Most of the energy used by a dishwasher is for heating water. The Energy Guide label attached to new dishwashers estimates the annual power needed to run the appliance and heat the water based on natural gas and electricity costs.
Dishwasher Tips
Check the manual that came with your dishwasher for the manufacturer’s recommendations on water ... [Read More]
Most of the energy used by a dishwasher is for heating water. The Energy Guide label attached to new dishwashers estimates the annual power needed to run the appliance and heat the water based on natural gas and electricity costs.
Dishwasher Tips
Check the manual that came with your dishwasher for the manufacturer’s recommendations on water temperature; many have internal heating elements that allow you to set the water heater in your home to a lower temperature (120°F).
Scrape, don’t rinse, large food pieces and bones from dishes. Soaking or prewashing is generally only recommended in cases of burned-on or dried-on food.
Be sure your dishwasher is full, but not overloaded, when you run it.
Avoid using the “rinse & hold” on your machine for just a few soiled dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water for each load.
Let your dishes air dry; if you don’t have an automatic air-dry switch, turn the control knob to “off” after the final rinse and prop the door open slightly so the dishes will dry faster.
Long-Term Savings Tip
When shopping for a new dishwasher, look for the ENERGY STAR label to find a dishwasher that uses less water and 41% less energy than required by federal standards.
Excerpted from U.S. Department of Energy.
from Old Republic Home Protection Newsletter
Pending home sales, a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, fell 3.5% in December after a 7.3% increase in November. On a year-over-year basis, pending home sales are up 5.6%.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 20 fell 5%. Refinancing ... [Read More]
Pending home sales, a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, fell 3.5% in December after a 7.3% increase in November. On a year-over-year basis, pending home sales are up 5.6%.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 20 fell 5%. Refinancing applications decreased 5.2%. Purchase volume fell 5.4%.
Orders for durable goods — items expected to last three or more years — rose $6.2 billion or 3% to $214.5 billion in December. This increase surpassed the 2.2% economists had anticipated and follows a 4.3% surge in November. Excluding volatile transportation-related goods, orders posted a monthly increase of 2.1%.
New home sales fell 2.2% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000 units from a revised rate of 314,000 units in November. Compared to a year ago, new home sales are down 7.3%.
Retail sales fell 1.4% for the week ending January 21, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs index. On a year-over-year basis, retailers saw sales increase 2.8%.
The Commerce Department announced that gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services produced in the U.S. — increased at an annual rate of 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011. This follows a 1.8% pace of growth in the third quarter of 2011. For all of 2011, initial reports indicate the economy expanded 1.7%.
Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 377,000 for the week ending January 21. Continuing claims for the week ending January 14 rose by 88,000 to 3.554 million
Thanks to my friends at Prospect Mtg
Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes, new pictures and status changes.
As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . To checkout some of my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/
If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable
If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.
Q: We bought a house this year! We put $33,000 down and the bank financed $28,000. Can I write this off on my 2011 taxes? How much of it?
A: First things first: Congratulations! You’ve become a homeowner, and seem to have done so using an enviable financial arrangement. But now that you own a home, ... [Read More]
Q: We bought a house this year! We put $33,000 down and the bank financed $28,000. Can I write this off on my 2011 taxes? How much of it?
A: First things first: Congratulations! You’ve become a homeowner, and seem to have done so using an enviable financial arrangement. But now that you own a home, you might need to shift the way you think and look at some things, including your taxes and other financial matters.
Owning a home is one of those landmarks that signify financial adulthood. And one of the things that responsible financial adults do is get professional help when the situation requires it. Taxes are one of those areas that often do warrant calling the pros in.
I’m not just shilling for the tax prep industry here, either: The ultimate aim of using a tax professional is to make sure you get every deduction, credit and other tax advantage for which you qualify, without jacking up your chances at triggering the universally dreaded Internal Revenue Service audit by claiming dubious deductions.
Your mortgage debt is fairly small, as was your home’s purchase price, though I don’t know whether they are large or small in the context of your overall financial picture (i.e., income, assets, investments, etc.).
The fact that you saved or somehow came up with such a sizable chunk of change to put down makes me hesitate to assume that your finances are as simple as your mortgage balance might otherwise lead me to believe.
So, it might be the case that you can easily handle your own taxes — in fact, it’s even possible that your real estate-related deductions won’t even outweigh the standard deductions, so that filing a simple form without even itemizing your deductions is actually the financially advantageous move.
Whether that’s the case cannot be determined in a vacuum — you may have other financial and tax issues going on. But with software and tax preparation services as inexpensive as they are, starting at under $20 for simple returns, I think it behooves you to get some professional advice and ensure you get the deductions you need.
Hiring a tax preparer might be a worthwhile investment to make, even if just this year, so he or she can brief you on what records you should keep and strategies you should do moving forward, like home repair and improvement receipts, or documentation of your use of an area of the home as a home office.
Now, let’s talk more substantively about the deductions that are available to you, in the event you do decide to itemize your taxes (IRS Publication 530 offers a more nuanced view into Tax Information for Homeowners):
1. Mortgage interest deduction. Assuming this home is your personal residence, 100 percent of the mortgage interest you owe and pay before Dec. 31, 2011, is deductible on your 2011 taxes. In January, your mortgage lender will send you a form documenting the precise amount of interest you paid, although most lenders also now make this form immediately available to borrowers online.
Chances are good that you paid some amount of advance interest on your home loan at closing — expect to see that on your statement from your lender, but you should also be able to find it on the HUD-1 settlement statement you received from your escrow agent at closing.
2. Property tax deductions. Again, assuming that this is the home you live in most of the time, you should be able to deduct 100 percent of the property taxes you’ve paid to your state and/or local taxing agency this year.
3. Closing-cost deductions. Discount points and origination fees paid to your mortgage lender and/or broker at closing are frequently deductible, but there are rules around this, which tax software and/or professionals can help you make sure you meet. Note that, according to Internal Revenue Service Publication 530, “You cannot deduct transfer taxes and similar taxes and charges on the sale of a personal home.”
There are various home improvements (especially those that increase your home’s energy efficiency), state and local tax credits for buying a foreclosure, and other tax advantages that might be available to you.
My advice is to work with an experienced, local tax preparer or, at the very least, use reputable tax preparation software to ensure that you get the maximum tax advantages available to you as a result of your new role as a homeowner.
By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Thursday, January 5, 2012.
Inman News®
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is author of “The Savvy Woman’s Homebuying Handbook” and “Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions.” Tara is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com. Ask her a real estate question online or visit her website, www.rethinkrealestate.com.
www.nevadawolfpack.com
Two junior college transfers and two prep products have enrolled in classes this semester at the University of Nevada, the Wolf Pack football program announced today.
Defensive backs Nigel Haikins and Markus Smith, both juniors, join the Wolf Pack from the junior college ranks while Reggie Coates and Andrew Main previously signed National Letters ... [Read More]
www.nevadawolfpack.com
Two junior college transfers and two prep products have enrolled in classes this semester at the University of Nevada, the Wolf Pack football program announced today.
Defensive backs Nigel Haikins and Markus Smith, both juniors, join the Wolf Pack from the junior college ranks while Reggie Coates and Andrew Main previously signed National Letters of Intent with Nevada in 2011 and delayed enrollment until the spring semester.
Haikins is 5-10 and 205 pounds and comes to Nevada from Diablo Valley College in the Bay Area. Smith is 6-1, 185 and joins the Pack from Riverside (Calif.) Community College.
Coates (Crespi HS; Canoga Park, Calif.) is a 6-1, 240-pound freshman defensive end while Main (Los Alamitos HS; Los Alamitos, Calif.) is a 6-3, 270-pound freshman offensive lineman.
More information on the players will be available along with the rest of the 2012 signing class, which will be announced Feb. 1
Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes, new pictures and status changes.
As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . To checkout some of my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/
If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable
If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.
Think again if you’re considering buying a home without having it inspected. This particularly applies to first-time buyers who have little, if any, experience with home defects and repairs. Even professionals can make mistakes when buying homes without having them thoroughly inspected.
In one example, an experienced contractor bought a home to fix up and resell. ... [Read More]
Think again if you’re considering buying a home without having it inspected. This particularly applies to first-time buyers who have little, if any, experience with home defects and repairs. Even professionals can make mistakes when buying homes without having them thoroughly inspected.
In one example, an experienced contractor bought a home to fix up and resell. The contractor looked over the property carefully before he bought it, but he did not have it inspected by an impartial home inspector.
After the contractor took possession of the property, he discovered that the furnace was shot and required replacement. The cost of a new furnace was not included in his renovation budget.
Homebuying is an emotional experience no matter how hard you try to keep it strictly business. You have high hopes that nothing will go wrong and the transaction will close. The appeal of a home could cloud your objectivity about the real purchase price when you consider the work that needs to be done to repair defects and deferred maintenance.
Home and magnifying glass image via Shutterstock.com.
Think again if you’re considering buying a home without having it inspected. This particularly applies to first-time buyers who have little, if any, experience with home defects and repairs. Even professionals can make mistakes when buying homes without having them thoroughly inspected.
In one example, an experienced contractor bought a home to fix up and resell. The contractor looked over the property carefully before he bought it, but he did not have it inspected by an impartial home inspector.
After the contractor took possession of the property, he discovered that the furnace was shot and required replacement. The cost of a new furnace was not included in his renovation budget.
Homebuying is an emotional experience no matter how hard you try to keep it strictly business. You have high hopes that nothing will go wrong and the transaction will close. The appeal of a home could cloud your objectivity about the real purchase price when you consider the work that needs to be done to repair defects and deferred maintenance.
Article continues below
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In some areas, the home-sale market has picked up. One example is California’s Silicon Valley, where job growth is strong. There is far more demand than there are homes for sale, which tends to drive prices up.
In some cases, buyers will waive contingencies in order to outbid the competition. Buying without including an inspection contingency in the purchase contract can be an expensive strategy if you later find defects that are expensive to repair.
The risk is minimized if the sellers provide the buyers with copies of recent presale home inspections done by reputable local home inspectors before they write an offer. However, most home inspection reports recommend further inspections. Diligent sellers take the extra step and have further inspections done, like a roof or furnace inspection. Many do not.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: A second opinion from a highly regarded home inspector can’t hurt. The reason to have inspections at all is to find out as much as possible about the property’s condition before you go through with the sale. Don’t skip an inspection to save money.
Sometimes, buyers who are satisfied with the report they received from the seller’s home inspector will hire that inspector to do a walk-through inspection based on the seller’s report. This means a second home inspector isn’t involved. But at least the buyers have an opportunity to spend time at the property with the seller’s inspector, ask questions, and find out more about what works and what doesn’t.
Inspection contingencies protect the buyers and, depending on how the clause is written, can allow the buyers to withdraw from the contract without losing their deposit. This is why sellers are often drawn to an offer that doesn’t have an inspection contingency. However, accepting such an offer can create problems.
Inspection contingencies also protect sellers from future legal entanglements with the buyers over items that weren’t discovered before closing. It’s much easier to resolve inspection defect issues before, than after, closing.
Inspection contingencies can create an opportunity for buyers to ask sellers to fix defects, lower the price, or credit money at closing to cover the cost of repair work.
When buyers ask sellers to make concessions after they bought the house “as is” with respect to certain disclosed defects, it can be a deal-breaker. However, reasonable sellers will often attempt to negotiate an acceptable solution regarding newly discovered defects rather than put the house back on the market.
If you’re buying in a competitive market and find you’re losing out because you won’t waive an inspection contingency and others are willing to take the risk, consider having inspections done before making an offer.
THE CLOSING: Make sure to ask permission from the seller through the listing agent.
By Dian Hymer, Monday, January 2, 2012.
Inman News®
Dian Hymer, a real estate broker with more than 30 years’ experience, is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author of “House Hunting: The Take-Along Workbook for Home Buyers” and “Starting Out, The Complete Home Buyer’s Guide.”
Because if you’re prepared and you know what it takes, it’s not a risk. You just have to figure out how to get there. There is always a way to get there.
Mark Cuban
Being rich is a good thing. Not just in the obvious sense of benefitting you and your family, but in ... [Read More]
Because if you’re prepared and you know what it takes, it’s not a risk. You just have to figure out how to get there. There is always a way to get there.
Mark Cuban
Being rich is a good thing. Not just in the obvious sense of benefitting you and your family, but in the broader sense. Profits are not a zero sum game. The more you make, the more of a financial impact you can have.
Mark Cuban
But we have to ask ourselves, what’s the purpose of the stock market? It’s supposed to be a source of capital for growing business. It’s lost that purpose.
Mark Cuban
But we have to ask ourselves, what’s the purpose of the stock market? It’s supposed to be a source of capital for growing business.
Mark Cuban
I don’t care what anyone says. Being rich is a good thing.
Mark Cuban
I don’t think there’s any question that the UFL or any other league that wants to challenge the NFL can have an impact. The demand for professional football is off the charts.
Mark Cuban
I hate politics. It’s slimy. Any job where people pander for votes, I don’t like. The country has gotten so partisan that if you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy. The only thing I ever try to support is a third party, like Unity08. We need more parties and more choice.
Mark Cuban
I still work hard to know my business. I’m continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I’m always selling. Always.
Mark Cuban
I think one of the biggest curses in the U.S. is that we have only two political parties.
Mark Cuban
I think that any reporter or columnist will be a little more careful when doing interviews with me.
Mark Cuban
Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_cuban.html#ixzz1kJMs6EIv
Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes, new pictures and status changes.
As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . To checkout some of my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/
If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable
If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.
You’ve heard the popular refrain that Starbucks is everywhere. There may be some truth to that — the massive coffee retailer has even set up shop in a shipping container. The now-one-of-a-kind drive-thru/walk-up Starbucks coffee outlet off Interstate 5 in Tukwila, Wash., which opened Dec. ... [Read More]
You’ve heard the popular refrain that Starbucks is everywhere. There may be some truth to that — the massive coffee retailer has even set up shop in a shipping container. The now-one-of-a-kind drive-thru/walk-up Starbucks coffee outlet off Interstate 5 in Tukwila, Wash., which opened Dec. 13, is constructed from four modified shipping containers, including one 20-foot container and three 40-foot containers. And while novel for Starbucks — this is the company’s first foray into a trend gathering momentum for shipping container constructions, but perhaps not the last — other stores built from shipping containers include a grocery in Seattle and a series of restaurants in San Francisco. Spokesman Alan Hilowitz described the Tukwila store as another step in fulfilling Starbucks’ core mission — providing a gathering place for communities, using Starbucks’ scale “for good,” and reducing the corporation’s carbon footprint — while also recycling “the same kind of shipping containers that transport our coffees and teas around the world.” Tony Gale III, Starbucks’ corporate architect and architect of record for the project, described the mindset with which he and his team tackled the store’s design. “We were able to open our minds to the use of very common elements destined for the landfill as structure for a high-quality, drive-thru coffeehouse design — essentially creating an industrial beacon for sustainable thinking.” This reflects Starbucks’ focus on conservation-minded building initiatives that serve a dual purpose: helping to reduce operating costs and leading by example to push “the environmental design envelope in retail.” With many containers scrapped at the end of an average lifespan of 20 years, the Starbucks solution served to convert a potential waste stream from the company’s supply chain into shop space.
This Tukwila store is also the first LEED-certified structure in town. It uses fully reclaimed material for the exterior. Rainwater collected from the roof reduces water consumption and nourishes surrounding “xeriscaping” — landscapes and plants that naturally require less water. Even the signage promotes environmental consciousness. While this is not Starbucks’ only drive-thru/walk-up store, it is rare among the company’s 17,000 stores worldwide in that it offers no inside seating. Hilowitz said the prototype is easy to break down and transport, and may usher in more container stores. “We can put a store like this on a lot that will be developed someday but is free for two or three years, and then we can move it.” Architect Tony Gale III says fast-moving baristas are Starbucks’ solution to limit customers idling their cars as they await their “cup of morning joe.” Already, between one-third to one-half of Starbucks stores have a drive-thru window. The company’s next goal in sustainable thinking: By 2015, it intends to make 100 percent of its cups reusable or recyclable.
Read at: http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2012/01/24/news/173576
http://www.visitrenotahoe.com
Big-O Tires Presents Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam
Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center
March 9, 2012 – March 11, 2012
It’s the hottest edge-of-your-seat, live motor sports property on the planet and largest touring family show in North America! The events are electrifying as 1,500 HP monster trucks fly 30 feet in the air, flattening ... [Read More]
http://www.visitrenotahoe.com
Big-O Tires Presents Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam
Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center
March 9, 2012 – March 11, 2012
It’s the hottest edge-of-your-seat, live motor sports property on the planet and largest touring family show in North America! The events are electrifying as 1,500 HP monster trucks fly 30 feet in the air, flattening anything in their path. There will be variety of specialty acts such as Freestyle Motocross Exhibitions and ATV “Quad Wars” Racing.
Building – Main Arena
Paid Parking - $7.00 per vehicle
Event: Friday & Saturday 7:30pm – doors open at 6:30pm
Saturday pit party – 11:30am – 1:00pm MUST have a Saturday 2pm event ticket and Pit Pass (available for purchase at $10.00 at the Livestock Events Center Box Office – while supplies last)
Saturday & Sunday Matinee 2:00pm – doors open at 1:00pm
Ticket Prices: (includes Facility fee) Adults General Admission $21.00
Children – General Admission $8.00
Day of show all tickets $2.00 additional
$5.00 Adult discount coupons available at participating Big-O Tires locations from 2/20/12 through 3/8/12 – while supplies last.
For tickets call 800-745-3000 (Ticketmaster) or tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com
May also purchase tickets at the Silver Legacy Casino Box Office open daily at noon with the exception Closed on Mondays
Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center Box Office – 1350 N. Wells Avenue open week of the event
Monday – Thursday 11am – 6pm
Friday & Saturday – 10am – 8:30pm
Sunday – 10am – 3pm
Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes, new pictures and status changes.
As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . To checkout some of my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/
If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable
If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 13 rose 23.1%. Refinancing applications increased 26.4%. Purchase volume rose 10.3%.
The producer price index, which tracks wholesale price inflation, fell 0.1% in December after increasing 0.3% in November. For the year, wholesale prices ... [Read More]
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 13 rose 23.1%. Refinancing applications increased 26.4%. Purchase volume rose 10.3%.
The producer price index, which tracks wholesale price inflation, fell 0.1% in December after increasing 0.3% in November. For the year, wholesale prices are up 4.8%. Core prices — which exclude food and fuel — rose 0.3% in December.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo monthly housing market index rose four points in January to 25 from a reading of 21 in December. It was the highest level since June 2007. An index reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market.
The combined construction of new single-family homes and apartments in December fell 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 657,000 units. Single-family starts increased 4.4%. Multifamily starts fell 20.4%. Applications for new building permits, seen as an indicator of future activity, fell 0.1% to an annual rate of 679,000 units. Housing starts for the year are up 24.9%.
Existing home sales rose 5% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million units from a downwardly revised 4.39 million units in November. The inventory of unsold homes on the market decreased to 2.38 million, a 6.2-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 7.2-month supply in November.
Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 50,000 to 352,000 for the week ending January 14. It was the lowest level since April 2008. Continuing claims for the week ending January 7 fell by 215,000 to 3.432 million.
Thanks to my friends at Prospect Mtg
Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes, new pictures and status changes.
As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . To checkout some of my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/
If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable
If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.
The Spanish Colonial Revival officially started in 1915 when the style was showcased at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego.
However, the architectural style was also made popular by the immensely successful 1884 historical novel “Ramona,” featuring a romanticized and picturesque vision of Mexican Colonial life in Southern California.
The novel was republished 300 times and made ... [Read More]
The Spanish Colonial Revival officially started in 1915 when the style was showcased at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego.
However, the architectural style was also made popular by the immensely successful 1884 historical novel “Ramona,” featuring a romanticized and picturesque vision of Mexican Colonial life in Southern California.
The novel was republished 300 times and made into four films by 1936. This led droves of tourists to visit locations in the novel and then mail tens of thousands of postcards across the country featuring the iconic Spanish-style architecture. A coordinated public relations campaign promoted this sunny, robust American way of life. Both the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railways adopted the style for rail-corridor buildings to provide a consistent Southwest theme for eastern travelers.
The two most influential architects of Spanish Colonial Revival were Bertram Goodhue and George Washington Smith. In the 1920s and 1930s, their architectural plans were made widely available in books produced by contractors and builders. The revival quickly spread to other regions, including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida.
Spanish Colonial Revival draws inspiration largely from Moorish, Renaissance, Byzantine and New World Mission-style architecture. Characteristics include low-pitched, multi-level red-tiled roofs; rectangle or L-shaped floor plans; balconies and porches; courtyards and patios; arched entryways and windows; stucco walls; ornamental iron work; unpainted, heavy wooden doors often carved in detail; ceramic flooring; exposed wooden beams; and colorful interior tiles.
Many of the features associated with Spanish architecture borrow directly from older traditions. Arcades — a series of arches supported by columns — originated in Rome. Arched entryways were brought to Spain by conquering Moors in the 9th century.
from Prospect Morgage Knowledge Builder
