The 2009 Texas Green Home Summit was held today at the Dallas Convention Center and it was great. Some of the greatest minds in green building converged in Dallas to give short presentations and talk to us about the direction green building is headed. A lot of points were made and everyone in attendance was really encouraged. This green building wave is starting to get bigger and bigger and it is quickly taking over the country and the DFW area. Dallas mayor Tom Leppert, the first speaker at today's summit, is on the forefront of this green wave, and has big plans for Dallas.
As a homeowner or future homeowner, it would be good for you to know trends in green building. The President of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said in 1998 that by 2008, "if a builder is not building green, they are not building". We are really starting to see that come to fruition, especially with the economy and housing market the way they are. People are looking to get more out of their home. Not only do they want beauty, style, and location, but they want sustainability, health-consciousness, and efficiency. Only a well-built, well-designed green home can provide all those things for homeowners. Be aware of that trend as you look to build a new home or remodel your current home. Green is the future.
Check out the Texas Green Home Summit website to find out more information. I think everyone that went really got a lot out of it. We will look for the stats and information shared there to post on this blog. Have a green day.
Green Resources
Newport LiveGreen
NAHB Green Standards Website
Green Built North Texas
U.S. Green Building Council North Texas
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
1.29.2009
1.13.2009
2008 In Review
If you are not aware that 2008 was a bad year for the housing industry, you probably also were unaware there was a presidential election in 2008 as well. The slumping housing industry, and economy in general for that matter, dominated the news almost as much as the battle between Obama and McCain. With no positive news about the economy anywhere on TV or in print, I was surprised to read a study done here in DFW that yielded some surprising results.
The study showed that while the rest of the country saw their home values drop an average of 10% with some as high as 25-30%, DFW saw a price increase of 2-3%!! Isn't that great. The home values in one of the worst housing markets in several decades actually went up in the Dallas area. Owning a home was actually a sound investment. That is great news for all you homeowners or potential homeowners out there.
Here is the link:
Report Shows Home Prices Increased In 2008
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
The study showed that while the rest of the country saw their home values drop an average of 10% with some as high as 25-30%, DFW saw a price increase of 2-3%!! Isn't that great. The home values in one of the worst housing markets in several decades actually went up in the Dallas area. Owning a home was actually a sound investment. That is great news for all you homeowners or potential homeowners out there.
Here is the link:
Report Shows Home Prices Increased In 2008
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
1.05.2009
Building Green
Green seems to be all the rage. Everything is going green. It seems that nothing can be sold or marketed nowadays without the green label, and new homes are no exception. Of course if you are in the market for a pre-owned home, you have very little chance of getting a green home, but buyers of new homes can have their pick of many green options in their home. Let's talk a little bit about the concept of green.
What makes something green? What makes a home green? Is it fancy insulation? Is it a radiant barrier that we hear so much about on the radio? Is it native landscaping that requires little watering? What makes a home green? Well, the short answer is: there are many standards of green that include Energy Star and Green Built North Texas. Do these standards make a home green?
As you can see, defining green is quite a challenging task. Everyone has their own definition of "energy efficiency", "environmentally friendly", and "money-saving". Well, let us suggest a few things to consider when searching for your green home.
1) How much is this home going to save me on my monthly utility bills? It is perfectly normal to want a green home because it will save you money. Heck, everyone is trying to save a little money these days. When talking to home building companies about green homes, ask them how much you will save each month (percentage) and how they can prove that. Do they have a third party inspector come through to verify? They should. That way you know you are getting a truly green home. Don't forget to ask about savings on your water bill as well as your energy bill. Green homes should be energy efficient and water efficient.
2) Indoor air quality. Did you think about this concept as being green? You most certainly should. This is one of the most important things to consider when looking for a home, especially if you suffer from allergies or asthma. Here are some things to ask a builder about. Are there return vents in every single room? There should be to provide fresh air to each room, constantly. Is the garage sealed off from the rest of the house? It should be, unless you want to breathe car exhaust. Ask to take a look at the air filter they use. Do they use the 1" filters found at Wal-Mart or do they use 4" media filters? Important questions.
3) How green is their building process? Does the builder recycle the unused brick and lumber or do they throw away all 8000 pounds of trash on a typical home? Ask them.
4) Are you getting a "systems approach" on your home? If you take a normal home, built to code, and add a radiant barrier to that home, what do you think the energy savings would be? 10%? 15%? Not very likely. Energy efficiency must be done as a system. That means that doing one thing to your home will not make a significant difference in energy efficiency. It is a combination of many things working together that will make your home truly energy efficient and green. Ask your builder to explain their green system to you. Just putting Energy Star appliances in the home is not going to make your home green.
I hope this helped you out a bit. Because green homes is such a hot topic right now, we will undoubtedly touch on it again in the future. Until then, happy home hunting. And remember, green homes may be tricky to identify, but the search is worth it because they will save you money EVERY SINGLE MONTH and they will have a better resale value in 5-10 years when all homes sold will be green.
Here is an article on realtors finally going green:
Realtors Go Green
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
What makes something green? What makes a home green? Is it fancy insulation? Is it a radiant barrier that we hear so much about on the radio? Is it native landscaping that requires little watering? What makes a home green? Well, the short answer is: there are many standards of green that include Energy Star and Green Built North Texas. Do these standards make a home green?
As you can see, defining green is quite a challenging task. Everyone has their own definition of "energy efficiency", "environmentally friendly", and "money-saving". Well, let us suggest a few things to consider when searching for your green home.
1) How much is this home going to save me on my monthly utility bills? It is perfectly normal to want a green home because it will save you money. Heck, everyone is trying to save a little money these days. When talking to home building companies about green homes, ask them how much you will save each month (percentage) and how they can prove that. Do they have a third party inspector come through to verify? They should. That way you know you are getting a truly green home. Don't forget to ask about savings on your water bill as well as your energy bill. Green homes should be energy efficient and water efficient.
2) Indoor air quality. Did you think about this concept as being green? You most certainly should. This is one of the most important things to consider when looking for a home, especially if you suffer from allergies or asthma. Here are some things to ask a builder about. Are there return vents in every single room? There should be to provide fresh air to each room, constantly. Is the garage sealed off from the rest of the house? It should be, unless you want to breathe car exhaust. Ask to take a look at the air filter they use. Do they use the 1" filters found at Wal-Mart or do they use 4" media filters? Important questions.
3) How green is their building process? Does the builder recycle the unused brick and lumber or do they throw away all 8000 pounds of trash on a typical home? Ask them.
4) Are you getting a "systems approach" on your home? If you take a normal home, built to code, and add a radiant barrier to that home, what do you think the energy savings would be? 10%? 15%? Not very likely. Energy efficiency must be done as a system. That means that doing one thing to your home will not make a significant difference in energy efficiency. It is a combination of many things working together that will make your home truly energy efficient and green. Ask your builder to explain their green system to you. Just putting Energy Star appliances in the home is not going to make your home green.
I hope this helped you out a bit. Because green homes is such a hot topic right now, we will undoubtedly touch on it again in the future. Until then, happy home hunting. And remember, green homes may be tricky to identify, but the search is worth it because they will save you money EVERY SINGLE MONTH and they will have a better resale value in 5-10 years when all homes sold will be green.
Here is an article on realtors finally going green:
Realtors Go Green
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
1.02.2009
FixHousingFirst.com
There have been some commercials on the radio about this new website, fixhousingfirst.com. I was intrigued, so I checked it out.
It is no mystery that we are in a recession. For those of you who do not follow the news closely, the recession was started in the housing industry. The fall of the housing industry is bringing down the entire economy. So, the logical solution to helping correct the downward turn of the economy would be to fix the housing market first. With a flourishing housing market, the rest of the economy will follow suit, pulling us out of this recession.
The website has very specific plans laid out and calls for all of us Americans to contact our Congressional representatives and let them know that helping the housing industry first will expedite the recovery of our economy. The site quotes many economic experts advising Congress that the housing market is the key to fixing the economy. It also cites a 1975 study that shows that when the economy was in trouble in 1975, helping the housing market helped the entire economy turn around, quickly and permanently.
Please go to the website and get informed on this issue. The economy is affecting us all and we must do our part to help correct it. This site is a good place to start.
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
It is no mystery that we are in a recession. For those of you who do not follow the news closely, the recession was started in the housing industry. The fall of the housing industry is bringing down the entire economy. So, the logical solution to helping correct the downward turn of the economy would be to fix the housing market first. With a flourishing housing market, the rest of the economy will follow suit, pulling us out of this recession.
The website has very specific plans laid out and calls for all of us Americans to contact our Congressional representatives and let them know that helping the housing industry first will expedite the recovery of our economy. The site quotes many economic experts advising Congress that the housing market is the key to fixing the economy. It also cites a 1975 study that shows that when the economy was in trouble in 1975, helping the housing market helped the entire economy turn around, quickly and permanently.
Please go to the website and get informed on this issue. The economy is affecting us all and we must do our part to help correct it. This site is a good place to start.
This Happy News Brought To You By:
Newport Homebuilders
www.newporthomebuilders.com
469.854.6640
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