2 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE Partners can’t, don’t want to continue managing four-plex
Q: A number of years ago I went into partnership with three friends of mine to buy a small four-plex residential build ing. Each of us lived in a unit while we were single, but as we got married, we all eventually moved out and found tenants to rent our units. My father was an attorney and when we bought the building he drafted a partnership agree ment for us. It provided that we would all share the expense of maintaining the building but would be individually responsible for the interior of each of our living units. We could live in our des ignated unit rent-free, paying only our one-fourth of the mortgage, taxes, etc. If we moved out, we could rent our unit and keep the rental proceeds. This has worked fine for over a decade, but now we are having trouble agreeing on how to manage the building. The whole thing desperately needs a new roof, and the old sewer line is shot and needs to be replaced. Two of my partners are just about broke and say they have no money to put into the repairs. The third partner is just tired of dealing with it and wants to sell. I think it’s a good investment but would be just as happy to sell if everyone else wanted to. I don’t know what to do at this point. Any advice?
Tim Jonesliquidate your one-quarter ownership interest and give you
The only way you can lose a partition action is if your partnership agreement forbids such a lawsuit. However, read your agreement carefully because waiver of partition clauses are often put into partnership agreements. Another common provision is known as a buy/sell provision. In the buy/sell clause, there is a mechanism for allowing a partner to cash out. It may require that the remaining partners buy you out for a price to be determined under a specific formula. It may also provide that the property will be sold if the other partners can’t or won’t buy you out.
Hopefully, either a partition or buy/ sell clause will allow you to cash out your investment and not risk ruining longtime
However, I have seen agreements that, for reasons I can’t comprehend, both forbid partition and do not provide a buy/sell mechanism.
If you find this to be the case, you can approach the ownership of the property strictly as a business, regardless of the fact that you’re talking about real estate.
A: You say that you entered into a partnership agreement. Not having read it, I have no idea what it provides for and what limitations it puts on your ability to sell.
I’ll try to give you a quick fly-over of your possible options, but I caution you that this could be complicated, and you need to see an attorney to decipher the partnership agreement.
It’s good you have an agreement, regardless of whether it’s a partnership agreement or takes some other form, at least there is a road map for dealing with problems like this.
If there is no prohibition in your agreement, you can file a partition lawsuit. A partition suit is merely a type of divorce from your co-owners where you ask the court to find a way to
In any partnership, if the partners are so crippled by infighting or financial constraints that the business simply can’t continue, one or any number of partners can file a lawsuit for an accounting and the winding-up of the partnership.
It’s sort of the business version of a partition.
The court will ensure the assets, in this case the building, is liquidated. Then the bills get paid and the partners split what’s left.
In essence, you get to the same spot you’d be in if you had filed a partition. This will only work, however, if everyone can’t work together to manage the building.
If the whole problem is that two partners can’t afford to invest any money, you and the other partner can put in the necessary money which, depending upon
See Jones, Page 6
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 3
Stocks, insurance, mortgages, pharmaceuticals, enterprise software, technology, real estate, HVAC, solar, automobiles, plumbing, construction, title and escrow, travel, and food truck street tacos are just a few of the products and services where salespeople are required to produce income.
Some of these sales jobs pay a salary plus commission, but 100% of these career opportunities are based on sales and 100% of the income comes from the person’s results.
Google, Microsoft and Amazon laid off 70,000 people last year because of slower sales growth. The mortgage industry has been crushed in the past nine months because of sales dropping off by 75% nationwide.
Salespeople at national and regional banks, brick-andmortar mortgage companies, internet fintech lenders and the small independent contractor mortgage brokers made 50% to 80% less in personal income in 2022 than they did in 2021, and many are looking for new jobs.
Remember what I mentioned in a recent column about demand for mortgage refinances? In January 2022, 7 million homeowners could benefit from a refi but in January 2023 that number was only 270,000. Highly paid senior executives are not immune from declines in sales. I would be willing to bet you $50 that 10% of the big-tech layoffs were employees that had W-2s in excess of $1 million in 2021.
Mortgage company owners, CEOs, senior executives and national sales managers may have a salary, but every type of company in America pays their
people based on profits. Hun dreds of mortgage executives that made more than $1 million per year in 2020 and 2021 in America are looking for jobs or making ends meet on incomes 50% to 75% less today.
Us older salespeople can handle the ups and downs, but I will share with you that no matter how many of these swings I have seen, I still find myself staring at the ceiling, trying to sleep, last month won dering if any of my past clients, friends and family would ever call me again for a loan.
I am trying to be funny but at the same time, my awesome daughter, Lisa Porter, Sara Blanton, my loan officer partner, and I work together as a loan officer team and although all three of us survived the 2008 crash, the fourth quarter of 2022 was scary and stressful.
It’s the Year of the Spirea, as designated by The National Garden Bureau, and The Garden Guy could not be happier. There is a spirea that is a landscape asset from spring through dormancy, but a lot of you simply do not know about it.
First, let’s delve into a little horticulture humor. Yes, the common name is spirea. The botanical name is Spiraea. No family wars here; simply use the name you wish or grew up with. You will have to learn how to pronounce the one you are using. Just kidding, they are the same.
The spirea is in the rose family and has the common name meadowsweet. Today, however, I am telling you about an incredible Spirea japonica, or Japanese Meadowsweet, called Double Play Candy Corn. This beauty will reach about inches tall and 30 inches wide.
The 8-foot-tall bridal wreath spirea, Spirea prunifolia, is the one most of us grew up with. It’s thought of as a partner with
4 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
Voted #1 Attorney in Reader’s Choice 6 years in a row! The Law Offices of Timothy Jones Residential or Commercial Real Estate Questions? Need Sales Contracts & Disclosures Prepared? Get help finding your way through the maze of California’s Real Estate Laws? Get the Help You Need! d Consultations by phone or Zoom 425-1963 A Division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation NMLS#1850 Solano Mortgage NMLS #1515497 is a division ofAmerican Pacific Mortgage Corporation NMLS #1850 is licensed ed i in Cl Calififorniabyt y the Dept f of Financial Protectiona n a d nd Innovationundert r the e CRMLA © 2022American Pacific Mortgage Corporation.For informational purposes only. No guarantee of accuracy is expressed or implied Programs shown may not include all options or pricing structures. Rates, terms, programs and underwriting policies subject to change without notice This is not an offer to extend credit or a commitment to lend. All loans subject to underwriting approval Some products may not be available in all states and restrictions may appl y. Equal Housing Opportunity. WE’VE MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION! But we are still the great Jim Porter team ready to serve you! Give us a call or stop by! 785 ALAMO DRIVE, SUITE 120 VACAVILLE 707-449-4777 www.SolanoMortgage.com Jim Porter SOLANO REAL ESTATE SCENE Commission income life includes big swings See Porter, Page 6 ON GARDENING This is the Year of the Spirea Norman Winter NORMAN WINTER/TNS Late afternoon light casts a glow on the cool season horse troughs planted with Cool Wave pansies and an assortment of high contrast foliage like Queen of Hearts brunnera and Double Play Candy Corn spirea and Dolce heuchera. See Winter, Page 10
We still use appliances like it’s 1970 THERE’S A BETTER WAY
MICHAEL J. COREN THE WASHINGTON POSTWhen I was a kid, my dad followed behind me, shutting off the incandescent lights I left burning around the house. “You’re wasting energy,” he’d scold as I tried to slip out of the room. He was right, of course. In the 1980s, 5 to 10 percent of an average household’s electricity bill went to keeping the lights on. So when my own son was born last June, my dad joked he was waiting for the day when his grandson would exact his revenge on my utility bill.
Luckily for me, this day will never come. I’ve been rescued by LED lights, now the primary lighting source for about half of U.S. homes. LEDs are wafers of semiconducting material that emit as much light as incandescent bulbs while using about 10 percent of the electricity. Later this year, incandescent bulbs will disappear from store shelves for good as new federal efficiency standards take effect. If it isn’t already, your home lighting will soon be a rounding error on your energy budget.
Yet many people still sound like my dad. When you ask Americans how they save energy at home, “turn off the lights” has been at the top of the list since the 1980s. But when it comes to actual savings, it doesn’t even crack the top 10. Like most conventional wisdom about how to reduce household energy and emissions, much of what we believe about our homes and appliances is wrong.
It’s time to update our thinking.
Lights out for old appliances
I interviewed engineers, energy efficiency experts and appliance manufacturers across the country to find out how we’re misusing our appliances. The story begins in the mid-1970s when states, led by California, imposed appliance efficiency
standards in response to the energy crisis. States and then Congress began to tighten standards on more than 50 products, and introduced the federal Energy Star program, a successful voluntary certification by the Environmental Protection Agency to label energy-efficient products.
At first, many manufacturers resisted. Some even cheated: Refrigerators sold by South Korean company LG in 2010 deployed a circumvention device to fool efficiency tests. But manufacturers have come around to the new standards, even competing under the Energy Star program to promote their efficiency bona fides.
The efficiency standards have also proved politically durable. After the Trump administration attempted to allow certain models of dishwashers, washing machines and shower heads to use unlimited energy and water, the Biden administration reversed those measures and imposed even stricter ones. Efficiency efforts like these have shaved $500 off the average household’s annual utility bill, and about 7 percent off projected U.S. energy consumption, estimates the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
“If automobiles were regulated to the same extent as household appliances, the average vehicle would be getting 60 miles per gallon and seat nine people,” says Pamela Klyn, an engineer and sustainability executive at Whirlpool, which manufactures 20 million products every year under brands including Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid. Yet these appliances could be saving us even more water, energy and time – if we used them properly.
Luckily, efficiency gains have simplified our choices, says Joseph Kantenbacher, an environmental researcher at the University of South Dakota. “It’s been a mistake to try to get everyone to do everything,” says See Better, Page 7
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 5
ADOBE STOCK
It’s time to forget what your parents taught you about cleaning up after dinner, says Jennifer Amann, who helps lead the buildings programs at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The dishwasher has come a long way over the past century.
Real estate transactions
BENICIA
TOTAL SALES: 2
LOWEST AMOUNT: $560,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $810,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $685,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $685,000
452 Lori Drive - $810,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1729 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-19-17, $610,000
332 Marina Village Way - $560,000
12-28-22 [2 Bdrms - 1370 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-30-15, $365,000
DIXON
TOTAL SALES: 2
LOWEST AMOUNT: $590,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $914,500
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $752,250
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $752,250
775 Jasmine Street - $914,500
12-29-22, Previous Sale: 02-09-21, $4,572,000
1065 Tulane Court - $590,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1960 SqFt - 2019 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 10-25-19, $478,500
FAIRFIELD
TOTAL SALES: 17
LOWEST AMOUNT: $205,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $970,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $555,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $600,500
2773 Ambrosia Way - $656,000
12-30-22 [4 Bdrms - 2578 SqFt - 2021 YrBlt]
2785 Ambrosia Way - $660,000
12-30-22 [4 Bdrms - 2385 SqFt - 2021 YrBlt]
2270 Cambridge Drive - $380,000
12-27-22 [4 Bdrms - 1581 SqFt - 1971 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-25-00, $155,000
4752 Canyon Hills Drive - $620,000
12-29-22 [4 Bdrms - 1637 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-18-16, $406,000
From Page 4
Thankfully, in the past two weeks, the phone has been ringing off the hook with firsttime homebuyers, and we received a couple of calls from move-up buyers, too.
Now, all we need is for more homeowners to list their homes for sale to increase inventory for first-time homebuyers and move up to their forever home.
5167 Chabot Court - $970,000
12-30-22 [5 Bdrms - 3161 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-15-12, $374,500
1617 Chamberlain Drive - $468,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1692 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-26-08, $190,000
1991 Dorland Drive - $545,000
12-27-22 [3 Bdrms - 1290 SqFt - 1968 YrBlt]
3003 German Street - $965,000
12-28-22 [6 Bdrms - 4003 SqFt - 2008
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-24-09, $612,000
1368 Horizon Circle - $721,500
12-29-22 [4 Bdrms - 2578 SqFt - 2021 YrBlt]
1901 Hummingbird Drive - $635,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1917 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 07-16-21, $598,000
808 Illinois Street - $415,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 1096 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 06-24-20, $355,000
3278 Inwood Place - $555,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 1409 SqFt - 2005
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-14-21, $492,500
3273 Prescott Way - $460,000
12-27-22 [3 Bdrms - 1750 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt]
2049 San Tomas Street - $468,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1600 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-19-13, $240,000
4831 Silver Creek Road - $535,000
12-27-22 [3 Bdrms - 1082 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-15-16, $395,000
2508 Troon Court - $950,000
12-30-22 [4 Bdrms - 3244 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt]
101 Villa Circle - $205,000
12-28-22 [2 Bdrms - 968 SqFt - 1971 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-21-03, $115,000
RIO VISTA
TOTAL SALES: 4
LOWEST AMOUNT: $350,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $564,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $452,500
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $454,750
410 Cypress Drive - $475,000
12-27-22 [2 Bdrms - 1864 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt]
Selling homes and loans is like milk: Everybody needs milk and everybody needs a home, and most people need a loan.
Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.
1974 Market Place Square - $564,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1635 SqFt - 2018 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-23-18, $365,000
404 Riverwood Lane - $430,000
12-29-22 [2 Bdrms - 1391 SqFt - 2006 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-07-06, $373,500
682 Turnberry Terrace - $350,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 970 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-09-20, $309,000
VACAVILLE
TOTAL SALES: 17
LOWEST AMOUNT: $79,500
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $890,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $530,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $537,853
200 Ballindine Drive - $610,000
12-27-22 [5 Bdrms - 2479 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-08-04, $550,000
3078 Casa Verde Court - $695,000
12-28-22 [4 Bdrms - 2483 SqFt - 2009 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-02-16, $494,000
125 Fallen Leaf Drive - $675,000
12-27-22 [3 Bdrms - 1729 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-21-16, $466,000
1900 Glencrest Drive #1 - $282,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 924 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-27-20, $200,909
387 Limerick Way - $515,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1464 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-26-12, $263,000
460 Marvin Gardens Drive - $500,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 1466 SqFt - 2002
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-04-02, $304,069
155 Olivera Drive - $510,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1806 SqFt - 1983 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-23-22, $330,000
791 South Orchard Avenue - $530,000
12-27-22 [3 Bdrms - 1230 SqFt - 1958 YrBlt]
7396 Paddon Road - $890,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1442 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-25-16, $430,000
1043 Portofino Avenue - $465,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1229 SqFt - 2006 YrBlt],
These are the local homes sold recently, provided by California Resource of Lodi. The company can be reached at 209.365.6663 or CalResource@aol.com.
Previous Sale: 08-07-22, $523,000
300 Potters Lane - $585,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1656 SqFt - 2009
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-13-19, $483,500
324 Primrose Drive - $79,500
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1827 SqFt - 2020 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 02-03-21, $580,000
148 Randall Avenue - $402,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1374 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-22-22, $380,000
172 Revere Court - $485,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1000 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-10-15, $232,500
454 Royal Oaks Court - $555,000
12-27-22 [4 Bdrms - 1544 SqFt - 1973 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-09-09, $225,000
654 Rutgers Street - $725,000
12-27-22 [5 Bdrms - 2501 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-22-14, $420,000
119 Sunnyglen Court - $640,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1990 SqFt - 1995 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-30-18, $500,000
VALLEJO
TOTAL SALES: 21
LOWEST AMOUNT: $295,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,520,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $506,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $562,762
1901 Alabama Street - $506,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1307 SqFt - 1933 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-01-02, $150,000
857 Benicia Road - $700,000
12-28-22 [2 Bdrms - 1136 SqFt - 1937 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-24-22, $455,000
150 Calhoun Street - $295,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 988 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-24-05, $290,000
132 Coloma Way - $489,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1144 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 10-25-17, $385,000
202 Cottonwood Drive - $499,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1132 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-23-22, $415,000
172 Easson Court - $699,000
12-30-22 [4 Bdrms - 2117 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-14-06, $530,000
101 El Camino Real - $450,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 1741 SqFt - 1962 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-14-99, $225,000
121 Franklin Street - $425,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 912 SqFt - 1942 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-05-22, $477,000
821 Fulton Avenue - $450,000
12-30-22 [3 Bdrms - 966 SqFt - 1953 YrBlt]
1800 Georgia Street - $648,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1878 SqFt - 1941 YrBlt]
4701 Georgia Street - $510,000
12-30-22 [4 Bdrms - 1796 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-15-16, $458,000
1021 Hargus Avenue - $580,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1159 SqFt - 1944 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 00/1991, $160,000
222 Kathy Ellen Drive - $383,000
12-30-22 [2 Bdrms - 1010 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 07-24-13, $87,500
732 Kentucky Street - $560,000
12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1618 SqFt - 1936 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 06-14-17, $240,500
130 Sheila Court - $769,000
12-27-22 [5 Bdrms - 2732 SqFt - 1998 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-17-15, $495,000
1109 Sonata Drive - $525,000
12-29-22 [2 Bdrms - 1586 SqFt - 2007 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-25-14, $430,000
314 Thomas Avenue - $495,000
12-29-22 [3 Bdrms - 1651 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt]
442 Wallace Avenue - $1,520,000
12-29-22 [2 Bdrms - 1000 SqFt - 1935 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 07-18-15, $200,000
From Page 3
the terms of your agreement, will either give you both a bigger partnership share, or will make you a creditor of the partnership subject to repayment.
Again, this is complicated and so much –maybe everything – depends upon how your dad drafted the partnership agreement.
Tim Jones is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, you can send an email to AllThingsReal Estate@TJones-Law.com.
6 Friday, February 3, 2023 —
McNAUGHTON MEDIA
12-30-22
Previous Sale:
524
12-29-22
[3 Bdrms - 1569 SqFt - 1890 YrBlt],
09-01-20, $520,000
Laurel Street - $395,000
[2 Bdrms - 1126 SqFt - 1941 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-07-15, $220,000 206 Lytham Way - $570,000 12-28-22 [3 Bdrms - 1749 SqFt - 1982 YrBlt] 122 Nigh Street - $350,000
Jones
Porter
To advertise here, call 707-427-6927
Better
From Page 5
Kantenbacher. “No one has time for that.”
Kantenbacher offered a few guidelines. First, ditch old assumptions (and ancient appliances). We often think noisy or large appliances are the most wasteful, yet the opposite is often true. On average, the most efficient modern refrigerators use less energy per hour than an old 60-watt incandescent lightbulb. Instead, focus on the half of your home energy that goes to heating or cooling your living spaces and the other 20 percent that runs appliances that pump and heat water, such as dishwashers and water heaters. Then focus on the rest.
Here’s a list of the most common ways we’re misusing our appliances, and what we can do better. None, fortunately, rely on your children to remember to turn off the lights. Sorry, Dad.
Don’t pre-rinse. Run your dishwasher.
It’s time to forget what your parents taught you about cleaning up after dinner, says Jennifer Amann, who helps lead the buildings programs at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The dishwasher has come a long way over the past century.
“One of the hardest habits for me to break, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, was not to fully rinse off dishes,” says Amann. “My mom’s dishes were clean by the time they got into the dishwasher. Washers nowadays can perform like miracles, they use so little water.”
How little? Three-and-a-half gallons or less. The most efficient dishwashers now use close to 2 gallons to clean a load of unrinsed plates. Modern dishwashers are designed to remove dried food on plates, allowing you to wait until the machine is
full to run it. Scraping is enough. Just leave room for water sprayers to reach every dish.
What if you only have a few dishes to wash? You might think doing them by hand is less wasteful, but that’s not what research shows, even if you run a half-empty dishwasher, according to Gregory Keoleian, the director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems.
Keoleian co-authored a study investigating how much water and energy it takes to wash dishes by hand or machine. The peer-reviewed study, sponsored by Whirlpool, found that running the tap to wash a single place setting (a plate, cup, bowl, utensils and some serving dishes) consumes about 3 gallons. That means running the dishwasher for just two people saves water compared to washing dishes in the sink, assuming you’re not pre-rinsing. On average, dishwashers also yield less than half the greenhouse gas emissions as washing dishes by hand, mostly thanks to heating less water.
At capacity (about eight sets of dishes), a dishwasher uses less than half a gallon per place setting. “Households using machine dishwashers can lower their carbon footprint by scraping dishes rather than heavy rinsing before loading, running full loads, using ‘normal’ wash setting, not using heated drying, and purchasing an efficient dishwasher,” Keoleian writes in an email.
The only way to beat this by hand is by using a two-basin method to wash and rinse, rather than letting the water run as most people do. But it won’t save you time. Hand-washing a household’s dishes for a year, the EPA estimates, consumes about 230 hours, equivalent to a 10-day vacation.
How do the appliances do it?
Light sensors in dishwashers detect the cloudiness of water as it drains and adjust the water to ensure the dishes are clean without wasting any. “The whole point is that the appliances do
the hard work for you,” says Cara Acker, a spokesperson for Bosch home appliances, a major manufacturer.
Set your refrigerator thermostat and forget it
The refrigerator was once the “most energy-thirsty appliance in the family home.” Today, it is one of the thriftiest. Since 1972, refrigerators’ energy use has decreased by three-fourths, even as their interior volume has expanded, according to a 2010 World Economic Forum study. Thanks to improved compressors, coolants and insulation, those numbers look even better today.
Yet many people still ignore manufacturer recommendations and set the temperatures too cold. “Colder isn’t necessarily better,” says Acker. Decades of improvement in insulation, air seals and airflow mean recommended temperatures – usually between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit – preserve food the longest without wasted energy or frostbite. Just arrange your food so it’s easy to find and hard to forget (wasted food remains a major source of emissions).
The biggest mistake, however, is keeping fridges past their expiration dates. If you have an old model in a (hot) garage or basement – especially if you’re part of the 26 percent of U.S. households with a second refrigerator – ditch it. In most cases, you’re paying more for electricity than you’d save by upgrading. Payback periods can be as short as a few years, and utilities will even pay you for the clunkers (you can find programs that do that here).
Get a smart thermostat
You might have heard that keeping your thermostat at one temperature saves on heating and cooling bills. It doesn’t. By installing programmable or smart thermostats that learn your preferences and habits, households can set an efficient
heating and cooling schedule, while saving $50 to $100 a year, according to Energy Star. The devices, available for about $150 (or free with rebates), generally use home WiFi, smartphone apps or motion sensors to know when people are home, then adjust temperatures accordingly, as well as throughout the day.
Homes with heat pumps are an exception, says Iain Walker, who studies buildings at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Modern high-performance heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant comfortable temperature and can be less efficient if trying to warm a cold home. They can deliver energy savings without thermostat adjustments in the evening or when you wake up. “Don’t touch the thermostat,” says Walker. “Just leave it at 68 or 70.”
Stop washing clothes in hot water
Washing machines once filled a tub with hot soapy water, dragged your clothes around for an hour or so and then drained. Today’s front-loading machines reverse this dynamic: They use a small pool of water to rinse your clothes, then constantly check the water clarity to get the job done using just the right amount of heat and water. Since 1990, this method has cut energy and water use by more than half.
Still, we operate our machines like the tubs of yore. The main change to make is to wash on cold. With few exceptions, modern laundry detergents work just as well at cold temperatures (even when not marked as cold-water formulations). Most washing machines’ builtin sensors ensure clothes get just as clean without extra water or heat. Two other settings maximize those savings: Quick cycles get the average load just as clean, and higher spin settings shorten drying times. For exceptionally dirty laundry, dial up the settings. Don’t make it the norm.
Don’t save ancient appliances. Replace them.
If you’re using a 15 – or 20-year-old machine, replacing it will almost certainly save cash – and emissions. Even today’s inexpensive dishwashers are more efficient than top-of-the-line appliances a decade ago. Pushing appliances well beyond their expected lifetime just delays their imminent replacement while burning cash and energy.
But, manufacturers argue, we may be entering an era when appliances approach their maximum efficiency. At that point, we will rely more on software updates than new hardware to improve them. “Appliances are becoming about as efficient as they can be,” says Klyn, the Whirlpool executive. “It will get to the point where we’re better off helping consumers prolong the life of their product.”
That day remains a long way off, counters Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. Companies have successfully fought to delay new standards by lobbying the Energy Department. The agency recently settled a lawsuit after missing deadlines to update standards for 20 appliances.
Manufacturers have often argued such new requirements aren’t feasible, only to achieve dramatic efficiency improvements once they are implemented. Whirlpool told the Energy Department in 2009, for example, that its best top-loading clothes washers were “at (or very near) the maximum technologically feasible limit for top loaders.”
Today, Whirlpool’s most efficient top-loader is 50 percent more energy efficient than those earlier models. “Manufacturers say we can’t meet these efficiency levels. It’s impossible,” says deLaski. “But those products are on the market today.”
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 7
8 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 9
Solano County Listings: Homes for sale
LOTS & LAND
Winter
From Page 4
rhododendrons, azaleas, forsythias and snowball viburnums. Once the gorgeous white blooms are gone, you forget about it until next spring.
The Double Play Candy Corn is different – holy wow is it different. In Georgia, the leaves emerge from winter dormancy in March as if they were on fire. Very few plants have this color intensity. If you look at the Proven Winners description it says the leaves are orange, red
and yellow. That is spot on.
As the summer progresses, new growth is that color, while old leaves are bright gold (or as the tag says, pineapple yellow). If you have more shade, the leaves are chartreuse. This sounds funny to say, but you will always know where your Double Play Candy Corn spirea plants are located. They will never just blend in with a forest or sea of green.
When it made its debut, the conventional wisdom in my area of the South was that it wouldn’t grow well and that it would scorch. Don’t spend a nanosecond with that thought in your
MOBILE/FLOATING
MULTI UNIT 2-4
COMMERCIAL
mind. Give it good fertile soil that drains well and just watch what happens. You can deadhead if you want, I do, and I also like to cut back hard in late winter, much like you do a rose. You may be asking, what about the blooms? As if trying to outdo the leaves for color, the flowers are large and purple/red. Yes, you will see pollinators, no, you will not see a herd of deer eating them. Your fun challenge as a gardener is coming up with companion plants. The partnerships are only limited by your imagination.
If I had a suggestion in your planning, think of it like
a coleus versus the shrub it is. This means any other herbaceous flower, or foliage partner, will work. The only prerequisite is whether you like the color combination. This is how easy it is to incorporate. Over the last four years I have seen dropdead beautiful partnerships with pansies, Primo heuchera, Rockin salvias, Superbena verbenas, Supertunia petunias and Superbells calibrachoas. It stands to reason that shrubs like hydrangeas whether they are blue, pink, or white would work too.
Spring planting season is close at hand. When you see it for sale and the thought comes
to mind that you don’t have room for a shrub, STOP. If you have room for a coleus, you have room for Double Play Candy Corn spirea. Better yet, it will also return year after year. It is a winner in the landscape or thriller in large mixed containers. Let the celebration begin!
Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinter TheGardenGuy. He receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.
10 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
$835,000 116 Mountview Ter Benicia 4 3/0 2,288 0.11 322031987 $520,000 1635 Marenda Dr Dixon 3 2 /0 1328 0.115 323002746 $737,000 1565 Abraham Ct Dixon 4 2 /0 2426 11977sf 323005149 $785,000 515 West Cherry St Dixon 4 3/0 2755 0.124 322083817 $4,500,000 6156 Clark Rd Dixon 4 4 /0 5906 78.98 322047718 $350,000 225 Pennsylvania Ave #A2 Fairfield 3 2 /0 1084 0.026 322065570 $450,000 749 Wren Court Fairfield 3 2 /0 1,952 0.2 322098917 $489,585 2001 Bluebird Way Fairfield 4 2 /0 1,285 0.17 322096754 $550,000 2638 Bloomfield Ct Fairfield 4 2 /0 1596 0.15 323003865 $639,000 3273 Prescott Wy Fairfield 4 2 /0 1750 0.18 323004748 $675,000 223 Madison Street Fairfield 4 1/0 1020 0.170 322105113 $735,000 878 Emerald Hills Cr Fairfield 3 2 /1 2449 0.184 323002561 $824,999 3032 Muse Wy Fairfield 4 3/0 2841 0.135 322078149 $860,000 2818 Watson Ct Fairfield 5 3/0 3000 0.198 322104028 $1,141,500 1098 Skywest Ct Fairfield 3 2 /1 2709 24455sf 322098903 $1,247,500 4 427 Glencannon Dr Fairfield 3 3/0 2,409 2.5 322092157 $1,499,000 5270 Oakridge Dr Fairfield 4 3/0 4,034 0.3 322069250 $277,700 1910 Glencrest Dr #1 Vacaville 2 1/0 924 0.02 323001965 $375,000 158 Del Rio Ct #4 Vacaville 3 1/0 1056 0.02 323001068 $429,000 101 Isle Royale Cir Vacaville 2 2 /0 1152 0.15 322080839 $450,000 324 Plum Street Vacaville 3 2 /0 1286 6098 323002425 $509,000 424 Mandarin Cir Vacaville 2 2 /0 1323 0.116 322066345 $550,000 200 Coulter Way Vacaville 3 2 /1 2120 0.100 323000798 $567,500 801 S Orchard Ave Vacaville 3 2 /0 1230 0.12 322073187 $574,999 296 Plantation Way Vacaville 4 2 /1 1840 0.130 322062209 $585,000 148 Shefield Dr Vacaville 4 2 /1 1799 0.14 322089957 $589,900 1116 Amber Ridge Ln Vacaville 3 2 /1 1990 0.100 32209946 $589,982 748 Bluebird Dr Vacaville 3 2 /0 1478 0.125 322103320 $610,000 243 Lisburn Way Vacaville 3 2 /0 1,790 0.18 323003997 $667,000 312 Bridgeport Ct Vacaville 4 3/0 2148 0.126 322104241 $669,000 324 Crow Canyon Ct Vacaville 4 3/0 2003 0.191 322100614 $675,000 764 Shannon Dr Vacaville 3 2 /1 2262 0.147 322099214 $699,900 1030 Mission Bay Drive Vacaville 4 3/0 2311 0.138 323001203 $725,000 499 Willamette Dr Vacaville 4 3/0 2,195 0.16 323000667 $750,000 201 Wrentham Dr Vacaville 5 3/0 2286 0.22 322099300 $807,500 878 Daffodil Dr Vacaville 4 3/1 2762 0.138 322102280 $899,000 1000 Brighton Ct Vacaville 5 3/0 3,431 0.21 322090634 $899,000 161 Hillview Dr Vacaville 3 2 /1 2052 0.2 323002074 $1,199,000 8 42 Elderberry Loop Vacaville 5 4 /1 4058 0.295 322043728 $475,000 305 Campbell Ave Vallejo 4 2 /0 1686 0.115 322103190 $475,000 450 Carousel Dr Vallejo 3 2 /0 1310 0.137 322104455 $565,000 1541 Severus Dr Vallejo 4 2 /0 1,428 0.12 322103845 $575,000 40 Sandy Beach Vallejo 2 2 /0 1,124 0.19 322093840 $580,000 701 Keats Dr Vallejo 4 2 /0 10500 10018sf 322091636 $675,000 5336 Chenin Blanc Place Vallejo 3 2 /1 2068 0.130 323002434 $629,000 3931 Central Ln Winters 3 2 /0 1782 5.52 322102413 $875,000 8 457 Plesants Valley Rd Winters 2 1/0 22.16 321006700 $1,500,000 9211 Boyce Road Winters 3 1/1 1500 31.000 322099831
PRICE A DDRESS CITY LOT/AC SUB TYPE MLS# $850,000 Gaddini Road Vacaville 14.89 AGRI 322085720 $4,500,000 6156 Clark Rd Dixon 78.98 AGRI 322049465 $500,000 360 Butcher Rd Vacaville 1.10 COMM 321098151 $1,250,000 8 362 Auction Ln Dixon 2.16 COMM 322014651 $1,600,000 2300-11 E Monte Vista Ave Vacaville 3.66 COMM 321102156 $40,000 1172 Deputy Dr Pope Valley 0.48 RESA 322104578 $225,000 2060 Pinecrest Ct Vacaville 1.15 RESA 322048328 $359,950 Gibson Canyon Vacaville 1.55 RESA 22029146 $399,000 English Hills Rd Vacaville 6.09 RESA 322096839 $399,000 3872 Ciarlo Ln Vacaville 8.96 RESA 322102308 $549,000 County Rd Crockett 1.06 RESA 322104890 $699,000 3874 Ciarlo Ln Vacaville 19 RESA 322102228 $875,000 8 457 Plesants Valley Rd Winters 22.16 RESA 321000406 $15,000,000 Mankas Fairfield RESA 21825708
PRICE ADDRESS CITY BEDS BA (F/H) SQ. FT. MLS # $35,000 9 Dali Ct Fairfield 0 0 800 322100984
PRICE ADDRESS CITY UNITS BLDGS SQ. FT. MLS $735,900 549-551 Pacific Avenue Fairfield 2 1 2479 321043438
PRICE ADDRESS CITY T YPE MLS # $625,000 120 E Tabor Ave Fairfield Retail 322088826 $350,000 424 Davis St Vacaville Mixed 322095434 PRICE A DDRESS CITY BEDS BA (F/H) SQ. FT. LOT/AC MLS # PRICE A DDRESS CITY BEDS BA (F/H) SQ. FT. LOT/AC MLS #
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 11
12 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
Open House Sunday 1-4PM
260 American Canyon Rd #110, American Canyon
Wonderfully updated mobile home in a lovely mobile home park in American Canyon, CA New vinyl plank floors, new paint inside and out, new kitchen counter tops, new stainless steel kitchen sink, new dishwasher, etc. Don’t miss out!! $175,000
ON THE M ARKET
FOR THIS WEEKEND February 4th & 5th
OPEN HOUSE OPEN HOUSE OPEN HOUSE
Richard Livingston Jr. & Associate
REALTOR® DRE#02078835 (707) 803-4348
Got
Open House Saturday 12-3PM 161 Hillview Drive, Vacaville
WOW! Beautiful custom 3bd/2.5ba w/over $200,000 in recent updates/upgrades! New LV T floors thruout living areas, remodeled kitchen, new master bath, new paint, electrical panel, some doors, windows & blinds. New garage door & epoxy floors. $899,000
Advertise your listing or upcoming Open House on this On The Market Page and receive an additional run in the Daily Republic on Sunday and on DailyRepublic.com Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Call today to reserve your space.
Sandy Stewart & Associate
REALTOR® DRE#01038978
(707) 696-7063
Open House Saturday & Sunday 1-3PM 424 Mandarin Circle, Vacaville
Senior living at its BEST in beautiful Diamond Grove. 2bd/2ba+den, 1323sf. Gas fireplace between LR & dining area. Eat in kitchen. Large covered patio runs width of home. Easy care garden w/fruit trees & roses. Community pool. $509,000
Omar Hampton & Associate
REALTOR® DRE#01242723
(707) 529-7545
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 13
a New Listing? Having an Open House? p
14 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA Need to Sell Your Home? Looking For A New Home? Call one of these Real Estate Professionals to help you with your housing needs today! Randie Boardman REALTOR® Cell (707) 688-2864 RandieBoardman@sbcglobal.net www.RandieBoardman.RemaxGold.com Serving Your Real Estate Needs for 28 Years 1411 Oliver Road, Suite 180 Fairfield, CA 94534 GRI Each Office Independently Owned and Operated 2280 ROCKVILLE ROAD GREEN VALLEY-FAIRFIELD, CA 94534 LIC#01035560 LONEY & WORLEY TEAM T “Your Real Estate Team committed to getting you e Highest return on your investment.” TOP PRODUCERS WITH OVER 30 YEARS EACH IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRYLUXURY ESTATES, WINERIES, VINEYARDS, COMMERCIAL, DEVELOPMENTS AND RESIDENTIAL SALES. OUR FAMILY ESTABLISHED COUNTRY ESTATES, INC IN 1982 Alicia N. Worley REALTOR® BRE# 01322884 (707) 344-1300 Scott C. L oney BROKER ASSOCIATE BRE# 01146887 (707) 290-0556 5071 Business Center Drive Fair eld, CA 94534 DAVE FRANZONI REALTOR® Executive Council Cal BRE #1748267 (707) 410-9003 Choosing the Right REALTOR® Does Make A Di erence ➤ I live and work in Solano County ➤ REALTOR® for over 15 years ➤ Top Producer ➤ Smart Home Specialist ➤ Executive Council of REALTORS® ➤ #1 Company in the Nation ➤ 6 O ces for your convenience DaveFranzoni.com (707) 688-3697 (707) 425-5314 JD Real Estate Judy Davis Broker/Owner NMLS #268646 1351 Oliver Road | Fairfield, CA 94534 wjd8604@aol.com Your Needs are our Priority! Free Consultation 39 Years Experience in Real Estate Industry LISTING, SELLING AND ARRANGING MORTGAGE LOANS REAL ESTATE
Mortgage rates slip for a fourth week
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
Mortgage rates in the U.S. fell for a fourth straight week.
The average for a 30-year, fixed loan was 6.09%, down from 6.13% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday.
Mortgage costs have come down almost a full percentage point from their recent high, giving hope to some would-be homebuyers looking for a way into a deal. The bidding wars that marked the pandemic housing
rally have cooled, and prices are expected to moderate further in the coming months. Still, with listings in short supply, affordability hurdles remain.
The decline in rates, after peaking in November at 7.08%, “can allow as many as 3 million more mortgage-ready consumers to qualify and afford a $400,000 loan, which is the median home price,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in the statement.
The Federal Reserve on
Wednesday announced a 25 basispoint hike to its benchmark interest rate, slowing the pace of its drive to tame inflation. While the Fed’s efforts appear to be working, Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank has “more work to do.”
The Fed controls short-term rates, but long-term rates, including 30-year mortgages, “are a function of market expectations for the path of the economy,” said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association.
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707.759.5129
We can use ANY Bank or Investors Wholesale dept. We are not confined to just one source. Why have 5 banks pull your credit, when we can pull it once and get bids for you from 5 banks??
McNAUGHTON MEDIA — Friday, February 3, 2023 15 REAL ESTATE Let My Experience Make Your Home Buying or Selling Experience Your Best Experience! 301 Dickson Hill Rd., Fairfield, CA 94533 Nancy Price-Branson REALTOR® CPDE, SFR, ABR, MRP, SRES Cal DRE Lic #01426977 (707) 71 8-1989 NancyPriceBransonSellsHomes1@gmail.com Chris Bommarito Broker DRE# 01962245 (707) 249-5843 bommaritorealestate@gmail.com Jessica Bommarito REALTOR® DRE# 01983582 (707) 803-8655 bommaritojcr@yahoo.com NapaSol anoRE.com Use A BROKER/REALTOR® That Will Help You Make The Right Choice Based On Your Individual Needs! Jim & Darla Stever BROKER/REALTOR /Owner Cal BRE#01085687 Having been in business since 1978 we are one of the few remaining Independent Real Estate Companies in Fairfield. Born and raised in Solano County... we know the area. We strive to meet the specialized needs of each client, using the highest ethical standards. BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! 690 E. Tabor Ave., Ste. F, Fairfield www.JimSteverRealty.com (707) 421-1000 Jim & Darla are both past Presidents of the Northern Solano County Association of REALTORS.® Serving Solano County Since 1978! JIM STEVER REALTY STEVER & ASSOCIATES Successfully moving mobiles to mansions. Contact me for current market conditions. 1111 WEBST ER STRE ET , FA IR FI EL D ( 7 0 7 ) 3 7 3vogelpohl real estate consulting & sales Annie@AnnieVogelpohl.com Annie Vogelpohl BROKER, CAL BRE #00705450 Financing
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WHOLESALE MORTGAGE BROKER
16 Friday, February 3, 2023 — McNAUGHTON MEDIA
