Best Cities

Niche.com recently released its 2024 ranking for the “Best Cities to Live in America,” and Berkeley was #11!  Berkeley was rated highly in the categories Public Schools, Good for Families, Nightlife, Diversity, Weather, Health & Fitness, Commute, and Outdoor Activities.  Berkeley was bested in this ranking only by Irvine (ranked #6 overall) among California cities.

For full details, see niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/.

Going Green

I am always looking to expand my knowledge of anything related to real estate, and I recently finished the coursework to be a designated “Green” Realtor^®.  The coursework covered a broad range of topics, from ways to upgrade existing homes and different types of energy audits and ratings, to features of green construction and smart growth for entire communities.

We talked about the “energy efficiency pyramid”, which suggests that, to improve the energy efficiency of our homes, we start with relatively cost-effective measures (like LED lighting and air sealing), before moving upwards towards projects of higher cost and complexity (efficient appliances, more insulation, then heat pumps). The most complicated and expensive projects —replacing windows and adding solar—would come last. The right improvements for a particular home will of course vary by location, preferences and circumstances.  You can see the basic pyramid at 3blmedia.com/news/pyramid-conservation.