Green & ENERGY STAR Home Appraising: How Agents Affect the Process

The zHome team is pleased to be offering this new clock hour course for real estate professionals on-site at zHome on Jan 10th, 2012! Register today to reserve your spot.

This 7 clock hour CE course is designed to give the real estate agent in WA a thorough knowledge of green and energy efficient features and their benefits from the appraiser’s perspective. You will learn to identify the specific components of green and energy efficient homes with an understanding of the added value these components bring, as well as which components have social/marketing value and which have quantitative value.

Agents completing the course will know exactly how to work with the appraisal process to the benefit of your clients.

Instructors:

Fiona Douglas-Hamilton
President, NW EcoBuilding Guild & Founder of Social, Environmental & Economic Consulting (SEEC LLC), an education firm specializing in the inter-relationship of valuation and sustainability.
Robbie Currey
Certified Real Estate Appraiser, McCabe Appraisal. Robbi co-wrote the curriculum, was hired by the Green Building Value Initiative and incorporates appraising green homes as one of her ‘Competencies’.

Date & Time: Tuesday, January 10th, 2012, 8:30-4:30pm, zHome site tour 4:30-5:30pm

Course Cost: Pre-registration $50 ($95 at the door). Includes handbook and site tour.
To register go to: http://seecsolutions.com/classes/registration-2/.

Course Info: Green & ENERGY STAR Home Appraising: How Agents Affect the Process, C7185, 7 WA State CE Clocks Hours

Directions:Take Exit 18 on I-90, head N on Highlands DR, turn right on High St & look for the homes with the solar panels! Parking available on adjacent side streets.

The Infiniti RED team will be attending, and we look forward to seeing you there!

zHome, which was just completed in September, is a 10-unit townhome development located in Issaquah, WA, which represents a radical acceleration of ultra-sustainable housing. This is one of the 1st multi-family projects in the country to combine targeted net zero energy use with geothermal heating, grid-tied solar electricity, a 70% reduction in water use, rainwater catchment and recycling for flushing toilets and clothes washing, low impact development practices and a number of other green building practices. Learn more at zHome.org.

zHome’s public educational tours, which ran through the end of October, brought 7000+ people through the site to learn about these sustainable technologies. Now we want to provide a similar experience geared towards real estate agents, whose knowledge of ever-evolving green building practices is a key component in advancing the green home market.

The tour and Q&A session, will be lead by zHome Project Manager Nick Nied, whose passion for this project has him actively involved in education as well. As professionals working with builders, buyers and sellers, this opportunity to learn more about zHome’s sustainable features, practices and certifications, as well as green homes in general, will be invaluable to you. Keep yourself at the forefront of this industry!

If you are a LEED AP or LEED Green Associate this presentation can qualify for CE credits needed for maintaining your credentials (see LEED CE Activities).

Thursday, Nov 10th, 12-2pm – light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to info@infinitiRED.com. Take Exit 18 on I-90, head N on Highlands DR, turn right on High St & look for the homes with the solar panels! Parking available on adjacent side streets.

Cascade Built has been constructing new LEED, Built Green and Energy Star certified townhomes and custom homes for a number of years now, with a particular knack for maximizing the potential of postage stamp-size infill lots, which is why their latest project should be no surprise. This time around though Cascade Built founder Sloan Ritchie has taken it another giant step further. He’s gone prefab!

Alley House 2 by Cascade Built

Dubbed the Alley House 2 because of its location next door to the Cascade Built’s acclaimed “Alley House” built in 2008, this new single-family home will be prefabricated in modular components by Seattle-based, green prefab specialists Method Homes in their local production facility. Cascade Built chose a modular prefab build for its shorter building timeframe (approximately 2 months) and reduction in material waste (minimized to less than 5%). The prefab build also means the house will be constructed in a closed environment where exposure to elements such as rain, do not exist.

Designed by award-winning architect David Foster and targeting LEED for Homes Platinum certification (the highest certification possible), the Alley House 2 will have 1,697sf of living space, including 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms, as well as the potential to convert the lower level (including fully conditioned 1-car garage) into an Accessory Dwelling Unit. The home’s modern aesthetic and open floor plan, drawing ample natural light, blends luxury with conscious living.

Pre-selling the Alley House 2 will allow Cascade Built to work closely with the new homeowner to customize the finishes that most impact their daily life. Among the choices to be made are whether or not to install a solar hot water and/or pv (photovoltaic) system, and a green (living) roof, all of which the home has been designed for, and would work to offset the home’s energy consumption.

The Alley House 2 is located in the heart of Madison Valley, just ten blocks from Seattle’s newly revived Pike/Pine corridor and new Light Rail station, and just one mile from downtown Seattle. The dates for craning-in of the prefab modules will be publicly announced in October 2011, with completion and scheduled open houses soon after. Stay tuned for updates – here and on our Facebook page!

Visit this featured listing on our website for all the presale details!

Join our OPEN HOUSE MAY 22 from 2-4PM! Lovely 1 Bedroom For Sale!

Taken from the Capitol Hill Blog 5/6/11

Here’s a sneak peak of some of our favorite projects:

North Seattle Tour Sites
Just 2 of 15 projects in the North Seattle Tour Sites cluster.

Collins Memorial Addition w/ Living Roof
A 120sf cost-effective library/office addition, whole-house air sealing, and a living roof by Pathway Design & Construction. This site includes a 10:30am workshop demonstrating green home operations & maintenance.

The Common View House
A growing Wallingford family refuses to add another story to their house unless they can figure out a way to preserve the neighbors’ view. Step 1: Hold up sticks; stand in the neighbors’ bedroom; and figure out what’ll work. Step 2: Add a green roof to make the view even better; then pursue a Land Use variance to make it all possible. Project by Batt + Lear.

South & West Seattle Tour Sites
Just 2 of 7 projects in the South & West Seattle Tour Sites cluster.

Envision Homes in West Seattle
A 100 yr old toxic and structural nightmare was transformed into a masterpiece of sustainable living. Learn about 100′s of sustainable living ideas, including solar thermal collectors, efficient panel radiant heating, rainwater harvesting, vegetated roofs, FSC framing and millwork, and so much more. The kids will enjoy the chickens and the giant worm-bin! Project by Envision Homes.

Treehouse
Treehouse is a single family residence built on an inaccessible, steep slope lot. The project had three primary design objectives: 1) minimize long term site impacts; 2) design a cost effective and resource efficient building; 3) use view, light and enclosure to accentuate the experience of living in the tree canopy. Project by SHED.

Eastside Tour Sites
Just 2 of 6 projects in the Eastside Tour Sites cluster.

zHome
Located in Issaquah, Washington, zHome is the first multifamily, production, zero-energy, carbon neutral community in the United States. zHome is a demonstration projects using a practical combination of common sense building practices and cutting edge technologies to dramatically reduce its environmental impacts.

Zero Energy Idea House
The Zero Energy Idea House demonstrates how a home can produce nearly as much energy as it consumes. The 1630 square foot home incorporates solar Photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, and solar hot water. This home was developed to inspire other homeowners to move towards energy independence through changes in lifestyle and the use of technology.

Preview all the sites, get tour details, and more at www.SeattleGreenHomeTour.org. See you there!

Many Seattle locals had a chance to tour the new Mini-B Passive House this past month at the Phinney Neighborhood Association. The Mini-B is one of the first passive homes in Seattle and is now for sale for $65,000.

The Mini-B was designed by architect Joe Gaimpietro of Johnson Braund Design Group to be a super efficient small dwelling unit that reduces heating energy by 80-90%, provides clean fresh air, sustainable finishes, and superior thermal comfort. This is done with many layers of insulation, high-performance windows, airtight construction and heat-recovery ventilation.

Mini-B stands for Mini Bungalow and was designed to conform to passive house standards and to the City of Seattle requirements for a “Backyard Cottage” as a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) on a single-family lot.

Thanks to the new zoning laws for backyard cottages, the Mini-B can fit right on an average Seattle lot (4,000sf+) and start earning rental income, providing space for home expansion or a mother-in-law. The Mini-B was built in partnership between architect Joe Gaimpietro of Johnson Braund Design Group and instructor Frank Mestemacher at Seattle Central Community College’s Wood Construction Center (SCCC). This class project provided students with real life experience in green building, construction, and design.

The interior of the home is 300 sf of simple luxury. Warm fir wood, large sunny windows, and a well-designed floor plan make this cozy bungalow a feel like a real cottage home. The Mini-B comes with a kitchenette, three-quarters bath, living/dining room, bed loft, closet, equipment loft with storage, solar hot water collector, and vaulted ceiling. It is built to an energy conservation standard that uses approximately 15 percent of the heating energy used by similar houses built to current Washington State Energy Code requirements.

Don’t worry if you miss buying this backyard cottage this year. “The Mini-B is permitted as a “factory-built structure” in the State of Washington and can be built to order. As a super-efficient cost effective dwelling, the Mini-B has the potential to provide affordable housing for family, friends, students, and renters.” Mini-B is working with a local green modular factory to build more Mini-B’s at affordable prices, along with options to extend the house into a one bedroom plus loft home. Let us know if you would like more information or a private tour.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in finding out more about this exciting opportunity, or would like to know how to finance such a dwelling as a rental property, please contact Sharon Giampietro at 206-310-0967 or email “ sharon@seattlesharon.com ”.

In a short sale real estate transaction, the mortgage lender agrees to accept a payoff of less than the balance due on the loan, which many homeowners consider an attractive alternative to foreclosure. In some cases however, the lender’s approval of a short sale DOES NOT necessarily mean the lender relieves repayment of the entire debt. According to the Washington Department of Financial Institutions Short Sales Seller Advisory:

It is possible the seller can sell the home and still owe the unpaid difference, plus interest and penalties, to the lender (the “deficiency”). The lender may then seek a deficiency judgment against the seller for this difference. If the judgment is issued by a court, it could be in effect for up to 20 years if not paid sooner This is one of the most fundamental issues that sellers must address in considering whether to sell property as a short sale.

Simply “Walking Away” from the property through foreclosure also does not necessarily relieve a seller of these debts as while Washington State is a “non-deficiency” state, that only pertains to the foreclosing party. A homeowner could lose their property to foreclosure, generally to the 1st mortgage lien holder, and still owe the balance(s) from the 2nd mortgage or other lien holders.

Additionally, when you borrow money from a lender and that lender later cancels or forgives the debt, that debt becomes taxable income. But, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act provides an exclusion to this rule when the canceled debt was used to buy, build or substantially improve a homeowner’s principle residence. This includes debt forgiveness through loan modification, deed in lieu of foreclosure, short sale, foreclosure, and bankruptcy.

Homeowners worried about foreclosure may also be susceptible to predatory “rescue” scams. Unfortunately, foreclosure and loan modification fraudsters take your money, can ruin your credit, and can wipe out any equity you may have in your home. If someone offers to negotiate with your lender, or offers to arrange to stop or delay foreclosure for an upfront fee, carefully check his or her credentials, reputation, and experience.

Protect Yourself and Learn More About Your Options

This may sound counterintuitive, but the first thing you should do is contact your lender directly. They really do not want your home, and have loan workout options available to help you keep your home (forbearance, mortgage modification etc…).

Consult with an attorney before making any decisions or signing any paperwork. Talk to them about the issues discussed above, the impact on your credit rating, and tax consequences.

If you are unable to afford an attorney, contact the Washington Homeownership Center at 1-877-894-HOME (4663) for non profit foreclosure counseling. If legal advice is needed, callers will be referred to a pro bono attorney through the Washington State Bar Association.

Washington Homeownership Information
A one stop resource center for homeownership and foreclosure information for WA State residents.

Washington Foreclosure Prevention Resource Guide (pdf 2.1MB)
An excellent guide addressing all issues related to the foreclosure process in WA State.

Short Sales – Sellers Advisory
Everything you need to know about short sales in WA State.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us here at Infiniti RED if you have additional questions. Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling in the current market, we’re here to provide you with the information you need to make a truly informed decision.

On December 13, local prefab builder Method Homes installed an ultra modern custom home designed by PB Elemental. Designed with a small footprint in mind to take advantage of a narrow lot, this home is 10ft in width, and in length, two stacked modules enjoy a full southern face overlooking Judkins park. The home is approximately 1,130 square feet with 1 bed, 1 bonus room, and 2 baths. It will be coming to the market in late January in the $300,000 range.

Designed by PB Elemental, built by Method Homes

On December 7, Greenfab installed one of the first LEED Platinum targeted prefabs designed by Hybrid Architects. Part of Greenfab’s vision is to provide the highest green standards at the lowest possible cost. It estimates that the total development and site costs ran $173-$189 a square foot for the 1,790sf, 3 bed 2.75 bath home. Of that only $12-$18 was spent on green features for approximately $30,000 invested in green upgrades.

Designed by Hybrid Architects, Developed by Greenfab

In addition to 50% energy savings and a solar array that provides 23% of the homes annual electricity, other green features in Greenfab’s prefab include a 1,400 gallon rainwater tank that provides water to the house, and a 300 gallon greywater system that helps recycle waste water for landscaping. The developer also set up garden boxes and an urban chicken coop for sustainable residential living.

Hybrid Architects was able to achieve a high LEED standard for energy efficiency by custom designing the energy and lighting output. They combined a GE Hybrid heat pump water heater, a Fujitsu mini-split heat pump mechanical system, R-26 insulated exterior walls, an energy recovery ventilator, programmable thermostats, and a convectair backup electric heat system. This home is also Energy-Star verified and 5-star Built-Green.

200sf rooftop deck, designed by PB Elemental, built by Method Homes

Method Homes is also building green prefabs at their factory in Mt Vernon, WA. They source local sustainable products and use local labor rather than machines, resulting in reductions of waste to less than 10% of the construction materials. Method uses FSC lumber practices on their interiors including custom FSC cabinets and woven strand bamboo flooring. The energy and water systems are highly efficient with radiant on-demand heat and water, in addition to Energy-Star certified windows, lights, and appliances. A ductless mini split mechanical system and low-voc paints and finishes are a baseline for improved indoor air quality in all Method prefabs.

Compared to typical site construction, both the impact to the site and the potential neighborhood disturbance from construction were greatly decreased through the prefab installation process. Installing both modular units took less than one day. Click here to watch the video.

This prefab design helps with urban infill because it takes advatage of a narrow in-city lot

This home has an extensive rainwater catchment design to feed built-in planters for growing veggies

The newly installed Method home will take another month to complete the interior finishes, and will be available for an open house to the public in late January when it goes up for sale on the market. Stay tuned for the date coming soon!

Seattle, WA – – On Sunday, October 17, 2010, Seattle will host the 2010 Walk for Farm Animals, an annual event taking place in more than 70 cities across the United States and Canada to celebrate and promote compassion for farm animals and raise vital funds to support the lifesaving rescue, education and advocacy work of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. This year’s national Walk spokesperson is celebrity trainer and television personality Bob Harper from NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser.” Register online or contact Kristin Lockwood at woodriver@comcast.net or seattle@walkforfarmanimals.org for more information.

“Getting and staying physically fit is a lot easier when you have a powerful motivation, and I can’t think of a better reason to get moving this fall than to raise vital funds and awareness for farm animals,” said Harper, who states that since he adopted a plant-based diet he has felt “more clear headed and strong” and that his genetically high cholesterol dropped more than 100 points. “When I think about the billions of sensitive, intelligent beings who are confined and mistreated on factory farms to produce foods linked with obesity, heart disease, cancer, and stroke — that is all the motivation I need to make healthier, more conscientious choices. I am honored to be the national spokesperson for Farm Sanctuary’s 2010 Walk for Farm Animals.”

Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness and understanding about “farm animals.” Unfortunately, animals raised on today’s industrialized farms are treated like unfeeling commodities, and their basic needs are completely ignored. They are crowded in factory farm warehouses, and confined so tightly that they cannot walk, turn around or lie down comfortably. Farm animals are de-beaked, de-toed, tail-docked, confined, crowded, fattened up, genetically modified, neglected and denied the very basics of life: fresh air, wholesome food, room to move and, most importantly, freedom.

“Animals raised for food in the U.S. spend their entire lives in filth and darkness, kept in such severe confinement they cannot turn around, lie down or extend their limbs,” said Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. “No one likes cruelty and when people learn about the abusive conditions inside factory farms, they are appalled and a growing number are getting active to raise awareness about these intolerable cruelties and put an end to the unnecessary suffering. For nearly 25 years, Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals has provided a forum for people from all walks of life to spread a powerful message of compassion for farm animals in their own cities and hometowns. The exponential growth of the Walks is a very positive sign.”

The Seattle Walk for Farm Animals is on Sunday, October 17 at Greenlake. Please meet at Farm Sanctuary Tables near Greenlake Community Center. Registration is at 9 am, and the Walk begins at 10 am. Those interested in registering for the 2010 Walk can learn more at walkforfarmanimals.org. Register or Donate before the walk online at www.firstgiving.com/farmsanctuary. All participants will receive a special limited-edition 2010 Walk t-shirt designed by vegan fashion house Vaute Couture, and special prizes will be awarded to walkers who reach fundraising milestones.
Please contact Kristin Lockwood at woodriver@comcast.net or seattle@walkforfarmanimals.org for details!

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the “food animal” industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

Follow Farm Sanctuary on Twitter: twitter.com/FarmSanctuary

To learn more on how to stop factory farming visit Farm Sanctuary and other noteworthy links about factory farms:

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/research/welfare/welfare_overview.html

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

http://www.farmforward.com/farming-forward/factory-farming

http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfarmfacts.html

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