Hanford Cleanup Plan Rejected

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Erin Johnston

Governor, Attorney General reject federal Department of Energy’s proposed changes to Hanford cleanup plan

Plan lacks specificity, accountability and enforceability


OLYMPIA…Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced the state is rejecting the U.S. Department of Energy’s March 31, 2014 proposal to amend the 2010 consent decree governing the retrieval and treatment of high-level radioactive and chemically hazardous waste at Hanford.

“Energy’s proposal lacks sufficient specificity, accountability and enforceability,” Inslee said. “An acceptable path forward must be aggressive but realistic and must give the state confidence that tank waste retrieval and treatment will be completed as soon as possible.”

“The people of our region made a significant sacrifice for our nation when the US selected the Hanford site to produce plutonium as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II,” Ferguson said. “Today’s announcement should serve as notice to Energy that we are considering taking the next legal step as early as next week.”

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice today, attorneys for Washington state formally rejected the federal Department of Energy’s proposal and detailed the state’s concerns. While the state’s and federal government’s proposed paths forward for cleanup include some similarity, such as in the sequence for beginning various operations of the Waste Treatment Plant, in its letter, the state rejects the lack of specific, accountable and enforceable deadlines in Energy’s proposal.

The state announced its proposed amendments at a news conference on March 31 and is expecting to receive a letter of response from the Departments of Energy and Justice today.

If the federal Department of Energy rejects the state’s proposed amendments, the state may consider triggering dispute resolution, which initiates a 40-day process of good faith negotiation required under the 2010 Consent Decree. If an agreement is not reached, the state may then ask a federal court to issue an order directing Energy to implement the state’s plan.

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Contact:
• Jaime Smith, Governor Inslee’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136
• Janelle Guthrie, Attorney General’s Director of Communications, 360-586-0725
• Dieter Bohrmann, Ecology communications manager, 509-372-7954

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4 Hot Fireplace Trends

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Erin Johnston

Posted in Home Trends, by

Fireplaces often become the focal point of a room. New technological advances are allowing home owners to do a lot more with their fireplaces too, according to Napoleon Fireplaces, a manufacturer of wood and gas fireplaces and other household products.

“We’re seeing some very interesting home designs that incorporate fireplaces in many creative new ways,” says David Coulson with Napoleon Fireplaces. “While the traditional hearth will be a mainstay for many homes, modern fireplaces with crisp lines and glass frames will continue to rise in popularity with new homes and redesigned rooms. That being said we’re seeing several new trends emerge this season that are really changing the way people are thinking about fireplaces.”

Here are a few of the trends, according to Napoleon Fireplaces:

1. Modern: There’s been continued growth of sleek and modern fireplaces with clean, linear lines with less metal and more glass. Home owners want the full flame and don’t want black or chrome metal frames blocking the view or interfering with the lighting, according to the company.

2. Gas: These fireplaces continue to remain popular, offering that convenience of flicking a switch to turn on your fireplace and they’re known as being easier to clean and maintain.

3. Outdoor retreat: Some home owners are putting outdoor fireplaces in to create a backyard oasis, the company notes. “The idea of turning a backyard into another room of your house is fueling the outdoor fireplace trend,” according to Napoleon Fireplaces.

 

Photo credit: Napoleon Fireplaces

4. Higher up: Some consumers are putting their fireplaces higher up on the wall, just like a television. New technology is allowing home owners to insert enclosed gas fireplaces anywhere in the house. Some fireplaces are also going in more unusual places, like a kitchen or bathroom.

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Quarterly Newsletter from Distinctive Properties, Inc.

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Erin Johnston

Spring 2014 Newsletter Spring 2014 Newsletter 2

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Intereste Rates Projections

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Erin Johnston

All of the experts are predicting 6.5 % interest by end of 2014.

The Fed announced last month that they would be pulling back some of their stimulus package which has helped the housing market by keeping long term mortgage rates at historic lows for the last few years.

Posted in Mortage/ Finance News, Real Estate News | 1 Comment

Cleanup of Hanford

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Erin Johnston

March 31, 2013

State demands increased accountability and new measures to ensure timely cleanup of Hanford

Issues proposed revision to 2010 Consent Decree
AGO joint release with the Governor’s Office and Department of Ecology

OLYMPIA – Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson today issued new demands to the U.S. Department of Energy to ensure timely Hanford cleanup in the form of a proposed plan to revise the 2010 Consent Decree. The proposal aims to prevent the federal government from delaying cleanup of Hanford’s radioactive and hazardous tank waste.

The state’s plan seeks to keep Hanford cleanup on track in spite of the federal government’s repeated statements that it will not be able to meet important cleanup deadlines. Today’s action is the first step under the Consent Decree that could precede a request from the court to establish new requirements.

USDOE also submitted a draft plan to the state today, though an initial review by the state shows the plan does not provide sufficient detail. Inslee and Ferguson expressed frustration that it took the federal government more than two years from when the state was first told that deadlines were at risk to provide a draft plan for a path forward. The official proposal received this morning from the federal government does not provide details on how USDOE will meet the at-risk deadlines and get back on schedule despite repeated requests by the state.

“Although I appreciate Secretary Moniz placing a high priority on Hanford, the state needs a plan that includes a detailed and comprehensive path forward,” said Governor Jay Inslee. “Our proposed amendments to the consent decree address this need by providing very specific steps for meeting these deadlines to ensure Hanford cleanup is completed in a timely manner.”

The state’s plan includes four requirements for the federal government:

  1. Timely Waste Treatment: The Waste Treatment Plant is behind schedule. The state demands a revised step-by-step schedule to complete construction of the Waste Treatment Plant and begin treating waste as soon as possible. The state’s plan requires the completion of all waste treatment by the same ultimate deadline—no later than 2047.
  2. Remove Waste from Leaky Tanks: The state demands new specific requirements to get the waste out of the leaky single-shell tanks as soon as possible. The state’s plan creates rigid pacing deadlines to ensure waste removal from the single-shell tanks is completed no later than 2040. It further requires new double-shell tanks to be built to accommodate waste until the Waste Treatment Plant is completed.
  3. Address Environmental Risks: The state demands new environmental safety requirements for groundwater treatment and to minimize leaking as the waste is removed and treated.
  4. Additional Accountability: The state has been frustrated by the lack of timely information from the federal government. The state demands new terms to the court-ordered Consent Decree, including regular progress reports filed with the state and the court.

“Today, the state is demanding the federal government meet its legal commitments at Hanford,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “We are proposing new requirements to increase accountability, protect the environment, and reduce the possibility of further delays.”

Background:

The state Department of Ecology, USDOE and the federal Environmental Protection Agency signed the Tri-Party Agreement in 1989 to establish a plan to clean up radioactive and hazardous waste at Hanford.

In 2008, the state filed a lawsuit in federal court when it was clear the U.S. Department of Energy would be unable to meet key deadlines in the Tri-Party Agreement.

The state and federal government settled the lawsuit in 2010 and agreed upon a series of new deadlines for completing the retrieval and treatment of 56 million gallons of high-level radioactive and hazardous waste from Hanford’s 177 underground tanks.

The nearer-term deadlines—including deadlines for constructing and beginning operation of Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant—were included in a Consent Decree.

Longer-term deadlines, including new final deadlines for retrieving waste from all single-shell tanks no later than 2040 and completing treatment of all tank waste no later than 2047, were established in the Tri-Party Agreement.

The federal government has since informed the state that nearly all of the Consent Decree deadlines are in jeopardy, including the startup of the entire Waste Treatment Plant, which was set to begin operations in 2019.

While the state’s proposed plan acknowledges delays in completion of the Waste Treatment Plant, the state does not propose to push back the final deadlines for retrieving all single-shell tanks and treating all tank waste.  In fact, the state’s plan demands those ultimate deadlines are met and puts in place new requirements designed to ensure on-time completion.

For example, the state’s proposed plan would require one of the three major facilities at the Waste Treatment Plant to begin transforming tank waste into glass by 2019. The state’s plan makes these final deadlines part of the Consent Decree, making them part of a court order.

Under the legally binding provisions in the Consent Decree, USDOE must notify the state by April 15, 2014, whether it accepts the state’s proposed plan. If it is not accepted, the federal government must explain the reasons for disagreeing. If the state does not hear from the USDOE by April 15, the state may ask the court to impose the new requirements, even over USDOE’s objection.

Contacts:

  • Jaime Smith, Governor Inslee’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136
  • Janelle Guthrie, Attorney General’s Director of Communications, 360-586-0725
  • Dieter Bohrmann, Ecology communications manager, 509-372-7954

 

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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

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Welcome Back the Front Porch

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Erin Johnston
Traditional Porch by Chappaqua Architects & Designers Fivecat Studio | Architecture

The front porch is making a comeback in home designs. Builders recently said the front porch is one of the most popular amenities in 2014, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The rebirth of the front porch in the past decade may be in partial nod to younger generations who have shown recent preferences toward smaller homes in more dense neighborhoods that boast greater social interaction.

The front porch used to be a mainstay in home designs in the early 1900s, according to a historical paper on “The Rise and Decline of the American Front Porch” published by the Montana Heritage Project. But soon, the front porch became replaced by a garage facing the street. The front porch was moved to backyards as a deck that offered home owners greater privacy.

The popularity of the front porch once was as a gathering place, allowing children to play in the front yard and offering families a cozy place to sit outside, relax, and socialize with their neighbors. But after World War II, front porches began disappearing from newer houses, according to the Montana Heritage Project. The article speculates it was partially due to people becoming “more individualistic and less communal-minded,” and home owners preferring to take their barbecues to the backyard in privacy.

Some home owners are welcoming back the front porch as a way to add more character to your home’s curb appeal. Even if your listing doesn’t have a big front porch, adding some seating may help give buyers that image of this iconic symbol to American homes. Stage it with rocking chairs, a porch swing, or outdoor furniture to show it as an extension of the home, and a place to sit back and connect with your neighbors.

Check out some of these examples:

Source: http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2014/03/10/welcome-back-the-front-porch/

Distinctive Properties, Inc.
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Economy Heats Up

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Christa

Affordability is expected to take a hit next year as home prices and interest rates continue to head up.

The upbeat real estate market news we received in 2013 presents some challenges for the year ahead. An influx of buyers last year helped strengthen housing appreciation, which in turn led to greatly improved consumer confidence. The result was 5.1 million home sales, the best year for real estate purchases since 2007.

But 2014 will be different, with sales volume gains expected to be small at best, because of rising interest rates and home prices., NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says. But there an upside, too: the continued growth in the economy, which , while modest, has stayed on track. The resulting addition of more then 2 million jobs each year should provide a boost to housing markets. On the commercial side, rising rent growth and declining vacancy rates bode well for the office, industrial, retail, and multifamily sectors.

Yun says lenders could promote stable markets next year as they look the purchase money mortgage loans as their next big money mortgage loans as their next big growth area to compensate for a shrinking body of business from refinances, which will drastically fall as interest rates rise.

By Robert Freeman  Realtor January /February 2014 Issue

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Beware of This Deed Scam

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Erin Johnston

If you’ve recently purchased a home, a scam may try to trick you out of more than $80.

Gitte Laasby at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported on scammers contacting new home buyers with a seemingly legitimate solicitation offering to send a copy of their property deed and other information for $83. Laasby discovered the scam after Graig Goldman, a real estate broker with Re/Max Lakeside Realty sent in a copy of a solicitation from a company called Record Transfer Services.

At first, the solicitation known as a “Deed Processing Notice” seems legitimate. On the copy we reviewed, the property information is included, along with county information, a compliance date, and a “helpful” tip box offering answers to “Why you need your current Grant Deed and property file.”

The problem is, you don’t need your deed. Those documents are mailed to you free after a sale or transfer. And if you need another copy, you can order one through your county clerk’s office for a few dollars. In some counties you can also order deed copies online.

All of which some homeowners may not realize.

“Unfortunately, sitting through a closing is quite baffling if [home buyers have] never done it before,” Goldman said. “They’re preying on people’s ignorance of the home-buyer process.”

As for the other documents, they’re useless. We contacted Record Transfer Services by phone, acting as a homeowner, and spoke with a representative who referred to herself as Sandy. According to Sandy, along with the deed, homeowners will get a “property profile,” which comes with information such as “transfer histories, property lines, county tax amounts, even the number of rooms … basically everything you need to know about your house.”  It’s all information that is either not needed, or already known, by a homeowner.

What Record Transfer Services is doing may not be illegal. A copy of the letter we reviewed included this fine-print disclaimer: “This service to obtain a copy of your grant deed or other record of title is not associated with any governmental agency. You can obtain a copy of your grant deed or other record of title from the county recorder in the county where your property is located in, for up to $83.”

The representative we spoke to told us if we included a memo to her with our personal check she’d “personally make sure we deposit the check.”

deed scam

Courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Laasby reported that the scammers operate under multiple business names, including Property Transfer Services, Record Transfer Services, Conveyance Transfer Services, Record Retrieval Department and National Deed Service.

They also operate with different phone numbers. After reviewing a solicitation from Florida, we called the phone number provided and reached a recording from “Deed Processing” stating that we would receive our documents in seven to 21 days after payment or we could leave a message with our name, address and phone number to receive a call back from a representative.

The scammers also have a wide net. We found references to this deed scam in Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and New York. Homeowners in other states may have received solicitations, but not reported them simply because they didn’t know there was anything to report.

So far it isn’t clear how the scammers are getting homeowners’ information, but property sales and ownership is a matter of public record. Anyone can visit a county office and compile a list of recent homeowners.

Generally, if you receive a solicitation asking for more money after your closing, it isn’t legitimate. But if you aren’t sure or want more information, contact your county clerk’s office or your real estate agent.

And if you need a copy of your deed for any reason, visit your county clerk in person or online. Copies shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars.

 

Source: http://www.realtor.com/news/beware-of-this-deed-scam/

Distinctive Properties, Inc. helping you buy or sell your home in Pasco, Richland, Kennewick and the surrounding Tri Cities area.

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Mortgage Rates Tick Up For Second Consecutive Week

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Erin Johnston

Mortgage rates across the United States have risen slightly for a second consecutive week.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage inched up to 4.33 percent from 4.28 percent last week, according to the latest survey from mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. At this time last year the average was 3.56 percent.

“Mortgage rates crept up further following the uptick in the 10-year Treasury yield as minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting indicated little possibility of a pause in the central bank’s reduction of bond purchases,” Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie Mac, said in a statement.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage also registered a slight uptick, to 3.35 percent from 3.33 percent last week. A year ago, it averaged 2.77 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Averages for the two most popular hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages also rose from last week. Previously at 3.05 percent, the five-year ARM increased to 3.08 percent. The one-year ARM also trended upward, from 2.55 percent a week ago to 2.57 percent this week.

Mortgage rates have risen almost a full percentage point since hitting record lows about a year ago.

Analysts are evenly split on where mortgage rates will go next week. In the latest Mortgage Rate Trend Index, half of the panelists polled think rates will fall, and half predicted rates will remain relatively unchanged. None of the panelists expected mortgage rates to rise over the next week.

“Recent economic data has been coming in weaker than expected,” said Michael Becker, a mortgage banker with WCS Funding Group in Baltimore. “While some of this weakness can be explained by the weather much of the nation has been experiencing this winter, I think it also looks like the economy is losing some momentum. Because of this, I think we will see slightly lower rates in the coming week.”

So while the rates MAY go down next week, don’t wait too long if you plan on purchasing a home in Pasco, Richland or Kennewick. They may go up instead of down.

Source: http://www.realtor.com/news/mortgage-rates-tick-up-for-second-consecutive-week/

Distinctive Properties, Inc.

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