Earning my EcoBroker Certification was a labor of love and an expression of my values — both in terms of my commitment to the environment and my commitment to serving my clients.

My role as an EcoBroker is to help my clients address and resolve environmental questions, evaluate environmental claims, and save money through energy and water conservation in their homes.

One EcoBroker benefit you might enjoy is "Green Topics," a library of articles about energy efficiency, solar heating and energy generation, home health, green building materials, and much more.

If you’d like to know more about any of these topics, or have environmental concerns about your home or a home you’re considering, I’m always happy to help.

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I seem to have gotten another article published in the Castro   Courier – my third! I’m even more excited about this one because the topic is near and dear to my heart. In fact, once I started digging into green construction and remodeling, I found that I could scarcely scratch the surface in the space allotted. I plan to expand this article into a series, or maybe even a full-on report.

In this article, I introduce some basic ideas about how to approach either a remodel or a purchase of a home that might require some updating, including costs and professionals. I also take a look at solar panels and indoor air quality.

Some other topics I’d like to cover include windows, insulation, landscaping, kitchen design, lighting, on-demand hot waters heaters, and so, so much more. Stay tuned – there’s more great green information to come.

Two great green events!

Earth Hour 2008

You may recall Lights Out SF back in October. Its bigger and better successor, Earth Hour 2008, promises more participation in more cities. Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund (the reason that the World Wrestling Federation is now World Wrestling Entertainment), Earth Hour is a world-wide event on March 29. From 8:00 to 9:00 PM, thousands of people concerned about the impact humans are having on our planet will symbolically turn their lights off for one hour to demonstrate that it’s possible to take action against global warming.

San Franciscans are often in the forefront of environmental responsibility and action. Earth Hour is another example of that commitment. Buildings all over the City will go dark during Earth Hour. Iconic structures and office buildings will take part, as will homes throughout the Bay Area.

Join Mayor Gavin Newsom and the whole City at 8 PM. All you have to do is turn off nonessential lights for one hour.

I have my own personal Earth Hour page for you to visit. Sign up for Earth Hour with me by visiting http://www.earthhour.org/uer/hfQ2 and join the movement.

EcoTuesday

OK, so EcoTuesday is a monthly event, and you’ve heard about it before. I promise not to post an entry about it every single month, but now that I’ve actually been to one, please bear with me for a moment while I gush. Thanks.

If you’re not familiar with it, EcoTuesday is a forum for leaders of sustainable business throughout the Bay Area to network (most attendees appear to be from San Francisco, Berkeley, or Oakland). There is a speaker and time to mingle, but the best part of the program is that everyone gets an opportunity to introduce her/himself to the entire group. Not only is that a great marketing opportunity for entrepreneurs and the self-employed (like me), but also it’s exciting and inspirational to hear about all the great things that are being created by people just like you and me. Wow.

If you’re currently working in a sustainable business area, or trying to green your employer from within, or you just enjoy meeting cool, dedicated people who care about the environment — and are actually doing something about it — I encourage you to check it out this coming Tuesday, March 25. You can learn more and RSVP in advance (for $10 vs. $20 at the door) at: http://www.ecotusday.com.

Finally, in the spirit of full disclosure — or maybe just because I think it’s so darn cool and I want some of the coolness to rub off on me — I’d like to say that the co-founder of EcoTuesday (which has now spread to 5 cities from coast to coast) is my friend and one-time student, Nikki Martinez. Congratulations, Nikki. You’re doing something awesome.

Now that the sale has closed escrow, I can disclose the actual selling price of my listing at 121 Bradford Street in Bernal Heights. Listed at $799,000, the house was on the market for just 15 days, and sold for $882,500, with four offers.

While I’d love to take all the credit, the competition over this listing — and the large amount of traffic at our open houses — indicates that there’s still insufficient inventory of houses on the market to satisfy demand. However, things appear to be coming back into balance as the Spring progresses.

According to SocketSite (www.socketsite.com), listings are up nearly 50% over this time last year. While in many parts of the state this would be bad news, here in the City, it’s great news.

My interpretation is that sellers are realizing what I’ve been saying all along: buyers are ready, willing, and able to buy, and are frustrated by the lack of available homes. Hopefully now they’ll have some options.

The March issue of the Castro Courier included my article explaining the risks of buying, owning, or renting an illegal unit or rooms. The questions and answers are not always clear-cut, and you could be opening yourself to serious liability.

Go to the Castro Courier to read the entire article.

This is the second column I’ve written for the Castro Courier. If you’ve wondered about buying a TIC (Tenants in Common unit), you might want to read last September’s article, TICs: Balancing Risk and Cost. TICs have provided entry-level homes to many who might not otherwise be able to own their own home, but what are the risks?

Originally listed at $799,000 we took four offers less than two weeks after bringing the house on to the market, thus proving that regardless of what’s going on the rest of the country, state, or even the greater Bay Area, we really do lead a charmed existence here.

If you want to move, don’t let the naysayers hold you back.

And thank you for coming out to visit Bradford. It was great to catch up with you.

Wow! Tomorrow and Wednesday we have dueling Green Events. I hope to see some of you at both!

We’ve scheduled quite a few showings of our new listing over the next week. If you are looking for a single-family  home in Bernal Heights, or just trying to learn about the market, it would be worth your time to stop by. For a preview of this three-bed, two-bath single-family home, check out the listing page at http://www.jimrudoff.com/121bradford.asp. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

Tuesday, February 12

2:00 “ 3:30 PM (Broker’s Tour)
5:30 “ 7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 13

5:30 “ 7:00 PM

Thursday, February 14

5:00 – 6:00 PM

Sunday, February 17

2:00 “ 4:00 PM

Hope to see you there!

I’m very happy (OK, ecstatic) to announce my first listing of 2008, a single-family home in Bernal Heights, listed at $799,000. This is a significant step for me as I get my real estate business started in a challenging market.

If you’d like more information about the home, feel free to contact me, or check out this page on my Web site:

http://www.jimrudoff.com/121Bradford.asp

I’ll be holding it open this Sunday, February 10 from 1-4, so stop by and say hi!

This is my second co listing with my mentor, Mike Riordan (who just made Partner at McGuire — congrats Mike!) The first home we sold together was my first sale in real estate, a $1.2 million, two-flat home in the Inner Sunset that sold for $1.35 million, a nice premium for our clients.

The January issue of my monthly newsletter has been published. This month’s topics are:

• Fourth Quarter Market Review
• Green at Home – Rent or Own
• SF EARN and its Real Estate Auxiliary
• Getting to Know San Francisco: Red Rock Island
• San Francisco Trivia – You Could Win $50!

Check it out!

If you’d like to receive the newsletter every month, in either email or snail mail forms, contact me, or just sign up on my Web site.

Thanks! I hope the new year is treating you well.

          — Jim