Green Building Media Fact Sheet - Past, Present & Future

Past

Specialized, niche home builders began constructing resource-efficient, environmentally sensitive homes in the early 1970s. The home building industry coined the phrase "green building" in the late 1980s/early 1990s, turning a movement into a quiet revolution.

The first official green home building program began in 1991 in the city of Austin, Texas.

The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver introduced the first HBA-owned green building program in 1995. Over the years, Built Green® Colorado has become the largest green building program in the nation, with more than 100 builder members across the state.

Present

Today, new homes are twice as energy-efficient as they were 30 years ago, thanks to cutting-edge green building techniques and technologies available for new and remodeled homes.

Nationwide, roughly 61,000 homes were built using local green building program guidelines from 1990-2004. In 2004 alone, more than 14,000 green homes were constructed.

NAHB recently introduced voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines (www.nahb.org/gbg) to bring environmentally-friendly building techniques to mainstream builders and home builders associations. The guidelines offer builder and market-driven solutions in seven areas, including lot preparation and design, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, occupancy comfort and indoor environmental quality, and operation maintenance and homeowner education.

More specifically, homes built today use a myriad of green building techniques and technologies that Lower operating costs-homes are equipped with more efficient heating and cooling systems and use less water, resulting in lower monthly utility bills. Improved construction methods better protect homes from rain and ground water and reduce upkeep and replacement costs, while use of recycled materials helps conserve natural resources.

Reduce maintenance issues-landscaping uses native or drought-resistant plants and grasses, and decks made of pressure-treated lumber or synthetic materials need no sealing or staining.

Increase home value-homeowners with documented lower monthly utility bills are reporting higher re-sale values.

Improve environmental quality-moisture-control products and low VOC paints contribute to a more comfortable indoor environment, and efficient use of materials helps conserve natural resources.

NAHB's guidelines were developed in a consensus process by a group of more than 60 stakeholders representing key players in the green home building industry.

Future

Green building is a growing trend among home builders nationwide, with more than 30 successful green building programs now in existence. Eleven green building programs are owned or operated by members or affiliates of the National Association of Home Builders in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Washington. More than 15 more will be organized with support from the Green Building Initiative, an organization created to help implement NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines in markets across the country.

Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com

Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity

A 1750s farmhouse has a beautifully carved sandstone facade and offers sweeping views of the vineyards and the river.

In downtown Manhattan, new condo developments offer owners both single-house-style privacy and luxe-building-style amenities.

Where others saw a ruin, the buyer of a house in Millburn — a former contractor — perceived buried charm.

A gated community on Coney Island surrounded by sandy beaches, Sea Gate has a suburban feel.

The Yankee shortstop is selling an apartment on the 88th floor of Trump World Tower.

Until the financial crisis, foreigners had been a significant force in the real estate market, an area broker said.

A 1907 brownstone in Washington; a 1914 English Tudor in Kansas City, Mo.; and a 1925 bungalow in Sarasot., Fla.

The difference between viewing housing as a luxury good or as a staple is the subject of a debate about the recovery.

The property market in Stockholm has been insulated from the worst of the housing crisis by low interest rates and by a shortage of apartments in the city.

Laka Nona medical city will include a medical school, hospitals, research centers and space for biotech start-up companies.

Soho House is undergoing a $100 million expansion, including a new exclusive club in Miami Beach.

Real estate listings noting a need for TLC acknowledge problems with a property. Just what those are is not always clear.

Some economists and analysts urge a dose of shock therapy that would shift benefits to future homeowners from current ones: Let the housing market crash.

Two longtime loftmates appeared to be going their separate ways, but the hunt for new apartments landed them in the same building in Williamsburg.

In the weak economy, more buyers are being asked to shoulder the so-called flip tax.

West End Avenue and vicinity was once a stronghold of town houses. Three of the now-rare breed bear distinctive traces of the attentions of recent owners.

At River Pointe, a community in Manchester, N.J., solar technology that earns energy credits is a standard feature in each house.

Questions for a principal of the law firm Proskauer Rose and a co-chairman of the firm’s real estate division.

The wealthy and celebrities often buy property under limited liability companies, often with whimsical names.

Once a grand mansion steps from Central Park, it had fallen into disrepair. Now it is for sale for $8.95 million.

One in eight homeowners had household debt exceeding half the monthly income in 2008, a recent report says.

A parking space that comes with the lease; a condo building with no emergency reserve fund; a landlord’s liability in a burglary; dealing with fees on security deposits.

An art collector builds a nontraditional house in an Alpine village where life hasn’t changed that much in decades.

On Lake Waramaug, a converted boathouse has a stone foundation, a wraparound deck and direct access to the water.

A half-dozen buildings on Second Avenue will house ventilation equipment, disperse smoke and allow for evacuation from subway tunnels in emergencies.

A one-bedroom condo in Philadelphia, a three-bedroom bungalow in Tennessee and a two-bedroom house in Wisconsin.

Developers in Midtown are refurbishing older buildings, using tax credits and public financing, as much as they are building from scratch.