Update on a couple of columns

“There is No Crying in Real Estate,” July 22: The pregnant couple that lost out on their first home with the Dream Team on the day of funding found another home nearly immediately after the heartbreak. They ended up with a fourth bedroom as opposed to only three in the first escrow and have already moved in to their new house. Their mortgage loan was already totally processed and underwritten so their awesome Realtor was able was able to move them into their new home in less than 21 days. Interestingly, it seems that this almost always happens in real estate. When a buyer gets outbid in a multiple offer situation, they often feel sad but almost every time this happens they seem to find something even better. “Energy Program Expands to Dixon,” April 22: The PACE program is definitely popping up all over Solano County, according to Renovate American. Energy related improvements are being financed through property tax assessments by citizens in our county. Renovate America’s HERO program has funded $28 million for 1,114 homes since launching in March 2014, and the numbers are increasing year over year at a pretty high rate. Since my first column on PACE (Oct. 15, 2016), Renovate America has made some significant changes to help people look before they leap. They are now doing a better job of following the “Know Before You Owe” policies that banks and mortgage companies have to follow. They have also thrown 80 contractors or 10 percent of their approved California HERO list of contractors out of the program for complaints and unsatisfactory reviews. Greg Frost, the national communications director and spokesperson for Renovate America, says that in Solano County these home improvements are estimated to have created 235 jobs and these improvements are projected to save homeowners $35 million on their utility bills over the expected useful lifetime of the products installed. It’s expected that these improvements will also save 75 million gallons of water and reduce C02 emissions by 49,000 tons. I still suggest people should always look before they leap and make sure that HERO is your best option for financing home improvements and always get a couple bids before you spend a ton of money on your house. Renovate America suggests you get a couple bids, too.