Alex Mordas - Green Building Consultant

Thinking outside the box when it comes to buying homes in Florida!!!

Florida’s HOP program

What is it?

The Florida Home Ownership Pool Program, a program of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, provides matching funds and down payment assistance to Eligible Homebuyers for the purchase of new construction or substantially rehabilitated units.

Are you eligible as a homebuyer?

If your income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), then, yes, you are potentially eligible for this program (contact the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for more information on eligibility).

What do you get?

Eligible homebuyers in the HOP program receive up to $80,000 towards the purchase of their home in a 0% deferred second mortgage loan!!!

http://www.floridahousing.org/Home/Developers/HomeownershipPrograms/HOP

I'm a builder, how do I get involved with the program?

Builders interested in the HOP program are required to build healthy, energy-efficient homes that meet the specific criteria as well as to obtain a certification in one or more of the following recognized programs (for more information or to obtain a certification please contact a green consulting and certification company):

• LEED
• ENERGY STAR
• Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC)

Sounds great, but I am a for profit company, am I eligible?

The HOP Program is available to both non-profit and for-profit organizations, Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), counties and eligible municipalities that are recipients of SHIP funding and the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development (USDA-RD). HOP funds are primarily available for the construction of new homes; however, they may also be used for Substantial Rehabilitation by eligible Members who are recipients of SHIP funding.

Awesome! …so how does it work?

An eligible organization becomes a “Member” of the HOP Pool by simply completing a membership application. Once members, they can then reserve financing for qualified homebuyers. To do so, simply submit a HOP reservation and, once the home is under construction, an Environmental Checklist (Go here for more information).

As a home nears completion, a borrower analysis package must be completed and sent in for each eligible homebuyer that you have signed up. Once approved, Florida Housing then provides the necessary funds to reduce the purchase price to an affordable amount, as well as providing closing costs assistance at the closing. Simple as that!!!

You sold me on the program, but now I need the nitty-gritty details!? Great! To find out more information on the program, whether a potential homebuyer or builder, please see the following:

Introduction to HOP Program:

Requirements for Building Eligibility:

Additional Building Requirements:

Eligible Homebuyer Requirements:

Homebuyer Loan Process:

Become a HOP Builder:

Attention Mortgage Brokers!!!

I just went online to use the Florida Solar Energy Center's database that lists Mortgage Bankers who do green financing in Florida. I wanted to see who can provide this financing option in Leon County. Only one broker was listed!!!

Energy Efficient Mortgage Banker Search Results
The following mortgage lenders offer Energy Efficiency Mortgages

Is there really no more than one broker in the area who can provide Energy Efficient Financing?

NO!

So what's wrong? Why did only one broker come up in the database? This database is accessible and used regularly by all Home Energy Raters in the State of Florida - the guys doing ENERGY STAR certifications, HERS ratings, and interacting with homeowners/homebuyers who may be looking for financing options that reward their green choices.

With hundreds to thousands of homes each year getting certified in each major urban area, this is a potential source of business that you are completely missing out on. Get into it. Stand out from the crowd!!!

To sign up and become listed as a mortgage broker that can provide green financing, or to find a green mortgage broker in your county, check out this website.

And if you are not yet doing green mortgages... START! Let's work together to rebuild our housing market in a positive way!

The DOE recently announced that residential water heaters are now available as ENERGY STAR certified products for the following 5 types of water heater:

1) high-efficiency gas storage water heaters

2) gas condensing water heaters

3) whole-home gas tankless water heaters

4) heat pump water heaters

5) solar water heaters.

With water heating contributing around 15% of the nations residential energy consumption, the cost savings and environmental benefits of this could be enormous!!!

If you are buying a new hot water system for your home, looking for the ENERGY STAR label will help you to achieve water heating savings from between 7.5% - 55% ..!

Check out the EPA ENERGY STAR website for more information.

An important and often-overlooked component of green design is the design charrette.

While not a mandatory requirement for most residential green certifications (e.g. LEED-H), it is a valuable practice that can help to save money and time down the road.

The design charrette enables members of the design/construction team and other stakeholders to come together at an early stage and develop an integrated design goal and schedule.

The charrette is typically an intensive single to multi-day effort, involving all interested parties in a comprehensive overview of the project. This process enables all parties to have input into the project design.

Major benefits of conducting a charrette, even for single unit residential projects, include: the creation of momentum and enthusiasm for the project; the early definition and agreement on project goals; the cost saving benefits of design integration; and the formalized cooperation of all interested parties. In effect, it lets you put together all pieces of the puzzle at the front end, rather than by trial and error during the project implementation phase.

If you have a green building project underway and are interested in how to save money and time... consider incorporating a design charrette. The upfront costs will undoubtedly generate considerable ROI in project savings (both time and money).

If you are purchasing a green home, or are a realtor listing a green home, ask "did this project involve a design charrette?" While it is not a necessary prerequisite to green building, projects that did involve a charrette, generally produce less waste during construction due to improved design and are therefore a "greener" option.

For more information on green building principles, practices and certifications, please contact EarthSTEPS at: info@earthsteps.org

images by: http://www.lumaxart.com/

The Tallahassee MLS is GREEN!!!!

As of this last November, the Tallahassee Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service (MLS) has included new searchable fields for ENERGY STAR and third-party verified Green Certified homes.

The current options available are:

• LEED for homes
• ENERGY STAR
• Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) green home
• NAHB
• HERS rated
• Green Candidate (for homes that are in the process of obtaining a certification/rating).

As part of the quality control process, Realtors submitting homes to the MLS as a green home will be required to attach an associated document that confirms the certification for the listed property.

While it is always best to work with a certified EcoBroker if you are looking for a healthy, energy-efficient, or eco-friendly home, now any and all Realtors can look up what green homes are currently available on the market. Additionally, builders that want to distinguish themselves from the crowd with their new homes can immediately stand apart by building to one of these standards and working with a third-party certification company to obtain the certifications.

In Tallahassee, Green Certifications on homes can be obtained from EarthSTEPS, LLC a fully licensed and insured company providing ENERGY STAR, LEED (for homes and commercial), FGBC (for homes and commercial) and Class I or II HERS ratings.

Alex Mordas, LEED AP
EcoBroker® & REALTOR®
www.tallahassee-ecobroker.com
alexmordas@kw.com
(850) 559-4976

Referrals are an important part of my business. If you or someone you know is in need of real estate services, please give me a call. Thank you.