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“Who Run the World? Girls!” – Beyonce

 

Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver is dedicated to inspiring girls to be “strong, smart, and bold.” In this world of limiting messages, sexual harassment, the “roles” women and girls are “supposed” to play, and the constant pressure to be pretty and perfect… girls have a lot to hold up to. Girls, Inc. helps them deal with these pressures, identify which ones don’t matter, and learn how to react to the ones that do (like standing up for yourself and shooting for the stars!).

 

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On a Recent Donation to Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver…

 

“Shaina Jordan is my amazing home buyer that selected Girls Inc. of Metro Denver for her donation. I love that Girls Inc. teaches girls to be ‘Strong, Smart and Bold’.

Too often women are taught to be careful. Instead, Girls Inc. teaches them to be brave,” says Conscious Real Estate Agent, Kimberly McAleenan.

“In a world where women are undervalued daily, I topped off this donation to $1,000 to help even more girls learn that they have value and can do so much more,” she added.       Thank you Kimberly!!!

 

The Girls’ Bill of Rights

Girls, Inc. created this Girls’ Bill of Rights to expressly state that girls have the right to:

to be themselves and to resist gender-stereotypes;
to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm;
to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success;
to accept and appreciate their bodies;
to have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world;
to prepare for interesting work and economic independence.

 

Where Does the Money Go?

 

Of course, when it comes to donations, donors always want to know if their money is well-spent and going to be used effectively. Charity Navigator gives Girls, Inc. four stars, a perfect score for accountability and transparency, and 95.52/100 overall. You can check out their amazing review here. Over eighty five percent of the funds they receive goes to programming!!! Just a tinge goes to admin and fundraising. Needless to say… that rocks! What kind of programming, you ask?

  • STEM Programs for Girls
  • Mentoring Programs
  • Anti-Bullying Solutions
  • After School and Summer Programs
  • College Tours
  • HS and College Prep Workshops
  • And, sooooo much more… learn more here.

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About Conscious Real Estate

We are a conscious real estate company that gives back to nonprofits with every home sale or purchase from out own commission. Yes, we are passionate about our community. We believe that by giving, we all receive. Local Denver nonprofits need funding. By working with Conscious Real Estate, our clients are able to donate large, lump sums to truly impact local programs.

 

Let’s face it… a larger donation goes further! If you’re thinking about moving to Denver, relocating to another neighborhood in Denver, purchasing an investment property, or selling your home, you can be the one in the picture with the big check presented to your favorite cause.

 

It’s a proud moment that makes our clients truly feel part of the community, making the impact they may have always wanted to, but just needed an opportunity like our Give 10% program to make it happen. Learn more here!

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Conscious Real Estate agents donate 10% of their own commission from a home sale or purchase to a nonprofit of their clients’ choosing.

 

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Conscious Real Estate Agent Kimberly McAleenan is a veteran herself. So, when her clients chose Veterans to Farmers as part of their 10% nonprofit donation, she was elated.

 

Kimberly explains: “Veterans to Farmers is an amazing organization that helps give Veterans a purpose after getting out of the military. They teach Veterans the tools they need to switch their mindsets from the military mindset to an agricultural mindset.”

 

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“They also educate and encourage Veterans to pursue their new paths to success. This non-profit has completely changed my client Luke B’s life and gave him new purpose,” she says.

 

More than anything, he wanted a home with a massive garage so he could have a space to grow mushrooms (for cooking not hallucinating!) and also be able to help educate other veterans on the process.

 

“I am honored to have helped Luke with the VA home buying process and to be able to donate to such an fantastic Veteran non-profit,” Kimberly beams.

 

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Conscious Real Estate Agent Kimberly McAleenan (left), with her client who chose Veterans to Farmers for his over $800 donation.

 

Veterans to Farmers is an organization dedicated to “turning protectors into providers” by teaching them valuable skills as hydroponic and in-soil farmers. The goal is a return to the family farm, powered by veterans. Farming is also a therapeutic way to channel their energy following trauma, and of course, can help make new bonds, whether with the plants, or fellow program participants – it gives options for healing, while working toward a positive goal.

 

Conscious Real Estate is proud to partner with local nonprofits with unique solutions to help people – such as farming!

 

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Kimberly McAleenan presents a large donation to Veterans to Farmers.

 

We think it’s great. If you’re looking for homes for sale in Denver and want to be represented by real estate advocates that truly care about our community, please contact us for a complimentary interview.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about Denver neighborhoods, the housing market, an intro to lending programs, or (often our favorite), insight into historical homes (we love ‘em!). We’re here for you and standing by.

January is Radon Action Month

January is Radon Action Month

Governor John Hickenlooper has declared that January will be Radon Action Month in Colorado. But, in all fairness, radon is a year-round issue.

What the heck is radon anyway?

Radon is the other odorless, invisible gas that can kill you, albeit much more slowly than carbon monoxide. According to EPA Estimates, Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. According to Carolyn Koke, director of market development for the AccuStar and RadonAway brands, radon is responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year–more than drunk driving, falls in the home, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

In Colorado, as many as 50-75% of homes are believed to have radon levels in excess of the EPA recommended action level of 4 picocuries (pCi) of radon per liter of air. Radon is a radioactive natural gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Colorado shows higher radon levels than many states “because radon is a byproduct of the decay of uranium and it exists in our soil everywhere because we live in a highly mineralized state,” said Warren Smith, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Winter is the perfect time to test your home for radon, according to Chrystine Kelley, radon program manager for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Testing your home for radon is simple and works best when all your doors and windows are closed,” Kelley said. “That’s why January is a great time to test, during National Radon Action Month.”

Radon is the other odorless, invisible gas that can kill you, albeit much more slowly than carbon monoxide.

If you are in the process of buying a home in Colorado, you can absolutely test for radon in your new home during the inspection period. However, there are some considerations to testing for radon during your real estate transaction…

  • If you test for radon during your inspection period, home inspectors will typically use a 48 hour radon test, which can be less accurate than the 3-month to 1-year radon test kits. Testing the home over a longer time period will give a far better picture of the true radon levels of the home, as the radon could be unusually high or low over any given 48 hour period.

 

  • The best time to test for radon is in the winter, when the home is all sealed up. A 3-month month test during the winter months will give the most accurate results to demonstrate how much radon is in your home, while a 1-year test will give you a true picture of how much radon shows up in your home over the course of time. Radon simply dissipates with air, so if doors and windows are kept open in the summer, radon levels will be lower or nonexistent.

 

  • If the home is currently inhabited by the seller while you test for radon, you have to trust that the seller is keeping the doors and windows closed during your test. If you are purchasing a home without air conditioning in the summer time, the seller would have to be willing to be unbearably hot for 48 hours on your behalf. In a perfect world, all sellers would happily do this. However, since a possible outcome of the seller’s discomfort would be that the home tests high for radon and now they are being asked to purchase a radon mitigation system for you, some sellers may not be compliant with radon testing.

 

  • If you are considering testing the home for radon during the inspection period, the question you should ask yourself is:

 

  • Even if this home tests high for radon during the inspection period, would I refuse to purchase this particular home if it tests high for radon and the seller refuses to install a mitigation system? (Keep in mind that it’s likely that other homes you may desire may also contain high radon levels with sellers who refuse to install a mitigation system.)

 

  • While 48-hour radon tests typically cost about $100, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment offer a FREE test kit to Colorado households, which is likely to be more accurate. Long-term radon tests also tend to be less costly than the 48-hour tests.

Let’s recap. If you are questioning, “Should I test my home for radon?” The answer is definitely, “yes, yes, and yes.”

The question is: should you test the home for radon before you have purchased the home or after you purchase the home? The benefit of testing for radon before you have purchased the home is that you have a chance of getting the seller to install a radon mitigation system on their own dime. Of course, this is at the seller’s discretion and many sellers may not be interested in this expenditure.

What do you do if you already own your home and your home tests high for radon?

If radon levels are high, you can reduce them, but it’s not a DIY job. Certified mitigation providers may use several methods, including sealing cracks in floors and walls and installing underground pipes and an exhaust fan, to lower radon levels. A radon mitigation system in Colorado usually costs about $800-$1,200 unless difficult design problems are encountered. If your water comes from a private well and you found a radon problem when you tested the air in your home, you can also consider testing your water, although radon in water is typically less of an issue than radon in the air.

 

Here is the link for a FREE RADON TEST KIT: https://environmentalrecords.colorado.gov/HPRMWebDrawerHM/RecordHtml/403292

If you would like to learn more about the testing and mitigation of radon, here is a video from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that is accompanied by scary and ominous music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1OcA1N2Tig&feature=youtu.be