Vintage Homes

The home at 620 N. Fourth sits next to an alley, which gives the home off-street parking and a one-car garage. The home also has photo-voltaic solar panels on the roof, which translate into $49 utility bills, regardless of the season.

Staff

The home at 620 N. Fourth sits next to an alley, which gives the home off-street parking and a one-car garage. The home also has photo-voltaic solar panels on the roof, which translate into $49 utility bills, regardless of the season.

Our unique home at 620 N. Fourth St. was built in 1915 but has had considerable improvements made to it to make it comfortable and efficient, including new plumbing, new electrical and a new HVAC system.

Staff

Our unique home at 620 N. Fourth St. was built in 1915 but has had considerable improvements made to it to make it comfortable and efficient, including new plumbing, new electrical and a new HVAC system.

The kitchen in the home at 620 N. Fourth St. is large, open and bright, with plenty of cabinets, two sunny windows and room for modern appliances.

Staff

The kitchen in the home at 620 N. Fourth St. is large, open and bright, with plenty of cabinets, two sunny windows and room for modern appliances.

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Older homes can be a great real estate buy

The McAdoo home had been on the real estate for sale list for too long when Kathy Cooney of Quakake told her siblings she planned to donate the family homestead instead.

She gave the North Kennedy Drive residence to Hazleton Area Habitat for Humanity in the hopes that a new family would be able to create their own wonderful memories inside the single home with a yard, as she and her siblings did over the years.

Sunday, Hazleton Area Habitat for Humanity held an open house at the home to officially welcome the new owners two adults and two young children who nestled into it around Thanksgiving. A television in the living room played a cartoon as Habitat volunteers, the former owners of the home and the new homeowners mingled over cake and coffee. One of the two young children crawled on the floor, giggling as guests mingled inside, while his sister and mother stayed close by.

Habitat for Humanity completely renovated the entire building after obtaining it about two years ago, Hazleton Area Habitat for Humanity President Tony Sulkevich said.

The homeowners declined to give their names, but said they were grateful to have a new, safe place for their family to live and said the home has changed their lives for the better. They were given a Bible from Habitat and also a gift basket containing bread so that the house would never know hunger, salt so that their life would always have flavor and wine so that they would always find joy and prosperity in their home.

The dedication proved just as moving for the donors as it did for the new homeowners. Two of the three siblings that grew up in the home were present during the dedication.

Cooney said after finding no luck selling the home, she decided to donate it to Habitat for Humanity and on Sunday she said she could easily see she made the right call.

Im just thrilled, Cooney said. It looks beautiful, as tears welled up in her eyes.

Her brother, Bill Minor, also of Quakake, said the home contained many memories for he and his two sisters and seeing the home go to a new family that will have their own memories inside provided his family with closure. For Minor, he remembered having coffee with his father at 5 a.m. in the home before his dad went to work and big Thanksgiving dinners in the living room.

Cooney recalled all the pets the children enjoyed in the home. She said the siblings would always come home with a stray and their mother would always tell them it could stay the night. And 10 years later, we still had a cat, she said, laughing as she wiped away the tears in her eyes.

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Woman helps family with Habitat for Humanity home donation

Taking forward its strategic partnership with Italian major VIMAR S.p.A, GreatWhite Global Pvt Ltd, one of India's pioneers in the electrical sector, today introduces new range of innovative and intuitive technology of the home and building automation systems in Kolkata.

The agreement, which also covers joint communication activities to spread the renown of the Italian brands Vimar and Elvox on the Indian market, will allow Great White to extend and complete its product range.

Kailash Didwania (President, GreatWhite Global), Mr. Bimalendu Kumar (National Head, Marketing, GreatWhite Global) and Giovanni Gambani (Business Development & Marketing Director, VIMAR) were present on the occasion to unveil the new product range today at a formal press conference in Kolkata.

GreatWhite Global will now offer exclusive products of the Italian electrical brands Vimar and Elvox ranging from Wiring devices with crystal, natural leather or Corian cover plates; elegant gold or titanium finishes, unique glass bevelling techniques, innovative and ecological production processes combined with cutting-edge technological systems for home and building automation, video door entry systems, CCTV and gate automation in Eastern India Market.

"VIMAR, today is undoubtedly one of the key global players in the electrical and electronics market. VImar's products, systems and solutions synonymous with elegance of style that have been ensuring continual improvement for every lifestyle across the world is now available to India customers through GreatWhite," commented Kailash Didwania, President, GreatWhite Global.

"As strategic partner, Great White will put its own specialized sales and technical staff and services at the disposal of the Vimar product ranges. The alliance also ensures the BIS certification of Vimar products, in full compliance with Indian standards, to create certified systems in line with the safety standards laid down in the local statutory regulations," Didwania added.

"We are extremely happy to partner with GreatWhite in India. The strategic partnership aims to combine the quality, design and technological content of the Vimar wiring devices and systems in GreatWhite's more extensive, articulated product catalogue. With its distribution network and the decades of experience of the group and its founder, Jadavji Lalji Anchorwala, Great White is the ideal partner to ensure growth and achieve important business results together on the Indian electrical market," remarked Mr. Giovanni Gambani, Business Development & Marketing Director, VIMAR.

(Posted on 17-01-2015)

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GreatWhite Global introduces home and building automation system in Kolkata

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Authorities say faulty electrical wiring caused a fire in a Memphis home where the bodies of a woman and her 2-year-old daughter were found in a bedroom.

Memphis Fire Department Lt. Wayne Cooke said firefighters discovered the bodies of 20-year-old McKala Kelley and Elizabeth Kelley in a one-story, wood-frame house severely damaged by fire on Wednesday.

A medical examiner will determine the cause of their deaths.

Cooke says a 19-year-old man suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

A fourth person escaped unharmed. Three dogs also died in the fire.

Investigators found the home did not have a working smoke detector. Officials said the accidental fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring in the attic.

2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Faulty wiring causes fire in home where 2 found dead

A Breckenridge, Minnesota, couple who lost their home to a fire Dec. 30, 2014 are now the recipients of overwhelming community support.

Jim and Marie Clement were out of town on the day of the fire. Thankfully, there were no injuries but unfortunately, along with their home and possessions, the couple lost their beloved cat and dog to smoke inhalation. The fire marshal determined the cause of fire was not the wood burner or chimney, but degraded wiring in the attic of their 1950s-era home.

It was a really good, solid house, Jim Clement said. They were able to save our big detached two-stall insulated garage, which had my restored Chevy, a BMW motorcycle and (Honda) Gullwing motorcycle inside.

Colleen Bruns lives near the Clements home. Her granddaughter, fifth grader Morgan Bruns, took it upon herself to help out the couple.

My granddaughters were here with me that day of the fire. Morgan looked at me and said, Grandma, I want to do something, I want to get some money for Jim and Marie, Colleen Bruns recalled. She knows Jim from when he rides by on his bike with his dog, she knew he was the shoe guy.

Clement owns Jims Shoe Repair in Breckenridge.

She went around her neighborhood and ours and collected money for Jim and Marie, Bruns continued. We then took the donation down to the shop.

Morgans sister, Caytlin, also donated to the cause, giving the couple money from her piggy bank.

We are so proud of Morgan to think of that, Bruns said. She was real upset about the fire.

Morgan Bruns said she thought it would be a good thing to do for the couple who lost their home.

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Helping hands after tragedy strikes

WACO, Texas (PRWEB) January 13, 2015

Severe winter weather can cause a lot of problems for homeowners. Aside from clearing the snow from roofs, driveways and vehicles, homeowners should make sure the rest of their home and property are protected when winter weather arrives. Mr. Electric has important winter electrical maintenance tips every homeowner should know.

Lights Light fixtures should only have the correct bulb with the proper wattage. This prolongs the life of both fixtures and bulbs as well as prevents fire. Outdoor fixtures should be inspected for rust and frayed wiring.

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested monthly for reliability and the batteries should be replaced annually. Check the expiration dates. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. When replacing carbon monoxide detectors, it is important to check the expiration date because older model detectors typically have a life span of two years. Newer models typically require replacement every five to six years.

Outdoor electrical outlets Severe weather can have an effect on homes. Before and after a winter storm, be sure to check outdoor outlets, cords, and extensions for damage. Any outdoor fixtures showing frayed wires should be replaced.

Backup generators Home generators should have routine generator maintenance. Keep the area around the generator clean, change oil as recommended by the manufacturer, and routinely check electrical wires, buttons, bolts, connections, elements, and the ground for functionality and safety. An annual professional maintenance and calibration is recommended.

Electrical Panel Maintenance Older electrical panels should be inspected by a service professional. Older electrical panels can have multiple issues including improper wiring and over sized or undersized breakers. If updated appliances have been added to an older home, the electrical wiring and panel should be inspected by a certified electrician.

For more information on home electrical safety, visit mrelectric.com.

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Home Electrical Safety for When Winter Weather Hits

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) Investigators say faulty electrical wiring in the attic of a duplex is to blame for a fire that left a mother and her 2-year-old son dead.

It happened about 10:00 a.m. Wednesday on Rosecrest near Third Street in southwest Memphis. The child's father escaped the burning home. Both he and his brother were taken to the hospital. They, along with neighbors, had tried to rescue the mother and child who were trapped inside.

The mother had just given birth to a second child a few days ago. That baby is still in the hospital. This is hitting neighbors extremely hard. They tried to rush inside the burning home to save the mother and toddler, but the fire was just too intense.

"The house was engulfed in flames. There was a man who came through the back of the house in his underwear. He was like, 'there's babies in here, there's babies,'" witness Johnna Brown said.

Brown and her husband tried to help.

"There was no going into the house. It was too far gone," Brown said.

"It was like an explosion. There was fire everywhere," neighbor Robert Marshall said. Marshall lives next door and came running when he heard screaming.

"He said, 'man, my baby and wife is inside.' I said to get em. He said 'I can't,' so I ran back to my house and grabbed a towel and soaked it with water and I ran back over. I wasn't six steps inside and I couldn't see," Marshall said.

The man's 19-year-old brother ran inside after Marshall, but was overcome by the fire. He is hospitalized with bad burns to his face and hands.

"It was way too late. He almost died," Marshall said.

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Faulty Wiring Blamed For Fire That Killed Mother And Toddler

Foreclosed homes are often trashed by vandals or past owners who steal copper wiring, smash windows and leave piles of garbage. You might expect a big price break, but not in Las Vegas in recent years.

Bargain-hunting investors bought houses in bulk when the market crashed and pushed up prices valleywide, even for homes that were a mess and owned by lenders.

But now, as the market cools and investors back out, busted houses arent such hot properties anymore.

Distressed-home prices rose fast and kept pace with the broader market for a while but now are volatile and falling behind the market at large.

When the market hit bottom in early 2012, single-family homes sold for a median $118,000 and, within that, bank-owned homes for $100,000. A year and a half later, the overall median had soared to $180,000 and bank-owned homes to almost $173,000, according to data from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors listing service, which largely comprises previously owned homes.

Last month, the overall median was $204,000, but bank-owned homes went for $155,500, down 24 percent from the market at large, GLVAR data show.

Real estate pros disagree on the exact reasons for the widening gap, and some arent sure its happening at all. Platinum Real Estate Professionals agent Steve Hawks, for one, said the statistics are incomplete because at least half of bank-owned homes arent listed through the GLVAR.

But as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices broker Heidi Kasama sees it, the growing price gap is a sign of normalcy in Las Vegas' volatile market, as buyers should get a price break on distressed homes.

Prices could also be tailing off because house hunters, amid slackened competition and slumping sales, are taking their time and not always settling for run-down or debt-laden properties, as they were often forced to do a few years ago.

Overall, with investors now cutting back on deals amid higher prices they helped create, listings of previously owned homes increasingly are being ignored, sales volume is dropping and prices arent climbing nearly as fast as a year ago, prompting some insiders to describe Las Vegas as a buyers market.

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Las Vegas bank-owned home prices lagging behind other resales

Xsilon Launches Early Access Partnership Program for Its New Hanadu Silicon Roadmap

Hanadu is the new Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connectivity solution developed by Xsilon to bring the Internet of Things (IOT) to low cost domestic appliances and devices located anywhere inside every type of home. Hanadu extends the widely-used IEEE 802.15.4 networking standard into the powerline domain, allowing it to use the homes existing electrical wiring in addition to deadspot-prone radio solutions in the home.

Hanadu connects the Internet of Things to those parts of the home where radio struggles to reach, for the same price point as a normal 15.4-compliant radio solution. It consumes a tenth of the power of other powerline technologies, with far superior reach for IOT traffic. Small enough to fit inside a standard electrical plug, Hanadu allows existing appliances to be retro-fitted to the network. When embedded within new product designs, the integrated capabilities are huge. In development by Xsilon since 2008, Hanadu uses 4G mobile techniques to empower its low cost, high performance solutions. Hanadu extends all the leading IOT connectivity technologies ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, IPv6 and Thread to the entirety of the home.

Hanadu is supported by the Hanadu Special Interest Group (SIG), which is now open for new memberships. Hanadu-compliant products will be available commercially from a variety of silicon vendors in H1 2016. Xsilons own Hanadu modem devices, the HAN250EP and HAN250LB, will begin sampling in Q4 2015.

The low-cost HAN250EP device connects Hanadu endpoints into a Hanadu cloud within the home using low-cost peripheral interfaces to the appliances internal hardware. Host interfaces include SPI, UART, I2C and PWM. The HAN250LB device has a richer selection of networking interfaces, allowing the Hanadu cloud to link to local LANs and gateways via WiFi, Ethernet and USB. Both devices come in variants that integrate energy consumption measurement for Home Energy Management solutions. These modems will also be available as modules, providing OEMs with pre-certified turnkey Hanadu capability.

Xsilon today launches its Early Access Partnership program for OEMs who are looking to engage with Hanadu technology during 2015, and to be in the first wave of Hanadu-based products in 2016. The benefits to Early Access Partners include: (1) Earliest access to Xsilons HAN250EP and HAN250LB single-chip Hanadu modems in Q4 2015 (2) Engagement with Xsilons Hanadu hardware evaluation platforms (3) Beta access to 6LoWPAN, Thread and ZigBee implementations on Hanadu (4) Inclusion in the evolution of the Hanadu specification via the Hanadu SIG (5) Engagement with the Hanadu interoperability certification process, commencing H2 2015

The Hanadu SIG will announce its first wave of members during the course of Q1 2015. The first EAP program members are already engaged with Hanadu products. Today marks the opening of the EAP to additional program members and of the Hanadu SIG to further memberships.

Russell Haggar, Xsilons chief executive, said: Hanadu has been extensively tested and evaluated during 2014, and 2015 is going to be a massively exciting year for the SIG and for Xsilon as a company. CES is the ideal time to announce our silicon roadmap and to launch our Early Access Partnership. We want to build on the partnerships that weve already established and expand the range of OEMs engaging with Hanadu technology ahead of product launches at next years CES.

Hanadu is ideal for homes where a radio-only approach cannot connect to every device and appliance. This is actually what consumers experience in pretty much every home all over the world. We all know parts of our homes where our WiFi drops out, and its far from sensible to move household appliances just to get coverage. Hanadu ensures that the Internet of Things can come to the appliance, no matter where it is located.

A lot of work has been put into Hanadu to allow it to support both ZigBee and Thread networking models. Each home is different: where radio is good to connect a device in one home, powerline is better in another home. The mix-and-match combination of radio and powerline that Hanadu enables will allow the Internet of Things to come to every electrically-powered device that exists within the home.

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Xsilon Launches Early Access Partnership Program for Its New Hanadu Silicon Roadmap

Use this checklist to help get your home in top condition before a sale.

If you're thinking about putting your home on the market, remember that if potential buyers can't envision themselves in the space, you'll likely have a tough time selling it. You should assess the interior of your home first and pay special attention to areas that need work, such as repainting the living room or updating the lighting fixtures in the kitchen, before listing it.

Use our checklist to take an inventory of your living space and pinpoint areas for needed improvement:

Check underside of roof for leaks, stains or dampness.

Look around chimney for condensation or signs of water.

Clean and clear ventilation openings if necessary.

Clean out stored junk.

Check condition of paint and wallpaper.

Repair cracks, holes or damage to plaster or wallboard.

Check for smooth operation.

Excerpt from:
Seller's Checklist: Update Your Home's Interior