Rainwater barrels

I've been wanting to write about this topic for some time, but it just didn't seem to be the right time during our dry summer. Now that we have rain to collect, it's the perfect time to put them in. Especially so you'll be prepared if we have another dry summer.

Rainwater collectors take runoff from your roof and collect it in a barrel for use later on your lawn. The collectors not only let you use water that would otherwise flow off your roof and wasted, but it can reduce the amount of water you use, helping your wallet too. The City of Austin also gives $30 rebates for installing them.

Collectors can come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. The simplest versions are green 55 gallon plastic or steel barrels. But you can also get square shaped ones, barrels with wheels and even ones that look like stones.

Costs range from $65 through the City (although they are currently out of stock) to $200 through some vendors online. Most are in the $70 to $130 range though. After seeing my huge water bills this summer this upfront cost should be recovered within a few years.

You can buy them from the City when they have them in stock or from a variety of vendors. One company I found, http://www.austingreenwater.com/, is based here in Austin. They sell a triple barrel (165 gallons) setup for $250. A google search turns up a lot of vendors as well and Home Depot and Lowes are good sources for them and any accessories you may need.

For those that like a small project, set up is fairly simple. Just shorten your downspouts on your gutters so that they empty into the barrel instead of on the ground. Then you can connect the barrels together and as one fills up it will start filling the others. Home Depot offers a kit to make the connections easy. For those that don't want to set it up themselves, Austin Green Water does offer setup for a $50 fee.

You'll need to place the barrels so that the area you want to water is lower than the barrels bottom. For flat lots you'll want to get a stand to raise them up. I promise I'm not promoting AGW, but they do include a stand with each barrel for the same price. The extra height helps increase the water pressure.

Once you've got them set up all you do is connect your standard garden hose to the spigot at the barrels bottom. Open the spigot and you've got water. As the pressure is fairly low the water is best used for watering beds and trees or using to soak specific areas of your lawn.

I hope you've enjoyed this green tip. Always feel free to ask any questions, billconover@america-lending.com

What is a Seller's Disclosure?

Sellers of residential property are required to disclose any defects that they are aware of that their property has. The disclosure is a protection for buyers that gives them information about the property they are considering purchasing. The disclosure lists items that are not working in the home and also cover the history of the home so can reveal items that even a home inspector may not uncover.

In most cases, depending how a contract is written, a buyer who has signed a contract has the option to cancel the contract after they've received the sellers disclosure if they object to any items on it.

The disclosure is on a standard form and and has to disclose certain items at a minimum. An outline is below:

1. Items that the home has and whether they are working. Items such as cooktop, dishwasher, pool and central A/C
   
2. The roof type and age.
   
3. Defects in the building systems such as the foundation, walls, windows, etc.
   
4. Specific conditions such as asbestos, previous flooding, termites, etc.
   
5. Other non-building items like: Has an addition been added? Is there an HOA? Any deed restriction violations? Any lawsuits? Safety hazards?

For a detailed list please see the example below. The sellers disclosure is a great tool for both buyers and sellers to make sure everyone is aware of the same issues. However as it is only what the seller is aware of always get a home inspection too to find out those issues the seller may not be aware of or that they "forgot"....

As always please email me with any questions, billconover@america-lending.com. Click on the image to see a larger version.

August Market Stats

Central Austin is up for the month and year!

Austin one of best performing markets

Check out this report on the Austin Market. It says that Austin is positioned to be one of the first to get out of recession.

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/09/14/daily18.html?ed=2009-09-15@ana=e_du_pub