tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36594641072408565332024-03-04T23:05:22.481-08:0031792 Green Homes in South GeorgiaCapital Home Builders is a custom luxury Green home builder in Georgia and Tallahassee Florida area. Our focus is to remain the premier custom green homebuilder in the Georgia area that specializes in serving those clients who demand that their homes be built to the highest quality specifications. Build your dream home with us. We build on our lot or your lotUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-72829379226699401692016-07-09T04:32:00.001-07:002016-07-10T13:03:27.850-07:00Avoid Dual Agency Pitfalls and The Pitfalls of South Georgia Dual Agency!<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMyvqmSMdKNeCIuj-5kALK8KGgo2enbHGe7O1Kvk_Smu65Bb1Ug8agPhLbQfdYHSxcQOV9BCEYYNm_Upz2Ao2jjjYzADzqQdKR8gOA0XS2p0_7gdC18i8qUA0kYUkG5gcns5eURLynJg/s1600/money_squeeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMyvqmSMdKNeCIuj-5kALK8KGgo2enbHGe7O1Kvk_Smu65Bb1Ug8agPhLbQfdYHSxcQOV9BCEYYNm_Upz2Ao2jjjYzADzqQdKR8gOA0XS2p0_7gdC18i8qUA0kYUkG5gcns5eURLynJg/s320/money_squeeze.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></st1:city></st1:place>
<st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></st1:city></st1:place>
<st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thomasville</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">, </span><st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> is a small town, just because most of them speak with a country accent that makes them look so friendly, but please do not fall for their cheap accent. Sorry but I will call it as it is they are scumbags and believe me or not most are females, not to say they are not males because they are. These so called "Realtors" will sale a wheelchair right from under a disabled person and not even think about it twice, but on the weekend they are at church asking for forgiveness and then they are back Monday morning screwing people over again.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">These lowlife are very aware of what goes on in this small town because most of them have lived in this town all of their lives and if your part of that lowlife group of "Realtors" which they all are aware of these bad lots and that trying to build a home on these bad lots will devalue the home, and when I say bad area, I mean "flood zone" in a flood zone you will pay a lot more then a regular lot for insurance. A "sinkholes" this is when you get so much rain that the land create a sinkhole. Now on hwy 19 in Thomasville, we have a subdivision that had a few sinkholes and this area has been on the news and with the stigma of this subdivision you will never sell your home, unless your local “lowlife “Realtor” works it out for the commission with another local lowlife “Realtor” to screw over a new buyer from out of town that is not aware of this subdivision stigma.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I was contacted by a nice couple that was looking for a piece of land to build their custom family home and they were not from here, they contacted a local lowlife “Realtor” and this lowlife “Realtor” wanted to sell them a lot and it was not even listed on the local<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:stockticker><st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">MLS</span></st1:stockticker></st1:stockticker><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">, so when a property or lot, land is not listed on the local MLS is because of a 2 reasons. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">1) It is a friend of this lowlife “Realtor” and they are aware of the problem with this lot or home and are trying to pass it along to a u</span>nknowing family. In a good scenario they would end up spending a fortune to build on the lot. worst scenario you would not be able to build on that lot. Now try to get your money back by re-listing the lot. The lowlife "Realtor" you get will tell you that you are going to have to drop the price that you paid because you paid to much for that lot or house. to pass it on to another sucker. "THIS SCENARIO HAPPENS EVERY DAY IN THIS TOWN WITH THESE LOCAL LOWLIFE "REALTORS" WITH HOMES AND LOTS."<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">2) Pocket listing, A </span><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">pocket listing</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> or hip </span></span><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">pocket listing</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> is a real estate industry term used in United States which denotes a property where a broker holds a signed </span></span><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">listing</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> agreement (or contract) with the seller, whether that be an "Exclusive Right to Sell" or "Exclusive Agency" agreement or contract, but where it is never advertised. In this town number 2 does not happen </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">often. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">A few years ago we had a person building really cheap </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">homes</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">below minimum building code and to make a long store short this person built these homes all around the county and city and he is still building in Thomasville, GA., but these homes he build a few years ago were really badly built, now the listing lowlife “Realtor” knew that these homes were being built bad, but she did not give two S**ts. You see she was only interested in the commission. But you see all of these lowlife "Realtors knew that these homes were being built bad they all were more interested in the commission then looking out for their client the buyer. So in Thomasville, GA. And<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">South Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">these lowlife “Realtors” do not care about you the seller or buyers. They say that “Realtors” have a Code of Ethics, not if they are from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">South Georgia they do not</span></st1:place></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I have been living in this town close to 20 years, and I have seen and heard of so mean unethical activities that are unbelievable. I am a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:state><st1:place><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Florida</span></st1:place></st1:state></st1:place></st1:state><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">and Georgia Real Estate License holder and I would prefer to sell shoes then to activate my license with any of these so called real estate agents in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">South Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:city><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thomasville</span></st1:city></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:state><st1:state><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">GA.</span></st1:state></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Why would you think that they are so many “For Sale by owner signs”? in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">South Georgia</span></st1:place></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">. The first time we came to this town looking at properties we most of gone through a few of these lowlifes "Realtors", because they just wanted to show us first all of their personal listings and then their office listings. </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">when we asked about the “For Sale by owner” they would answer with “I do not have any information on that property and if it is not listed there most be something wrong with it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">A long time ago I had my Real Estate license activated in Florida and our broker told us to try and go get the listing from a 'For Sale by Owner" and if we could not get the listing if they would be interested in paying 3% if we bring them a buyer and 99% of the time they would say YES. If you are a true professional Realtor you would look at the "for sale by owner" as a potential home to sell. No, not these lowlife "Realtors" they think they are worth 6% commission for doing nothing. Remember in Georgia these lowlifes "Realtors" are dual agents which means they get the full 6% commission. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Now do you think they deserve 6% commission for selling a home on square footage alone. You see they are so lazy that they do not care to learn anything new a home has or what is so special about a particular listing. I am sure you are aware of these show on TV that sale real estate like "million dollar listing of new York". You sell properties on the custom features a home has. It might be a cliche' but yes that's how real estate agents really work. Not look at a listing and say one has more square footage then the other because any monkey can do that for less than 6%. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Now these lowlife scumbags ”Realtor” when it comes to "For Sale by owners" they will talk bad about the house, they will tell a potential buyer anything that they can come up with at any cost to avoid showing a "for sale by owner" You see these lowlife "Realtors" are even willing to cut each others throat because remember they get full commission of 6% when they sell their own listing that is what " Dual Agency" is. And also remember they are all trying to make as much money as possible. They do not care about you the buyer or seller they are all money hungry. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">they will not tell you how much your house is wroth they will just take the listing and list it, then after a while when you have no showing they come and tell you that you have to low your price, because remember the cheaper you list it the faster they make their full 6% commission and they will not have to split the commission. And in some occasions when they take a listing the seller has to full out a property disclosure and by law they are supposed to list anything wrong with the property. Now it is very interesting how these forms are filled out. If you're buying a home I would take a very good look at this form, because you are going to tell me that you have lived in the house all of your life or had the house built, or lived in the house for a long time and you are going to check mark on "you are not aware of any issues. "YEAH RIGHT" this would be the recommendation of the lowlife "Realtor" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Then of they see that your home has been listed by them and then take the listing from them to another office they will not show it and there excuse is that that house has been on the market for a long time so there must be something wrong with it.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">“ to be continued I will be adding more to this blog. <u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 20.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.2pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
Wouldn’t it be nice if life were clear-cut? Often in residential real estate it is: The most common legal arrangement in the business is for a listing agent from one company to represent the seller and a buyer’s agent from another company to represent the buyer in a transaction. The advantage to this scenario is that when negotiations arise or the parties are sending counteroffers back and forth, the two sides have a relatively balanced opportunity to obtain guidance and strategy from their own representative. But dual agency creates relationships with clients and customers that aren’t clear-cut.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;">For example, Rita Real Estate Broker is the listing agent holding an open house for her client, Sam Seller. Barb Buyer asks Rita details about the property during the open house, tells Rita she isn’t working with an agent, and asks Rita’s help in preparing an offer for Sam’s house. Rita has to stop, ask Barb if she’s asking for representation, and decide if she wants to enter into a dual agency relationship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
First Rita must resolve whether her state’s laws and her brokerage’s policies permit dual agency. Next, she must determine whether Sam Seller has agreed to let her act as a dual agent in the transaction and obtain his full, written consent to Rita’s new role. She must also disclose the limitations the dual agency will place on her ability to assist Barb and Sam. Only then will Rita have done everything necessary to create disclosed dual agency.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
If she does enter into a disclosed dual agency relationship, Rita must observe her state’s dual agency laws, which probably require her to keep some types of information from each party confidential. In a dual agency relationship, Rita’s fiduciary duties to her clients are much more limited. She can no longer be an advocate for either party because each client has opposite goals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
Designated Dual Agency</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
Avoiding Dual Agency Traps<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
Dual agency relationships occur not only when one agent represents two parties but also when two agents from the same company represent two parties in the transaction. If Rita’s friend Alice Agent, who works out of a different office of the same brokerage Rita is affiliated with, comes to Rita’s open house with her buyer clients, Bill and Betty Buyers, and the Buyers later make an offer, once again, a dual agency relationship may be created.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;">In some states, there’s another option, designated dual agency. In these cases, the broker of Alice’s and Rita’s brokerage could designate one agent to represent the buyer-client and another to represent the seller-client. The broker would screen off some transaction information so that neither agent has access to the confidential information of the other party.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;">Although designated dual agency can work well, it poses the same general challenges as a typical dual agency arrangement. Designated agency still places significant responsibilities on each agent and on the brokerage to follow strict management policies to avoid compromising the integrity of the transaction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<span style="line-height: 20.4pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
In a few states — <st1:state>Colorado</st1:state>, <st1:state>Florida</st1:state>, and <st1:state>Kansas</st1:state> — dual agency is prohibited. This prohibition ensures that the real estate practitioner isn’t put in the difficult position of trying to satisfy both parties and risking that one or both parties may walk away feeling they didn’t receive the focused and thorough representation they expected. That dissatisfaction could lead to legal action, especially if there are problems with the transaction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
However, if dual agency is legal in your state and you want to make it a part of your business model, be sure to take these steps to ensure that both clients are treated fairly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
1. Review your state’s laws (consult with an attorney if necessary) to determine if dual agency is legal and what disclosures and procedures you must follow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
2. Review your brokerage company’s policy to see if dual agency is permitted and exactly what actions you as a dual agent may not perform for each party.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
3. Disclose the dual agency and what it means to all clients in writing, and obtain their timely, written consent to the relationship. Be sure to explain how dual agency limits your ability to fully represent each party.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
4. Review and discuss with your client any state-mandated agency disclosure forms. Some states also have statutory language that must be included in all dual agency agreements. Failing to properly disclose dual agency is illegal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
5. Recommend that both parties retain attorneys to advise them regarding the purchase agreement, contingencies, price, earnest money, or other negotiated issues. This can be a win-win for all parties involved since the client will be adequately represented and the attorneys’ participation will take pressure and liability off of the sales associate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 27.2px;">
If you’re careful in informing all parties about the requirements of a dual agency relationship, acting as an agent for both can be a viable way to close deals. Just don’t let your desire to get the deal done lead you to inadvertently overstep the limitations dual agency imposes.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-67244589624577665172015-12-04T07:43:00.003-08:002015-12-04T07:43:17.691-08:00WE ARE THE BEST BUILDERS BY FAR IN GEORGIA AND NORTH FLORIDA<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
WE ARE THE BEST BUILDERS BY FAR IN GEORGIA AND NORTH FLORIDA</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
What is Your HERS Score?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
At CHB Homes tremendous efforts go into making our homes energy efficient and we are extremely pleased with our HERS rating scores. The HERS rating score has helped us become the premier Green Builder in the Georgia and North Florida area for new custom homes. The HERS rating score is mentioned and utilized throughout our planning/design and construction processes, so for those of you who may not know what a HERS score is we have provided more details below.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
The RESNET HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. The HERS or Home Energy Rating System was developed by RESNET and is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. Certified RESNET Home Energy Raters conduct inspections to verify a home’s energy performance. Tests include verification of density of insulation, vapor & air barriers, blower door tests (to check the house leakage), duct system performance testing, and many others.</div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
A code built home has a HERS score of 100. CHB Homes new custom built homes have been averaging HERS scores in the low 50’s, which means our homes are typically 40%+ more efficient than a code built home.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
Our new build home scored a 49, meaning an overall $2,965 savings annually for our clients. It also means a tighter sealed home with less draft during uneven temperatures, therefore simply more comfortable overall.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
RESNET explains a HERS score in the 40’s is a very good score indeed! RESNET states a builder has done a lot of the right things to make this home more energy efficient, like using energy efficient lighting systems and installing efficient heating and cooling equipment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">
Do you know what your HERS score is?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov4yuOFTggpD2f_3c2DJKTHMb5t74qLtht-oWo-uIa66S6vBMK6TWv1TJLmo52Cr0AOKFpG3p7GX3fUfuCLVsv-ZYUfpA4VKn-pvqHA1GL7xVt87mafWyyA0an08XcrG7cB_oLJZy72A/s1600/HERS122.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov4yuOFTggpD2f_3c2DJKTHMb5t74qLtht-oWo-uIa66S6vBMK6TWv1TJLmo52Cr0AOKFpG3p7GX3fUfuCLVsv-ZYUfpA4VKn-pvqHA1GL7xVt87mafWyyA0an08XcrG7cB_oLJZy72A/s320/HERS122.png" width="245" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-35884425847628835542014-12-22T09:25:00.002-08:002014-12-22T09:25:43.038-08:00Georgia first and only Builder building HERS Rated homes with Score of 54!<address>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;">We are the only builder in South Georgia and
North Florida building HERS Rated homes with
a score of 54 this puts CHB Homes on the top
1%ER in the U.S. building high-performance
homes, what does this mean for our home
buyer's? A utility bill of $50/per Month
for a custom smart 2,500 Sq. Ft. home. ("This
is a CHB gift that keep on giving" When
buying a new home in Thomasville and South
Georgia if it's not a high-performance home
than it's built with 80's technology.</span></span></address>
<address>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></address>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyBSZqdjDAxOZRMBznJ0LkKzyHRcj74MH5A0dMB3FPb649RvBt6s5efcJC_AiU0POIPXvGhJuuuIzWAqziPHw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<address>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></address>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-74214279647186537332014-09-04T09:35:00.002-07:002014-09-04T09:35:43.273-07:00MY AGENT SAYS HE WILL BE DOUBLE DIPPING - THAT SOUNDS GROSS<address>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">First-time buyer</span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> – My agent
showed me a house that I like and for which he is the listing agent. I
heard him use the term double-dipping. I know you’re not supposed to do that
with chips and dips, but what is that all about in real estate?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Answer</span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> - Double dipping
at the chips and dip station is a nasty party etiquette faux pas and it
can be a nasty real estate practice too, involving not so much etiquette as
ethics. Some states have enacted real estate laws and practices to limit the
practice or at least to bring full transparency to it. </span><st1:state><st1:place><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Michigan</span></st1:place></st1:state></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> is what is
called a Designated Agency state. That means that we have laws that define the
agency role and responsibilities when a Realtor signs a client up to be their
listing agent or their buyer agent and it requires a clear definition and
agreement with the client about what role the agent is playing. The
cornerstone of the concept of agency is the agent’s fiduciary responsibility to
the client.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Curt Vonnegut used to
do a commercial for TIAA-CREF, the retirement programs people, in which he had
fun with the word fiduciary. It does sound funny. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">From Wikipedia comes
this definition of a fiduciary –</span></strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">A fiduciary is a legal
or ethical relationship of trust between two or more parties. Typically, a
fiduciary prudently takes care of money for another person. In a
fiduciary relationship, one person, in a position of vulnerability, justifiably
vests confidence, good faith, reliance, and trust in another whose aid, advice
or protection is sought in some matter. In such a relation good conscience
requires the fiduciary to act at all times for the sole benefit and interest of
the one who trusts. A fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care at either
equity or law. A fiduciary (abbreviation fid) is expected to be extremely loyal
to the person to whom he owes the duty (the "principal"): such that
there must be no conflict of duty between fiduciary and principal, and the
fiduciary must not profit from his position as a fiduciary (unless the
principal consents). </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;">This also goes for Realtor working directly with a local
builder. This is also called double dipping and when that Realtor/broker is
part owner of new homes being built and sold by the same agent, that's illegal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><u2:p></u2:p>So, when
a client signs up with a real estate agent to list his house, the agent takes
on a fiduciary role with that client. That means that the agent may learn
things from the client that the client does not want to others to know, such
and how much he’d really sell the place for. The agent is bound by his fiduciary
relationship not to disclose that to a buyer. The agent owes his loyalty to the
seller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">So what happens when
that same agent signs up a buyer couple and starts looking for houses for them.
He owes fiduciary loyalty to the buyers and shouldn’t disclose things like how
much the buyer is willing to pay to any sellers. So far, so good.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Now, suppose that the
agent is sending the buyers listings and they happen to see one of his listings
and want to see it. Even worse, they love it and want to put in a bid on it.
Where do the agents loyalties lay now? Can that agent serve two masters? Some
states allow that to happen and some put some pretty good restrictions on what
the agent can do and what level of transparency has to be maintained for both
parties to the deal.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<st1:state><st1:place><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Michigan</span></st1:place></st1:state></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> requires that
the agent get the written permission of both parties before he should even show
the house to the buyers. That written permission should state clearly the
compromise that the agent will have to make if placed in this position. The
things that need to be dealt with in that document include what the agent can
and cannot disclose to either side and includes a strict prohibition against
sharing any secrets or confidences that either party has already shared with
the agent. Potentially a bigger issue is the fact that the dual agent can no
longer negotiate for either side. If having the agent there to handle the
negotiations was important to either side, that is gone if the agent is allowed
to become a dual agent. Some states, like </span><st1:state><st1:place><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">California</span></st1:place></st1:state></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">, that don’t have
designated agency laws in effect, are currently dealing with dual agency cases
in their court systems that could have major impact across the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;">So, what’s the double dip
thing? That means that the agent is going to receive both sides of the
commission – double what he/she would normally make – thus a double dip into
the commission pot. That’s not an illegal things or necessarily a bad thing,
but is does provide the motivation to perhaps not render as much fiduciary
responsibility as is still possible. The agent may become more motivated by the
opportunity to double dip that to protect the interests of both parties. Money
tends to corrupt like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">How can you protect
yourself against the potential problems that could be caused by dual agency?
The simple answer is not to allow it. Since the agent needs to have your
permission in most states to act in a dual agent role, just tell them that
you’d prefer not to do business that way. Ask them to have a different agent
represent the buyer or you, so that each of you has an agent who can give you
the full fiduciary attention and responsibility that you should have. In states
that don’t have Designated Agency laws that may mean finding an agent in a
different company. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Your agent may refer
you to another agent and it is perfectly legal for him/her to get a referral
fee for doing that. That way you are still rewarding the agent who worked for
you and found you the house that you want, even if he/she can’t be there with
you through the sale. If your agent refuses to do something about the
dual-agency issue, then fire that agent and find another agent. He/she was more
interested in double dipping that in making sure your interests were properly
served.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">The agent might take
the position that he can represent only the seller but can still do the
paperwork and put the deal together. Listing agents who meet unrepresented
buyers at open houses in their own listings often take that approach. You’ll
need to decide whether you feel comfortable with that and whether you are
concerned that the agent may already know enough about your and your
wherewithal to put you at a disadvantage in the negotiations – people do tend
to talk at open houses, especially to the friendly, nice man that showed them through.
You can see how hard this can be to keep straight. Double dipping has been a
fairly common practice in many places and is a favorite with many agents for
obvious reasons; but, the bottom line is that it’s up to you and you need to
feel completely comfortable with the representation that you will be getting in
the deal. If you are not, remember the advice that you used to hear about drugs
or teenage sex, just say no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<address style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> http://normwerner.realtytimes.com/advicefromagents1/item/28614-my-agent-says-he-will-be-double-dipping-that-sounds-gross</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></address>
<address>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></b></address>
</address>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-10886538066570925592014-09-03T05:40:00.003-07:002014-09-03T05:40:47.459-07:00Should A Home Buyer Use The Listing Agent?<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">
Double Dipping</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<img alt="Dual Agency" class="alignright size-full wp-image-10960" height="350" src="http://www.sacramentorealestatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Double-Dipping-in-Real-Estate.jpg" style="box-shadow: rgb(51, 51, 51) 0px 8px 7px -6px; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;" width="350" />Home Buyers should be aware of what Dual Agency means specifically to them and the purchase of a house or condo. In the real estate business we refer to this as “double dipping.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It has been written about for years that when a listing agent also represents the home buyer, it either means no one gets represented fully where the real estate agent becomes neutral or the home buyer is left out in the cold with no representation at all. You need to remember that a relationship was established with the home seller long before the home buyer came into the picture. In other words the fiduciary relationship was originally with the seller. You can’t serve two masters fairly! And don’t let anyone try and convince you otherwise.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">
Dual Agency is Double Dipping</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
A definition of dual agency is “a breach of agency rules” which must be disclosed to the parties because the agent has a conflict of interest when representing both the buyer and the seller. That should tell you something!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I prefer an “arms length” transaction where I totally represent my client and I do NOT do dual agency. Anyone who says they can give both sides equal representation is fooling himself/herself as well as the uneducated client.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Do some real estate agents like dual agency, well sure they get paid twice. But, for the inexperienced real estate agent who thinks only of the double commission, they may find a lawsuit will eat up that double dipping! The number 1 claim and complaints filed are about Dual Agency. More real estate complaints occur due to Dual Agency where the client’s did not feel they were fully represented.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
These are the States that ban Dual Agency:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Alabama</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Florida</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Kansas</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Maryland</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Now, the uscrupuious listing real estate agent who has lingo down pat of, “I’ll give you your own PRIVATE showing.” Or scares the buyers into thinking they have to write a contract with the listing agent in order to get the house are all examples of an unethical real estate agent. The uneducated, naive home buyer is typically the one who falls for this lingo. And in the end, some of those very home buyers actually think they got a good deal…how sad!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Private showings are always the case whenever a home is shown unless it’s an Open House so don’t fall for the “private showing” gibberish. And scaring a home buyer into thinking they must write the offer with the listing agent in order to get the house is not only unethical, it’s a lie. The seller will pick the best offer. The seller only cares about how much money they will net. So, don’t fall for that lie.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Do you double dip your chip in the dip? Then don’t be represented by the same real estate agent that represents the seller. Some things are just not Kosher. And if you have an established relationship with a REALTOR®, then by all means be loyal and don’t fall prey to ridiculous rhetoric from a listing agent.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
In summation, this article is for all home buyers. You have now become educated on the pitfalls of NO REPRESENTATION when going along with Dual Agency. The first question an ethical REALTOR® asks is, “are you currently working with a real estate agent?”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
A unethical agent never asks and ropes you in and hopes you fall for their tricks while smiling all the way to the bank. Wise up home buyers and don’t be taken! When you go to that Open House without your REALTOR®, then take their business card with you and speak up…I have a REALTOR®.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">http://sacramentorealestatevoice.com/should-a-home-buyer-use-the-listing-agent/#comment-44863</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-81694228959974729052014-09-01T15:07:00.001-07:002014-09-01T15:07:52.779-07:00Buying a new Home in Thomasville or South Georgia Compare features..<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="background: white; color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Custom Green Homes from $86/Per Sq. Ft. </span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We don't build eight minimum code homes at a time we build
custom green high-performance homes and we build it right. Don't overpay for a
new home with less features and an overpriced H.O.A in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">South</span></st1:city><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><st1:state><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">GA</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">,
We are the only builder building green homes in </span><st1:place><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">South
Georgia</span></st1:place><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> with Energy bill GUARANTEED!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 480;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Capital Home Builders – We are the only true custom
home builder in </span></b><st1:city><st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Thomasville</span></b></st1:place></st1:city><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, and </span></b><st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">South
Georgia</span></b></st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:stockticker>CHB</st1:stockticker></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Homes</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other New Homes</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>All of our homes
are built with </b><st1:state><st1:place><b>Florida</b></st1:place></st1:state><b> Code NOT </b><st1:country-region><st1:place><b>Georgia</b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b>…. <span style="color: red;">Better Code </span>/
Better Homes..<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div class="MsoNormal">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) Stronger foundation and Footers - Our Found are built
with Wire Mash and Fiber</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) 2X6 Exterior Walls - Stronger House and More Wall Insulation</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) Continuous load Path - Stronger House (Ask other
builders will not know)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
4) Trusses Design with Heel for extra insulation <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
5) Titanium Underlayment With Ice & water and
installed properly. <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
6) Whole House Surge protector<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
7) Hole House Wiring For Smart Home</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
8) Video Surveillance Monitor on Vacation</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
9) Smart thermostat Lower A/C with Smart Phone.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
10) 2.5 Ton 16 SEER A/C unit. For a 2,500 Sq. Ft. Home.
Very Energy Efficient </div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
11) Tankless Water Heater<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
12) Top Quality Energy efficient Windows </div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
13) Advanced Framing - (Ask Other Builders Will not know
what that is…)</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
14) Insulated <st1:country-region>Georgia</st1:country-region>.
</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
15) No <st1:city>Bath</st1:city>
inserts – Top Quality Porcelain Tile<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
16) Dual Flush Toilets<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
17) Architectural Shingles – NOT three tab shingles other
builders use.<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
18) 2’ Overhang trusses for more shade – Other builder NO….</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
19) 6" Fascia For a better roof look – Other Builders
4” Fascia <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
20) High Quality Cement Board Siding. </div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
21) Driveway has Fiber with Wire mash – Other Builders DO
NOT</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
22) A/C Unit reviewed by a mechanical Engineer<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
23) Our homes are rated by an Energy Smart Rater.</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
24) LED and CFLs - All of our homes come with High-End
Lighting <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
25) HERS Rating of 54 THAT MAKES OUR HOMES 46% BETTER <st1:stockticker>THAN</st1:stockticker>
ANY OTHER. </div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571">
<div class="MsoNormal">
You will not find a better built home in <st1:city>Thomasville</st1:city>
and <st1:place>South Georgia</st1:place></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.0pt;" valign="top" width="60">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
X</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="72">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-39887059593351841472014-08-07T13:47:00.001-07:002014-08-07T13:47:17.905-07:00CHB is ranked top 1% of builders in the U.S. building high-performance homes with a score of 54.<h2 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 13.8pt; margin-top: 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The home energy rating system (HERS) provides a number rating that makes it easy for consumers to see how same-size homes compare in energy use. The lower the number, the less energy used.</span></h2>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15.859999656677246px;">
We at capital home builders have been pushing the envelope when it comes to building spec homes with custom features. We have reached a new milestone by building homes with a HERS Rating of 54. We are the only builder in South Georgia and North Tallahassee fl. to achieve a score of 54. Our 2,500 square foot home will have an electrical bill under $100/per month. We are ranked top 1%er of builders in the U.S. building high-performance homes.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 12.75pt;">
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that a typical resale home scores 130 on the HERS Index, while a typical new home might rate 100. A home with a HERS Index Score of 70 is 30%more energy efficient than that standard new home, and 60% more efficient than a typical resale.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 12.75pt;">
“A home is one of the largest and most important purchases a family can make but, until recently, buyers have had little information about what their costs to own the home would be long term. When we buy a new car, we know how much mileage we can expect to get. Homebuyers should know the expected performance and monthly energy costs of a home.” <b>We give our home buyers a gift that keeps on giving.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 12.75pt;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 12.75pt;">
<b><br /></b><a class="" href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1406811791339_o.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue !important; cursor: text !important;"><img alt="" class="yui-img" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1406811791339_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer !important; margin: 5px; width: 500px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-79930557371468852842014-01-12T12:23:00.002-08:002014-01-12T12:23:59.267-08:00A HERS® Index Score Can Help Sell Your Home!<h1 class="entry-title" id="articleTitle" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #0e3d70; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 0.42em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">We at Capital Home Builders have always built homes to a
higher standard by using quality materials and labors. Our homes are not built
like standard built homes in <st1:city>Thomasville</st1:city>
and <st1:place>South Georgia</st1:place>. The approach to building a minimum
code home is “how much can I really cut back on laborers, materials and
building code. Capital Home Builders approach to building a quality high-performance
homes is how can we build it better, stronger and more energy efficient, our
RESNET number do not lie. </span></span></div>
</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZLpptCdHIxwjkkekZGJsz_CkIcLYY0potk14oX8QwS7qQhQ7gAxpuy61WNAmeh9DcDFPbG-zaaEqZL4fOL4IJXCe6w_3tA_QPx6HpYTUq2ePEZhgMDxjyV4-GRGXzqS_V7vntaGD2LFF/s1600/RESNET-CHB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZLpptCdHIxwjkkekZGJsz_CkIcLYY0potk14oX8QwS7qQhQ7gAxpuy61WNAmeh9DcDFPbG-zaaEqZL4fOL4IJXCe6w_3tA_QPx6HpYTUq2ePEZhgMDxjyV4-GRGXzqS_V7vntaGD2LFF/s1600/RESNET-CHB.jpg" height="120" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
If you’re selling your home and a potential buyer wants to know what its HERS Index Score is, can you tell them? Because chances are, this is a question that’s going to come up more and more often. That’s because the issue of home energy efficiency is on the rise and consumers are trying to cut back costs wherever they can – and that extends to buying a home.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fact: the highest cost of homeownership outside of the home loan is energy.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
For many years, consumers have been able to buy cars and appliances based on energy performance. While cars have MPG (miles-per-gallon) stickers and appliances have Energy Guide labels, for the longest time homebuyers had no way of knowing the potential energy costs of homes they were viewing. That meant sometimes choosing a home that ended up costing more than anticipated due to poor energy performance. The <a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/index-scores-lower-better/" style="border: 0px; color: #002664; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; padding: 0px;">HERS Index Score</a> changes that.</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 3.077em 0.89em 1.538em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="background-image: url(http://www.resnet.us/images/layout/bullet.png); background-position: 0px 6px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.48em 0.82em;">The HERS Index was developed by RESNET and is the industry standard by which a home’s energy performance is measured.</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://www.resnet.us/images/layout/bullet.png); background-position: 0px 6px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.48em 0.82em;">A HERS Index Score is the result of a <a href="http://hersindex.com/articles/energy-rating/" style="border: 0px; color: #002664; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; padding: 0px;">comprehensive HERS rating</a>, in which a certified RESNET HERS Rater assesses a home on its energy performance.</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fact: mortgage </b><a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/lower-mortgage-risks-with-energy-efficient-homes/" style="border: 0px; color: #002664; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; padding: 0px;">default risks are 32% lower</a><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> on homes with low HERS Index Scores.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #25a5ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.42em; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 0.42em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
Why Should Homeowners Get a HERS Index Score?</h2>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
A HERS Index Score tells you how your house compares to other similar homes for energy performance. The lower the score, the more energy efficient the home; the more energy efficient the home, the higher the potential resale value. The Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, “found that newly constructed homes with third-party certifications for sustainability and energy efficiency <a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/increase-home-value-with-energy-mortgage/" style="border: 0px; color: #002664; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; padding: 0px;">sold for 8% more</a> on average than non-certified homes in the six-county Portland metropolitan area. Existing houses with certifications sold for 30% more.” Their report, published in May 2009, confirms that energy efficient retrofits add value to homes, resulting in generally higher resale prices for sellers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fact: energy efficient homes save money, improve home comfort and enjoy higher resale values.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
As a homeowner, you want to keep your energy costs under control and your home comfort levels high. The best way to achieve this is through energy efficient improvements. By making your home more energy efficient, not only do you save money and improve your home comfort, you also add value to your home. And that means a higher resale price when you sell, because <a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/hers-index-and-homebuyers/" style="border: 0px; color: #002664; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; padding: 0px;">homebuyers want energy efficient homes</a>, and HERS Index scores tell them how energy efficient a home is.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494c54; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 3em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Therefore, as a homeowner who is looking at their home as not just a place to live in but also as an investment, getting a HERS Index Score is the smart thing to do. After all, you know how energy efficient your car is – don’t you want to know about your home too?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/index-score-can-help-sell-home/">http://www.resnet.us/library/index-score-can-help-sell-home/</a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-73790815707170372382014-01-11T07:03:00.003-08:002014-01-12T12:23:34.585-08:00EFFICIENT HOMES MAY BE MORE VALUABLE THAN OTHERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RrPvxfS-VE2oIdYSHKitXmCq0jPwYDxMnDzQdE7Vce_eb7vMfBDFkco7EqKW67FwkzC8AB3ddpOZC8NtXi3Mm9elVvE8flt_8QHCA0LxXx4keaOr6S5_dUXEUGjPrCq4okgRpNlA6XGV/s1600/500x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RrPvxfS-VE2oIdYSHKitXmCq0jPwYDxMnDzQdE7Vce_eb7vMfBDFkco7EqKW67FwkzC8AB3ddpOZC8NtXi3Mm9elVvE8flt_8QHCA0LxXx4keaOr6S5_dUXEUGjPrCq4okgRpNlA6XGV/s1600/500x500.jpg" height="105" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">We are the
first and only builder building energy smart custom home builders. All of our
homes are built above minimum code with high-end materials and quality laborers.
We GUARANTEE that our homes are more energy efficient than any other new
or existing home built in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">Thomasville</span></st1:city><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">, </span><st1:state><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;">GA.</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: green; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-large;">You simply can't buy a NEW HOME and get a
better RATING then "GUARANTEED".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: green; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
When insurance companies offer discounts for lower risk customers, you can bet it’s based on reliable evidence. Think lower car insurance rates for drivers with no speeding tickets, and discounted life insurance for non-smokers.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
Genworth, the large private mortgage insurance firm spun-off from General Electric, now offers a discount for buyer of energy efficient houses. (OK – Genworth implemented this policy in Canada — but <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/important-to-understand-how-to-value-homes-that-incorporate-green-or-sustainable-building-methods-says-genworth-mortgage-insurance-video-230663491.html" style="color: black;" target="_blank">reports suggest</a> it’s coming to the US market….</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
Genworth is validating that the risk of loss to the mortgage lender is lower when the borrower is in a more energy efficient house.</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_129916" style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: center; width: 610px;">
<img alt="Blue Sky Homes Desert 2" class="size-full wp-image-129916" src="http://www.earthtechling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Blue-Sky-Homes-Desert-2-e1377800996179.jpg" height="162" style="border: 0px; color: #cc0000; height: auto !important; max-width: 100%;" width="320" /><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #8c919b; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 18px;">
Image via Blue Sky Building Systems</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
The policy makes a ton of sense. Attributes of an energy efficient house — better air sealing, more insulation, high performance appliances — are attributes of a well-built house. These measures make a house more valuable. If the borrower gets into income trouble and can’t afford the mortgage payments, a more efficient house will likely hold its value better than a house built to lower standards.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
And home value is a strong predictor of lender losses — if a borrower has home equity, default is rare because the house can be sold for more than the mortgage. For more on that, see <a href="http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/campbell/files/amodelofmortgagedefault20122808.pdf" style="color: black;" target="_blank">this paper by economist John Campbell.</a></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
A more efficient house also means lower energy expenses, so the borrower might not get into income trouble in the first place. And, these lower expenses are one reason an efficient house is more valuable.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
A funny thing about the mortgage market is that this kind of policy can be self-fulfilling. The fact that more energy efficient houses are more valuable is a basis for the Genworth policy to give a discount, but it’s also likely to be an outcome of the policy. That is, the discount on mortgage insurance should allow some borrowers to pay more for energy efficient houses and increase demand for those houses among homebuyers. This effect should remind lenders, investors, appraisers, and others how the current, conventional policy can be self-fulfilling in the opposite direction — loan policies that make it difficult for a borrower to borrow more to pay a premium for a more energy efficient house can inhibit the very evidence needed to support policy correction.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
While most U.S. mortgage borrowers don’t get private mortgage insurance, the fact that Genworth has adopted this new policy should be a strong signal to lenders, investors, appraisers, and others to continually assess how the value of energy efficiency is reflected in the property value and the loan.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Lato, Arial, Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 18px;">
<a href="http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/12/efficient-homes-may-be-more-valuable-than-others/">http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/12/efficient-homes-may-be-more-valuable-than-others/</a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-66859127998421494112014-01-05T09:01:00.002-08:002014-01-05T09:01:11.702-08:00“Green” Labeled Homes Worth More on the Real Estate Market, Study Says<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp49iXr1llZkJDmYXw1_Hrlgh1F6-3Fo9y2fSHNsM2Go80Fz652KBlgWQ-nfSvAJ7zBaP1NvJmZOA_Y_lLD7aIKenrvqBbf6mPNmtUkTkFh9AjrPfYCIO4VIDACp08mVW_5pZ678QrV4/s1600/green-label-homes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp49iXr1llZkJDmYXw1_Hrlgh1F6-3Fo9y2fSHNsM2Go80Fz652KBlgWQ-nfSvAJ7zBaP1NvJmZOA_Y_lLD7aIKenrvqBbf6mPNmtUkTkFh9AjrPfYCIO4VIDACp08mVW_5pZ678QrV4/s320/green-label-homes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Capital Home Builders are the first builders of green smart homes in </span><st1:place><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">South Georgia</span></st1:place><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">. It looks
like the green building trend has not reached the </span><st1:place><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">South Georgia</span></st1:place><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> area. We
think if </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Thomasville</span></st1:city><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">, </span><st1:country-region><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Georgia</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="color: #1a1aa6; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> can still
live in the era of horse and carriage they would, but we are changing the way
homes are being built in Thomasville and South Georgia by building better homes above minimum code. Green Homes are built above minimum code non-green homes are NOT.......<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles today released a new study on the economic value of green home labels in the California residential marketplace. “The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” is the first rigorous, large-scale independent economic analysis of the value of green home labels in California. The study found that a green home label adds an average 9 percent price premium for single-family homes in California. Based on the average California home price of $400,000, homes with a green label sell for an average of $34,800 more than comparable homes without a green label.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span id="more-6533" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In addition, the study yields two key insights into the effect of green labels on property values. First, the price premium associated with a green label varies considerably from region to region in California, and is highest in the areas with hotter climates. This trend may indicate that residents in these areas value green labels more due to the increased cost of keeping a home cool. Second, the premium is also positively correlated to the environmental ideology of the area, as measured by the rate of registration of hybrid vehicles. The observed correlation suggests that some homeowners attribute value to intangible qualities associated with owning a green home.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Led by researchers Nils Kok, visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Matthew Kahn, professor at the Institute of the Environment, Department of Public Policy and Department of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, the study examined data on the 1.6 million single-family homes sold between 2007 and 2012 in California. Of these homes, approximately 4,300 were certified with green home labels from Energy Star, GreenPoint Rated, or LEED for Homes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“In certain regions of the state, we observed a phenomenon we’ve termed the ‘Prius effect’ — a positive correlation between the value of green home labels and environmental ideology, as measured by the rate of hybrid registrations,” said Kok. “In communities with strong environmental values, residents may see green homes as a point of pride or status symbol.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The estimated $34,800 price premium for green-labeled homes is significantly greater than the price increase associated with other typical home improvements made by homeowners prior to sale, such as home staging. A 2012 <a href="http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement-surveys/homegain-2012-national-home-improvement-survey-results/" style="border: 0px; color: #4e682c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">survey</a> by HomeGain found that staged homes sold for an average of $2,144 more than non-staged homes, while an upgrade of the kitchen and bathroom was found to increase the sale price by $3,254.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Environmental ideology was not as strong in some other areas, and yet we still saw a high value placed on homes with a green label,” said Kok. “It appears that a hotter local climate also provides a practical reason to value green homes. With both ideological and pragmatic reasons to go green, it’s no surprise that the popularity of these labels is rising.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The benefits of green homes include:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 1.5em 1.5em 1em; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2em; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lower operational costs than conventional homes due to greater energy and water efficiency, which can result in lower utility bills;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2em; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">High quality construction, since green label requirements for building materials and techniques often go beyond standard building codes;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2em; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More comfortable and stable indoor temperatures;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2em; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Healthier indoor air quality; and</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2em; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Other features that reduce environmental impact such as proximity to parks, shops and transit.</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Increasingly, homeowners who are planning to sell their home are looking for innovative ways to make their home more attractive to potential buyers,” said Robin Gaskins, a realtor who has worked for 10 years in Alameda County. “Particularly if a home already has a number of green or energy-saving features, it really does pay to go the extra mile and get a green label.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Growing awareness about global warming and the extent of greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector has increased attention to green building in recent years. <a href="http://www.ucei.berkeley.edu/PDF/seminar20090130.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #4e682c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Previous research</a> has shown the value of green labels and certifications in the commercial real estate sector. “The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” confirms that the same trend applies to single-family homes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market” has been submitted for presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association and will be submitted to a scientific journal in fall 2012.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.arounddublinblog.com/2012/07/green-label-homes-worth-more-real-estate-market/">http://www.arounddublinblog.com/2012/07/green-label-homes-worth-more-real-estate-market/</a>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-82023239735389149492013-12-24T10:15:00.002-08:002013-12-25T05:51:57.376-08:00How to Identify a High Energy Performance Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwUEq6z197lB_CY_oV_i996P6pYgkuAHQakELexQc4BR0CnEp6gz5UGyaNaRSnmqeCozFHi9xXTz16QUuW9kptkW9xSxpniUetxngzF0cXlN6hHkNP_3aM0MykXDp1wuVnm_QRjKpM6M/s1600/How-to-Identify-a-High-Energy-Performance-Home-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwUEq6z197lB_CY_oV_i996P6pYgkuAHQakELexQc4BR0CnEp6gz5UGyaNaRSnmqeCozFHi9xXTz16QUuW9kptkW9xSxpniUetxngzF0cXlN6hHkNP_3aM0MykXDp1wuVnm_QRjKpM6M/s320/How-to-Identify-a-High-Energy-Performance-Home-image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444;">Capital Home Builders is the only and first custom and
energy smart home builder in <st1:place>South Georgia</st1:place>. Our homes come
with more features then any other home built in <st1:country-region>Georgia</st1:country-region>
and <st1:place>South Georgia</st1:place>. We are also the only builder offering
<strong><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Home Energy Rating System</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">(</span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">HERS</span></strong>) </span>Rated homes. We are the only builder with</span> <span style="color: red;">Residential Energy Guarantee</span>. <span style="color: #444444;">We will guarantee your
electrical bill for Two Years and if you go over we will pay you back the </span><span style="color: #444444;">difference</span><span style="color: #444444;">.
NO other builder in <st1:place>South Georgia</st1:place> will stand behind
their homes like we do. We do not believe in building to minimum code and our
homes are proof of that. You may pay 5% to 10% more for a High-Performance home,
but with all of the energy savings you will make it back the first 2 years. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So you’re
looking to buy a new home…but not just any home. You want one that’s easy on
the environment and uses less energy. A<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/building-a-new-house-save-money-by-making-it-energy-efficient/" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none !important;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #002664; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">comfortable
home that saves you money while reducing your carbon footprint</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 12pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In other
words, what you want is a high energy performance home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 12pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But how do
you know when you’ve found one? I mean, how can you tell if the house you’re
viewing is actually a high energy performance home? Is there a way to
differentiate between a home that’s energy efficient from one that’s not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 12pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Luckily there
is and increasing numbers of builders are using it to market energy efficient
homes. It’s called a HERS Index score and hopefully one day soon every house
will have one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 5.05pt; outline: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="color: #25a5ff; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 17.0pt;">Energy Performance and the HERS Index Score<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So what is a HERS Index score anyway? The home energy rating
system (HERS) was developed by RESNET to help homebuyers compare homes based on
their energy performance. For example, when a certified RESNET Home Energy
Rater does<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/save-on-energy-by-getting-an-energy-assessment/" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none !important;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #002664; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">a
home energy rating</span></a>, they’ll give the home a HERS Index score based
on its energy performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A standard new American construction home that adheres to
current energy guidelines is awarded a default HERS Index score of 100, which
serves as a benchmark against which all other homes are measured.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.resnet.us/hers-index" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none !important;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #002664; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">A higher HERS Index score
translates into a less energy efficient home, and vice-versa</span></a>. A
typical American resale home scores 130 on the HERS Index, making it 30% less
energy efficient than a new construction home. On the other hand, if a house
gets a HERS Index score of 50, it means that it’s 50% more energy efficient
than a standard new construction home. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thomasville</span></st1:city><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">GA.</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> a typical new
home has a score of 130.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 5.05pt; outline: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="color: #25a5ff; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 17.0pt;">Why the HERS Index Score is Important to Builders<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thanks to the HERS Index and HERS Index scores, for the first
time homebuyers can actually get an true <a href="http://www.resnet.us/library/energy-efficient-home-with-energysmart-builder/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #002664; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">understanding about how energy efficient a home</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>really is. This naturally changes the
way people are viewing homes they’re interested in and builders have been quick
to understand that. Consequently, many are now actively marketing their homes
using HERS Index scores to advertise potential savings that homebuyers could
enjoy when purchasing a high energy performance home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 12pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In addition
to this, utility companies too are jumping on the bandwagon by offering
builders rebates on energy costs based on their homes’ HERS Index scores. In
fact, LG&E and KU Energy, a utility company based in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Louisville</span></st1:city><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kentucky</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, recently
had their Energy-Saving New Homes Program recognized as a RESNET Energy Smart
Program. The program rewards enrolled builders with rebates based on the HERS
Index scores of their houses. For example, single family dwellings with HERS
Index scores of 85 are eligible for a rebate of $440, and it increases up to
$1,200 for homes that score 50 or lower. LG&E and KU Energy are the first
utility in the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> to earn this
designation from RESNET.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 5.05pt; outline: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="color: #25a5ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17pt;">What Does All This Mean to
Homebuyers?</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; outline: 0px;">
<span style="color: #494c54; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thanks to increased efforts and awareness, it’s now getting
easier for homebuyers to identify and buy high energy performance homes. As the
popularity of HERS Index scores continues to grow, and with builders actively
promoting energy efficient homes via their scores, the future is starting to
look a little…well…<em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">greener
</span></em>than it once did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-52526454137058672792013-11-08T08:31:00.001-08:002013-11-08T08:31:00.763-08:00Are green building attributes properly valued?<div style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<a class="" href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1383920911327_o.jpg" style="color: blue !important; cursor: text !important; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline !important;"><img align="left" alt="" class="yui-img" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1383920911327_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer !important; font-size: 17px; height: 200px; line-height: normal; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We been building green custom smart homes since
2005, Before buying a home in Thomasville, GA. educate yourself on
the home you are looking to purchase and the quality construction of that home
and if it is built above minimum code and how much energy savings that
Thomasville, GA. home can provide.<span style="color: #333333;"> </span>Again, a true energy
efficient home is tested by a third-party, now a Realtors can<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>blow smoke up your keister and
tell you that the electrical bill of a home is $100.00/month, than sometimes
you have creative agents who use an electrical bill from spring when everyone
has the A/C unit off and windows open and from homes where the owners are out
on vacation and the A/C unit is not in use. I am sure there are many other
creative ways an agent can show a low monthly bill, but the only true way is by
having it tested by a third-party<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Rater.</span></b></div>
<span tag="span"></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have a “green” home? Or want to buy or build a green home? You’re not alone. According to the 2012 Yahoo Real Estate Home Horizons Study, Americans say a green or energy-efficient home would be a hallmark of their dream home, taking precedence — for the first time ever — over common favorites like water views or living in a gated community.</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are looking to refinance, buy or build a home which outperforms typical code-built homes in energy efficiency, you probably have contemplated the question, what is the value of green?</span></b></div>
<b style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A common belief is that lenders and appraisers cannot put a monetary value on green building features in the loan approval process. Not true. There is growing willingness, on the part of lenders, appraisers and Realtors to reflect the advantage of green in your home value, due in part to increased support from the federal government and the Appraisal Institute, and a willingness amongst homebuyers to pay more for high-performing third-party- certified green homes.</span></b><br />
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An extensive study conducted by the University of California analyzed 1.6 million single-family home sales from 2007 to 2012, and found that third-party green-certified homes sold for 9 percent more on average than comparable non-green-certified homes.</span></b></div>
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Residential appraisers often turn to the multiple-listing service (MLS ) for comparable sales data to assist in valuing properties. Santa Fe’s MLS is one of 185 MLS databases nationwide that have green data fields; there are approximately 665 others that do not. Increasing use of these fields by Realtors will assist appraisal values for green homes.</span></b></div>
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Appraisers can also use the Appraisal Institute’s Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum, a nationally recognized document that categorically highlights the energy, water, solar and other green features of a home so as to be monetized in the valuation of the appraisal. There are other valuation techniques available to appraisers; however, a green appraisal requires more training, skill and time than a standard appraisal.</span></b></div>
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any owner requesting a green appraisal has the right to require that your lender use an appraiser experienced in green property valuation. Santa Fe has several appraisers with green valuation experience. If you hope to maximize the value of the green features in your appraisal, you should also present your qualified appraiser with easy-to-understand, itemized cost data for the energy, water, solar and other green improvements you made versus a code minimum home.</span></b></div>
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>With the help of a HERS rater, you can also itemize the cost savings of your energy upgrades versus code-minimum construction. It is the responsibility of the builder or homeowner to inform the appraiser of these added value features.</b></span></div>
<div class="yui-wk-div" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>As we emerge from the housing lull and move into a new era of slow but steady growth, we have a golden (and green) opportunity to increase the value of the green home projects we are conducting in the City Different.<br /><br /><a class="" href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/life/home/article_b3e7dc17-a4c8-57bb-88df-a6625ab3d849.html" style="color: blue !important; cursor: text !important;">http://www.santafenewmexican.com/life/home/article_b3e7dc17-a4c8-57bb-88df-a6625ab3d849.html</a></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-47554069873222107392013-10-21T07:55:00.000-07:002013-10-21T07:55:01.453-07:00Capital Home Builders is Building to a Higher Standard!<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787248173_o.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787248173_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 200px; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 21px;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.22;">We are focused on high quality built homes not square footage!</span></strong></span><strong style="line-height: 1.22;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Capital Home Builders Designated as a RESNET Energy Smart Homes Builder for Committing to Build Energy Efficient Homes and Marketing Their Homes HERS Index Score</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<strong style="line-height: 1.22;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">
Thomasville<span style="font-family: Arial;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> based home builder Capital Home Builders has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds. The intent of the agreement is to raise consumers’ knowledge of new home energy performance by using RESNET’s HERS Index. Use of the HERS Index will differentiate homes built by Capital Home Builders from other homes for sale in the </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thomas</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span>County housing</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Capital Home Builders is custom energy efficient home builder. The company was the first homebuilder to acquire the ENERGY </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">STAR</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> designation in </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">South Georgia</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">. For more information on the company visit their web site at </span><a href="http://www.capitalhomebuilders.com/" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.capitalhomebuilders.com/</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The RESNET HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. The HERS or Home Energy Rating System was developed by RESNET and is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. Certified RESNET Home Energy Raters conduct inspections to verify a home’s energy performance and determine what improvements can be made to increase it. For more information go to </span><span style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.resnet.us/home-energy-ratings" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.resnet.us/home-energy-ratings</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Izzy of Capital Home Builders, said RESNET’s HERS provides a quantitative measure of energy efficiency and permits comparisons between homes. “It is expected that Capital Home Builders’ agreement with RESNET will serve as a model to other local and regional builders that would have positive outcomes for consumers and the new home industry,”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Steve Baden, executive director of RESNET lauded Capital Home Builders’ leadership for improving the energy performance of new homes. “Today’s new homes are much more efficient in comparison to homes built just a decade ago. These homes are more affordable to maintain, comfortable and have a higher value. Thanks to leaders like Capital Home Builders, builders are increasing the energy performance of the homes they build. This is good for consumers, the environment, the local economy and our national security. It is great to have such a quality builder like Capital Home Builders educating homebuyers on the RESNET HERS Index.”</span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787319304_o.jpg" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="RESNET EnergySmart Builder" border="0" height="178" shapes="Picture_x0020_2" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787319304_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 180px; margin: 5px; width: 189px;" title="RESNET EnergySmart Builder" width="194" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In making the commitment Capital Home Builders has been designated by RESNET as an RESNET Energy Smart Builder. RESNET Energy Smart Builders are leading the transformation of the housing towards high energy performance homes. These leading builders are committed to having all of their homes energy rated following RESNET’s stringent standards and marketing their homes HERS Index Score.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-44592499652312319712013-10-21T07:54:00.001-07:002013-10-21T07:54:16.700-07:00Energy-efficient homes seem to sell faster, fetch higher prices<h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381675203197_o.jpg" style="color: #666666; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381675203197_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 200px; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">Capital Home Builders Energy-efficient homes provide more efficient, healthful, and comfortable living environments by treating the structure as a complete system, where every component must work in harmony. Energy-efficient homes also use fresh-air ventilation and pressure-management techniques that maintain better air quality and comfort. AND, a properly balanced heating and cooling system means maximum energy efficiency. We are the only builder in Thomasville and South Georgia to have the best built homes and the only builder to have all of our homes "HERS Rated"</span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Some research projects in California, Oregon and Washington offer hints that energy efficiency and sustainability certifications for homes may result in easier sales and higher prices.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Home energy efficiency and sustainability have been major policy priorities for the Obama administration, but lurking in the background are two consistent questions: Beyond the documentable savings on utility bills, do such steps add to the resale value of a home? And do they make it easier or faster to sell your property?</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Housing groups and housing officials say that definitive statistical data covering multiple regions of the country are scarce. But some localized research projects in Oregon, Washington and California offer promising hints.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
In a study covering existing and new houses sold from May 2010 through April of this year, the Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit group based in Portland, Ore., found that newly constructed homes with third-party certifications for sustainability and energy efficiency sold for 9% more on average than noncertified homes in the six-county Portland metropolitan area. Existing houses with certifications sold for 30% more.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
The raw sales data in the study were provided by the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service. "Certified" houses were defined as those carrying Energy Star or LEED for Homes designations or Earth Advantage home certifications. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) The latest study was the fourth in an annual series conducted by Earth Advantage, each of which has shown clear price premiums for certified houses.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
But officials caution that using average sales prices pulled from MLS data without trying to measure "comparable" homes against one another directly may not be conclusive. For instance, newly constructed certified houses may be more expensive to start, and existing certified homes may be larger and more likely to be in higher-cost neighborhoods where homeowner adoption rates for energy-efficiency measures are higher.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Nonetheless, said Dakota Gale, Earth Advantage's manager of sustainable finance, looking back at four years of studies, "we can still see a consistent trend that third-party certification continues to result in a higher sales price, even during the past year when home sales were down."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
A study conducted two years ago by the institute in Seattle and Portland identified what may be another plus: Homes marketed with energy-efficiency certifications appear to sell faster on average than those without. The study tried to come up with rough comparability in appraisal terms between certified and noncertified properties, and it found that in Portland, certified homes spent 18 days less time on the market after listing than noncertified counterparts. In both Portland and Seattle, researchers documented price premiums — 9.6% in Seattle, 4.2% in Portland — in a statistical analysis with a 95% confidence level.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
A recent study on houses in San Diego and Sacramento published by the National Bureau of Economic Research took a different tack: When you install photovoltaic solar panels on your roof, how much do you get back in market resale terms, beyond monthly energy savings?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Researchers examined a sample of home sales in the $500,000 range in both metropolitan areas between 2003 and 2010 and found that, on average, solar panel installations cost owners $35,967. But with federal and state subsidies, the net average cost came down to $20,892. This net expenditure, in turn, yielded an increase in appraised value by $20,194 — a 97% rate of recovery on the investment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Though less than 100%, the rate is much higher than most home improvements in the most recent "Cost vs. Value" study conducted by Remodeling magazine — well above major kitchen and bathroom renovations.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Kevin Morrow, senior program manager for green building at the National Assn. of Home Builders, says that although many newly constructed homes come with energy and sustainability certifications, banks don't necessarily recognize their value when it comes to providing mortgage money.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
For example, bank underwriters often do not include reduced monthly utility costs in the household income/household expense ratios that affect the maximum mortgage amounts available to buyers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
"The case needs to be made" to lenders, he said, "that, hey, these houses will cost less to operate, so they should be worth more."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Morrow added that appraisers are part of the issue as well if they don't have the training to recognize and credit extra value to houses that have money-saving solar installations, geothermal heating and cooling, Energy Star appliances, water conservation features and other green improvements.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
The Appraisal Institute, the largest group representing that industry, says it has sponsored "green" appraisal courses for 2,300 appraisers during the last two years. It says it strongly supports efforts to better incorporate energy and environmental factors into mortgage underwriting and home valuations, including a possible congressional mandate requiring it.<br /><br /><a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/28/business/la-fi-harney-20110828" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/28/business/la-fi-harney-20110828</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-87369497788976955282013-10-21T07:53:00.002-07:002013-10-21T07:53:47.010-07:007 tips for buyers looking for a green home<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1380811908970_o.jpg" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1380811908970_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 1.22; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a>If you're in the market to buy an eco-friendly dwelling, researchers say you should expect to pay more for a so-called green home. How much more depends on a number of factors, but in a recent study looking at data from 1.6 million California home sales from 2007 to 2012, University of California researchers found that green-certified single-family homes sold for $34,800 more -- or 9 percent more -- than comparable homes that weren't certified green.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Green is in vogue. Amber Turner, a broker with Living Room Realtors in Portland, Ore., estimates that about three-quarters of her buyers begin their search with a strong interest in green, even if what they mean by green is vague.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"Most buyers start from the standpoint of wanting an energy-efficient home," she says. "But for about half of my buyers, going green ultimately becomes a deciding factor in the home they choose to purchase."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">While the growing interest in green has Turner excited, she worries that some buyers are</span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">falling victim to green washing,</span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"> the practice of marketing a product as eco-friendly when it really isn't. (Thomasville, GA)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"If you want to buy a green home, you definitely have to do some extra homework," says Turner.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/green-remodeling-fights-home-value-blues-1.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; color: #aabbcc; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Green remodeling fights home-value blues</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>How do you define a ‘green’ home?</strong>If want to buy a green home, the first thing you should do is ask yourself why, says David Bergman, who teaches green architecture at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and wrote the book "Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide."<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"It's an important question because people tend to buy a green home for one of three reasons, and while each of those reasons overlap somewhat, they do determine what the buyer really means by green."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">According to Bergman, green can be as simple as saving on energy costs, which means buyers will want to focus on energy-efficient appliances, weatherproof windows and good insulation.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Alternatively, some buyers define green in personal health terms, so they want a home that uses nontoxic materials. For these buyers, even seemingly innocuous carpeting is a big deal, because carpets can be a nightmare for people with allergies.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Last, some buyers define green as contributing to a sustainable future. For those buyers, Bergman says, it's often important to look for building materials that are locally sourced and sustainable.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
If you're serious about looking at green homes, you should work with an agent who sells green, Turner says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"There are a lot of little things you'll see in a green home that are different," Turner says.</span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"So it's helpful to have an agent who's worked in that part of the market." Marlene Bienes (EcoBroker) RoseCityRealty</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Referrals are one of the best ways to find an agent who specializes in green. But it's not the only way, according to Turner, who advises buyers to look for green real estate tours in their area.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"I got up to speed on green by spending several years in a group that toured local green homes," Turner says. "The group was free and open to Realtors as well as the general public."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">It's also possible to find a broker or real estate agent with green certification. </span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Marlene Bienes (EcoBroker) RoseCityRealty </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Earth Advantage is one popular certification authority. But it's important to remember that there isn't a standardized national certification. Plenty of brokers know green, </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">even if they don't have the credentials. </span></span><span style="color: #c00000;">Not in Thomasville, GA.</span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;">Likewise, it's important to research the certifying authority, because the mere presence of a certificate doesn't necessarily mean the real estate agent is an expert.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Look for the signs of a green home</strong>Are you looking at a truly green home? Finding the answer could be more complex than you might think.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
According to Bergman, buyers can usually tell quite a bit about a home just by looking at the appliances (Energy Star is a big plus), the windows (double pane), and the heating and air-conditioning system. But to learn about the insulation -- which can make a big difference on the utility bill -- buyers will often have to ask or rely on an energy audit, which could run about $500. (HERS)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"Asking to see past utility bills is an option," </span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Make sure the bill is not from winter. </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Bergman says, "but the bill won't tell you everything you need to know about energy efficiency because human behavior is such a big factor."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Likewise, it's a good idea for buyers to ask about documentation on green features. But they shouldn't be surprised or dissuaded if the seller can't provide paperwork.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The certification process for a lot of green features may not be standardized yet, but if it's there, it's a good idea to use it," Turner says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Discern the home’s relation to the land</strong>One often-overlooked aspect of buying a green home is the property, says Cassy Aoyagi, owner of FormLA Landscaping in Los Angeles.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"A green home isn't just a green structure, it's a home that makes the best use of the land," Aoyagi says. "Asking simple questions like which direction the home is oriented toward can tell you a lot about the home's green credentials."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
The house's orientation determines how much sun exposure it gets, which affects heating and air-conditioning use. Likewise, it's important to understand the prevailing winds, because they affect the temperature inside the home.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Outside, Aoyagi says buyers should also pay attention to the landscaping. If it's dominated by non-native plants, that should raise alarms for green buyers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"In some parts of the country, water is a serious issue, so non-native plants are going to raise your costs and make it harder to be green," Aoyagi says. "But no matter where you are, there's always the issue of maintenance, which costs money and uses energy. Sustainable landscaping is about understanding how to pick plants and trees that don't need the same maintenance as a lawn."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/negotiate-best-sale-price-1st-home-1.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; color: #aabbcc; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">How to negotiate the best sale price on your 1st home</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Does the seller care about green?</strong>Buyers who buy green inevitably do so from sellers who care about green. Consequently, Turner says buyers can learn a lot just by engaging the seller or agent in a conversation about the home's green features.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The more questions you ask about green, the more likely you are to figure out if they're selling you a truly green home or a green wash," she says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
To get an edge on a would-be green washer, do a little Internet research.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The Internet is full of these quick little lists that tell you how to make a home green without much effort," Turner says. "If you find that the seller has done the bare minimum of updates that coincide with the top two or three on those lists, there's a good chance you're talking to someone who isn't as serious about green as you."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
On the other hand, Turner points out, sellers who are passionate about green tend to have deep knowledge of the topic.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/partners/funnel/mortgage-rates.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; color: #aabbcc; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Compare mortgage rates in your area</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>What’s the break-even period?</strong>While some buyers will pay a premium for green no matter what, most buyers want to know if they will get a return on their investment, according to Bergman. For example, they want to know how long it will take to break even after paying for energy-efficient features.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Each home is different, but Bergman says buyers who plan stay for a decade or more stand a good chance of saving money by going green, even if they pay an upfront premium.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
On the other hand, buyers who are in it for the short run, or who want to flip the house, should understand that a lot of the savings comes from lower energy bills, which means owning a green home for five years or less probably won't pay off.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>What about the mortgage?</strong>Some buyers report difficulty in getting lenders and appraisers to recognize the value of a green home.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"Unfortunately, the lending industry just isn't as up to speed on green as we'd like it to be," Turner says. She adds that it's sometimes hard for appraisers to find comparable houses nearby, because green homes are relatively new.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
While green buyers may have a hard time convincing lenders their utility costs will be substantially lower than in a standard home, they're not entirely without resources. Last year, the Appraisal Institute, a trade group for real estate appraisers, introduced a new, optional form that helps appraisers better take into account energy-efficient and green features when valuing homes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Making the financial case for a green home may not be as cut-and-dried as for standard homes, Turner says, but the marketing is changing fast when it comes to green.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
© 2013 Bankrate, Inc. All Rights Reserved<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/7-tips-buyers-looking-green-home-1C9415235" style="color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.nbcnews.com/business/7-tips-buyers-looking-green-home-1C9415235</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-23692524364003869782013-10-21T04:02:00.001-07:002013-10-21T06:15:50.066-07:00Capital Home Builders is Building to a Higher Standard!<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787248173_o.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #0054a6; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787248173_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 200px; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white;">
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 21px;"><strong><span style="line-height: 1.22;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.22;">We are focused on high quality built homes not square footage!</span></strong></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.22;">Capital Home Builders Designated as a RESNET Energy Smart Homes Builder for Committing to Build Energy Efficient Homes and Marketing Their Homes HERS Index Score</span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.22;"><br /></span></span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">
Thomasville<span style="font-family: Arial;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> based home builder Capital Home Builders has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds. The intent of the agreement is to raise consumers’ knowledge of new home energy performance by using RESNET’s HERS Index. Use of the HERS Index will differentiate homes built by Capital Home Builders from other homes for sale in the </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thomas</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span>County housing<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Capital Home Builders is custom energy efficient home builder. The company was the first homebuilder to acquire the ENERGY </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">STAR</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> designation in </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">South Georgia</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">. For more information on the company visit their web site at </span><a href="http://www.capitalhomebuilders.com/" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.capitalhomebuilders.com/</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The RESNET HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. The HERS or Home Energy Rating System was developed by RESNET and is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. Certified RESNET Home Energy Raters conduct inspections to verify a home’s energy performance and determine what improvements can be made to increase it. For more information go to </span><span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.resnet.us/home-energy-ratings" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.resnet.us/home-energy-ratings</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Izzy of Capital Home Builders, said RESNET’s HERS provides a quantitative measure of energy efficiency and permits comparisons between homes. “It is expected that Capital Home Builders’ agreement with RESNET will serve as a model to other local and regional builders that would have positive outcomes for consumers and the new home industry,”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Steve Baden, executive director of RESNET lauded Capital Home Builders’ leadership for improving the energy performance of new homes. “Today’s new homes are much more efficient in comparison to homes built just a decade ago. These homes are more affordable to maintain, comfortable and have a higher value. Thanks to leaders like Capital Home Builders, builders are increasing the energy performance of the homes they build. This is good for consumers, the environment, the local economy and our national security. It is great to have such a quality builder like Capital Home Builders educating homebuyers on the RESNET HERS Index.”</span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787319304_o.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="RESNET EnergySmart Builder" border="0" height="178" shapes="Picture_x0020_2" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381787319304_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 180px; margin: 5px; width: 189px;" title="RESNET EnergySmart Builder" width="194" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In making the commitment Capital Home Builders has been designated by RESNET as an RESNET Energy Smart Builder. RESNET Energy Smart Builders are leading the transformation of the housing towards high energy performance homes. These leading builders are committed to having all of their homes energy rated following RESNET’s stringent standards and marketing their homes HERS Index Score.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-77994694267229456332013-10-21T04:01:00.002-07:002013-10-21T06:17:59.105-07:00Energy-efficient homes seem to sell faster, fetch higher prices<h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381675203197_o.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1381675203197_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 200px; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">Capital Home Builders Energy-efficient homes provide more efficient, healthful, and comfortable living environments by treating the structure as a complete system, where every component must work in harmony. Energy-efficient homes also use fresh-air ventilation and pressure-management techniques that maintain better air quality and comfort. AND, a properly balanced heating and cooling system means maximum energy efficiency. We are the only builder in Thomasville and South Georgia to have the best built homes and the only builder to have all of our homes "HERS Rated"</span></span></h2>
<h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Some research projects in California, Oregon and Washington offer hints that energy efficiency and sustainability certifications for homes may result in easier sales and higher prices.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Home energy efficiency and sustainability have been major policy priorities for the Obama administration, but lurking in the background are two consistent questions: Beyond the documentable savings on utility bills, do such steps add to the resale value of a home? And do they make it easier or faster to sell your property?</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Housing groups and housing officials say that definitive statistical data covering multiple regions of the country are scarce. But some localized research projects in Oregon, Washington and California offer promising hints.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
In a study covering existing and new houses sold from May 2010 through April of this year, the Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit group based in Portland, Ore., found that newly constructed homes with third-party certifications for sustainability and energy efficiency sold for 9% more on average than noncertified homes in the six-county Portland metropolitan area. Existing houses with certifications sold for 30% more.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
The raw sales data in the study were provided by the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service. "Certified" houses were defined as those carrying Energy Star or LEED for Homes designations or Earth Advantage home certifications. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) The latest study was the fourth in an annual series conducted by Earth Advantage, each of which has shown clear price premiums for certified houses.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
But officials caution that using average sales prices pulled from MLS data without trying to measure "comparable" homes against one another directly may not be conclusive. For instance, newly constructed certified houses may be more expensive to start, and existing certified homes may be larger and more likely to be in higher-cost neighborhoods where homeowner adoption rates for energy-efficiency measures are higher.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Nonetheless, said Dakota Gale, Earth Advantage's manager of sustainable finance, looking back at four years of studies, "we can still see a consistent trend that third-party certification continues to result in a higher sales price, even during the past year when home sales were down."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
A study conducted two years ago by the institute in Seattle and Portland identified what may be another plus: Homes marketed with energy-efficiency certifications appear to sell faster on average than those without. The study tried to come up with rough comparability in appraisal terms between certified and noncertified properties, and it found that in Portland, certified homes spent 18 days less time on the market after listing than noncertified counterparts. In both Portland and Seattle, researchers documented price premiums — 9.6% in Seattle, 4.2% in Portland — in a statistical analysis with a 95% confidence level.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
A recent study on houses in San Diego and Sacramento published by the National Bureau of Economic Research took a different tack: When you install photovoltaic solar panels on your roof, how much do you get back in market resale terms, beyond monthly energy savings?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Researchers examined a sample of home sales in the $500,000 range in both metropolitan areas between 2003 and 2010 and found that, on average, solar panel installations cost owners $35,967. But with federal and state subsidies, the net average cost came down to $20,892. This net expenditure, in turn, yielded an increase in appraised value by $20,194 — a 97% rate of recovery on the investment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Though less than 100%, the rate is much higher than most home improvements in the most recent "Cost vs. Value" study conducted by Remodeling magazine — well above major kitchen and bathroom renovations.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Kevin Morrow, senior program manager for green building at the National Assn. of Home Builders, says that although many newly constructed homes come with energy and sustainability certifications, banks don't necessarily recognize their value when it comes to providing mortgage money.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
For example, bank underwriters often do not include reduced monthly utility costs in the household income/household expense ratios that affect the maximum mortgage amounts available to buyers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
"The case needs to be made" to lenders, he said, "that, hey, these houses will cost less to operate, so they should be worth more."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
Morrow added that appraisers are part of the issue as well if they don't have the training to recognize and credit extra value to houses that have money-saving solar installations, geothermal heating and cooling, Energy Star appliances, water conservation features and other green improvements.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
The Appraisal Institute, the largest group representing that industry, says it has sponsored "green" appraisal courses for 2,300 appraisers during the last two years. It says it strongly supports efforts to better incorporate energy and environmental factors into mortgage underwriting and home valuations, including a possible congressional mandate requiring it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/28/business/la-fi-harney-20110828" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/28/business/la-fi-harney-20110828</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-31731940223327533852013-10-21T04:00:00.002-07:002013-10-21T06:18:13.161-07:007 tips for buyers looking for a green home<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1380811908970_o.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img align="left" alt="" src="http://images.trulia.com/blogimg/b/a/3/b/798589_1380811908970_b.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 200px; line-height: 1.22; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /></a>If you're in the market to buy an eco-friendly dwelling, researchers say you should expect to pay more for a so-called green home. How much more depends on a number of factors, but in a recent study looking at data from 1.6 million California home sales from 2007 to 2012, University of California researchers found that green-certified single-family homes sold for $34,800 more -- or 9 percent more -- than comparable homes that weren't certified green.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Green is in vogue. Amber Turner, a broker with Living Room Realtors in Portland, Ore., estimates that about three-quarters of her buyers begin their search with a strong interest in green, even if what they mean by green is vague.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"Most buyers start from the standpoint of wanting an energy-efficient home," she says. "But for about half of my buyers, going green ultimately becomes a deciding factor in the home they choose to purchase."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">While the growing interest in green has Turner excited, she worries that some buyers are</span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">falling victim to green washing,</span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"> the practice of marketing a product as eco-friendly when it really isn't. (Thomasville, GA) </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;">"If you want to buy a green home, you definitely have to do some extra homework," says Turner.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/green-remodeling-fights-home-value-blues-1.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Green remodeling fights home-value blues</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>How do you define a ‘green’ home?</strong>If want to buy a green home, the first thing you should do is ask yourself why, says David Bergman, who teaches green architecture at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and wrote the book "Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide."<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"It's an important question because people tend to buy a green home for one of three reasons, and while each of those reasons overlap somewhat, they do determine what the buyer really means by green."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">According to Bergman, green can be as simple as saving on energy costs, which means buyers will want to focus on energy-efficient appliances, weatherproof windows and good insulation.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Alternatively, some buyers define green in personal health terms, so they want a home that uses nontoxic materials. For these buyers, even seemingly innocuous carpeting is a big deal, because carpets can be a nightmare for people with allergies.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Last, some buyers define green as contributing to a sustainable future. For those buyers, Bergman says, it's often important to look for building materials that are locally sourced and sustainable.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
If you're serious about looking at green homes, you should work with an agent who sells green, Turner says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"There are a lot of little things you'll see in a green home that are different," Turner says.</span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"So it's helpful to have an agent who's worked in that part of the market." Marlene Bienes (EcoBroker) RoseCityRealty </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;">Referrals are one of the best ways to find an agent who specializes in green. But it's not the only way, according to Turner, who advises buyers to look for green real estate tours in their area.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"I got up to speed on green by spending several years in a group that toured local green homes," Turner says. "The group was free and open to Realtors as well as the general public."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">It's also possible to find a broker or real estate agent with green certification. </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Marlene Bienes (EcoBroker) RoseCityRealty </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">Earth Advantage is one popular certification authority. But it's important to remember that there isn't a standardized national certification. Plenty of brokers know green, </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">even if they don't have the credentials. </span></span>Not in Thomasville, GA.<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;">Likewise, it's important to research the certifying authority, because the mere presence of a certificate doesn't necessarily mean the real estate agent is an expert.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Look for the signs of a green home</strong>Are you looking at a truly green home? Finding the answer could be more complex than you might think.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
According to Bergman, buyers can usually tell quite a bit about a home just by looking at the appliances (Energy Star is a big plus), the windows (double pane), and the heating and air-conditioning system. But to learn about the insulation -- which can make a big difference on the utility bill -- buyers will often have to ask or rely on an energy audit, which could run about $500. (HERS) <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Asking to see past utility bills is an option," </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Make sure the bill is not from winter. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Bergman says, "but the bill won't tell you everything you need to know about energy efficiency because human behavior is such a big factor."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Likewise, it's a good idea for buyers to ask about documentation on green features. But they shouldn't be surprised or dissuaded if the seller can't provide paperwork.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The certification process for a lot of green features may not be standardized yet, but if it's there, it's a good idea to use it," Turner says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Discern the home’s relation to the land</strong>One often-overlooked aspect of buying a green home is the property, says Cassy Aoyagi, owner of FormLA Landscaping in Los Angeles.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"A green home isn't just a green structure, it's a home that makes the best use of the land," Aoyagi says. "Asking simple questions like which direction the home is oriented toward can tell you a lot about the home's green credentials."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
The house's orientation determines how much sun exposure it gets, which affects heating and air-conditioning use. Likewise, it's important to understand the prevailing winds, because they affect the temperature inside the home.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Outside, Aoyagi says buyers should also pay attention to the landscaping. If it's dominated by non-native plants, that should raise alarms for green buyers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"In some parts of the country, water is a serious issue, so non-native plants are going to raise your costs and make it harder to be green," Aoyagi says. "But no matter where you are, there's always the issue of maintenance, which costs money and uses energy. Sustainable landscaping is about understanding how to pick plants and trees that don't need the same maintenance as a lawn."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/negotiate-best-sale-price-1st-home-1.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">How to negotiate the best sale price on your 1st home</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>Does the seller care about green?</strong>Buyers who buy green inevitably do so from sellers who care about green. Consequently, Turner says buyers can learn a lot just by engaging the seller or agent in a conversation about the home's green features.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The more questions you ask about green, the more likely you are to figure out if they're selling you a truly green home or a green wash," she says.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
To get an edge on a would-be green washer, do a little Internet research.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"The Internet is full of these quick little lists that tell you how to make a home green without much effort," Turner says. "If you find that the seller has done the bare minimum of updates that coincide with the top two or three on those lists, there's a good chance you're talking to someone who isn't as serious about green as you."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
On the other hand, Turner points out, sellers who are passionate about green tend to have deep knowledge of the topic.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
(Bankrate: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/partners/funnel/mortgage-rates.aspx?pid=p:msnbc" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Compare mortgage rates in your area</a>)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>What’s the break-even period?</strong>While some buyers will pay a premium for green no matter what, most buyers want to know if they will get a return on their investment, according to Bergman. For example, they want to know how long it will take to break even after paying for energy-efficient features.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Each home is different, but Bergman says buyers who plan stay for a decade or more stand a good chance of saving money by going green, even if they pay an upfront premium.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
On the other hand, buyers who are in it for the short run, or who want to flip the house, should understand that a lot of the savings comes from lower energy bills, which means owning a green home for five years or less probably won't pay off.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<strong>What about the mortgage?</strong>Some buyers report difficulty in getting lenders and appraisers to recognize the value of a green home.<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
"Unfortunately, the lending industry just isn't as up to speed on green as we'd like it to be," Turner says. She adds that it's sometimes hard for appraisers to find comparable houses nearby, because green homes are relatively new.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
While green buyers may have a hard time convincing lenders their utility costs will be substantially lower than in a standard home, they're not entirely without resources. Last year, the Appraisal Institute, a trade group for real estate appraisers, introduced a new, optional form that helps appraisers better take into account energy-efficient and green features when valuing homes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
Making the financial case for a green home may not be as cut-and-dried as for standard homes, Turner says, but the marketing is changing fast when it comes to green.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; padding-right: 45px;">
© 2013 Bankrate, Inc. All Rights Reserved<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/7-tips-buyers-looking-green-home-1C9415235" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">http://www.nbcnews.com/business/7-tips-buyers-looking-green-home-1C9415235</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-59059670429026128542013-03-22T03:55:00.001-07:002013-03-22T03:55:12.434-07:00Owners of Energy-Efficient Homes Less Likely to Default on MortgagesOwners of energy-efficient homes—defined as those with Energy Star ratings—are 32 percent less likely to default on their mortgages and the more efficient the home is, the lower the default risk drops, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Center for Community Capital and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT). The study, “Home Energy Efficiency and Mortgage Risks,” also found that for each point on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of efficiency, the risk of mortgage default on a home drops. <br />
<br />
<br />
The study is the first to examine the links between home energy efficiency and mortgage risks on a national scale, and compared data for a sample of 71,000 homes from 38 states and the District of Columbia. Sample homes were all derived from CoreLogic’s mortgage database and were all single-family, owner-occupied homes whose loans originated from 2002 to 2012. About 35 percent of the homes in the study—approximately 24,944—were Energy Star-rated for efficiency. The remaining homes formed a control group and were randomly selected within the same ZIP codes as the Energy Star homes. A total of 71,000 homes were studied, and variables examined for the homes included the age of the house, square footage, FICO scores, ZIP code average incomes and unemployment rates, the typical time to default, the sale price, heating- and cooling-degree days, and electricity prices. The average sale price of the homes in the sample was $220,000. <br />
<br />
Improving a home’s energy efficiency can have a significant effect on a homeowner’s pocketbook, as the amount of money spent on energy annually equates to 15 percent of the cost of home ownership, said Dr. Nikhil Kaza, a research fellow the UNC Center for Community Capital and an author of the study. These costs vary geographically, as well, with rural households paying $400 more on average than urban households, Kaza added during a media event for the release of the study. Paying less for energy saves money for the homeowner, who could use those savings to make a mortgage payment. However, one of the challenges, Kaza said, was that while the monthly savings of energy-efficiency efforts leverage out the upfront costs of doing them, the mortgage-lending process does not include the financial benefits of energy-efficiency savings in its underwriting decisions. <br />
<br />
“It stands to reason that energy-efficient homes should have a lower default rate, because the owners of these homes save money on their utility bills, and they can put that money toward their mortgage payments,” says Cliff Majersik, executive director of IMT. “We long believed this to be the case, and now this study proves it.” <br />
<br />
Roberto G. Querica, the UNCE Center for Community Capital director and one of the study’s authors, adds that “Consumer and industry acceptance of energy efficiency is high. But the lack of broad consideration of potential energy savings in the mortgage underwriting process still prevents many moderate- and middle-income homebuyers form fully enjoying the cost savings. Since our study findings now show that energy efficiency is strongly and consistently associated with lower mortgage lending risk, lenders and policymakers have one more reason to promote it.” <br />
<br />
The study authors were holding a briefing on Capitol Hill following the release of the report, and recommend that Congress consider the findings in its deliberation of current and proposed legislation to improve the accuracy of mortgage underwriting. One suggestion from the study team includes that lenders consider requiring an energy audit or rating such HERS as part of the mortgage underwriting process, and that federal housing agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promote underwriting flexibility for mortgages on energy-efficient homes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imt.org/uploads/general/HomeEE_factsheet.pdf">http://www.imt.org/uploads/general/HomeEE_factsheet.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/energy-efficiency/owners-of-energy-efficient-homes-less-likely-to-default-on-mortgages.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBP_032113&day=2013-03-21#articlecomments">http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/energy-efficiency/owners-of-energy-efficient-homes-less-likely-to-default-on-mortgages.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBP_032113&day=2013-03-21#articlecomments</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-59363578425871257002012-09-08T06:54:00.003-07:002012-09-10T10:06:41.957-07:00The ONLY True Green Smart Energy Efficient HOME in Thomasville, GA. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl57PskQwKyGAyt16_KiWSDao9WPMnP3Bg4-Zz0wUn-KOsVPwo0kaV2kXkQyzaWUKSJ1Z2qXs6zN34JgDr0BfMUt2F6iJ9ZAD3bDpc9pXw639AlbI11LT31hio7_6sWgZ-ISRcXQBOr2I/s1600/902243_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl57PskQwKyGAyt16_KiWSDao9WPMnP3Bg4-Zz0wUn-KOsVPwo0kaV2kXkQyzaWUKSJ1Z2qXs6zN34JgDr0BfMUt2F6iJ9ZAD3bDpc9pXw639AlbI11LT31hio7_6sWgZ-ISRcXQBOr2I/s320/902243_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Our homes are the only one built above Minimum Code in Thomasville, GA.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A COMPLETE THERMAL ENCLOSURE SYSTEM</span><br />
<br />
You want your home to be comfortable no matter what room you’re in or what the weather is outside. Comprehensive air sealing, properly installed insulation, and high-performance windows work together in an ENERGY STAR qualified home to deliver better comfort, better durability, reduced maintenance costs, and lower monthly utility bills. During construction, ENERGY STAR builder partners must meet all of the requirements of EPA’s comprehensive thermal enclosure system inspection to ensure that-<br />
<br />
Your new home is tightly sealed to reduce leaks and drafts; and thermal bridging across walls is minimized.<br />
<br />
Correct levels of insulation are selected to provide whole-house comfort.<br />
<br />
Insulation is installed properly to deliver the best performance.<br />
<br />
When builders meet these rigorous requirements, you get a home with a complete thermal enclosure system—a better approach to building a better home.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A COMPLETE HEATING ANDCOOLING SYSTEM </span><br />
<br />
Your home’s heating and cooling system should do more than just provide cooled or heated air. It should keep you comfortable and provide better moisture control, improved indoor air quality, and quieter operation as efficiently as possible. This can be done by ensuring your HVAC system is installed properly. New homes that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines require proper installation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. <br />
<br />
Home Energy Raters then verify the system’s installation through completion of their own checklist that involves quality inspections and tests. This helps ensure your system was designed specifically for your new home so you can be confident that it is functioning efficiently and effectively. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A COMPLETE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM</span><br />
<br />
ENERGY STAR certified homes include a comprehensive package of water management practices and materials that help to protect your home from water damage and reduce the risk of indoor air quality problems. During construction, ENERGY STAR builder partners must meet EPA’s comprehensive water management requirements to prevent rain and moisture from building up in living areas, attics, basements, crawlspaces, or behind walls. These water management requirements help ensure that-<br />
<br />
Water is directed off the roof, down the walls, and away from the foundation.<br />
<br />
Your home is built with moisture-resistant barriers to prevent water damage.<br />
<br />
Building materials are protected during construction to minimize the possibility of mold and rotting.<br />
<br />
When builders meet these rigorous requirements, you get a home with a complete water management system—a better approach to building a better home.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">ENERGY–EFFICIENT LIGHTING AND APPLIANCE </span><br />
<br />
The lighting and appliances in your home come with two price tags—the purchase price and the cost to operate and maintain them. ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances meet strict energy efficiency guidelines that deliver better performance, provide better quality, and help reduce home operating costs through lower monthly utility bills, while creating the style you are looking for in a new home.<br />
<br />
During construction, ENERGY STAR builder partners often select efficient lighting and appliances to create a complete energy-efficient package that meets EPA’s rigorous guidelines-a better approach to building a better home.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">INDEPENDENT INSPECTIONS AND TESTING</span><br />
<br />
When you’re choosing a new home, you want to know it will be as comfortable, durable, and energy efficient as possible. With an ENERGY STAR certified home, you’ll know that you’ve made a good decision for you and your family. Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR stand above other homes because they must meet stringent energy efficiency requirements set by EPA. The better performance and better quality built into every ENERGY STAR certified home is independently inspected and tested by a Home Energy Rater. Home Energy Raters work with ENERGY STAR builder partners throughout the construction process to ensure that—<br />
<br />
Your new home has the appropriate energy-efficient features that fit your climate region.<br />
<br />
Critical construction details are verified at different building stages.<br />
<br />
The key systems in your new home are working properly to deliver better efficiency, durability, and comfort.<br />
<br />
When builders work with Home Energy Raters to meet rigorous ENERGY STAR requirements, you get an energy-efficient home built better from the ground up—a better approach to building a better home.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ecohomesga.idxco.com/idx/4644/details.php?idxID=301&listingID=902243"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.ecohomesga.idxco.com/idx/4644/details.php?idxID=301&listingID=902243</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">We really hope that local realtors in Thomasville, GA. take a few minutes to read this small description of the steps needed to build a true custom smart energy efficient home, and how a true energy saving home is documented by a third party, because right now on some listings it looks like local realtors are adding the key word “energy saving” without having any clue or documentation on the actual energy savings, would be considered misleading and by adding “AS </span><st1:stockticker><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">PER</span></st1:stockticker><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> OWNER” does not remove the responsibility of the listing agent. If these agents need help we would be happy to explain it to them like if they were a two year old. </span><span style="color: white;">“We can work with Ignorant, We can’t do much with Stupid”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-1562414262821031452012-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:002012-08-15T07:34:06.482-07:00Beware The Racist Realtors and Beware The Racist Realtor – Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaeNGNk7VZYbKy5_84n67fZ3I0hp6uDKuP8D2nU2m84a_36SyrlE7OTUGnvlwDA5JEXmJAV4qozED8ApO-7xPzWGUdJbmMNhWTYtFIS-_hYV3m-8L910UlATit_kF7EJOO-m3o9AoDFg/s1600/racist-realtor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaeNGNk7VZYbKy5_84n67fZ3I0hp6uDKuP8D2nU2m84a_36SyrlE7OTUGnvlwDA5JEXmJAV4qozED8ApO-7xPzWGUdJbmMNhWTYtFIS-_hYV3m-8L910UlATit_kF7EJOO-m3o9AoDFg/s1600/racist-realtor.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: red;">We did not write this blog, but we think it brings to light that racists exist and you do not need to wear a white cap and gown to identify these types of ignorant, small minded and scared people with no morals or imagination. Buyers Beware!</span><br />
</div>
</span></div>
National Fair Housing Alliance & HUD Investigations Confirm Discrimination! Where’s the outcry from the National Association of Realtors? On July 18, 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the real estate brokerage doing business as Re/Max East-West alleging discrimination on the basis of race and national origin in violation of the Fair Housing Act.<br />
<span id="more-11824"></span>Re/ Max East-West is a major brokerage company serving DuPage and Cook Counties in Illinois. An undercover investigation of Re/Max East-West was conducted by the National Fair Housing Alliance and the investigation unturned a repeated pattern of racial discrimination among real estate agents in as many as 12 cities. The NFHA found that Re/Max East-West agents time and again steered potential white and Latino homebuyers to areas where their race predominated. A Re/Max agent showed a Latino tester three homes in predominantly African-American and Latino areas, homes that were markedly less expensive than those she could afford, and told her that he did not have a lot of time for her.<br />
<br />
Conversely, the same agent showed a white tester nine homes, the majority of which were in predominantly white areas such as Bartlett, Geneva and St. Charles. The agent offered to show the white tester many more homes in predominantly white neighborhoods as far as a 50 mile drive away.<br />
<br />
One real estate agent, John DeJohn, also made illegal comments. He told a white tester, “I don’t care if you are a bigot. If we go to an area and you don’t like it, just let me know. I can’t be a bigot but you can be one.”<br />
<br />
In addition, DeJohn informed a white tester that the two homes they viewed together in a predominantly African-American and Latino area were “dumps” and “repos” even though he had told the Latino tester that one of those homes “might be good for you.” And while the white tester received multiple follow-up calls subsequent to his appointment with the real estate agent, the Latino tester received none.<br />
<br />
“That agents of Re/Max East West were allowed to engage in such blatant discriminatory behavior is outrageous,” said Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “It is sad to think of how much the community’s residential segregation can be attributed directly to their sales practices.”<br />
<br />
Sad indeed. It makes you wonder how much of this is going on across the USA. The Justice Department’s action comes as a result of a complaint filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) with the <a href="http://www.hud.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development </a>(HUD).<br />
<br />
In August, 2005, HUD began an investigation and later found evidence that agents of Re/Max East-West steered homebuyers based on race and national origin, made discriminatory statements, and treated individuals differently based on their national origin. After HUD issued a charge of discrimination, NFHA filed an election to have the case heard in federal court. As a result, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division by the Justice Department.<br />
<br />
“We are pleased with HUD’s decision to issue a charge,” said Ms. Smith. “Our investigation of this company revealed egregious examples of housing discrimination and we hope that this will send a clear message to the housing industry that real estate agents and companies must be held accountable to the law.”<br />
After the NFHA filed a HUD complaint in 2005, HUD initiated an investigation based on the NFHA’s findings and issued a charge of discrimination on June 9, 2008. The Justice Department then brought suit against Re/Max and John DeJohn in United States v. S & S GROUP, LTD. d/b/a REMAX EAST-WEST, through its successor in interest, S&W ELMHURST, LLC, also d/b/a REMAX EAST-WEST and JOHN DEJOHN (Case no. 08-CV-4099).<br />
<br />
This investigation was part of NFHA’s <strong><em>multi-year, multi-city </em></strong>enforcement project to test for housing discrimination in real estate companies identified by HUD as having previously discriminated during its Housing Discrimination Study.<br />
<br />
NFHA’s 12 city investigation <strong><em><span style="color: red;">found an alarming 87% rate of racial steering and an almost 20% rate of denial for African-Americans and </span><span style="color: red;">Lat</span><span style="color: red;">inos</span></em></strong>. <br />
<br />
The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. DeJohn, who left Re/Max in 2004 and now works for a Hillside real estate firm, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But he denied the allegations when they first surfaced in August 2005. “Never. Ever,” he told the Daily Herald. “I will sell to anyone, anywhere.”<br />
<br />
Chris Carlos, who represents both Re/Max East-West and DeJohn, added: “Both of my clients deny the allegations and are looking forward to proving their innocence if need be through litigation,” said Chris Carlos, who represents both Re/Max East-West and DeJohn.<br />
<br />
Now I know some will say this is just a small sample of real estate agents but does that really matter? I won’t even proffer that the sample size is sufficient to show evidence of a prevailing problem. Let’s leave it at 12 cities. Even just in these towns this information is bound to be news in communities across the country. Yet the <a href="http://www.realtor.org/" target="_blank">NAR</a> has not bothered to even respond. In fact, not many real estate agents even want to talk about this.<br />
<br />
When are Realtors going to learn. Your image is damaged. The consumers don’t trust you. Your prestige and credibility are both at all time lows. Instead of spending millions of dollars on frivolous<a href="http://www.realestateradiousa.com/blog/2008/02/14/would-you-buy-and-drink-outdated-milk/" target="_blank"> “dead on arrival” advertising </a>campaigns, perhaps it should really seek to implement a campaign that seeks to instill consumer confidence.<br />
<br />
The image of some is hurting the pocketbooks of many. Why aren’t the rank and file Realtors taking a stand and policing from within? Instead we get incidents like this that further cast a stain on the real estate profession. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realestateradiousa.com/2008/08/04/beware-the-racist-realtor/">http://www.realestateradiousa.com/2008/08/04/beware-the-racist-realtor/</a><br />
<br />
Do they exist in your small town? <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
We believe this is true in small towns at a level of realtors not showing homes built by an outsider. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<o:p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</o:p><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Beware The Racist Realtor – Part II</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uWz2IA-_EFA1jyzGW8FCMX1t-f8A1Z6EmjtaiAiMB_5wDyCGg58gKjsNepVfFnTeJVGJmh5F8S8qW59yiiyF_dNJjGDlbH7K1NUX2byWPHh8MUePJBqybNV4F998I0Nx-nY_J5U2KZ0/s1600/racistrealtor2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uWz2IA-_EFA1jyzGW8FCMX1t-f8A1Z6EmjtaiAiMB_5wDyCGg58gKjsNepVfFnTeJVGJmh5F8S8qW59yiiyF_dNJjGDlbH7K1NUX2byWPHh8MUePJBqybNV4F998I0Nx-nY_J5U2KZ0/s1600/racistrealtor2.jpg" /></a></div>
Oh I finally understand the National Association Of Realtors advertising campaign. Silly me, I needed to read between the lines. “It’s a great time to buy a home…if you’re white!” <a href="http://www.realestateradiousa.com/blog/2008/08/04/beware-the-racist-realtor/" target="_blank">Another agent is charged </a>with being a racist.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.hud.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) </a>announced today that it has charged Rodney Foreman, a real estate agent formerly employed by Coldwell Banker-Joe T. Lane Realty, Inc., in Jonesboro, <span style="color: red;">Georgia</span>, with racial steering in the sale of homes. <br />
<br />
HUD’s investigation found that Foreman steered whites posing as homebuyers to white neighborhoods. HUD has also charged Coldwell Banker-Joe T. Lane Realty, Inc., with violations of the Fair Housing Act based on the discriminatory actions of Foreman.<br />
The agency says an undercover operation found that Rodney Foreman, a former agent with Coldwell Banker-Joe T. Lane Realty, refused to take white clients into predominantly black neighborhoods and made derogatory statements about African-Americans. He also allegedly told white clients that he kept different listings for whites and African-Americans, HUD said.<br />
<br />
Foreman, who now works for <a href="http://www.cbbullard.com/clayton.html" modo="false" target="_blank">Coldwell Banker-Bullard Realty</a> faces fines if found guilty in administrative court. He could also face punitive damages if he decides to fight the charges in federal court.<br />
<br />
Foreman’s discriminatory actions were exposed during undercover testing by the <a href="http://www.nationalfairhousing.org/" target="_blank">National Fair Housing Alliance</a> (NFHA), a fair housing organization with 20 years of experience in fair housing testing. NFHA sent white and African-American testers to Coldwell Banker-Joe T. Lane Realty, Inc., posing as potential homebuyers looking to relocate to the Atlanta area.<br />
<br />
Foreman allegedly steered white homebuyers to white neighborhoods and made derogatory statements about black residents. Foreman allegedly told one of the white testers that he had two sets of listings-one for white homebuyers and another for African-Americans.<br />
<br />
While investigating the NFHA claims, HUD filed its own complaint to ensure HUD’s ability to obtain relief for victims who have not been identified.<br />
<br />
“Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act 40 years ago, one of the highest priorities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been to combat housing discrimination,” said Kim Kendrick, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “In the 21st century, steering should be something of the past. This case shows why HUD’s enforcement actions are crucial to eliminate housing discrimination.”<br />
<br />
The HUD charge will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds after a hearing that discrimination has occurred, the judge may award damages to each complainant for actual loss as a result of the discrimination, as well as damages for emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of civil rights.<br />
<br />
The judge may also order injunctive and other equitable relief to deter further discrimination, as well as the payment of attorney fees. In addition to the money damages payable to the complainant, the judge may impose a civil penalty in order to vindicate the public interest. In the event that one of the parties elects to proceed in federal district court, punitive damages may also be awarded to a prevailing complainant.<br />
<br />
When will these idiot, racist realtors learn? Funny thing, we never seem to hear anything from the <a href="http://www.realtor.org/" target="_blank">NAR</a> on these issues. We also don’t hear many if any realtors speaking out against this either. Where is Coldwell Banker in regards to getting out in front of this? Where’s the diversity training for its agents?<br />
Silence.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realestateradiousa.com/2008/09/24/beware-the-racist-realtor-part-ii/">http://www.realestateradiousa.com/2008/09/24/beware-the-racist-realtor-part-ii/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-37434599205032807592012-06-12T16:51:00.001-07:002012-06-12T16:51:41.984-07:00“Cleaning Up Lead, Asbestos, and Other Hazards”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EyioCzwYRyafeU7b2brvtc0wIQ3QCRVarNFxeCUg8Sh4McmKYWOG6OZetcZXdW0t42oPQ-CSookfzrYBxLzKF7JvdRMQ2H8jyI5I74ohyphenhypheni0P4HLx918ETookXpoYNDgSFPd5Wb3TCBjv/s1600/10-hidden-hazards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EyioCzwYRyafeU7b2brvtc0wIQ3QCRVarNFxeCUg8Sh4McmKYWOG6OZetcZXdW0t42oPQ-CSookfzrYBxLzKF7JvdRMQ2H8jyI5I74ohyphenhypheni0P4HLx918ETookXpoYNDgSFPd5Wb3TCBjv/s200/10-hidden-hazards.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Raveen and Allison Sharma thought they knew what they were getting into when they decided to buy and overhaul a handyman's special, circa 1940, in Auburndale, Massachusetts. Given that the house—the subject of This Old House TV's Fall 2010 project—was built at a time when asbestos was still considered a miracle fiber and lead paint was par for the course, they weren't surprised when a home inspection revealed the presence of both. And since termite damage is the bane of existence for many an old-house lover, they weren't exactly shocked to learn the front sill had been devoured.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What the Sharmas weren't prepared for was the extent of these ills. The asbestos turned up all over the house, the lead paint coated the entire exterior, and the termites had already moved on from their appetizer of sill to the main course of studs. "We were just relieved that we didn't have any mold," Allison says.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Sharmas faced some big decisions about how far they wanted to go—and how much they wanted to spend—to address all these issues. Their story may well help you tackle those decisions at your own old house. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> The 1940s Colonial Revival will undergo major surgery, including the addition of a gabled garage roof, new entry, and an open, family-friendly kitchen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Make your offer contingent on the home passing a complete inspection, then cough up the extra cash for your own inspector; NEVER use the one the real estate agent recommends. (I also have him/her go along with a contractor that I've hired on an hourly basis. That way, I get a real idea of what's needed.) Make sure he's a bulldog, and go with him WITH a list of your own and questions. DO YOUR HOMEWORK; this is the biggest investment of your life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just assume that the seller is an idiot, the agent is a crook, and the house is a piece of junk until I learn differently. There are other houses out there....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"If you live in a house built before 1978, assume it has lead-based paint," says TOH general contractor Tom Silva. The question for the Sharmas, whose house was built decades before the 1977 ban, was: How much lead was there—and where, exactly? Lead abatement became a budgetary issue for anyone hiring out a renovation last April, when the Environmental Protection Agency introduced its Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rules. These require every contractor who comes into contact with lead paint to complete an eight-hour certification and follow strict new guidelines that make the work more time-consuming, labor-intensive and, as a result, expensive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now, even a plumber installing a shower—or any project encompassing more than 6 square feet of lead-painted surface (20 square feet outside)—must wear a HEPA-filtered respirator and meticulously contain and clean up paint debris by sealing off the entire room with plastic and duct tape. The paint removal still has to be done in a way that eliminates dust, and, just to be safe, everything from tools to coveralls must be cleaned before leaving the contaminated space. Ignoring the rules can lead to hefty fines.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> TOH general contractor Tom Silva inspects a window frame for lead paint with homeowner Raveen Sharma at this season's TOH TV project house. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Of course, lead is far more than just a cost concern for the Sharmas, who have two kids; children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning's effects, which can range from chronic headaches to brain damage. The danger occurs when they ingest paint chips or chew on "mouthable surfaces" containing lead, such as painted moldings, or inhale lead dust embedded in, say, floor cracks. If lead paint is in good repair, and not pulling away from surfaces, the EPA says it's safe and acceptable to encapsulate it with special primers, such as Child Guard, which seal in the toxins and have a bitter taste to deter children. If you choose to undertake lead abatement yourself, be sure to follow the same precautions as the pros. (Check out epa.gov/lead/ for more information.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> Cutting into the wood allows him to see whether lead is present in deeper layers of paint. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since the Sharmas were tackling a major renovation, encapsulation wasn't a viable option. To minimize the RRP work inside, they called in Covino Environmental Associates, which used a type of X-ray machine to scan the walls. As in many old houses, which were often wallpapered, lead paint was discovered only in the kitchen and bathrooms, where moisture was a concern. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once Tom and crew removed that paint, the renovation could continue unimpeded. Outside, Tom identified lead paint on the windows and wood shingles with Lead Check, a DIY testing kit. That meant they were going to need an awful lot of plastic and duct tape to replace the windows and repaint the house. "In the old days, guys would go up there in shorts and T-shirts and start sanding away," says Ron Peik, owner of Alpine Environmental, which helped with the Sharmas' abatement. "Lead is the new asbestos."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> Tom uses a chemically activated swab, called LeadCheck, to test for lead on the house's old windows. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Sharmas knew they had asbestos to contend with after their home inspector found it in the insulation of the boiler as well as some 9-by-9-inch basement floor tiles. But it was only after Covino completed a full test that they began to fret. "There was a lot more than we bargained for," Allison says. Asbestos also turned up in the 12-by-12-inch floor tiles in the kitchen and bath, wall panels surrounding the boiler, and joint compound in the basement drywall. Left undisturbed, asbestos is harmless. The boiler insulation was friable, meaning it would've crumbled if touched, but luckily the whole unit was being removed anyway. For the rest, the Sharmas were told they could just tile over the asbestos flooring and leave the drywall alone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> After asbestos was found in the basement's resilient tile and wood subfloor, the Sharmas had a choice. They opted to have Tom rip out everything down to the aggregate and pour a new concrete subfloor rather than cover the contaminants. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Removal:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Largely for peace of mind, however, they wanted the stuff completely eighty-sixed from the house. They called in an army of men decked out in Tyvek suits to seal off the asbestos-contaminated rooms, rig a vacuum system to capture floating fibers, and then scrape it off, double bag it, and haul it to a landfill licensed to handle asbestos. (See epa.gov/asbestos/ for more on asbestos removal.) The Sharmas' entire job took only a couple of days but, together with the inspection, cost more than $8,000. Allison says it was worth it: "The patient was already opened up on the operating table—so why not get all the bad stuff out all at once?" <span style="color: red;">Any home built before 1978 has some type of lead base paint; also do not forget the likely chance of Asbestos and mold. Any home from 1978 and 1900 and 1800 should be tasted by a company that specializes in removing Lead, Mold, and Asbestos and they should provide documentation of no findings of these types of hazards and dangerous materials in any old home. No documentation buyers beware.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Termites:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Termites aren't necessarily bad for your health, but they are for your house, causing billions of dollars of damage to American homes each year. By the time the Sharmas moved in, termites had already devoured about 35 feet of the front sill. It was only when Tom started demo work that they saw the pests had worked their way up to the studs, too. Tom had to install a new sill and replace the damaged stud sections. To ward off the pests in the future and safeguard their children's health, the Sharmas decided to go with Green Planet Pest Control, a local company, which applied a borate-based solution to the new sill. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> Tom checks out the replacement for a termite-ravaged sill. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Testing for Termites:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Green Planet also baited the area around the foundation with cylinders containing wood briquettes to guard against renewed attacks. If the wood ever shows signs of nibbling, the company will lace the briquettes with insecticide, serving up a hearty last supper for the little gluttons. (Go to thisoldhouse.com/bonus to see a video of Tom Silva taking on termites.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Shown:</span> A wood stake set 18 inches off the foundation will tell you if termites are present. If they are, "they'll have a party on that," says Tom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mold:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One nightmare the Sharmas didn't have to face was mold. "That surprised me," says Tom. He figured moisture found while demolishing the sunporch would lead to more bad news, but he saw none of the telltale signs, such as water stains and deteriorating fascia boards. That's a good thing, considering that mold can feed on the cellulose in wallboard, mineral-fiber or wood ceiling tile, and even wood studs, resulting in significant property damage. Worse, molds reproduce by releasing spores that can provoke allergic reactions ranging from itchy eyes and coughing to severe skin rashes and worsened asthma. It's wise to check your home for mold in basements, attics, and other poorly ventilated areas a few times each year. On hard surfaces, isolated mold outbreaks (less than 10 square feet) can be cleaned up with diluted bleach or soap and water. Anything larger should be handled by a pro. (Check out epa.gov/mold/ for more on mold.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To the Future:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's no coincidence that most firms doing abatement of lead and asbestos also handle mold. These are the three biggest health hazards in older homes. For the Sharmas, now that the toxins and termites are gone, they can start focusing on the fun stuff—with a truly healthy outlook. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20428889_20852632,00.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20428889_20852632,00.html</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thomasville, GA has really old homes that have been Remodeled ASK FOR DOCUMENTATION of these bad materials removed. Lead, Asbestos, Mold. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Any home built before 1978 has some type of lead base paint; also do not forget the likely chance of Asbestos and mold. Any home from 1978 and 1900 and 1800 should be tested by a company that specializes in removing Lead, Mold, and Asbestos and they should provide documentation of no findings of these types of hazards and dangerous materials in any old home. No documentation buyers beware. As a real estate agent I would not show this type of property or list without proper documentation</span>. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-41054525312424383292012-06-12T16:49:00.004-07:002012-06-12T16:49:51.797-07:00Check Lead and Asbestos Presence Before Buying Older Homes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE9-dCN08ws3SedUZpFbKdIblpdLxzDEHM-6PNbw_a8VeA9Hr5LA8VFWxilo113ee5ikxT-vLd4TKjZcLTN4L-5llEr479jTp08XMU7USIlOaprFfItapkbA9YialwS4h14av1pw76o0/s1600/LEAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE9-dCN08ws3SedUZpFbKdIblpdLxzDEHM-6PNbw_a8VeA9Hr5LA8VFWxilo113ee5ikxT-vLd4TKjZcLTN4L-5llEr479jTp08XMU7USIlOaprFfItapkbA9YialwS4h14av1pw76o0/s200/LEAD.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Many home buyers are enticed with older homes because these properties have great structure, facade, design and integrity. These homes foster durability may be due to the materials used in building them. Asbestos and lead are two ingredients that possess many practical physical attributes suitable for long-lasting building. On the other hand, health problems were later on discovered to be brought about by lead and asbestos. As a present home buyer, it is your responsibility to seek proper measures in determining whether these elements are existent in the old home you are looking into. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A lot of residential unit developers and builders from early 1900s to late 1970s were convinced to use materials containing lead and asbestos. Lead was a common ingredient for paints, drying agents and external coverings of roofing joints because of its qualities of malleability and corrosion resistance. Asbestos was used in cement, flat sheet, shingles, pipes, vinyl tiles, flooring felt and some paints for textured painting. This mineral is known to maintain proper insulation and slow down fire. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Despite the wonderful construction attributes these elements have, they pose health problems as well. Lead can trigger many undesirable conditions for people. Once this is inhaled or ingested, the blood stream will be poisoned. And lead poisoning can lead to poor mental, nerve and motor functioning and permanent learning and behavioral disorders. A pregnant woman also endangers the normal growth of the fetus once she is exposed to lead. Abdominal pain, headache and anemia are common symptoms of lead poisoning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Asbestos is commonly associated with respiratory problems such as lung cancer, Mesothelioma and asbestosis. The second condition refers to the cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and chest cavity, abdominal cavity or a sac surrounding the heart. The third one is the scarring of the lung tissue which can later on affect lung dysfunction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Older homes with these elements still pose risks until today. This is because the lead and asbestos content in the materials can be scattered as dust particles or through microscopic bacterial fibers. Thus, a lot of countries have implemented total bans and/or usage and manufacturing regulations regarding lead and asbestos in home products and building materials. Other measures like here in the US instigate proper management and assessment of lead and asbestos presence in older homes. Government bodies such as US Environment Protection Agency and Housing and Urban Development strongly advise home buyers and owners to hire professionals who would conduct inspections and testing of home areas. Expert services are required as these elements need specific equipment for detection. These are invisible to the naked eye, cannot be smelled or tasted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once the inspections present alarming traces of lead and/or asbestos, the affected areas should be immediately removed and replaced. Eco-friendly alternative materials from non-toxic renewable natural resources are available. Cotton fiver, lycnene foam and cellulose are green materials that can be used to replace insulation, piping, siding or roofing materials that contain asbestos or lead. While you are augmenting the healthy environment in the property, using green substitutes may mean financial gains for you as well. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, home owners who purchase such materials can be rewarded with tax incentives.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.realestateproarticles.com/Art/13368/283/Check-Lead-and-Asbestos-Presence-Before-Buying-Older-Homes.html</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thomasville, GA has really old homes that have been Remodeled ASK FOR DOCUMENTATION of these bad materials removed. Lead, Asbestos, Mold. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Any home built before 1978 has some type of lead base paint; also do not forget the likely chance of Asbestos and mold. Any home from 1978 and 1900 and 1800 should be tested by a company that specializes in removing Lead, Mold, and Asbestos and they should provide documentation of no findings of these types of hazards and dangerous materials in any old home. No documentation buyers beware. As a real estate agent I would not show this type of property or list without proper documentation. </span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-28050818099769063522012-06-12T16:48:00.001-07:002012-06-12T16:48:22.902-07:00I'm going crazy thinking about the lead paint in my house<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d_PyxR5OKckE1tWhSKgGjlnz6OwiHFHygGyOUWl6CIvoZL301rAsA-ScXIDGT2YfG_ICx5zHV3x1SuFSrd9fmWrq89xHHY1EpJyd2Bh3G3-O-BVe_ipxjmdj20qUyOosht8bRF4WOxs/s1600/LeadBasedPaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d_PyxR5OKckE1tWhSKgGjlnz6OwiHFHygGyOUWl6CIvoZL301rAsA-ScXIDGT2YfG_ICx5zHV3x1SuFSrd9fmWrq89xHHY1EpJyd2Bh3G3-O-BVe_ipxjmdj20qUyOosht8bRF4WOxs/s200/LeadBasedPaint.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hi All,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This entry is a bit long-winded, but I think that this is a very important topic for all. I’ve been a faithful This Old House magazine subscriber for years. I’ve enjoyed reading about all of the fantastic remodels and old house restorations, but as far as I know (and let me know if I'm wrong), there is not one article about the dangers of removing lead paint. Most of these renovations and restoration jobs require that you disturb walls/paint. I used to get very motivated reading about people who uncovered beautiful wood underneath layers of paint they removed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Personally, I had a very bad scare last year. My husband and I have been restoring our 115 year old house for the last 6 years. We were not planning to have kids, so just like the poeple in This Old House, we went ahead and stripped the paint off of all of our mouldings. The floor was painted too, so we hired a floor professional to sand them. 6 years later, the house was still not finished, and lo and behold, I got pregnant. We had a healthy baby girl, and with the encouragement from our pediatrician, we had our house tested for lead. The numbers were off the charts, so I immediately had the baby tested. Luckily, the tests came out negative and we were VERY relieved to say the least. We have her tested every 6 months due to the risks and so far, she is clean. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am in my 40s and I know that people in my age group and older have been exposed to lead paint. My husband remembers eating paint chips (and he's still a smart cookie). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The city where I live in is filled with rows and rows of old houses. When the renovation boom came along, most of the houses on my block were gutted and re-done. Where did all of the lead-laden debris go to? Answer: The landfills. When I was redoing my kitchen, I consulted with a lead abatement spe******t and for a 400 square room, he quoted me $7,500 to take down 4 walls!! We definitely could not afford that. When I asked him why the price was so high, he replied that he has to contain the lead paint in a special metal barrel where it will be incinerated at a special facility. It just didn't make sense to me - so how about the other houses when they did their demos? Did they place their debris in special metal drums too? I don't think so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also talked to the City’s top lead spe******t, and he offered to do a lead test in my home. He said that if he finds any lead in my house, he will close my house down and won’t let me in until I perform lead abatement - this could cost over $20,000!! How about the other houses? All of them have lead too. Shouldn’t he close those houses down too? He had no comment about that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was reading about how ingesting one micron of lead can screw up a child's brain development, and how a neighbor's house gut job can affect you as well since their lead dust can land on your property. If this is true, my child's lead levels should be sky high. Several of my neighbors have gutted their houses and I know that there are more than several hundred micron particles of lead dust stuck somewhere between our floor boards due to our prior work removing paint and sanding the floors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In my house, there are several doorways where the hacked up mouldings have peeling paint - they desperately need replacing. I'm stuck because prying off the moulding would disturb the paint and produce lead particles, but not removing the moulding is bad too because the paint will continue to crack and fall off. I can't imagibe spending $2,500 per doorway for a lead abatement company. So what do I do? Move out?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I literally walk around with a spray bottle of Ledizolv (a cleaner that dissolves lead particles - used by lead abatement companies), and I'm making myself crazy thinking about all the lead particles that are hiding in the nooks and crannies. I cringe when my daughter plays on the floor, and I am constantly washing her hands. My question is for the old house owners out there - has anyone else been in the same shoes? If so, how did you deal with it? The bottom line is that lead is everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE), and believe me, I am fully aware of the dangers of lead. How do you live in your house without going crazy thinking about that? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="https://advice.thisoldhouse.com/showthread.php?t=14415"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">https://advice.thisoldhouse.com/showthread.php?t=14415</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thomasville, GA has really old homes that have been Remodeled ASK FOR DOCUMENTATION of these bad materials removed. Lead, Asbestos, Mold. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Any home built before 1978 has some type of lead base paint; also do not forget the likely chance of Asbestos and mold. Any home from 1978 and 1900 and 1800 should be tested by a company that specializes in removing Lead, Mold, and Asbestos and they should provide documentation of no findings of these types of hazards and dangerous materials in any old home. No documentation buyers beware. As a real estate agent I would not show this type of property or list without proper documentation. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659464107240856533.post-52266366168118869942010-12-12T07:04:00.000-08:002010-12-12T07:04:06.806-08:00Capital Home Builders - Top Merchant Recognition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp1B_T3hgx38N_lDMIh6w5GLU57QDzW-larhKP78YNcy92AKMvBchKGXiEVSn21T0wWL3RJUvdGFKb6Bc_-0IokUmSc3s2aub-f9-rqZzqGHR8FdD9kl6sedlUlogzInsLwSxingVhL4/s1600/chb-topm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp1B_T3hgx38N_lDMIh6w5GLU57QDzW-larhKP78YNcy92AKMvBchKGXiEVSn21T0wWL3RJUvdGFKb6Bc_-0IokUmSc3s2aub-f9-rqZzqGHR8FdD9kl6sedlUlogzInsLwSxingVhL4/s320/chb-topm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Capital Home Builders would like to thank Merchant Circle for this Top Merchant recognition on my devotion in providing consumers with a valuable service. Merchant Circle has been a great venue for our Business. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><stockticker><span class="MsoHyperlink">CHB</span></stockticker><span class="MsoHyperlink"> Eco Custom Homes</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com