Sustainability is here to stay, and in the commercial investment and operations business if you are not green you most likely will not survive, nor thrive in 2010 and beyond. At Beacon Capital Partners, LLC and Jones Lang LaSalle the future is so bright the companies are wearing shades. The duo recently announced the world s first Platinum LEED Certified multi-tenant building under the LEED for Existing Building: Operations & Maintenance (O&M) category at 550 West Washington Street in Chicago. The 10-year old asset owned by an affiliate of Beacon makes history as the first multi-tenant building to reach Platinum status.

I can hear June Cleaver now: “Wally, Beaver, dinner’s ready! Don’t forget to wash your hands.” Moms across our country - and beyond our borders - have been reminding kids for decades to practice good hygiene by washing their hands. The reason: to kill germs. Surprisingly, it was a mere 140 years ago that the public, thanks to French scientist Louis Pasteur, even became aware of the nature and threat of germs.

As we sit at the threshold of another flu season, people around the world are bracing themselves for the onslaught of the H1N1 virus, known as Swine Flu.

Across America, school administrators, teachers and business owners are preaching the practices of good hygiene and receiving a flu shot to counter the pandemic scientists say is approaching. And while schools, the workplace and other public locations may harbor a plethora of germs, your home might be the biggest culprit of all.

According to a 2009 study by the Hygiene Council and the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, these are the eight areas of a home that contain the highest concentration of germs:

1. Kitchen dishcloths/sponges - In this survey, 70 percent of sponges contained high levels of bacteria.
2. Kitchen sink faucets - 50 percent of the American homes surveyed were covered with bacteria.
3. Microwave touch-pads - Salmonella and E. coli are easily left on the timer pad when working with raw meat.
4. Bathroom tubs/showers - According to the study, a bathtub may contain 100 times more bacteria than a trash can. The shower is the third most germ-laden area in a home.
5. Light switches - Bathroom light switches may have as many germs as a trash container.
6. TV remotes - Handled by almost everyone in a household, they are a haven for all kinds of bacteria.
7. Baby’s changing table - Look at it as a “dirty toilet seat” that your baby’s body touches. Anything on or around the area can become contaminated with bacteria.
8. Pet food dishes - Not known for their hygiene, pets leave all kinds of bacteria in food and water bowls.

So, what to do?

• There should be a high turnover of sponges in the kitchen, unless thrown in the dishwasher or microwaved for disinfecting. Dishcloths should be washed in the hot cycle of a clothes washer.
• Use disinfectant spray or wipes in the kitchen on faucets and microwave touch-pads. You can also include handles on your refrigerator, cabinets, oven and dishwasher. Wipe down light switches and countertops too.
• Bathroom tubs/showers should be disinfected twice a week. And again, while you’re at it, disinfect sinks, faucets and the toilet seat.
• Dispose of dirty diapers in an airtight container and empty it often. Use disinfectant wipes on baby’s changing table, wipes container, diaper packaging and trash can.
• Light switches and TV remotes should be sanitized twice a week with a disinfectant.
• Pet dishes should be washed frequently and wash your hands after handling your pets’ bowls.

Certainly there’s no way to totally eliminate germs from your home, but being proactive in disinfecting many areas of high germ concentration can only help protect the health of you and your family.

TALK BACK: Did you know these eight areas have high levels of germs? Do you have any tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home? Post your comments below.

Posted by Sharon Walker

I can hear June Cleaver now: “Wally, Beaver, dinner’s ready! Don’t forget to wash your hands.” Moms across our country - and beyond our borders - have been reminding kids for decades to practice good hygiene by washing their hands. The reason: to kill germs. Surprisingly, it was a mere 140 years ago that the public, thanks to French scientist Louis Pasteur, even became aware of the nature and threat of germs.

As we sit at the threshold of another flu season, people around the world are bracing themselves for the onslaught of the H1N1 virus, known as Swine Flu.

Across America, school administrators, teachers and business owners are preaching the practices of good hygiene and receiving a flu shot to counter the pandemic scientists say is approaching. And while schools, the workplace and other public locations may harbor a plethora of germs, your home might be the biggest culprit of all.

According to a 2009 study by the Hygiene Council and the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, these are the eight areas of a home that contain the highest concentration of germs:

1. Kitchen dishcloths/sponges - In this survey, 70 percent of sponges contained high levels of bacteria.
2. Kitchen sink faucets - 50 percent of the American homes surveyed were covered with bacteria.
3. Microwave touch-pads - Salmonella and E. coli are easily left on the timer pad when working with raw meat.
4. Bathroom tubs/showers - According to the study, a bathtub may contain 100 times more bacteria than a trash can. The shower is the third most germ-laden area in a home.
5. Light switches - Bathroom light switches may have as many germs as a trash container.
6. TV remotes - Handled by almost everyone in a household, they are a haven for all kinds of bacteria.
7. Baby’s changing table - Look at it as a “dirty toilet seat” that your baby’s body touches. Anything on or around the area can become contaminated with bacteria.
8. Pet food dishes - Not known for their hygiene, pets leave all kinds of bacteria in food and water bowls.

So, what to do?

• There should be a high turnover of sponges in the kitchen, unless thrown in the dishwasher or microwaved for disinfecting. Dishcloths should be washed in the hot cycle of a clothes washer.
• Use disinfectant spray or wipes in the kitchen on faucets and microwave touch-pads. You can also include handles on your refrigerator, cabinets, oven and dishwasher. Wipe down light switches and countertops too.
• Bathroom tubs/showers should be disinfected twice a week. And again, while you’re at it, disinfect sinks, faucets and the toilet seat.
• Dispose of dirty diapers in an airtight container and empty it often. Use disinfectant wipes on baby’s changing table, wipes container, diaper packaging and trash can.
• Light switches and TV remotes should be sanitized twice a week with a disinfectant.
• Pet dishes should be washed frequently and wash your hands after handling your pets’ bowls.

Certainly there’s no way to totally eliminate germs from your home, but being proactive in disinfecting many areas of high germ concentration can only help protect the health of you and your family.

TALK BACK: Did you know these eight areas have high levels of germs? Do you have any tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home? Post your comments below.

Posted by Sharon Walker

You may have seen the headlines last week about the Federal Reserve continuing its policy of keeping interest rates low to stimulate the economy. But you might have missed a major byproduct of that move that’s certain to have a direct impact on home real estate: Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates slipped below the five percent mark for the first time in nearly half a year, dipping to 4.9 percent.

As the resale housing market goes, so does the renovation industry. For most of the last decade, existing homes sold at record levels. Since people tend to renovate their homes within the first three years of moving in, that meant residential renovation spending also set new records.

According to researchers of the Financial Trust Index (University of Chicago and Northwestern University) 81% of homeowners interviewed agreed with the statement that "it is morally wrong to walk away from a house when one can afford to pay the monthly mortgage."

Lots of big news rumbling out of FHA, which conti8neus to rack up record market shares of the home mortgage business.

We bought our home in 1991. The sellers had lived there for 62 years. Upgrades had been made: new furnace, some new windows and newer appliances. Original woodwork was intact and had been well-maintained: walnut doors, frames and baseboards. Closet doors had glass doorknobs with skeleton keys. The front and side doors were original.

We changed outdated wallpaper, the full bathtub, sink, mirror and painted nearly every room. What we didn’t change were the locks on the entry doors.

In a national study conducted by Kwikset in July, I discovered we are not alone. According to the study, ”forty-seven percent of homeowners do not change or re-key the locks to their home when they first move in.” In addition, “nearly one-third have never changed their locks or had them re-keyed at any point since moving in.” This was in light of the fact that most people surveyed felt home security was a top priority.

Add to the mix the number of people surveyed who loan out their house key. The study found “nearly ten percent have loaned out their key more than ten times.” Whoa! Without keeping tabs on who has your house key, you might make your home vulnerable to who knows who. Throw in multiple entries with keys and the margin for strangers latching onto your keys greatly increases.

I’m happy to say that in the 18 years we’ve owned our home, there have been no challenges to our security. To date, all keys are accounted for and in possession by our immediate family. What really needs to be replaced is one of the 80-year-old doors. There’s a greater need to protect our home from those who’d use “keyless” entry than those with keys.

TALK BACK: Have you ever changed your locks and/or loaned out your house key? Why or why not? Do you believe your home is secure? Post your comments below.

Posted by Sharon Walker