Think Before Going Green
There’s a great deal of interest in going green these days and a lot of that interest is in green housing. National attention to energy costs and the environment are heating up the green campaign.
As you can imagine there is a lot of interest in California’s East Bay communities around going green and green housing. We are hearing the phrase more and more at the Realtors Marketing Meeting in San Ramon. The RMA meeting also serves Alamo and Danville. Contractors are giving more and more attention to the green word.
You may recall the massive tornado that leveled Greensburg, Kansas a year ago. Greensburg is rebuilding it self as a totally green community – GreensburgGreenTown.
Before deciding to turn your entire town or neighborhood green, you might want to read this article posted by Jeff Echols.
Are We Too Green?
It happened last night. I was listening to homeowners who had volunteered to be test cases for the Irvington Green Initiative's "Recognition Program." We were holding a forum designed to produce honest feedback after two months of working within our guidelines and criteria. This was it; the big test. The Committee had worked for several months to design the program and develop the criteria which these families, some experienced "greenies," some not, had graciously agreed to "test."
That's when the bomb dropped. Maybe it wasn't a bomb so much as a rising tide, a tsunami perhaps. Anyway, it started with a person that works for one of the "greenest" organizations around. It was then added to by someone from a family who has been making extraordinary strides towards sustainable ends. And suddenly the culmination of the discussion began to revolve around the fact that the very structure that we had created was inherently wrong.
Now if that didn't take the wind out of my energy conserving sail. We had modeled our process, our forms and our criteria on a number of national programs. We had given thoughtful consideration to the requirements and difficulty of progressive levels. We had … well it just doesn't matter does it?
The tide that had risen and washed over us was the point that the program was too complicated and even intimidating, especially for those who were wanting to get their feet wet so-to-speak in being green. And it's an excellent point; possibly one of the best, straight to the essence points of the evening.
It sure got me to think. I started to think about all of the work I've done with LEED and with the NAHB Guidelines; the builders and clients that I've talked to; the interviews that I've done; the blog posts that I've written. If you're reading this you're probably in the same boat. Green is what you do. You're informed, you're educated, and you're continually learning and pushing the green envelope. But that, as it turns out, was the problem.
At the core of what we're trying to do at IGI is not reward homeowners for achieving some hardly attainable Platinum Standard. What we're striving for is to recognize those who make green strides as a way of introducing green to our community and, in turn, spreading the message and winning new converts.
Unfortunately, we fell into what's become a common mindset these days. While we're all measuring our carbon footprints, performing life cycle cost analyses and counting food miles, we may be forgetting about the fact that no matter how close to zero energy we get, there are 10 people out there that don't even know that it's possible to stop their junk mail.
Obviously, I'm not advocating giving up on any of these aspects of Green or the Green lifestyle in any way. But let's not forget that we may be able to have more impact by teaching 5 of our neighbors 3 simple things that they can do everyday to be more Green.
Jeff makes a very good point that comes often in many different situations - is it more effective to have a multitude do a little or a few do a lot?
If you have thoughts or comments on green housing issues in San Ramon, Danville, or Alamo, CA leave us a comment.
Don’t get me wrong. These three are important elements, but many agents ignore the value of the local Realtor marketing associations meetings and the networking that goes on there.
In addition to the construction, the limestone, the woodwork, all of the details just blow you away.. So how do you create buzz on a house like this?
Now, I’m not crediting the balloons or my presentation – I’m really crediting the value of Realtors networking with Realtors and it’s sad to say that the vast majority of real estate agents in the 680 Corridor don’t seem to find value in the marketing meetings.
Home value comes in many forms:
Despite today’s doom and gloom headlines, people are seeking homes to improve their lives.
The neighbors in San Ramon CA are dancing in the streets. At least the ones near the corner of Bowlin Ave & Tareyton Ave. I’ve been driving by this boarded up eyesore for the past two years wondering what the story was.
If my facts are right, the previous owner, who was going to remodel it, died. It’s been a withering eye-sore ever since. The good neighbors have mowed the 
I stopped in and talked to Brian, the new owner, who is doing a complete remodel on the place – adding over 1000 square feet.
How do you price a home right according to existing market conditions? In the “good old days” of 2002 – 2004, it seemed you could price a California home for whatever price you wanted and somebody would show up to buy it or at least bid on it. The market was experiencing phenomenal appreciation as bidding wars pushed prices higher and higher while sellers danced in the streets and buyers walked around either punch drunk or frothed into a frenzy of desperation to lock in a purchase.
In an appreciating market, getting top dollar for your home can be as easy as simply pricing it above market value and letting the market catch up to the price. This can take some patience or no patience depending on how rapid the rate of market appreciation.
But when the market turns, holding onto the “fantasy profits” (appreciation in the mind, not in the bank) can set us on the road to sorrow and frustration, if not ruin. It is the “holding on” to unrealistic hopes, expectations, or fantasy profits that can lead to the slippery slope of chasing the market down.
