Have you ever thought about how much money you would have saved down the road if you would have invested in a sustainable home design? Imagine your electricity bill being almost non-existent or not having to use your heater or air conditioner to make your home comfortable during those hot and cold months. All of this can be accomplished by using sustainable design to build or upgrade your home.  Sustainable design is a concept that is taking off in the U.S. and numerous people are beginning to see the many benefits that it has for their future.

That being said, I am happy to announce that the Central Coast Homes Magazine has teamed up with Grandberry Financial and PasoRobles.com to introduce to you the inaugural Central Coast Luxury Sustainable Home Competition. For this competition we are asking for people to come forward who might be interested in either having their home built or upgraded in a sustainable manner by using their lend-able equity to fund this process.

The mission of this competition is to provide a vehicle for the client to build with “sustainability” as the cornerstone of the design process. Sustainable design is a design philosophy incorporating architectural design and product selection that contributes to social well-being, makes sound economic sense, and has negligible impact on the environment while at the same time creating a lasting very unique sense of style and consciousness. It also incorporates the idea of utilizing existing, proven design concepts and product technology.

Grandberry Financial wants to make sure that they deliver a service and product that has sound long term investment and pay back potential while at all times helping the environment with a design criteria that reflects your tastes, choices and ultimate peace of mind.

Great home design should enhance the value of each environment, make optimal use of space, elicit an environmentally sustainable mindset, and use less energy with existing technology and design philosophy than currently used today.

That is precisely the reason we are putting on the Central Coast Luxury Sustainable Home Competition. Each qualified candidate will also receive a Paso Robles vacation package offered to you by PasoRobles.com. You can access more information on the Central Coast Luxury Sustainable Home Competition by visiting the following website http://www.reenergizeca.com/ or by contacting Brian Braithwaite from Grandberry Financial at 714-975-0104.

Our reputation is built on providing quality results.? Our service is friendly and professional.? Our goal is to provide innovative designs tailored to fit you!

www.ParadiseInteriorDesign.com
Let us help you explore the possibilities of recreating an environment that works best for you. We can help you find the most cost effective way to make those exciting new changes and determine the appropriate investment needed to achieve your design goals. ??We offer a cooperative group of talented individuals to produce your project with the quality results you deserve. We provide the kind of service that allows you the flexibility to keep living your life and still get the job done.

For more information call? 831-685-0855

email: ionevictoria@sbcglobal.net

Our design studio is located at? 249 Center Ave., Aptos, CA 95003

Consulting by appointment

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The "Salad Bowl" of the world is being recognized for the second year in a row as one the greenest places in the country.

Country Home Magazine recently named Salinas, Santa Cruz and Watsonville among their top rated Best Green Places in America for 2008. Santa Cruz and Watsonville ranked in the top 10, coming in 7th in the survey, and Salinas ranked 21st, out of 379 cities considered. "All across the country, people are looking for ways to live greener," said LuAnn Brandsen, the magazine’s editor, in a statement.

Other Central Coast cities that made the list included Santa Rosa/Petaluma which captured the number 4 spot; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria checked in at number 10; and the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles area rounded out the top 20.

Around the world, people are looking for ways to shrink their proverbial footprint. And along with that comes a push to reduce, reuse and recycle. The magazine took its 2nd annual look at energy policies, green power, the number of green buildings and the availability of fresh locally-grown food.

Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue was quoted in the local Salinas newspaper, The Californian , saying, "Who should be more green than the salad bowl of the world?" and commented that the city will be seeking community input to develop additional ways to enhance environmental practices.

Monterey County also has a number of local builders and developers who are focused on green building and sustainable living, including Clint Eastwood’s private community , Tehama, located in Carmel. Luxury home builder Saxton Palma Construction, Inc. is one of several local green builders who focus on supporting sustainable design and construction.

If you are looking for a place to call home where green is becoming a way of life, check out the local real estate listings in Homes Magazine for these communities  — maybe they should be at the top of your list too.

The Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® is holding the 2008 Santa Cruz County Housing Expo on Saturday, April 12th at Twin Lakes Church from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. This second annual event will educate local consumers about the ins and outs of home buying, investing, "greening" their homes and foreclosure avoidance.  The Housing Expo features more than 20 real estate industry exhibitors and four educational tracks with more than 20 presentations that include: first time home buying, lending, housing assistance programs, investing, and a Spanish resource area.

Seminars will discuss a variety of topics including the process and terms of homebuying, down payment assistance, credit reports and scoring. Attendees can also find out how to avoid foreclosure with help from experts including nationally known, NeigborWorks and the 1-888-HOPE-NOW hotline. A "Green Real Estate" section will provide tips on home energy efficiency, green building permits, and the future in technology that will help homeowners save money while saving the Earth. The investment section will focus on the principles of real estate investing, Tenants in Common, investing in foreclosure properties, and more. For a complete list of classes click here http://www.scaor.org/hf/html/2008housingfair.htm or go to www.scaor.org.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer this kind of free educational housing event to the public by utilizing the expertise of the real estate industry professionals who are members of the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS®.  SCAOR members want to lend people who are in danger of losing their homes an avenue for information and also provide the public with the tools needed to be responsible homeowners," Christa Shanaman, 2008 SCAOR President stated.
Attendees can find information about the exhibitors, speakers schedule, map to Twin Lakes Church and more by visiting http://www.scaor.org/hf/html/2008housingfair.htm 

For more information, call 831-464-2000.