A home is not an island.

The surrounding neighborhood is just as important because it can have a big impact on your lifestyle -- safety, available amenities, and convenience all play their part, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

NAR also says you can keep your home value buoyed if you find the right neighborhood.

And you can find the right neighborhood by getting information direct from the best sources -- rather than from second hand and often incomplete data bases professing to offer you one stop shopping for all your neighborhood checking needs.

Before you go - check out Honolulu and Oahu's neighborhoods at
http://katebraden.com/neighborhoods.shtml to get some idea of which neighborhoods you should be looking in.

Homeowners now can claim up to $1,500 in expanded energy-efficiency tax credits for remodeling their principal residence to reduce energy consumption. Available until the end of 2010, the revamped Existing Home Retrofit (25C) Tax Credit helps consumers save two ways: on their costs and on their ultilty bills.

"Remodelers can help find the best methods of saving energy in your home with an assessment, like a home energy audit," explained Greg Miedema, CGR, CGB, CAPS, CGP, a remodeler from Tucson, Ariz. "Tightening the house to reduce air leakage by adding insulation, fixing ducts, and installing a more efficient heating and air conditioning system can help save on energy bills today while also reducing next year's tax bill."

The expanded federal tax credit refunds 30 percent of the product replacement cost up to a total of $1,500. It can be used not