Environmentally Friendly Flooring

Floors are the forgotten workhorses in a home. They take a lot of abuse, stand up to wear and tear and withstand a variety of products and cleaning. When it is time to replace or upgrade the floors, stylish and eco-friendly options exist for every room of the house.

The benefits of environmentally friendly flooring are seen throughout the lifetime of these products. Manufacturing processes have less harmful impact, the flooring releases fewer chemicals into your home and they’re durable and beautiful.

When it comes to greening your floors, consider how you use each room and make sure to use the appropriate materials. There are natural choices to match every style and application.

You can make an environmental difference when you’re replacing the floors in your home, your choice of flooring can positively impact the health of your home, your family and the planet.

How to Find Your First Real Estate Investment

1) Determine a location and strategy
Define the area you want to invest in based on economic fundamental research; this includes breaking down your criteria to find the best neighborhood to suit your investment style. Next, you’ll want to determine your strategy. Are you specializing in long term holds (and if so, how long will you hold)? Short term flips? Renovation deals? Foreclosures? Tip: Review your financial plan and personal goals for the next 15, 10, five and three years. This will help you decide which strategy to use when looking for your property. Start from the end goal and work backwards.

2) Get pre-approved
Do you have your financing in place? Get pre-approved. You may not always know where your financing is coming from, but it is less stressful to have a few options lined up, and doing so makes you look like the professional you are. Be certain to have a back-up plan, or Plan B, to close your deal if things don’t go as expected at the bank or lender. Tip: Before you go to the bank, prepare a detailed financial binder. Include your employment history, tax statements, asset and liability sheet as well as current financial statement.

Road Trip – Anne Amie Vineyards

Anne Amie vineyards
One of the most beautiful vineyards I’ve seen, Anne Amie is perched atop a hill covered in grape vines with a breathtaking view of the Wilamettte Valley. Make sure to take some cheese and crackers and grab a seat on their patio to enjoy a bottle of wine while you watch the sun set.
From their website: “At Anne Amie Vineyards we strive to spin a symbiotic web that combines nature’s bounty with human creativity to produce profound wines. Our sustainably farmed vineyards are located in the rolling hills of the Yamhill-Carlton District and on the steep hillsides of the Chehalem Mountains, both nestled in Oregon’s verdant Willamette Valley. In our cool, hillside vineyards, pinot noir, pinot blanc, pinot gris and riesling have found a distinctive home.
Directions: Anne Amie is located in Carlton, Oregon on Highway 99 between Lafayette and McMinnville. We are about an hour south west ofPortland. From Portland: Head south from Portland on I-5. Take the Tigard-99W exit (#294) and continue south on 99W through Tigard, Sherwood, Newberg and Dundee until you reach Lafayette. Go through Lafayette and take the first right as you come out of town on Mineral Springs Road. Proceed 1.5 miles until you see the Anne Amie sign on the right.