Tony Zimmerman

Part of being a member of the real estate family is being a part of the community and helping it's residences who are in need. I recently came across an organization that is making a difference. What's really great about this organization is they make it possible for us to help out our community.

Free Charity Cars is an organization that helps individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. I want to invite you to come and learn about this great organiztion that has been implemented with the thought of helping those who sometimes need a little bit of help. Charity Cars donates cars to individuals and families that have fallen behind: http://www.freecharitycars.org.

Sign up for an account even if you are not in need of a car! You can donate the points you earn to a family in need in your community! Then get your REALTOR(R) Board to encourage all their members to do the same. You can make a big difference in your community. Just think of what it would mean to you if you were in need and a REALTOR(R) did this for you.

Make a difference by donating your good condition used car instead of trading it in. You will be giving someone the little extra help they need in life.

http://www.freecharitycars.org

The road to owning a home is a wonderful experience, but one that requires new responsibilities. Homes that are newly purchased may require additional remodeling or repairs.

Potential home buyers or those remodeling older homes should be aware homes built before 1980 maintain the chance of containing asbestos. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used in construction applications for the greater part of the 20th century.

This does not mean you should be afraid because asbestos exposure is easily prevented by taking simple precautions. It should be noted that most asbestos will not pose a threat to your health and safety. Many eco-friendly green insulation options exist which not only provide a safe alternative to asbestos, but can even reduce annual energy costs.

When asbestos deteriorates and its fibers become airborne, it has the potential of causing severe lung ailments such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Physician diagnosis has been a difficult task because mesothelioma symptoms are so similar to other, less serious conditions. The negligence involved with the asbestos scandal has been one of greed and dishonesty. Manufacturers of asbestos were aware of its toxic qualities, but repressed this information from the public. It is tough to accurately gauge mesothelioma statistics because many cases go unreported.

If you locate any suspected asbestos, leave it alone. If you are having home renovations, performed, do not panic. In most cases, the best action is no action in regards to asbestos. These inspectors will assess the situation and oversee the work of all contractors involved and determine whether suspicious materials are present.

However, if removal is necessary, it must be performed by a licensed abatement contractor who is trained and licensed to deal with hazardous materials and removal projects.

With increasing technology and public initiatives, green alternatives exist which allow for an asbestos free environment. These healthy insulation alternatives include cotton fiber, lcynene and cellulose. According to studies performed by manufacturers, the use of cotton fiber can reduce annual energy costs by 25 percent! These options will provide a safe and healthy home, free of any damaging materials.

Recently, congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Included in this act were extensions to the tax incentives placed for energy efficiency in 2005, as well as new credits for homeowners who remodel or build using eco-sustainable methods. Some of the measures that are eligible for tax credits include added insulation to walls, ceilings, or other part of the building envelope that meets the 2009 IECC specifications, sealing cracks in the building shell and ducts to reduce heat loss. Storm doors paired with U-factored rated wood doors are also eligible.

www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/PACE_Principles.pdf

As professionals dedicated to the promotion of green and energy efficient housing, we have been faced with finding ways to pay for energy upgrades. Under this plan the local government could assess taxes on properties that use a PACE fund to implement energy upgrades.

I have provided the link to the PACE program so you can better understand how this proposal is to work.

This program is said to have built in consumer protection, and overall benefits that would allow the consumer to realize savings greater than the tax assessed on the property. This could provide many more people with an opportunity to fund energy efficient improvements.

However, with any such government lending, the risks seem to be wide reaching. A large risk is in foreclosure and repayment. Under this program a home could be repossessed for failure to repay. While many banks and mortgage providers have varied ways in which to help home owners stay in their home, the government does not have the flexibility to offer repayment options. This could jeopardize thousands of homeowners currently faced with unemployment and under employment.

A far greater risk is the "setting" of service charges under such a program. While this program is set to use Energy Professionals such as Energy Auditors to preform retrofit analysis, it is also set to control the charges an auditor can charge under the program. This could easily cause energy professionals to not be competitive in their prospective market place. Simply put what someone would expect to pay in Michigan would not be the same in Washington DC where cost are significantly higher. This could have a direct impact on the quality of inspections being performed.

I want to hear from you on this program. Please share your thoughts and opinions. Let me know if you think this type of program will be effective, or create undue burdens on municipalities. Your opions and ideas matter! So speak out and let me hear what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I67grlAbrMI

www.whitehouse.gov/.../Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf

Vice President Biden Unveils Report Focused on Expanding Green Jobs And Energy Savings For Middle Class Families

Vice President Biden unveiled Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient.

This represent's a new approach to energy conservation that is aimed at the middle class income family. For me this represents a stepping stone to seeing a new way forward in housing. No matter how you view this, I want to make this point very clear: It is a start and any effort to improve the natural and built environment is a good step.

I went back through my blog postings about NAR's Green designation and the value of using an EcoBroker(R). I found the comments very interesting and somewhat puzzling in some cases. First and foremost was the response that REALTORS(R) should become LEED AP's a program offered through USGBC. Let me remind you that, while many may disagree or feel that NAR's Green designation could leed to greenwashing, it is infact the only recognized green designation by NAR. Secondly USGBC nor NAHB offer REALTOR(R) specific education. Both organizations are set up to serve the building industries. With that said, yes if you have the qualifications, the desire to learn the most about green buildings, and the time and money for a non-NAR designated program, you certainly can not go wrong. The education offered by USGBC and NAHB is indeed thorough and intensive. You will certainly learn alot more about the theory and science behind green building and how those practices are implemented. However, neither course spends extensive time on marketing green homes, the very purpose of NAR's Green Designation and EcoBroker(TM) Certification.

The reason why NAHB and USGBC do not work well for REALTORS(R). By-in-large new home buyers make their decision based on their emotions at the time. They place allot of emphasis on what they believe to be the most comfortable and affordable for their family. Everyone's aesthetically different and their isn't a cookie cutter approach to selling homes. The REALTOR(R) must appeal to the emotional side of their client and gently educated them on the green benefits without leading the client into making a decision based on the REALTORS(R) opinion. This isn't all that easy and it is a matter of both legal and ethical practices.

Whether you agree or not with NAR's green designation, the bottom line is NAR's Green Designation educates REALTORS(R) on the ethics of leading a client and promoting the green benefits without a legal conflict. Neither USGBC or the NAHB have that discussion during their training.

The next comment that troubled me was that EcoBroker(TM) education leeds to greenwashing and that to get the designation all you have to do is answer questions. I sure would like to know how that person got their designation if all they did was answer questions. During my training; I not only had to learn the subject matter and be able to accurately answer question regarding the material, we were asked to write small SA's to support why we answered the way we did. A trainer would then examine your response and either approve of the answer or ask you to further clarify the response. The trainer also gave further insights into each answer. Now, just like with any program, it is up to the individual to take away from the training all that it can provide and to run with it. So the second half of the response where the person stated they learned more by going out and talking with builders and organizations like the NAHB; is exactly what the EcoBroker(TM) teaches REALTORS(R) to do. If you can not put you learning in to practical application then why even bother. The bottom line is I spent the time to examine the materials, the external materials from other organizations EcoBroker(TM) "Requires" and then followed up by talking with builders, loan officers, architects, the local NAHB, among others. I never found an opportunity or misleading information that would have lead me to greenwash.

Another response promoted local programs over nationally recognized programs. This is a huge pet-peeve of mine. The world is to small to bicker over who has the best program. As a professional I personally want to take advantage of national and local programs to maximize my portfolio exposure for one, and to learn what is happening globally as well as in my own back yard. A very wise person once said: "Can't we all just get along?" There is no way we can every effective promote change if every organization out their is trying to do it their way with no regards for the efforts of others. I believe the constitution states it best; "One Nation, Under God, Indivisible," not "Let everyone fight among themselves for supremacy." Yet this seems to be the very underlying cause of controversy over green. Instead of recognizing individuality and working cooperatively, we have people making statements like our program is the only right one. We will only see mass consumer habits change as people see that the goals of green are not for organiztions to tought their accomplishments, rather their efforts are designed to benefit everyone.

Let's learn to think globally and work locally.