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EcoBroker in the news

Builders who aren’t building green will by 2008/2009 will be left behind by those who are.  How much more mainstream can one get than the Wall Street Journal?  Summing up where I have been for the past couple of years – Susan Singer says her EcoBroker designation puts her “ahead of the curve in a good way, and kind of in a bad way.”  Good because Ms. Singer, a Corcoran Group agent in Manhattan, says she now knows more about green real estate and how to sell it, but bad because there’s not a lot to sell.

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When given the option to build green, will Buyers take it?

As more local builders such as Barry Meade, Church Hill and Stonehaus build green, the question soon will not be, “is this house green?”  It will be, “Why don’t you build green?”Don’t underestimate the power of both the market and shame, as well as Buyers’ focus on resale value.  A house regarded as being green today will likely be more valuable when buyers go to sell.Referencing the Belvedere development in Charlottesville -Each of Belvedere’s houses will be Energy Star and Earthcraft certified – recognitions of a home’s energy efficiency and sustainability.Moreover, the development will include an organic farm, a dog park, a village green and amphitheater, grassy parks, a storm water park, a system of biking and hiking trails and the preservation of a flood plain and more than 40 percent of the site’s green space, trees and vegetation…The project also will incorporate wind- and solar-powered multi-family buildings and commercial structures, as well as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified buildings in the project’s civic core.Now, if only they would provide effective public transport …Soon it may be time to change the MLS to reflect the green aspects of building….  Currently, the best way to search for green homes is to search the public remarks for either “Earthcraft” or “Energy Star,” neither of which is wholly effective.Note: I have added this Daily Progress article to to this blog’s Press Page.Update 5/1/2007 – C-Ville has a good article on Belvedere’s green features.Update 5/1/2007 #2 – This is the Belvedere project’s website.

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How do you get a green home in Charlottesville?

There is real, sustainable momentum right now towards the green movement.I ran into a Realtor this morning at my favorite coffee shop, and asked whether a development that she was representing was going to be EarthCraft or not….  In his presentation, Hartke addressed the costs of such benefits.”We know that green buildings increase property value, they also decrease liability, but they also have a huge impact on health and well-being.”…  “I am not sure how many times I have written or said this, but whether developers buy into the concept of building green for the health reasons or sustainability reasons, they need to start building green for at least the following reasons:1) Buyers want it.2) As buyers stay in their homes longer, they will be able to recoup the additional costs (however incremental they may be) as they stay in their homes longer.3) There is profit to be had in building green.  Courtesy of an Eco-Broker presentation I use:Home value increases by about $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills.94% of 300 American surveyed cited their most sought-after green upgrade as energy savings.Roughly nine in ten people (91%) said energy-efficient features in a new home are extremely or very important.Heck even CNBC is covering green; their demographics tend to speak to market leaders.

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Sustainable building workshop in Albemarle

Kudos to the County of Albemarle:The Virginia Sustainable Building Network will be holding a training session for Earthcraft House™ in Charlottesville for the first time on January 18, 2007….  The EarthCraft House™ green building program works with home builders to construct resource and energy-efficient homes that lessen the impact on the environment.  Earth Craft homes were first built in Virginia about one year ago when the program did a test run in Charlottesville.The EarthCraft program standards were developed through a unique partnership between Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, government and environmental leaders….  My prediction is that the housing market will see a return to buyers staying in houses longer and thus will be able to recoup the costs from living greener, more earth-friendly lifestyles.

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Solar-powered houses

A recent HooK article by Courtney Stuart focused on Roger Voisinet’s (fellow Realtor) solar-powered business – If you wore bell-bottom pants and platform shoes in the 1970s, you were groovy.  If you placed a few solar panels atop your home or business, your cool factor went through the roof– literally….Today, Voisinet foresees a revival of more technical solar devices thanks in part to the rising tide of energy prices.  He notes that there’s still a 10 percent federal tax credit for businesses, and many states– including Virginia– are considering additional credits.The revival is under way, if recent news is any indication….  The EarthCraft House in Charlottesville is another (pdf).Annette Osso, executive director of the VSBN, said, “While the mid-Atlantic area has benefited from years of low energy prices and plentiful sources of drinking water, we are beginning to see a lot more attention given to green building.

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Green Parade of Homes

From their release – Sensibly Built for the EnvironmentAn innovative new green building program that works with home builders to construct resource and energy efficient homes that lessen the impact on the environment.I have written about the prospects of building environmentally friendly homes before, and think that eventually a critical mass will show itself…. Read the fulll press release and directions below.5 EarthCraft Homes OPENSaturday and Sunday, August 13 & 14, Noon to 5PMArtisan Construction Co., Inc.5035 Meadowlark Court, Foxwood ForestDirections: 29 North to a right turn on Rt…. House on left.Kingma Developers, Inc.2930 Milton Village Lane, Milton VillageDirections: 250 East to a right at the light onto Rt…. House is at end of court on the left.Piedmont Housing Alliance214 10th St., NW, CharlottesvilleDirections: Main Street to 10th Street North.

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