Scott Shields

Metro Brokers TV: Welcome to Metro Brokers TV. We are up here at the Habitat for Humanity project in Arvada, Colorado and today I am with Mary and welcome Mary.

Mary Barela Cordova: Hi. I am Mary Barela Cordova. How are you Mark?

Metro Brokers TV: I am doing great. Which office do you work out of?

Mary Barela Cordova: I am at the Lakewood Southwest office at Hampton and Wadsworth.

Metro Brokers TV: Great. Is that your company there? You are an independent?

Mary Barela Cordova: I am an independent. It's Metro Brokers BC Realty LLC.

Metro Brokers TV: So do you have any associates that work underneath you?

Mary Barela Cordova: Absolutely. I am the Managing Broker. My husband Mike Cordova works with me also and we have four associates that are in our company.

Metro Brokers TV: So, Mary what projects were you involved in in this house here today?

Mary Barela Cordova: I was in the interior doing some drilling. We were setting up brackets for sheetrock and then I was also doing some hammering some brackets.

Metro Brokers TV: So, have you done this before with Habitat or is this your first time?

Mary Barela Cordova: This is my first time. It's something I have always wanted to do and this is a big year for me. I am turning 50 and I am doing all those things I said I was going to do and I never did. So, here we go. I am marking it off my list.

Metro Brokers TV: So, have you learned any skills or things today that can help you in your role stay current[Phonetic], what do you think?

Mary Barela Cordova: You know it has been really exciting because these people are great that we are working with. They are very patient. We don't know what we are doing. They are showing us. They are telling us what to do and then they are explaining why inside the house and these are... when we do an inspection on a home, I know a lot about some general things, but absolutely it's been very interesting.

Metro Brokers TV: Yeah, so maybe we should get some more of our membership to volunteer on these projects, eh?

Mary Barela Cordova: I think we should. I am on the board of Metro Brokers and here I am doing it. So, we need some more of the other companies and other associates out here swinging a hammer.

Metro Brokers TV: Well, great Mary. We appreciate you being out here today. Thanks.

Mary Barela Cordova: You are welcome and thank you.

Metro Brokers TV: Welcome to Metro Brokers TV. We are up at the Habitat for Humanity project here in Arvada, Colorado and I am here today with Steve McKensy and welcome Steve.

Steve McKensy: Thank you for having me here.

Metro Brokers TV: Hey, you should probably welcome me for being out here in the snow and the mud.

Steve McKensy: And all of the mud and everything for this day[Phonetic] and Mark you are out here in your suit. I mean again... I mean what a guy eh, come out here no matter what.

Metro Brokers TV: Someone has got to do the work. Hey, so tell me have you been on a Habitat for Humanity project before?

Steve McKensy: Yes actually, I think this is probably the third time I have been on Mark. A couple of other times not with Metro Brokers, but this is my first time with Metro Brokers on a Habitat project.

Metro Brokers TV: How many Metro Brokers you think are on here today?

Steve McKensy: Well, we have probably 10 to 12 Metro Brokers out here today including many are from our office.

Metro Brokers TV: And you were... you were telling me you were in an eco broker class here today and I was surprised to hear you talking about the fact... this house is being built above the energy standard requirements, correct?

Steve McKensy: Yes, I was actually talking to Cathy, who is the project manager here for Habitat, these three homes and it was interesting now after attending the eco broker training and seminar and becoming certified to come here to the new builds and start watching and seeing what's taking place with these homes. You know it's my opinion in this day and age that the consumer more and more is going to be demanding some of the energy features that you are seeing taking place here in this habitat home. For example, the energy star windows that are in the home, the [Inaudible] where you can actually see where the sun is coming down the windows, you won't feel the heat. Same thing on the side of the north side where the cold is at, normally you walk up to those windows. [Inaudible] As you go through the home and you start looking, you will see for example the studs. There are 2 x 6 studs and they are 24 inches apart giving them more the ability to go in and insulate between those walls and put a barrier to prevent the heat and cold of course from coming in. They also are insulating the inside with R-19 and then on the outside blue board are R-3. So, giving you about a 21, 22 inch R-rating for your heat and energy conservation. One of the other things I think that's really interesting she told me about these particular homes is that they are also going to use all energy star appliances and apparently Whirlpool is actually donating on all these Habitat projects refrigerators and the ranges.

Metro Brokers TV: So, it sounds like they have really stepped it up as far as energy efficiency and even on the Habitat homes?

Steve McKensy: Yes, the other thing is 90% efficiency furnaces are going to be put in here and I asked Cathy, "What are we going to see as the average utility bill?" and she said, "It probably will be about $85 a month in these homes." This home here is about a 1400 square foot home, four bedroom, one-and-a-half bath.

Metro Brokers TV: Great. Well, we appreciate your work out here Steve. Metro Brokers you know is involved in a lot of community projects and it is people like you that make things happen at Metro Brokers.

Steve McKensy: All right. I appreciate... appreciate the interview and as I said earlier if you think that we [Phonetic] encourage our agents and brokers to start looking at this NAR green designation and there is also another one called the eco broker designation. We do feel that the... our clients are going to be more and more as time goes on going to be really wanting and demanding these things from us.

Metro Brokers TV: Right. Thanks Steve.

Steve McKensy: Thank you.

Metro Brokers TV: Welcome to Metro Brokers TV. We are here today, we are catching up with Maria Cook, the executive director for Metro Brokers, and Maria, it looks like Metro Brokers are always involved in some kind of community project.

Maria Cook: You bet Mark. Today we are here with Habitat for Humanity and we are thrilled. Great that we can be a part.

Metro Brokers TV: And you have got how many brokers up here today?

Maria Cook: We have got approximately 12 and they are working strong. We are just on lunch break. So, it's great.

Metro Brokers TV: Other projects Metro Brokers is involved in as far as community?

Maria Cook: Yes, this year we are involved with Colorado Association of Realtors Housing Foundation, which is where you sign up your escrow account, so you can contribute towards those with housing needs.

Metro Brokers TV: CARHOF.

Maria Cook: CARHOF, you got it and then also our big charity this year will be at our first annual triathlon, which benefits solely Special Olympics of Colorado.

Metro Brokers TV: Well, it looks like we have always got great membership volunteerism in our organization and it's also good to see our fearless leader up here being involved too. So, thank you Maria.

Maria Cook: It's an honor to be involved.

Metro Brokers TV: So, what have you been doing here today on the house? What's been your project?

Maria Cook: I have actually been putting together the ties[Phonetic] so the house doesn't pull apart. It is like code[Phonetic] and it's something I didn't know about. It is kind of fun and there must be about 20 nails per tie[Phonetic] when you put them in.

Metro Brokers TV: Yeah, I noticed your hammering skills are looking pretty damn good.

Maria Cook: [laughs] Yeah, it's great and I just thought I can be here and help out.

Metro Brokers TV: Super. Well, it's another great thing that Metro does as far as giving back to community.

Maria Cook: Yeah and thank you guys for being here as well.

Metro Brokers TV: We'll see you back at the office.

Maria Cook: All right.

2009-05-25

Metro Brokers TV: Welcome to Metro Brokers TV. We are at the Habitat for Humanity project up here in Arvada, Colorado and this is our 2009 project and we are up here with another great volunteer out of Metro Brokers, Mike Cordova and welcome Mike.

Mike Cordova: Hi. I am glad to be here.

Metro Brokers TV: So, is this your first project up here with Habitat with Metro Brokers?

Mike Cordova: Yes, it is and I really enjoyed it so far.

Metro Brokers TV: Great and it looks like your wife is up here working too.

Mike Cordova: Yes, she is, BC Realty's Mary Barela Cordova. She talked me into it. She is the reason I am here.

Metro Brokers TV: Well, I think we probably need more Metro Brokers talking other Metro Brokers to be involved in these projects.

Mike Cordova: I think so. It's a wonderful project. It's a lot of fun actually. You know, it's work, but it's good for the community and we enjoy doing it.

Metro Brokers TV: So, what were you specializing in today or you were involved?

Mike Cordova: I am actually working on the roof. I am roofing, which you know I thought it would be harder than it is. It's really not that hard. So, it's been fun.

Metro Brokers TV: Yes, a lot of... I noticed the building products get better every year that we come, you know, the roofing, the windows etc.

Mike Cordova: Well, I think that you know whoever is going to get this house is going to have a great roof because I personally hammered in those nails. It's going to be in excellent shape.

Metro Brokers TV: Well Mike, we appreciate your volunteerism and efforts here for Metro Brokers and for Habitat for Humanity. So, thank you.

Mike Cordova: Oh thank you and I am glad to be part of this organization that you know cares about the community and wants to help out. So, thank you.

Metro Brokers TV: You bet.

Metro Brokers TV: Welcome to Metro Brokers TV. I am here today up in Arvada, Colorado at the Habitat for Humanity project and I am here today speaking with Cathy Fieberg... Fiebig. Right Cathy?

Cathy Fiebig: Fiebig.

Metro Brokers TV: So, you are... what would you be... or what would your position be considered here on this project?

Cathy Fiebig: We are... our official title is construction supervisor.

Metro Brokers TV: And you have been doing that with Habitat for how long?

Cathy Fiebig: 1997, so nine years.

Metro Brokers TV: Wow. So, you have seen... have you seen a lot of changes in Habitat for Humanity since then?

Cathy Fiebig: Overall yes. I have only been with this affiliate for two years, but overall, yes. Habitat is... we are getting really good at what we do.

Metro Brokers TV: And do volunteers like the ones here for Metro Brokers, is that a critical part of your project?

Cathy Fiebig: They are not only critical, they are the project. I am not Habitat... our daily volunteers are actually the program. We are volunteer driven, always have been, and I hope we always will be. I am nothing more than a guide during the daily workday.

Metro Brokers TV: So, I was just talking with Steve over here, one of our Metro Brokers. He was telling me about some of the energy efficiency aspects that are built in the home here. Maybe you can expound upon that a little bit.

Cathy Fiebig: Yes. We are what is considered a five star, energy star, builder, in other words, we are building at the top of their program. We are very, very highly rated and it starts right at the foundation up in the way we cock[Phonetic] even our mud sills, our rim board joists to our mud sills and we continue that attention to detail throughout the house. All 2 x 6 exterior walls, we wrap with OSB, cover that with donated half inch blue board from Dow Corning, tape all that out so we have an absolutely impervious envelope as it's called, energy star rated windows that are very tightly flashed, foamed from the inside then. We don't want any air leaks. We don't want any water leaks. We over insulate everything, over cock[Phonetic] everything, do a lot of little extras during the framing process to tighten up the houses.

Metro Brokers TV: Yeah. I was noticing these vents you are putting over all the doors.

Cathy Fiebig: Correct.

Metro Brokers TV: And that's because the... because they...

Cathy Fiebig: That is our passive[Phonetic] return system, so that it will circulate above and under the door as well to get the convection going when the heat is on.

Metro Brokers TV: And it is there because basically the house is so airtight too.

Cathy Fiebig: Part of it is because of that, what you might be thinking of is these passive drafts[Phonetic] in the corner. Those actually drop down into the crawl space and then we have a 24x7 circulating fan in the crawl space that exchanges all of the air in the house every... I believe it is every nine minutes.

Metro Brokers TV: Wow. So, how much... how much are you away from being like lead certified? Are you doing any lead certified houses at Habitat?

Cathy Fiebig: I don't know enough about the lead program to address that. A lot of our practices are also lead practices definitely.