Green Building Media Fact Sheet - Past, Present & Future

Past

Specialized, niche home builders began constructing resource-efficient, environmentally sensitive homes in the early 1970s. The home building industry coined the phrase "green building" in the late 1980s/early 1990s, turning a movement into a quiet revolution.

The first official green home building program began in 1991 in the city of Austin, Texas.

The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver introduced the first HBA-owned green building program in 1995. Over the years, Built Green® Colorado has become the largest green building program in the nation, with more than 100 builder members across the state.

Present

Today, new homes are twice as energy-efficient as they were 30 years ago, thanks to cutting-edge green building techniques and technologies available for new and remodeled homes.

Nationwide, roughly 61,000 homes were built using local green building program guidelines from 1990-2004. In 2004 alone, more than 14,000 green homes were constructed.

NAHB recently introduced voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines (www.nahb.org/gbg) to bring environmentally-friendly building techniques to mainstream builders and home builders associations. The guidelines offer builder and market-driven solutions in seven areas, including lot preparation and design, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, occupancy comfort and indoor environmental quality, and operation maintenance and homeowner education.

More specifically, homes built today use a myriad of green building techniques and technologies thatLower operating costs-homes are equipped with more efficient heating and cooling systems and use less water, resulting in lower monthly utility bills. Improved construction methods better protect homes from rain and ground water and reduce upkeep and replacement costs, while use of recycled materials helps conserve natural resources.

Reduce maintenance issues-landscaping uses native or drought-resistant plants and grasses, and decks made of pressure-treated lumber or synthetic materials need no sealing or staining.

Increase home value-homeowners with documented lower monthly utility bills are reporting higher re-sale values.

Improve environmental quality-moisture-control products and low VOC paints contribute to a more comfortable indoor environment, and efficient use of materials helps conserve natural resources.

NAHB's guidelines were developed in a consensus process by a group of more than 60 stakeholders representing key players in the green home building industry.

Future

Green building is a growing trend among home builders nationwide, with more than 30 successful green building programs now in existence. Eleven green building programs are owned or operated by members or affiliates of the National Association of Home Builders in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Washington. More than 15 more will be organized with support from the Green Building Initiative, an organization created to help implement NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines in markets across the country.

Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com

Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity

Hermosa Beach was the biggest gainer and Malibu the biggest loser in high-priced ZIP Codes last year. San Marino shows a 7.2% decline in its median home price.

Last year brought a dose of real estate reality to San Marino, which alone among Los Angeles County's wealthy areas had managed to avoid the housing bust. The San Gabriel Valley town endured a 7.2% decline in its median home price, erasing gains of the previous two years.

The National Assn. of Realtors is the largest campaign contributor to members of Congress from California in recent years, according to a watchdog study that depicts the nation as a sort of United States of Special Interests.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion deal with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure practices. New York, Nevada and Delaware joined California in holding out for better terms.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion settlement with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure procedures, but California, New York and other key states were still not among them.

California has until Monday to share in a multi-state deal with banks to obtain mortgage relief and reforms. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who walked away from talks last year, says the door remains open.

With a Monday deadline at hand, California officials have resumed direct talks with the Obama administration about joining a multibillion-dollar, multi-state mortgage settlement with the nation's largest banks, a source said Sunday.

The talk show host pays $12 million for the 4,088-square-foot house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with beach access.

In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore lists for $2,875,000.

A decorative cast stone entrance opens to this restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style house in Pasadena's South Orange Grove area. Built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore, the house retains such original details as coffered wood ceilings and arched doorways.

They don't believe they can sell their property for what it's worth, so they're spending money on making their homes more comfortable.

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

A biennial research report by the National Assn. of Realtors indicates that a handful of real estate agents and brokers and their clients either don't know the law or don't care to follow it.

When it comes to lawsuits, real estate agents and brokers tangle mostly among themselves.

The president aims to help about 3.5 million people with good credit who are unable to refinance at historically low rates because their homes are worth less than their mortgages.

 

The White House hopes to help millions of homeowners lower their monthly mortgage bill with a $5 billion to $10 billion plan to set up a streamlined refinancing program for people who are current on their payments.