Spotlight on Real Estate

Ecobrokers, Green Properties & Energy Efficient Mortgages
Tucson Home, Winter 2006-2007

When Nicole Brulé-Fisher, Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), decided to become an EcoBroker, it was in large part personal interest. She and her husband, Tom, were adding on to their house and wanted to do it in an environmentally friendly manner. At the same time, she saw green real estate, a popular concept in California, making its way onto Arizona. This past June, greenhomesforsale.com had five listings in Tucson, ranging in price from $195,000 to $1.3 million, including a straw-bale house with a permanent teepee on site.

EcoBroker is a listing service, but only for those licensed real estate professionals who bone up on environmental issues, such as health hazards, by completing online courses to earn a license in the field. The company provides continuing education and business tips on www.ecobroker.com.

For example: According to Ecobroker.com, Energy Efficient Mortgages "can add an additional 15% of a home's appraised value to the principal of a new loan or a refinance, often at no additional cost and no compromise in the loan-to-value ratio for the borrower, and sometimes at a better rate." The buyer pays "a bit more… roughly $30-50 dollars per month, over the course of the loan. However, with the new energy savings features in place, it is not uncommon for the property owner to realize $75-100 per month in energy cost savings." You start by getting a certified energy rating on the home.

Tax rebates: Global warming and rising fuel costs have justified federal allowances of up to $500 per home in 2006 or 2007 for better insulation, windows and exterior doors, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades. Allowances also cover sealing cracks, adding skylights, and installing metal roofs. In Arizona, solar energy devices earn credits to 25% of the cost, up to $1000. That includes water heaters, photovoltaic (PV) systems, solar phones, lighting, wind generators, or simple passive solar components.

By the way, sealing heating and air conditiong ducts is the first step to reducing heating/cooling bills. HVAC specialists have become "systems analysts;" they evaluate construction of walls, roofs and floors; window types; lighting; activity “zones;” and even paint colors before recommending new equipment.

The roofing industry is reinventing itself, integrating perspectives of carpenter, roofer, insulator, and HVAC contractor, and mining the potential for producing energy, storing heat, collecting water, and reducing urban "hot spots." Homeowners here should watch for “cool roofs” and photovoltaic (PV) tiles. Bob Freitas, spokesman for SundialEnergy says his group will soon announce their SmartPowerTM metal roofing with integrated PV for commercial buildings and a speciality application of a PV carport. Since putting a solar roof on a home is still quite expensive, even with more generous rebates and tax credits, Freitas advises homeowners to first look at conservation to reduce electrical demand.

John Wesley Miller, whose Armory Park del Sol homes have smaller than average utilities bills, is retrofitting a poorly-insulated brick home in Sam Hughes Neighborhood, to emphasize thermal mass. The 2,000 sq. ft. structure will be wrapped in a coat of polyisocyanurate finished in stucco.

Simple Choices

Sometimes greening up requires an attitude adjustment. Take linoleum, which conjures up memories of farm kitchens. But linoleum is in fact all natural composition of: wood, cork, linseed oil, natural pine resins and pigments. It’s antibacterial, biodegradable, fire retardant and comfortable on the feet.

Also consider the life cycle of a house, which, in this age of tear-downs, includes deconstruction. Homeowners are urged to make improvements with healthful materials and components that can dismantled and disposed of easily, down to fluorescent bulbs that do not contain mercury. Salvage the lumber — you may want to build a ramada on the west side of the house.

Homeowners with green ethics protect the land during projects by eschewing heavy equipment and recycling materials on site. Nicole and Tom had 800 feet of patio broken up and pushed into xeriscape berms. This eliminated a $400 cost for hauling away debris, plus the expense of new dirt. In the larger picture, it addresses the problem of landfill shortages, inevitable even in Arizona.