Construction

Builders Fight for Value Recognition for Energy-Efficient Homes

Last week, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu met at an energy auditing company on Long Island to announce the launch of the FHA’s new PowerSaver pilot program.

Working with 18 lenders across the country, the program will allow homeowners to borrow up to $25,000 to finance energy improvements in an existing home, including improvements to insulation, duct sealing, replacement doors and windows, HVAC systems, water heaters, solar panels, and geothermal systems. Terms can go up to 20 years, and rates will be lower than standard. The FHA will guarantee up to 90% of the loan.

The idea is to generate interest in the private sector, which Donovan is hoping will get on board by providing these types of loans more readily.

Fannie Mae recently came out with a similar offering, a new Energy Improvement feature for mortgage loans. Fannie had already stopped offering its Energy Efficient Mortgage feature, which could have been used to finance the purchase of a new energy-efficient home. The replacement program can only be used to make energy improvements to an existing home.

The financing will cover energy improvements deemed cost-effective by a RESNET home energy rating, and amounts can go up to 10% of the post-improvement appraisal.

Unlike Fannie, the FHA still has a program for buyers of energy-efficient new homes intact. Its Energy Efficient Mortgage program can be used to help home buyers finance energy-efficient features in a new home as part of an FHA insured mortgage.

However, the increasing shift in emphasis toward improving the energy efficiency of existing homes rather than new homes is symptomatic of the disconnect between what government entities see as the market reality and what builders are seeing in the field.

According to a Fannie Mae spokesperson, the company feels that private lenders are meeting the needs of buyers of energy-efficient homes, suggesting that lenders will value energy-efficient features appropriately.

Shaun Donovan agrees. When Builder questioned Donovan after the PowerSaver announcement about why the government seemed to be moving its focus to existing homes, Donovan emphasized that the benefits of energy-efficient building are being recognized by private sector lenders and appraisers.

“We’ve seen greater progress in the new-home market through local building codes,” Donovan told Builder. “What we’ve seen more and more are appraisers and Realtors who see the value in [energy-efficient construction], and lenders are recognizing that.”

But that’s not what builders are saying.

About two years ago, Meritage Homes decided to go all-in with energy efficiency. “We took the approach that we were going to start over and change the way we build,” C.R. Herro, vice president of environmental affairs at Meritage, told Builder. “We frame different. We build different. We use different appliances and features.”

As a result, Herro reports that Meritage can build a home that uses half the energy and half the water of a traditional home with only a 10% increase in the cost of construction. The energy-saving upgrades Meritage includes can save the homeowner between $1,200 and $3,600 a year in utility bills, depending on the home (some of Meritage’s homes achieve net-zero energy efficiency).  

But when asked if appraisers and banks recognize the value of the energy-efficiency benefits Meritage includes, Herro replied emphatically, “Absolutely not! We’re building a lot of significant improvements into our homes. We’re doing net zero. We’re doing solar. And we’re struggling to get a penny out of it.”

“Conventional construction is leaky,” Herro said. “A traditional home will have to recondition all of the air in the entire house 70 times a day. When you rebuild [to high energy-efficiency standards], you can cut that down to five.” According to Herro, such a reduction would cut heating and air-conditioning costs down by 60%.

The trouble, Herro said, is that the people consumers look to when trying to gauge the value of a home—appraisers and lenders—are failing to recognize the value in the energy-efficiency upgrades the homes include, and as a result, the builder is forced to absorb that additional cost.

Despite these challenges, Meritage has been able to make energy-efficient building work as a business model, largely because of customer awareness that sees the value in it. Also, as one of the largest builders in the country, Meritage is able to achieve economies of scale by building all of its homes to energy-efficient standards. “But the average builder is incentivized to build a less energy-efficient home,” Herro said. “It’s ridiculous that you can build to [a high] level of efficiency, but it has a negative effect on your income statement.”

In an effort to remedy the problem, Herro is promoting the Sensible Accounting to Value Energy (SAVE) Act, a proposal supported by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) that would require federal loan agencies to take into account the expected energy costs of a home when assessing a mortgage loan application.

“Homeowners who spend less on energy will have more money to make mortgage payments and to maintain and repair their homes,” SAVE Act press materials say. “A person will be less likely to have to choose between paying the utility company or his or her lender.”

The materials also point out that the average U.S. household will spend more than $2,300 in energy costs over the course of a year, “more than the average cost of property taxes or homeowners insurance, two expenses that are routinely underwritten in a mortgage loan. Energy costs are not accounted for in this process.”

“If you take all the things out of a home that waste resources and money, that innovation costs a little bit more,” Herro said. “The problem is that building better, until the average consumer recognizes the benefits, is disincentivized by the establishment.”

This article was written by Claire  Easley

To visit the full article, click on the link: http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/news/2011/04-april/builders-fight-for-value-recognition-for-energy-efficient-homes.aspx

CFL Bulbs, Why and How to Recycle

In my profession, one of the most common questions that I get is do CFL bulbs really make that much of a difference and why should I switch? This can be looked at in many different ways but here are some points that I feel are key.

• Saves 40.00 in electricity costs over its lifetime
• Uses 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and lasts ten times longer
• Produces 75% less heat

The important thing is to recognize where to install them to get these benefits. It’s recommended to install them in heavy traffic areas such as the kitchen, living room and recreational rooms. Also, to make them the most effective they should be left on for a minimum of 10 minutes as frequent turning off and on will shorten their life span. Typically a CFL bulb costs 5.00 and lasts 10,000 hours whereas, the cost of a regular incandescent bulb is in the area of 0.75 and lasts 1,000 hours. Over time, you will save some money on buying the bulbs but also the energy savings as well. If you aren’t convinced yet, then maybe our friends at Energy Star can help because this is staggering, “If every American home replaced just one light with a light that’s earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, save about $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars.”

Finally, one of the most important things to remember is how to recycle them because they do contain a little bit of mercury. First and foremost, don’t put them in your regular trash can instead take them to Home Depot of you can use this friendly website to locate a place near you. www.earth911.org  Another fantastic site that can help with safe containers for recycling in the home, office or commercial sites is personal friends of mine at www.buschsystems.com

The Importance of Insulation

What is insulation?

 Insulation is defined as a material or combination of materials which impede the flow of heat. The materials can be adapted to any size, shape or surface. The term ‘insulation’ refers to materials which provide substantial resistance to heat flow. When these materials are installed in the ceiling, walls, and floors of a building, heat flow into and out of the building is reduced, and the need for heating and cooling is minimized.

 Insulation is the most effective way to improve the energy efficiency of a home and building. Insulation of the building envelope helps keep heat in during the winter, but let’s heat out during summer to improve comfort and save energy. Insulating a home can save 45–55% of heating and cooling energy.

 Benefits of Insulation 

• Comfort is improved year around
• There is less need for heating and cooling
• Can help reduce noise

Scams with insulation

As a homeowner the only way you can truly have your insulation tested for effectiveness is having an audit performed or by having someone climb into your attic to visually access your insulation. First, you must identify the failures before determining what to install and second, it might be best just to fix the failures.  Plus adding more insulation on top of the current insulation which is not performing will only help you little. Another recommendation would be to ask the company to take pictures of their findings so you can see where improvements can be made.  Be careful as a lot of companies will sell you more than you need.  Most homes have plenty of insulation, but it’s poorly installed or has been knocked out of place. Reattaching it to the floors, ceilings and walls it’s meant to protect could save you a bundle of money – both on replacement product and on energy bills.

Tips to Avoid Energy-Efficiency Scams

We’re all trying to save money on energy bills these days. Plenty of people who sell energy-saving products are willing to take unfair advantage of you in your quest to save a buck. You won’t save any money or energy if you buy products from people who make false claims. When it comes to purchasing air-conditioners, insulation, roofing and even AC services, we homeowners have to do our homework before we start writing checks. Don’t let a salesperson mislead you into spending too much or buying an ineffective product because you don’t have the facts.

 Here are a few ways homeowners get scammed when it comes to energy efficiency because of actions by sales reps.

 1. They sell you more than you need. As we gear up for another scorching Arizona summer, there are a lot of ads for companies that want to over-insulate your attic to a level of R-60, which won’t save you any more money on air-conditioning bills than the recommended R-38. In fact, there’s a good chance you don’t even need new insulation at all. Most homes have plenty of insulation, but it’s poorly installed or has been knocked out of place. Reattaching it to the floors, ceilings and walls it’s meant to protect could save you a bundle of money – both on replacement product and on energy bills.

 2. They convince you that high-tech is better than common sense. The least-expensive way to slash your energy bills is to reach for the “low-hanging fruit” in your house – small, low-cost improvements. Instead of getting hooked into buying an expensive package of multiple new systems, start your energy campaign by sealing your air-conditioner’s ducts, caulking windows and doors and checking weather stripping. Have an energy audit to determine if your attic is properly and passively ventilated and that your insulation is well-installed. That will help you more than investing thousands of dollars in optional equipment.

 3. They can’t prove the claims. It’s illegal to say a product will slash energy bills, insulate your attic or reduce heat gain without tests to back up the claim. Ask for the research….if the product has passed these tests, you can be sure the manufacturer will have that information all over its website. Bottom line, if you can’t find it? Don’t buy it.

 4. They insist bigger is better. This is a common claim when it comes to buying an air-conditioner. It used to be that bigger homes needed larger AC units. Newer homes are so tight, however, that they need far less powerful systems than older homes with lots of air leaks. Find an AC rep that will get a lot of information about your house, the weather and your family’s lifestyle – and use a computer to calculate the size of your new air-conditioner. If that’s not happening, find a different contractor.

Energy Audits

Are you spending too much on your energy bills, do you deal with rooms that are warmer than others, or do you feel like you have to dust all the time? If so, then we can help and here is a recent comment from a customer of ours.

Last week I had a home energy audit conducted by REEis on the recommendation of a colleague in the sustainability/”green” field here in Phoenix. I had some idea of what to expect but the care and detail in the explanation of the process that they went into to ensure that I knew exactly what was happening was extraordinary.

The process involved diagnosing the home using a blower door test and thermal imaging to find areas where there are:

• Leaks in the A/C duct system
• Penetrations which allow air exchange and connection between the attic and exterior of the home with the conditioned space
• Insulation failures
• Room pressure imbalance and heat island which cause uneven air temperature and comfort issues
• Unsealed windows and doors  

After the blower test they go up into the attic where the real proof for issues are found.  In the case of my home, penetrations, room pressure imbalances and a return air-handler that was completely disconnected were causing some serious issues. Our major complaints have been comfort — one side of the house barely cools — and high utility bills. 

This entire process costs $99.00 and since we are regulated by APS/SRP and the energy star program there are multiple rebates available for what we do. Our goal is to save you up to 35% a year on your energy bills and show you how rebates can reimburse you up to 75% of the total costs.

What Makes a Home “Perfect” for a 203k Loan?

Do you 203k?  What the heck is that? 

Many people in the lending and real estate industry have learned about the “new school” 203k renovation loan.  What some people might remember, is the “old school” version of the 203k loan which was used widely in the 80′s and before.

Simply put, the “new school” version of the 203k loan which was brought back into widespread use by Congress passing The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is much simpler to use than the older version – less paperwork, less red-tape, faster approval times.  At the current time, most lenders can approve FHA 203k Renovation Loans in approximately the same amount of time that they take to approve most standard FHA loans once the “new finishes” are determined by the homeowner.

While the initial thrust and what most people think of using 203k loans for  seems to be for fixing up existing bank-owned homes ”that were trashed”, the loan in effect not only applies for completely trashed houses, but also for some that just might need some new carpet and paint  – Basically, any home being purchased  (under the FHA maximum amount) would qualify as long as the the property updates “make sense”.

Which brings us to the second point.  What the heck happened to people having “second mortgages” on their homes?  This one we pretty much all know the answer to – they are simply gone for the most part.  Lenders in particular really, really do not like being in second position when there are widespread foreclosures going on as is currently happening.

Simply put, “second’s” have largely been replaced by “203k’s” because there is only 1 loan on the property and the renovation funds are actually used for renovations which are adding value to the home.   Congress simply got tired of people taking out a second on their home to buy a motorcycle, go to Europe, pay down some credit card debt, and not using the money to actually improve the value of the property (that was the original intent of a second, right?  to borrow money against the house to actually improve the property…? ). 

Our great grandparents knew that the “whole system” which we had created by robbing Peter to pay Paul with our “equity” in our homes was a dead end street in addition to lenders up until the past few years being told by Congress that is was OK to loan up 125% of the value of homes in general.

Apparently, the ghost of FDR came to our members of Congress in 2008 and at least partially set them straight on what “renovation funds” should actually be used for.  If FDR were alive today, no doubt he would make sure that the 203k loan would also be promoted as a way to get people back to work as well as bringing civic pride back into both the appearances of our neighborhoods and also self-respect for those who now have viable employment.

The great thing about 203k loans is that the lender will loan on the “projected” value of the house once the renovations are completed (i.e., if updating that old kitchen might add some value to the house, your lender would want to talk to you about that so your “equity needed” would not necessarily be the same as if you were approaching these renovations as in the old fashion of “getting a second” which we all know to a large extent have dissapeared anyways).

So in effect, any home which could use a little updating, or just a little TLC in general and falls under the local FHA Maximum Amount is perfect for a 203k loan.

Is the 203k the REAL NEW DEAL?  It just might be.

Please visit www.TheAnswer.info for more details.

The “Secrets” of Buying a Home Using a 203k Renovation Loan

As someone looking to purchase a home or as a realtor looking to help your client find a home, it is no small secret that the first question is:  How much do you qualify for or how much do you want to spend?

More often than not, people have a number in their mind, say $150,000 for our example.  So again more often than not, people in this case would  go looking at every house listed around $149,000, right?

So then what people find is say 50 houses ”in their price range” and they go and look at 2/3rd’s of them and none seem to fit what they are really looking for.  The realtor gets tired of driving the buyers around and the buyer starts getting more and more frustrated as the search seems to go on and on….

Ok, so here is the secret:

Look at houses $10, $20, $30, $40, and $50,000+ LESS than you are qualified for, but in the neighborhoods you want, with more square footage, number of bedrooms, and on a larger lot than you thought you would ever dream of owning.

The deals are out there right now, no question about that, but the “problem” has been that these houses you might be looking at “need too much work” – i.e., the kitchen is from 1978, the green shag carpet has holes in it, the A/C units were stolen, or maybe you just don’t like the pink tile in the master bathroom.

The “secret” of the 203k renovation loan is that it allows you to KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR POCKET and roll a majority of those COSMETIC and other items that need to be repaired to get the property up to FHA minimum standards (health and safety issues) into the loan.  With only 3 1/2% down (which really is actually taken care of in many cases for you by Uncle Sam because of the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit now being allowed to be applied directly towards the down payment), buyers are now also simultaneously improving the value of the property by bringing it’s finishes “into our decade”.

So again, what is the real secret?

Pick your new carpet.  Pick your new kitchen.  Pick your new paint colors.  Then go find the house.  Imagine the possibilities…….

It may seem kind of strange to bring up a quote from Gandi in an article about 203k renovation loans, but he said “Be the change in the world you wish to see.”

The 203k renovation loan was brought back to help restore pride in our local communities and eliminate the catch-22 of buying a home and then not having the cash to “customize” the property the way someone would want it (within reason and comparable to the neighborhood).   The 203k is the means by which the FHA is allowing each of us to contribute to the “change in the world (each of us would) wish to see” in our own homes and communities as well.

Please visit www.HowToFixTheEconomy.info for more details.

Why design an energy efficient home?

Look at your last electric bill, say July of 2008, you live in the metro Phoenix area and the it was $350 or more. Look at your March bill when you were not cooling your home, $85. So it cost you $270 to cool your home and most of that was peak time, at the really high rates. Now think 2012. Lets say a 25% per year increase puts your electric bill just under $800. Most of this $800 is cooling costs. This is only 4 years from now. Do the math for 8 years.  Design now for the most energy efficient home you can. Your future financial well being depends on being smart, Now!!