Years ago, we purchased a dehumidifier that we have on a timer to run approximately three to four hours at night. This removes about one gallon of moisture per night. It is much cheaper running a dehumidifier than the A/C. The A/C setting can be regulated at a higher temperature due to less humidity.
Lee B.

Here’s a tip that has saved me a lot of money on building supplies over the years. When I need something, I shop around, and then buy it from the one with the highest price.

Office & Industrial Markets Look Strong for Q4
The National Association of Realtors’ Commercial Leading Indicator for Brokerage Activity was up 2.5% in Q2 compared to the same period in 2005. This indicates that net absorption and commercial construction activity will continue to grow over the next six months. The NAR projects that there will be $300 billion to $310 billion in office and industrial construction in Q4, up from the $296 billion reported in Q2. It further projects net absorption of 70 million to 90 million sf in office and industrial in the fourth quarter.

Successful Real Estate Investors achieve higher rents than others. Some of the investors in our research group followed the 1 percent rule of thumb for rents, getting 1 percent of the property’s market value as the monthly rent (i.e., a $100,000 house would rent for $1,000 per month). When we looked at rents and values in a large number of markets, that rule of thumb seemed too optimistic, particularly for single-family homes. We determined that 0.8 percent for single-family properties was probably more realistic as a rule of thumb. But that rule of thumb didn’t hold up: Many of the successful real estate investors consistently achieved higher-than-average rents. How do they do that?