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    Stick 'em up

    Caulk lovers unite: House passes man-pleasing green rebate bill

    Steven Devadanam
    May 7, 2010 | 5:07 pm

    Environmentalists and caulk enthusiasts all over America are rejoicing over the House's passing of the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, colloquially known as Cash for Caulkers to fit along the theme of the widely-successful Cash for Clunkers car program.

    If passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama, homeowners may appeal for as much as $8,000 in Caulkers rebates.

    Eligible retrofits include anything that blocks entry of outside air into a house (and therefore saves energy): sealants, foams, gaskets, weather stripping, mastics — basically all shapes and sizes of caulk. And the more places you find to lay down caulk, the more money you can get from The Man.

    The government's not about to exclude the nation's peeping toms — window replacements are eligible for rebate if the process includes at least eight windows, or 75 percent of a home's exterior window and skylights. Door replacements are included as well, and participants only have to replace one door to score — the front or back door — the House is leaving it up to personal preference.

    Also eligible are new furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, water heaters and the like.

    Consumers would access this money via discounts or rebates given by contractors or stores at point of sale, then vendors would apply to the government for the actual federal funds. Whether caulk dealers would be left waiting as long for their government paybacks as many car dealers were is a question for the future. As is whether the caulk program would run out of green dollars in a matter of hours like the Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program.

    One thing's certain — as always, a plethora of quality caulk may be found at big-box hardware stores as well as newly renovated gyms and gay clubs.

    Cash for Caulkers comes as a natural response to the wildly popular state-sponsored programs for energy-efficient appliances and has been touted by Obama as one of the signature pieces of his administration's larger job-creation strategy. After the House passed the measure, Obama declared, "We have workers eager to do new installations and renovations, and factories ready to produce new energy-efficient supplies."

    Reports CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicts that the legislation will create nearly 168,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing and retail. Her crystal ball also suggests that the measure will cut energy bills by up to $500 a year for some 3 million families.

    For the lower-income caulkers, the bill will distribute $600 million to states for grants to help mobile homeowners replace pre-1976 models with energy-efficient ones. Repaying caulk fiends has been a tough pill to swallow for House Republicans, as funding for the $6 billion measure is yet to be determined.

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    rent affordability news

    Houstonians need to make nearly $68,000 to afford rent in 2025

    Amber Heckler
    May 13, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Dolce Midtown Apartments Houston
    Photo courtesy of Dolce Midtown Apartments
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    A new rental report from Zillow has revealed Houston renters need to make about 23 percent more money than they did five years ago in order to afford rent in 2025.

    Zillow analysts examined the income needed to afford rent in 50 major U.S. metros, and determined rent prices in each city as of April 2025.

    The average Houston renter needs to make $67,731 a year to afford living in the city, the report found. To afford rent for a single-family home, the income needed increases even further to $85,017.

    Despite Houston's rising rent cost of living, it's still more affordable than many other cities. Nationally, the average income needed for someone to comfortably afford rent comes out to nearly $81,000. The study says that figure has increased nearly 35 percent since 2020.

    "Housing costs have surged since pre-pandemic, with rents growing quite a bit faster than wages," said senior Zillow economist Orphe Divounguy. "This often leaves little room for other expenses, making it particularly difficult for those hoping to save for a down payment on a future home. High upfront costs are often overlooked, which can keep renters in their current homes."

    Rent prices in Houston averaged $1,693 last month, which is less costly than the national average rent price of $2,024. Additionally, Houstonians are spending about 24 percent of their income on rent, while the typical American spends almost 30 percent of their income on rent.

    Renters are also saving hundreds of dollars in comparison to those that own their homes, as a recent SmartAsset study discovered the median monthly housing costs for a Houston homeowner came out to $2,219.

    At least we're not living on the East or West Coast, where eight U.S. metros require six-figure incomes to afford rent. Residents in San Jose, California need to make $136,532 a year to afford rent, the highest out of all 50 U.S. cities. Rent prices in San Jose came out to $3,413 in April.

    Here's how much money renters need to afford living in other Texas metros, according to Zillow:

    • Dallas – $71,413
    • Austin – $68,840
    • San Antonio – $58,590
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