Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

There has been a ton of hype on Spray Foam insulation and 'Sealing' up your attic or Pier and Beam home over the last year.

Part 2 of the Turning Houston Green Webinar Series goes over Sealed Attics and Crawl Spaces with a special look at Spray foam insulation.  Things to look for and when not to consider.  Michael Strong makes some great points in regards to re-insulating your walls (when and how you should do it in a most cost effective way)

If you would like to register for one of the other 6 Sessions that we are going to do just click over and sign up on the Turning Houston Green and Michael Strong Registration Webinar Series page.

Below is the recorded version of it and so that it makes more sense towards the end I recommend viewing the chat archive at the same time.

I would also like to take a quick moment to Thank our Sponsors for helping to bring this to you:

Pella Windows

Bluegill Energy Management

Lutron Lighting and Electronics ***

As part of the Greening Your Existing Home Web Seminar series that I have mentioned in a previous post, we did Part 1 today and had a great time! 

The Series is with myself and Michael Strong with Brothers Strong and we reviewed Energy Conservation and Energy Audits - What they are and why you need one to 'Green' Up your home.  We also had our Energy Expert on there who is Clayton Farmer with Bluegill Energy Management answering some questions in the Chat Room.

If you missed it and would like to listen in you can find the recorded version below.  Also, you may want to read through the Chat Archive along with it.

To sign up for Future Webinar Series, I invite you to register with this link.  We have the registration links posted for Through February and will be posting more in the upcoming weeks.  The series is expected to go through Mid April.

Here is the termporary schedule right now - Again, February dates are Set.

• Jan. 31st from 11-12        Energy Audits <
• Feb. 4th from 7p-8p         Insulation
• Feb. 21st from 11-12       HVAC (Heating and Cooling)
• Feb. 25th from 7p-8p       Radiant Barrier and Windows
• March 14th from 11-12     To Be Determined
• March 28th from 11-12     Water Conservation Fixtures and Delivery Systems
• April 1st from 7p-8p         Indoor Air Quality
• April 11th from 11-12       Durability
• April 15th from 7p-8p       Top 10 Practices and Green Guidelines

And now, the recorded session.  :0)

I would also like to take a moment to Thank our Sponsors for this Series:

Pella Windows

Bluegill Energy Mangament

Lutron Lighting and Electronics

In Part 1 of my series I discuss how there are quite a few expired listings out there that are gorgeous!  Unfortunately, it appears that many features of the home went UnNoticed.  Forgotten. These features are those the right now, in our Financial climate and increased awareness of what it takes to OWN a home are often times the MOST important to Home Buyers.

Part 2 of the Series is Location.  It's not just about the Proximity to shopping, hike and bike trails, work and other things that are often mentioned.  Location goes WAY beyond that.

For the sake of this Series I am using The Woodlands as an example.  Home Buyers that are looking in The Woodlands are extremely savvy.  They know that Grogans Mill is the closest to I-45, however, it is also the Oldest Village.  As we work our way back, we have Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, Sterling Ridge....

The distance towards the front of the Community gets further and further.  That is no Secret.  Neither is the fact that as we work our way further and further to the back, the homes get newer and newer.

So, let's take for example Grogans Mill or Cochrans Crossing.  These locations sometimes tell potential Home Buyers what they may see in a home.

Actually it is not necessarily what they may see in a home, it is the FEAR of what they MIGHT see in a home:

• Wood Rot
• Foundation Problems
• Water Damage
• Overall luster of a home diminishing with age
• Single Pane Windows
• Higher Electric Bills
• Higher Maintenance Costs incurred throughout the time of owning the home

Now, again, none of this is a secret.  Obviously as a home gets older there is more work to do to the home.  Kind of like owning a car.  You pass the certain mileage and you have to replace the Timing Belt, Brakes..sometimes the Transmission and other things that just really cost a lot of money.

In today's Financial Climate, folks do not want to mess with all of that.  They need their money. 

From an Affordability Ranking,  how does YOUR home rate versus the ones around you? 

Often times an 'Updated' home means that Cosmetically it looks nice.  It does not have the Laminate Countertops, the paint is updated..in other words the appearance is TRENDY.

But when we look at it a little more closely, the Fascia Board on the home looks like it could be replaced.  The roof is only a few years from being replaced, the HVAC system looks like it might be on its last leg.

The cost of all of this can TRIPLE the cost of personalizing the Home INSIDE.

So, back to Location.  Where your home is located, how does your Home Rank in Affordability? 

• How much MAINTENANCE has been done on your home?
• Was your BUILDER ahead of the pack in products being used to make the home more AFFORDABLE?
• Are your UTILITY bills less than the AVERAGE home in your Community?

THAT is where Location often comes in to play with Today's Home Buyers.  This could also be termed 'Myth Busters'

What does YOUR home have that could be known as a 'Myth Buster'?  Let's think outside the Box.

Next in the series:  Fluff.  The 'fluff' in advertising.  "Updated Appliances!  Granite Countertops and Hardwood Floors!"

While that is all well and good, forget about some of it.  I'll tell you why.

As I was searching through some Expired Listings in The Woodlands today I was absolutely amazed at some of the Gorgeous homes that were on the list.  Beautiful!  Updated Older Homes that glistened, Newer homes that appeared to be clean as a whistle...

But what shocked me the most, was the fact that at first glance, they did not appear to be incredibly Over Priced.  Now, I did not run comps on any of the homes as it would not be accurate anyhow without stepping inside of them and seeing for myself but here is what caught my eye:

• Custom Hardwood Floors
• Central Vacuum Systems
• Granite or other updated Countertops
• Incredible Landscaping
• Some had amazing Pools
• A few had unique floorplans that are somewhat difficult to find

Since this post is not about how the homes were listed, I'll stop there.  I often wish I knew how much traffic these homes had while they were on the market, but I don't.

Now, when I filter through listings for potential clients I try to look at everything that is NOT mentioned in the descriptions.  For Example, the pictures (especially the ones that we would typically think are bad), Builder name and year built can tell you A LOT:

• Those pictures of the side of the home that show the Compressor for the HVAC system- Wow, That looks like it could be a 15 or 16 SEER!
• The appliances in the kitchen that are only noted as Stainless Steel or Upgraded appear to be a brand that is likely ENERGY STAR
• One home was built by Ryland in 2000:  Ryland was one of the few builders that was actively using Double Pane windows and sometimes Radiant Barrier BEFORE it was required by Code.
• Another was built in 2006 by David Weekley who happened to use an extremely Energy Efficient Building program before the other builders hopped on in late '07 and mid-'08

All of these features are ones that I consider to be the Sustainable, Greener or otherwise...more Affordable ones.

These are all of the features that often times go UN Noticed by potential, QUALIFIED Homebuyers.

Would this kind of stuff actually bring the attention to people in the market for a home?  They should!  And they DO to many of the Buyers that I personally work with.

While explaining it all right here and right now would take a long time, this is the start of a new series of Blog Posts.  ~The Affordability Ranking~

• How much maintenace will be required on this home?
• How much will it cost me to LIVE in this home?
• How Comfortable will it be to LIVE in this home?
• Why is this home different than all of the others besides the paint, countertops and flooring?
• Overall, how will it affect my pocket book at the end of every Month?

While any home that goes on the market would Benefit from using this, I am aiming it towards Expired Listings as we are entering the 'Selling Season' with a higher inventory than recent years with longer time on the market.

Let's take a look through this Series on how to Maximize Affordability in your home to give it a selling advantage. 

Next part of the Series?  Location.  It's not just about where the home is located, it's where the home is located in comparison to the Affordability of the home.  No, it's not about location to work, school, shopping...Location goes much deeper than that.  The simple location of a home can tell Home Buyers A LOT about the potential Condition of every home they see.  It's important to show how YOUR home may be different.  Stay Tuned.

Let's pretend that the picture to the right is a snapshot of the homes for sale in your Community.  There are a handful of homes available, but there are only 5 Buyers lurking around.  It is a race for curb appeal, staging, and upgrades.  A battle of advertising wits to get the most showings with Photos on MLS, Videos on YouTube and Virtual Tours online.

But most of these all have Granite Countertops, Stainless Steel Appliances and Plasma TV's staying with the home.  There are some with upgraded carpet, extra crown moulding and pools or heavenly back yards.

Ok, back to the picture.  Is there one that catches your eye, one that stands out more than the others? Why does green make it different?

I really am getting somewhere, just bear with me another minute.  Here are a few things that I have NEVER heard from a client while showing homes:

• "I am buying a home 45 miles from work and it would make me SO happy to find the home in this Community with the highest electric bill."
• "Living in Houston for a long time, I have bad allergies/asthma and I enjoy it. Find me the home that will aggravate my allergies/asthma the most."

and last but not least:

• "I absolutely LOVE home maintenance.  I want a home with rotted wood, single pane windows and appliances that will need to be changed out next year."

I personally believe that these items are overlooked in separating homes while they are For Sale.  All of the three points above are getting in to what Green Homes are about. Yes, what most would consider 'Environmentally Friendly Homes'.  It is all over the News, every magazine, Reality TV Show, it doesn't end.  Even if your home is NOT Green, let's look at what really could make it the Green one in the middle that sticks out.

Energy Efficiency- 

So, you have always been ahead of the curve in making a comfortable home with LOW Utility Bills.  You chose Radiant Barrier when you replaced your roof, changed out your Windows to Double Pane to keep your Living Room or Master Bedroom cooler, upgraded to Energy Star Appliances AND put in a brand spankin' new 15 SEER A/C System last year.  All of that made your bill 40-50% less than the Blue homes around you.  Let's Frame it!  Take that last Electric Bill and show it to the world!  Loud and Proud!

Water Efficiency-

Do you live in an area with high Water Bills or a Water Shortage?  What changes have you or can you make to your home that would appeal to a Potential Homebuyer?  How about Sprinkler System with Rain Gauge, Low Flow faucets or toilets, or a landscaped yard that requires minimal watering and/or maintenance.

Indoor Air Quality-

This topic would appeal to that large group of homebuyers that need less dust or allergens in a home, a group that is growing in numbers every year.  Did you opt for the Whole House HEPA Filter in your A/C System?  How about very little or NO carpet, Low or No VOC Paints and adhesives when you put in Hardwood floors and remodeled?  Home Buyers looking for these options REALLY do know that it will benefit them.

Home Maintenance-

Ahhh, the one item that really hits home.  The Cost vs. Value report is put out once a year to show what upgrades and changes recuperate the most money within 12 months. Did you know that Double Pane windows in Houston on this report show that you can get over 80% of your money back within one year?  New siding on the home is OVER 90%!!  This also goes back to move in condition and Convenience, two topics that Potential Homebuyers LOVE to hear about.  What makes your home different?

These four topics can really draw a crowd and statistics show that Home Buyers are willing to pay a Premium.  Whether your home already has these items or you just know that changes are needed to sell, these are items to consider.  What is IN your home can help your Listing Agent make it the one that Stands Out From The Crowd!  Which Home Is Yours?

Just in the past year and a half we have gone from the majority of people not ever hearing about Green Building/Green Homes- To the majority of people wanting to go Green in their homes in one way or another.  What I find fascinating about this movement is that it is truly a Consumer Driven market right now. 

I mean, who would NOT want a more Energy Efficient, Healthier home right?

Now, I can't speak for all areas of the Nation, but in Houston, this has created some what of a...Frustration.  There are more people looking for a 'Green' New Construction Home (key word New Construction) than there really are homes on the ground.  We can find Energy Efficient, not a problem.  But when we start adding in the Low/No VOC Paints, Caulks, Products- Recycled Content- Renewable Energy and so forth...it is few and far between sometimes.

Then if someone really wants to build, we take in to consideration the cost of New Construction for a TRUE 'Green' built home, LEED for example, this is right now in Houston- quite high compared to what most people are looking for when you take the size of home desired, features that they want IN the home...we are looking at about $200 per square foot NOT counting the cost of land vs. $80-$120 for resales or just Energy Efficient or minimally Green.  That is a pretty big leap.

Not taking in to consideration the cost, part of this is a numbers game.  How many buyers are there vs. New Construction Inventory homes right now?  Probably quite a few more buyers. 

But what if we change that scenario to How many buyers are there vs. Homes on the Market right now?  Now we are talking! 

On my other blog I have just finished a series called the 'Hypothetical Remodel' where myself and some of the Green Building Experts around town decided to put something together on how exactly Homebuyers can Purchase and existing Home with the Floorplan, Location and other features desired, use a Conventional 30 Year Fixed Renovation Loan to 'Green' up the house.

Remember how the cost difference was between $80 and $120 per sq ft?  That is a lot of room in many cases to be able to Renovate about any home out there to YOUR desire.  It would have the Cosmetic features such as tile, countertops, etc that you want in a home with everything else to fit the Buyers needs.

Here is a basic breakdown of how it works:

• Make sure that you qualify for a Conventional Loan for a desired purchase amount
• Find the home you want..with a great imagination of course of what the home COULD look like
• Once we get the contract written, call out some contractors and designers!
• An Energy Audit is Essential here also to get it more Energy Efficient
• Get the bids for the work, the home will be appraised for AFTER Renovation Value
• Once you close on the home, the work should be complete in no more than 60 Days

Personally, I forsee a lot of interest in these kind of loans over the next couple of years.  I think we will start seeing more and more banks offering them.  For now, I have only found ONE in the entire State of Texas.  Why? Because this is still a 5% down Conventional Mortgage and you do not have to pay Home Improvement Loan like Interest Rates..5.5% as of last Friday!

This is all just another way to Go Green when buying a home.  If you would like to read the Entire Series on how we went about doing this, Master Bathroom Designs and ALL- You can find it in the link below.  I put all 7 parts of the Series in one PDF E-Book for Convenience. Just click below:

How To Buy a Home and Renovate it GREEN

Also, keep your eyes out for some exciting information about what is coming in 2009 through TurningHoustonGreen!  An 8 Part Series of Webinars starting at the end of January with myself and Houston's very own Michael Strong with Brothers Strong going in to detail about how to Green up the Existing Home!

If you are thinking about Buying a home to Green Up, or just thinking about 'Greening UP' the home you already own, you may want to tune in!

On another forum I was led to an article about Tiny Texas Houses, which led me to the website of Discovery Architectural Antiques in Gonzales, Texas.  This company sells salvaged architectural items for restoration. 

They've come up with a new project that I think is just awesome!  The Tiny Texas Houses Project takes those salvaged architectural items that they have in inventory and builds 95% recycled (wiring, plumbing, etc., being new) tiny, portable houses from them.  Each one will, of course, of necessity, be somewhat unique. 

I'd love to have one of these on our place as a guest cottage/office/man cave!  It would be great for a horse facility, too, as a tack room/lounge for boarders/students.

It's summer here in Central Texas, grass is growing (well, it's struggling due to the lack of rain for the past month or so, but there's still forage for the critters), animals are eating, we're not having to feed any hay. 

But that's now.  Living in the country, we need to look ahead to winter way before it's here.  A few days ago, taking advantage of the dry weather (every vice has its virtues, and vice versa), lots of people in the area, including us, were having their hay cut and baled. 

When we first moved out here, and for several years thereafter, we weed-killed and fertilized, and we had our hay put up in square bales.  I will never forget that first year, when the three of us (husband Phil, daughter Jess, and I) were putting the hay in the barn, 500 bales, 3 days, 108 degree weather.  

About 3 years ago, with it being just the two of us at home now, we decided to try round bales.  We had them baled smaller than usual, to make them easier to handle.  We got 20 bales that first year, and with the tractor, they were put up in an hour and a half instead of the 3 days we usually had to schedule. 

We gave the field a rest for a couple of years, due to first drought, then flood.  Last year we decided to try something different.  Instead of weedkiller and chemical fertilizers, we decided to try a more natural approach, using liquid compost extract applied by Sustainable Growth, Texas.  It's applied in the same way, the cost is very close to the same if not a little bit less, and we noticed almost immediately that the grass was growing in thicker. 

When we baled last week, we got 28 round bales off of the same field that had produced 20 in past.   That's enough of an improvement to make the argument for continuing with the liquid compost, which is better for the soil, the plants, and the animals (including us).  

Our planning for the coming winter, then, started last fall, when we chose the treatment for the field.  Now, we have more than enough hay to see our critters through the winter (and, for that matter, this August, which is another time when we like to give the grass as much of a rest as possible).  It's just another good feeling of life lived in the country.

Going green in the country is nothing new – country folk have been doing it for centuries.  However, they haven’t done it alone – those of us who live in the country have partners in living the green rural lifestyle, and I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them. 

Our organic pest control managers are pictured at right.  That’s right, chickens.  Free range chickens on our place most years cut the fly population down to, oh, four or five house flies a year.  And that’s considering that we have horses and cows! (More on them later.)  They run around and take care of the fly larvae before they have a chance to turn into flying menaces. 

 Our cats and dogs are also members of this team.  The dogs keep predator pests such as raccoons and possums away; the cats are on rodent and rabbit patrol and do an excellent job of keeping the place vermin-free.  (The only rats or mice I've seen in a decade are those that the cats bring to me to demonstrate what a good job they're doing to earn their keep.) 

Other members of our organic pest control squad are goldfish.  We keep the watering tanks stocked with goldfish, who not only keep them algae free, but also assure that no mosquito larvae escapes to drink our blood.  Native fish in the creek and pond serve a similar function. 

Our cows and horses and donkeys are our mowing and fertilization team.  Because of them, we don’t often have to shred the fields, using precious diesel, and they daily produce fertilizer for those same fields.  They are aided by the chickens, of course, when we clean out the coop and use the contents to improve the soil for the vegetable garden.  (Amazing stuff – plants grow twice as large, sometimes, when that fertilizer is used to enhance the soil.  The cows of others also contribute when we have our hay pasture fertilized using soil biology through Sustainable Growth Texas, and we’ve found that weedkilling with chemicals is no longer necessary using soil biology.

These are just a few of the partners we have in going green in the country. When moving to your place in the country, don't forget your partners!