Some are infill near Downtown are others are in the Burbs.  I mention this because looking at the reports that I do every month, it gives us the impression that there is not a whole lot going on – when in reality, its appears that it will start to pop up everywhere. 

I am currently in the process of creating a site where I can add floorplans and price sheets for Green-er Communities and Projects around town.  If you know of some amazing green secrets, we would love to hear about them!

Now, historically speaking October is a rather quiet month for Real Estate -  November and December may pick up a little bit – but overall not a whole lot of change until the next year.  Here are the October statistics that we have been following – And a quick question posed to you..Would you like to hear an overall Real Estate Report each month? 

Next month will be month #4 – I’ll start tracking with graphs so that it is easier to follow the change from each month.

• New construction – 125
• Resale – 111

• New Construction – 10
• Resale – 5

• New construction – 12
• Resale -5

• New construction -2
• Resale – 2

•  Active on the market – 905
• Sold in October – 131

• Active on the market – 671
• Sold in October – 95

• Active on the Market – 266
• Sold in October – 50

For the past several years I have used a site called BFads to keep up with it.  This is the same site where I found out about the recent price war that WalMart just started on XBOX 360 – $199 with a $100 FREE Gift Card.   This year I have noticed some good GREEN deals out there.  Just thought I would share them with you.  For the next few weeks I will update this post for the stores and link over to BFads so that you can see what its all about. 

Just keep in mind that through this site they usually only put stores that are National – So feel free to forward this post to your friends and family!!  Oh, and if I miss out on some deals and you want to share them, leave it in the comment section.  If you want to check out what else is out there just go to the main page of the Black Friday Ads Website

Harbor Freight - There is a location on the North side of town that I go to every so often

45 Watt Solar Panel Kit for $159.99

Lowe’s –

Electric Fireplace which can be both Energy Efficient if you unplug it while not in use and provide a Healthier option than a wood fireplace for $399

Several LED Flashlights – But here is one set for $7.97

Sears – I think their sale has started already

Samsung High Efficiency Washer for $722.49 or the set for $999.98

Well, this mentality is making its way through so many aspects of our lives.  However, when you look closely – even that store brand bag of potato chips is not the same as Lay’s.  It likely has artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives that make it taste similar.

In terms of Green Real Estate, I’m starting to see the trend Greener home features try to be placed on the ‘Value Rack’ – It seems as though Energy Efficiency and building products related are being tossed in to the mix to add a perceived value.  Kind of like those potato chips.

We have a number of builders in the Houston area that are getting it right and doing everything possible to add REAL value.  Then there is the perceived value.

For example, an Energy Star builder that uses a Radiant Barrier to make a home more energy efficient.  (Not based on any builder in particular. Just using this as an example)  This home costs less per square foot than the competing builder in the community.  Why?  How could that be when the claims are that they are just as efficient?  I mean, it has a Radiant Barrier, right?

That’s simply not the case.  Not necessarily, anyhow. 

The Radiant Barrier is just one piece of the puzzle.  When a home is built to be Energy Efficient it starts before the slab is even poured.  When done correctly it takes everything in to consideration – From the floorplan, windows and even what direction the home faces sometimes. 

Performance testing in most Green Building Programs is required on every single home – where as in recent years some became accustomed to being able to only test 1 in every 10 or so homes. 

The homes with that excellent value per square foot are typically vastly different.  In production built homes the cost difference between a great and ok home is on average less than $15,000 when looking at apples to apples in size.   When you take in to consideration the cost to maintain the home, systems being replaced, how the home will look in 6 years when you go to sell…

Is it really worth it?  Combining this series now with my Dirty Little Secrets lets take an in depth look at the store brand bag of potato chips.  First and foremost – Do the homes really perform differently enough to make a difference in value?

Stay Tuned.

So for Blog Action Day today I am dedicating this post to ALL Real Estate Professionals.  To HECK with Climate Change.  To HECK with ‘Green’.  Let’s forget about it and have an open mind..atleast while you read this.

You see, its not just about Climate Change.  Its about better opportunities.  Its about better building practices.  Regardless of how you feel about Environmental issues this is something that you should strongly consider.

What we do at home, how we build our homes has not only an Environmental impact but an Economic impact as well.  I would like to find a couple of Real Estate Agents around the Country that would like to try a little experiment with me here.  It’s really simple.

ASK your CLIENTS IF THEY CARE.  That’s it.

When we build a greener home or renovate a home to greener standards it does indeed benefit the Environment.  My personal research shows that people do care, they just don’t look at it as being Environmental or ‘Green’.  We don’t think they care about Green because they are asking the question in a different way.

Here are some Direct Cause and Effects that we should consider in our homes and in our Communities.

Recycling and Landfills:  We don’t recycle enough and our landfills are over run with garbage.

• It pollutes our water streams that we as kids USED to play in until they posted signs against it…from pollution.
• Taxes WILL eventually go up for land acquisition for you to put your TRASH
• Carbon Emissions taking trash to and fro.
• Seriously, what good does the trash do for us in a landfill? Give me ONE good thing about it.

More Energy Efficient:  Some peoples Heating and Cooling bills are as much as their house note or rent

• Carbon Emissions are saved, Yes.
• Lower Utility bills?
• More money throughout the month?
• Can afford a larger home if desired?
• What is one BAD thing about Energy Efficiency?

Indoor Air Quality:  Not necessarily something that directly affects Climate Change, however -

• ASK if your clients care.
• When studying Indoor Air Quality, it is directly affected by the Efficiency of the home

So Called Green Features such as Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Solar Panels, etc.  I’m putting these all in to one Category.

• ASK.  You may be surprised.  Every little thing helps the environment but can actually benefit the home buyer as well.

Instead of blurting out that a home (in whiny voice) has solar panels or a tankless hot water heater – Let’s ask. How do you feel about Solar Panels?  This home is 50% more efficient than the next -What do you think about that?

So really, to heck with Climate Change.  To heck with Green.  For now.  Give me a good reason why any of this is bad.  Ask homebuyers if they care about the EFFECT of a Green feature.  Let me know what you find out.

When considering the Life Cycle of any product it has a huge Environmental and Economic impact.  Cradle to Cradle – From the Raw product – Manufacturing – Transportation…and so on.  But, let’s consider as an industry what people really do want.  The only way to know?  Ask the Question.

Have you heard the BIG news?  Tomorrow is Take Your Mug to Work Day sponsored by International Delight.  I am very proud to be working with them on this project in Houston and wanted to bring it to your attention as you will see it in the news.

Over the past couple years down here in Houston we have heard more and more about Recycling, the need to bypass materials from entering the landfills and so on.  Often times what we do not realize are the small things that we can help with.

In fact, a recent study shows that 67% of Americans that go to their local coffeehouse to get their favorite cup of joe admit to throwing their paper cup in to the regular trash instead of recycling it.  All of this, multiplied across the Nation equates to approximately 28 Billion Cups (with a B) or 100 million pounds annually that get sent to the landfill.  This not only affects us Environmentally but Economically as well.

In an effort to raise Awareness International Delight has made tomorrow – October 15th, 2009 – Take Your Mug to Work Day.

Instead of stopping at your local coffeehouse, brew your coffee at home and take it with you in a reusable coffee mug.  They have also taken this opportunity to roll out 3 New favorite Coffeehouse Inspiration flavors.  Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Latte and White Chocolate Mocha making it easier for you to turn your home in to your own Coffeehouse.

Need an incentive?  If you visit the International Delight website you can enter their contest -  Upload your ‘mugshot’ (you and your favorite mug) for a chance to win a Coffee Pack Prize!  Simple!

While you are their, use their new Coffee Footprint Calculator to see exactly how much YOU could save by brewing your coffee at home.  If you take out one White Chocolate Mocha a week, you can save approximately $160.68 over the year.  How much could you save?

Companies and Offices across the Nation are joining this cause, I hope that you choose to as well.  Let’s save some paper from being sent to the landfill and save some money at the same time.  Oh, while I’m not entering the contest, here is my “MugShot” – So come on Houston!  Get in those Mug Shots!  Feel free to share them here as well!

I put together a short video below to tell you what I have going on here but I was wondering if you had about 5 seconds to vote?  These are a couple of questions I have for anyone in the Real Estate Industry.  Can you help?

What are your thoughts regarding Green building?

Here is the first ever Houston Green Real Estate Market Report.  All data compiled through the Houston MLS.

Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Active on the Market

New Construction:  Jumped to 104 from 85
Resale and Rentals:  Jumped to 97 from 58

Sold in September

New Construction:  23 under contract or sold
Resale and Rentals:  12 under contract or sold

Solar Hot Water/PV

Active on the Market

New Construction:  10 down from 15
Resale and Rentals:  5 up from 3

Sold in September

New Construction:  7 under contract or sold
Resale and Rentals:  1 under contract

Insulated/Low-E Windows

Active on the Market

Built Prior to 2000:  1445 from 1850 last month
Built Prior to 1990:  830 from 1090 last month

Sold in September (Including Rentals)

Prior to 2000:  506
Prior to 1990:  308

HVAC Greater than 13 SEER – Not New Construction

Active on the Market:  491 from 455 last month

Sold in September:  172

While I would love to post information here regarding the LEED Certified, NAHB Certified and other really cool stuff such as Geothermal – It is obvious that the numbers showing and some of the listings are not accurate.  The numbers would be incorrect.  For November I will attempt to research these numbers to and give a report on my findings.

For now,  I can tell you that the number of New Construction Single Family and Townhomes popping up around town with Green Certifications is rising every quarter.

If you have a tip on a really cool Green home coming up on the market email me with the Breaking News!  Steph@TurningHoustonGreen.com

While this may seem a little harsh, it is the same thing. You only have one shot to win the game that year – Rebuilding or remodeling a house because it was not done right the first time can not only Expensive but not practical if you specifically chose the land for one reason or another, and not Sustainable considering the amount of building material sent to a Dumpsite.

Why spend good money hiring a professional architect and then go with a low bid builder (and yes, folks do that every day). Why buy blueprints off the internet to “save money” and then spend those savings and a lot more money, time and grief making corrections to them once work in underway. Assuming you do not want to build a home to yesterday’s obsolete standards but prefer a home with the highest quality performing materials, products and design consideration available on the market (think Green, not expensive) then be sure to get a licensed EcoBroker Realtor on your team as well. That’s right, a licensed Realtor with the additional designation of an EcoBroker understands that preceding good design and good build comes selecting the right lot and location that will make it all possible.

You see, the concept behind Green Building goes way beyond helping the Environment. The standards and the way it is built is primarily for the Homeowner, You. Make sure that the players on your team are well qualified in the style of construction that you desire starting with who you use to choose the parcel of land, the architect or designer you use can help to maximize energy efficiency all the way down to the builder. Carefully selecting your team can ensure that you are happy with the outcome of the game and potentially save you thousands in the long run.

If you would like to know what GreenHaus Builders can bring to the playing field – I can be contacted at Michael@GreenHausBuilders.com

Michael Strong CGP, GMB, CAPS, CGR
President, GreenHaus Builders
Builder of Houston’’s 1st LEED Certified Home

Reassuring two–legged neighbors

Appearances count in small urban spaces or tightly regulated neighborhoods. Consider a compost bin, as opposed to pile, if you live close to others. Sturdy plastic bins with lids are commercially available at Green Culture – Gardener’s Supply and here locally at Green Builders Source. If the price seems high, remember that by the time it produces about 10 bags of high-quality compost, it has paid for itself. Do-it-yourself-ers can find plans for a variety of compost containers at this resource.

If your chosen compost container is itself likely to be considered a visual blight, construct a very neat screen fence around the area. Cover fresh kitchen scraps, so that they will not attract the attention of neighbors or other animals. In time, more people will come to see a compost area as no more unattractive than a laundry room or potting shed.

Discouraging four-legged neighbors

Tell anxious folks that you discourage animals from hanging out in your compost by making it both inaccessible and unattractive to animals.
To inhibit easy access, use a container with a lid, such as the above-mentioned commercial bins. Enclose other types of bins with heavy gauge-galvanized wire on the bottom and sides. Locate the compost in a high-traffic area, ideally near the kitchen door, so that wildlife have no privacy there.

What keeps a rodent from chewing right into the bin? Low payoff for his effort. Don’t add dairy products, meat, or grease to the pile. These high-fat items entice animals and also slow the composting process down. Keep a hand trowel by the bin to scratch the fresh scraps into the mix or cover them with leaves to discourage flies. If you feel the compost still attracts animals, make the menu more boring. Leave out the fruit, pits, and nuts. Garden cuttings and low calorie fare such as wilted lettuce will be fine. The warmth of a pile can appeal to animals in the winter. Keeping the pile moist and periodically turning it discourages their nesting, while speeding the rate of decomposition.

Keeping a pile healthy and productive.

For every amount of wet “green” material like grass clippings, banana peels and collapsed eggplants, add several times more than that amount of dry “brown” materials like leaves, straw, or shredded newspaper. The dry materials keep the pile from getting sour and smelling bad. This can be harder in the summer, when dry leaves are scarce but watermelon rinds are plentiful. Try to save bags of autumn leaves for use during the summer, or use the confetti in your shredder. While the pile needs to be wet down to start the decomposition, too much rainwater can make it go sour, so again, a lid is needed. If the pile just won’t rot because it is too dry, it should be soaked again and
turned with a garden fork.

Next month we will share tips for setting up and harvesting your compost.

Enjoy!

Mary Carol Edwards is a landscape designer and owner of Luminous Ground Design. She specializes in landscapes which unite the environment and architecture, and support natural ecology. She considers a landscape a success if it can do all that and be fun, elegant, and creative, too.

As some of my readers know, I have been working on my personal home over the past couple of years to get the Energy Usage down by adding insulation, contacting Free Lighting Corp to seal it up, change out light fixtures and appliances and other things that is proven can reduce usage.  My plan was to get everything changed out (including my windows) prior to changing out my air conditioner.  However, if you look at the chart above you can see that my unit decided to crap out on me right at the beginning of summer this year.  My bill reached an all time high and I gasped when I opened it up that month.

You see, I have always fought humidity in the home, condensation on the inside of my windows, needing to crank down the thermostat to feel comfortable…

I met Denny Patterson at Gulf Coast Green this past year as they had a 21 SEER Variable speed unit there for people to look at and we discussed efficiency in the home and hvac systems.  I was impressed with his knowledge so I contacted him to see what could be done to my A/C – obviously something was seriously wrong.

It was just worn out.  My 1200 sq ft patio home should NOT EVER use 3000 kwh per month especially as energy conscious as we are in this house.  My thinking was that in August if it kept going my bill would likely be about $600 if not more.  So, Denny and Airtron started putting bids together for me to change the unit.

I opted not to go with a unit that qualified for the Federal Tax Credit.  I suggest calling Denny for the specifics but basically with my home being built in 1982 and not brought up to today’s energy codes I simply did not feel that my home would benefit from such a high tech unit.

I opted to go with a variable speed 14 SEER Lennox that – being a variable speed it brings it up to the equivalent of a 15 SEER – The thermostat we went with was a programmable Honeywell that can not only be set for a certain Humidity level but can automatically toggle between Heat and A/C in those Fall Months in Houston where you wake up in the middle of the night freezing but using the A/C during the day.

What is Variable Speed?

The unit can run at TWO speeds.  A slow speed that simply reduces the humidity in the house and a faster speed to cool the house.  It allows the unit to not pull as much electricity unless it is needed.

It was an investment but I incredibly happy with it, quite possibly in my opinion the best investment I have ever made in the house.  The chart above for some strange reason is different than what is on my bill but the Bill shows my usage in August of last year to be nearly 1500 kwh – The other day when I got my bill the usage for last month was UNDER 1000 kwh.

Basically, had I dealt with the high bills and kept the old a/c running this unit will be paid for in a couple years.

Was it just the A/C?  I really don’t think so.  Being able to set the humidity in the house I am able to keep the Thermostat on 78 degrees even on 100 degree days and be absolutely comfortable.   It feels about 74 at that temperature.

The issue of condensation on the inside of my windows has also seemed to disappear for now.  The unit is so quiet I hardly know when it is on – and the guys balanced the ducts during the installation so that I do not have certain rooms hotter or cooler than another.

At this rate I project having an Electric Bill less than $100 in October and November and I am SO EXCITED to see what it ends up being.  I will update the post and let you know.

As for Denny and Airton I highly recommend them.  Their knowledge on how HVAC affects Energy Efficiency and the ability to properly size units, run the proper reports and so on is amazing.  If you are updating your unit to one that is more high tech and Energy Efficient you need use someone that can not only explain it to you but be able to maintain it properly to KEEP it efficient.

To contact Denny or Airton:

Denny Patterson – Airtron
713-830-6219
Denny.Patterson@resservices.com
TACLA014513E