That's the question on a lot of peoples' minds as we dive into monthly sales statistics that keep painting an intensifying picture: more sales, more price increases, rising interest rates and fewer available homes for sale.

Existing-home sales increased 4.2% in May from April to an adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million homes, according to the most recent report from the National Association of Realtors. The number of sales was up 12.9% from the same month a year ago, when the annual rate stood at 4.59 million homes.

Energy Tips for Summer Cooling to Save Money and Reduce Pollution

There's lots of talk around here about the heat lately. Here's another post with helpful tips on how to stay cool. Enjoy, and stay cool!

The average home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling. Increased energy production to run cooling systems not only raises costs, it also can contribute to pollution that adversely affects the quality of the air we breathe.

Which Way Should Your Ceiling Fan Turn in Summer?

The Cool Way!

Make sure your ceiling fans rotate in the correct direction to cool you in summer.

We’re having a heat wave; so make sure your ceiling fans are spinning in the right direction to move air around the room.

Most fans are reversible: One direction pushes air down, creating a nice summer breeze; the other direction sucks air up, helping you distribute heat in winter. There's normally a switch on the motor to change the fan's direction.

Is your fan turning in the right direction for summer?

Stand beneath the running fan, and if you feel a cooling breeze, it’s turning correctly. If not, change directions, usually by flicking a switch on the fan’s base. Typically, it's counterclockwise or left for summer and clockwise for winter, but the best method is to follow the steps above.

Funny note: We read on Yahoo! that one clever person used bubbles to see which direction his fan was blowing.

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon for HouseLogic