For those who say that social media is a fad might want to rethink their viewpoint the next time they sell their home.

LinkedIn has partnered with Rofo.com to create a real estate portal on LinkedIn, steering the real estate industry into social media.  The app will be called “Real Estate Pro,” and can be used by any agent with a LinkedIn profile.

“Real Estate Pro” displays residential and commercial listings and recently finished deals, but also posts market data within an agent’s local area.  Launched on the 23^rd, “Real Estate Pro” creates a localized marketplace for brokers, and updates directly on the profile page of the user.

View the video below to see more about how this new app works.

LEED homes are at the cutting edge of green home development, and now Habitat for Humanity is getting in on the action. The Habitat for Humanity covering the Greater Indianapolis area just launched a six-week build of a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified home on Wednesday. Located on the 1300 block of Ninth Street, this new endeavor will be Habitat’s first platinum-standard LEED house. This new project will include products such as “25-year asphalt shingles, compact fluorescent light bulbs, a tankless water heater, and a solar-powered attic fan.”

Energy efficient products are used in Habitat for Humanity builds because all Habitat homes meet at least the gold-standard requirements as set by the U.S. Green Building Council. This means that all Habitat homes have received between 75 and 89 points (based on a 100 point scale) also set by the USGBC. But this new platinum-standard home has raised the bar, earning 90 points or more. Its future owner, Lori Pye, did not specifically set out to live in a green home, but claimed, “I picked my three favorite, and then I just happened to pick that one (the LEED house).” Lori will enjoy her new home come September 3^rd when she officially moves in and becomes an active member in the ever-growing green campaign.

For more information, visit http://www.indystar.com/article/20100722/LOCAL18/7220414/Habitat-for-Humanity-takes-green-to-new-level

While at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco a couple weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to sit down with my favorite radio hosts, James and Morris Carey. They asked me to fill them in on new and innovative products from the show, many of which focused on energy saving and sustainability. Below is a little bit about the products and companies that stood out above the rest, as well as the audio clip of my time on On the House.

One really great thing I saw was a new lighting technology by Halo. Halo has introduced LED luminaries that save both energy and money by conserving electricity and having a longer life.

Eternal makes a hybrid water heater that conserves energy, and can save you money on your monthly water bill.

Several companies explored the great outdoors with products perfect for outdoor living:

Danver Stainless Steel Cabinetry introduced its Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, charcoal fire grill and smoker, and infrared grill, all made for outdoor cooking.

Belgard exhibited a ready-made outdoor fireplace that can literally be dropped on a patio with a forklift.

Fire Rock also makes a line of outdoor fire places that can be easily installed using a simple kit.

You can “build green” with Nichiha’s fiber cement. This cement is both water and insect resistant, and the factory even recycles its water when making their products.

I found these products to be quite impressive and revolutionary, and expect their popularity to rise  in home building.

“On the House” with the Carey Brothers

Gen-Y: The Crystal Ball

On MediaPost Publications’ “Marketing Daily” Scott Galloway, New York University Stern clinical associate professor of marketing, calls Gen-Yers a ‘crystal ball’ when it comes to predicting a brand’s long-term success. Some names that top the list? Chanel, Cartier and, not surprisingly, BMW and Audi. So how do we in the home building industry reach this massive audience? In the retail realm, believe it or not, the physical retail store and print publications still hold sway. Read more at:  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=127529

Gen-Y to Bring Another Boom?

According to Consumer Specialist Ric Romero, If there is going to be another housing boom it may be because of Generation Y. Those are the people born between 1982 and 1995 and there are about 75 million of them…far outnumbering the first “Baby Boomers.”  To quote Steve Ruffener, President of KB Homes, “They’re really focused on not having rules and not being told how they can live.”

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/consumer&id=7425318

Big Builders Collect Big Checks

In this age of populist rage at Wall Street bigwigs for awarding themselves extravagant (frankly, we would call it blasphemous) top-level bonuses, some big-name home building executives made quite a pretty penny even as their companies struggled and gasped through an awful 2009. Where do you weigh in on executive pay? Read the article from Reuters here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6452KQ20100506

Turning the Ho-Hum Home into a Dream Home

According to a report by the National Association of Home Builders, 2009 was a “banner year for the remodeling industry.”  No doubt this was because some people who were in the volatile home buying market decided to stay put. But is that the only reason people are remodeling? Read the “Learn How to Turn Your Starter Home into a Dream Home” and see if the DailyComet.com story mirrors any trends you’ve seen in your markets. http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20100505/ARTICLES/100509629/1008?Title=Learn-how-to-turn-your-starter-home-into-your-dream-home

Homebuilding, eh?

The Canadian home building market has seen a rather dramatic surge in new homes built and permits pulled. The Montreal Gazette reports home building activity in March rose 12.2 percent from February. Now, obviously there is a little lag time in the numbers, but from what it seems, our neighbors to the North may be seeing some very bright days in the near future. Get all the statistics here: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/homes+making+comeback/2994142/story.html

Like its venerable (and controversial) Energy Star predecessor, the Home Star bill would pave the way for homeowners and contractors to reap the benefits from energy-efficient and “green” projects.

Michigan Congressman Sander Levin announced last week that the House of Representatives approved legislation to provide rebates and loans for home energy efficiency improvements.  The so-called “Home Star Energy Retrofit Act” (H.R. 5019) passed by a bipartisan vote of 246 to 161.  The legislation must now be considered by the U.S. Senate.

The bill, also known as “Cash for Caulkers,” builds on the home energy efficiency tax credit included in the stimulus bill. According to comments made by President Obama, the Home Star program offers two different consumer incentives:

• Silver Star – Provides in-store rebates for specific energy-saving investments, including insulation, duct sealing, furnaces, windows and doors, air sealing and water heaters. Homeowners receive up to $1,500 per measure, with a rebate not exceeding $3,000 or 50 percent of the total project cost.

• Gold Star – This performance path rewards homeowners who conduct a comprehensive energy audit and implement a variety of measures to reduce energy use. Consumers receive $3,000 for a demonstrated savings of 20 percent, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5 percent energy savings with a maximum rebate of $8,000.

“The building material industry has experienced significant job loss during the housing and economic crisis of the past few years. Retailers of building materials alone have lost over 140,000 jobs since 2006,” says National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) president Michael O’Brien in a prepared remark to the press. “Incentives for improving home energy efficiency, such as those that would be created by the Home Star program, are powerful tools to drive consumer purchases that in turn drive the restoration of jobs across the building supply chain,” he says.

The NLBMDA also expressed disappointment at the rejection of the Boswell Amendment to the Home Star legislation, which would have delayed application of the EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (LRRP) to Home Star-funded retrofit projects for one year. The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa). “NLBMDA has continued to raise concerns about the impact of the LRRP on the success of Home Star,” said O’Brien. “Without enough certified renovators, trainers and accurate test kits, there simply may not be enough qualified installers to perform Home Star-funded retrofit work.”

The House, according to official releases sent to the industry press, must still appropriate the $6 billion authorized for the Home Star program. The U.S. Senate has not yet scheduled consideration of the legislation.

The House has yet to draft a provision that explains how all of this will be actually paid for. In our opinion, that leaves a gaping hole large enough to drive a Mack Truck through, but any efforts made by Congress are certainly looked forward-to.

So what’s included in the bill? According to Peter Grier from the Christian Science Monitor, more products and services are included in the bill than builders, contactors and home building industry executives might think. Among the highlights are:

• Attic and wall insulation are eligible – though they have to meet certain standards outlined in the bill. For instance, crawl space insulation has to cover at least 500 square feet if Uncle Sam is going to help cover its cost.

• Window replacements are eligible, but at least eight windows, or 75 percent of a home’s exterior windows and skylights, have to be included in the replacement effort, according to the bill’s fine print.

• Door replacements are included as well – and you only have to swap out one.

• New furnaces and heat pumps are eligible. But they have to meet efficiency criteria (which isn’t all that hard, considering most geothermal heat pumps and cooling systems are inherently energy efficient to being with).

• Under the House bill, according to Grier, consumers would have two ways of tapping into “Cash for Caulkers” money.

• Under the “Silver Star” program, they would get rebates totaling up to $3,000 for energy efficiency house retrofits. Cash would be limited to 50 percent of total project cost, however. Individual appliances would be eligible for rebates of $250.

• Under the “Gold Star” program, homeowners would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate if they conduct a whole-house energy analysis and install stuff that increases their overall energy efficiency by 20 percent. Plus, they’d be eligible for an additional $1,000 rebate for each further five-percent efficiency improvement, up to a grand total maximum top line of $8,000 in government cash.

• Consumers would access this money via discounts or rebates given by contractors or stores at point of sale. These vendors would then turn around and apply to the government for the actual federal funds.

Note: Grier also says don’t go rushing out to Home Depot this weekend! The bill has only passed the House. The Senate must pass similar legislation, and President Obama would have to sign it, before it becomes law.

Gale Steves, author of the recently-published book “Right Sizing Your Home,” sat down with K&A to discuss how home builders have been marketing their homes toward women and what they need to do to improve their practices.

“Most people aren’t living fully, or even well, in their homes,” says Steves. “There are areas of the home that are seldom used.”

She says the current cookie-cutter homes being built by the large builders stem from trends that began in the1990s. “We wanted stunning star-quality kitchens, huge ceilings, and communication centers and so on. And do you know what? It was all about ego. We got out of touch with how families work.” Families, particularly women, are asking for more realism. They need a house that suits the way they actually live.

Steves identifies three C’s when it comes to homes: comfort, convenience and carefree maintenance. “People are hunkering down. They want to be comfortable in the space that they’re in. Don’t forget that the home they’re in now might not be the space they wanted to be in at this point!” The new reality, she says, is frugality.

The changing demographics at home are also driving change. There are tons of multi-generational fluxes happening – the bonus room above the garage becomes an apartment or the basement becomes work space for people who are now working at home. “The home is going through the spin cycle right now. People are starting to re-think their spaces. The next five years will see a much more efficient home in terms of both energy and space,” says Steves.

Steves says she hopes the builders catch on to this message which kitchen designers have already. “The best house plans I’ve seen have a ton of flexibility. “Everyone looks at a house in different ways because we all have different needs. Down with cookie-cutter homes!”

Steves also identified some key questions home owners, builders and designers should ask themselves:

Is the dining room a dinosaur?
Do you have to have a dining room? What sort of lifestyle do you have? Most people I know only use that dining room for dining specifically maybe three times a year. Otherwise it’s my office.

Are you forcing your homeowners to buy furniture they don’t need?
You don’t need to furnish an entire room that you never use. I saw one builder call the front entrance room his ‘chat rooms.’ It’s clever, but it’s not convenient.

Think about the front entrance.
Steves says most people come through the mud room or the garage. “The only people that come to the front door are the FedEx guys or someone selling me something.”

Less crazy in the kitchen.
Steves says designers don’t have stop specifying high-end products. Homeowners might not want to give up the giant-sized range, but, Steves says, “Most of us don’t need eight burners. Most of us don’t need a restaurant-sized refrigerator either!”

How will they talk to each other?
“Once you’re in, how do you communicate? You can’t put all the fancy new gear in the kitchen and clutter it up. Where do you talk and catch up? Do you watch TV together or are the kids upstairs on their computers?”

Steves heads Open House Productions, a home industries consulting company. She has more than 30 years of experience working with manufacturers, retailers and consumers, and she is an expert on lifestyle market forecasting.

Property-Assessed Clean Energy programs, commonly referred to as PACE, are poised for major growth as more municipalities consider legislation that would allow homeowners this new way to pay for energy efficient retrofits.

Here’s how it works. A local government creates an improvement district, then a bond, secured by real property within the district, is issued. The proceeds are lent directly to participating homeowners to be used for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Projects may include solar panel installations, energy efficient water heater and furnace installations and improvements in insulation, ventilation, windows and doors, to name a few.. Some municipalities also cover water saving upgrades.

Property owners pay next to nothing upfront. Instead, they repay the debt on the bond in fixed payments as part of their property tax bill. The debt is tied to the property, not the homeowner, so it can be passed along to the next homeowner, who also receives the benefit of lower utility costs, which the retrofits made possible.

PACE programs significantly reduce the hesitance of homeowners who might be interested in retrofits but worry that the upfront costs will be too high. And since the payments are tied to the property, PACE can overcome homeowner concerns that they won’t reside in the home long enough to recoup the costs of energy efficient upgrades. Whoever lives in the home will both pay toward the retrofits and reap the rewards in saved energy costs. The terms of the loans usually run from 10 to 20 years.

The town of Babylon, N.Y. has had a program in place since 2008. Its Web site touts that consumers will see money savings immediately, because in most cases utility bill savings exceed the additional tax assessment.

As of right now, 18 states have passed legislation allowing such programs, and according to Green Inc., another 12 are considering similar legislation.

With the purchase of so many home improvement products associated with these programs, it is imperative that building professionals be aware of where they are popping up and what kinds of products will be covered under their auspices. And with water shortages and water rights issues top of mind in communities all over the country, it seems only logical that new programs should include water-saving retrofits as well as energy efficient ones.

It’s essential that the building products community be involved in crafting new PACE programs nationwide to ensure that the right products are covered under the law and that homeowners are aware of the opportunities available to them as well as the benefits of involvement.

For more information on PACE programs and where they are being implemented, check out these links.

• http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/solutioncenter/financialproducts/PACE.html
• http://energycenter.org/index.php/public-affairs/property-assessed-clean-energy-pace
• http://www.renewfund.com/about-us/company

Last week’s International Builders Show in Las Vegas drew a lot of attention to the home and building industry, the housing market and economy. I was fortunate enough to sit down with the Carey Brothers and Rebecca Cole as they broadcast their national radio show “On the House.” Their radio segments gave listeners an insider’s look at the show, including the newest products and popular trends within the industry. Listen here for the scoop! (I chime in about 1:40 into the clip)

http://www.onthehouse.com/whatsnew.php

The drive toward more stringent environmental building regulations—especially for existing structures—is taking a hit in this tough economy. New York City recently scaled back proposed regulations that would have required many building owners to undergo audits to determine which renovations would make their properties more energy efficient and then compelled them by law to pay for those renovations.

Opponents won the day by leaning on the argument that now is not the time to add to the economic burden with increased regulation.

But putting off investment in greening existing structures is a shortsighted approach to economic uncertainty.

As the real estate market recovers, homes that can be certified as energy efficient will likely earn back their value the fastest. Recent research in the Seattle and Portland, Ore., areas shows this to be the case. In both markets, third-party-certified-sustainable residential properties sold for more than comparable non-certified properties, and in Portland those homes sold 18 days faster.

The question is, how far can we go with voluntary third-party certifications? The National Association of Realtors has made it clear that it thinks mandatory measures will hurt an already struggling residential real estate market. But if we go the way of voluntary certifications, it will be up to Realtors to get out there and promote green valuations through Multiple Listing Services and to make them a more integral part of real estate appraisals.

Homeowners need to know how much is at stake, not only for the environment and the future, but also for their own pocketbooks through savings on energy bills and increased value in their homes. It’s up to real estate, contracting and building products professionals to get the information out there so homeowners can make informed decisions about where to spend scarce remodeling dollars.

High profile tax incentives like “Cash for Caulkers” will certainly help and will clearly remain the most popular way to encourage green retrofitting until a recovery begins to take stronger hold. For politicians in all levels of government the carrot will always be more palatable than the stick.

But the carrot can only take us so far. The stick, in the form of mandatory standards, must be employed as well if we are going to make significant gains in reducing energy usage by buildings, especially when it comes to existing homes.

The writing is on the wall in the federal government’s recent “Recovery Through Retrofit” report, which sets the stage for an efficiency rating tool and labeling scheme for assessing energy in buildings, which Green Inc. reports will likely be run out of the Department of Energy.

Standards like these tend to grow from the states up. With a federal standard in the works, it’s only a matter of time before mandates become part of the conversation.

Those who take the initiative now – be they Realtors, contractors, building products manufacturers or homeowners – will be poised to benefit most once green retrofit mandates see the light of day.