Chris Kaufmann

The following is taken from the November issue of Radish Magazine.

EcoBrokers

Find a green home with help from the pros

By Steve Trainor

Looking to buy a green home, but not sure exactly where to look or what it should include? You might consider hiring an EcoBroker to help.

EcoBrokers are licensed real estate agents who have been certified by EcoBroker International of Evergreen, Colo. The program teaches agents how to best help buyers and sellers of houses with green features and provides extra instruction in various environmental areas relating to green home features and construction. Topics covered include radon, asbestos, lead, water, mold, indoor air quality, energy efficiency technologies, sustainable energy options and mortgage options that award up to $15,000 worth of energy efficiency improvements for a home.

"Green living is becoming more and more popular," says EcoBroker Chris Kaufmann of Mel Foster Co. in Davenport, Iowa. "Combined with the high cost of everything, it helps people get the extra edge and more value for their money."

Three other EcoBrokers are currently in the Iowa Radish region, according to EcoBroker.com: Linda Thrasher, Remax Real Estate Centre (Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and Cedar Rapids); Chris Mottinger, Solon; and Verne Folkmann, Lepic-Kroeger Realtors, Coralville. All took online or classroom courses, did research and took tests, which included essays.

In the current tight economy, Thrasher says that more buyers are demanding energy efficiency in their homes. "That's a big selling point. People want value and are willing to pay for it," she says.

But buyers who want the greenest home they can afford often don't know where to go or whom to ask. "That's where we come in," says Kaufmann.

If you don't have an EcoBroker, there still are questions you can ask while you're shopping for an environmentally-friendly home. Here are several that Kaufmann and Thrasher suggest:

· Does the home have Energy Star appliances?

· How new and efficient are the air conditioner, furnace and water heater?

· Are the faucets and toilets "low-flow" (do they conserve water)?

· Is the flooring made from salvaged and/or recycled materials?

· Does the energy provider offer rebates to offset the cost of a new water heater or furnace?

• Does the carpet contain the preservative formaldehyde?

To determine how eco-friendly a home is, EcoBrokers use a checklist of 19 categories that cover everything from the roof to the landscape. The list contains almost 150 specific items.

Thrasher insists that there are enough green homes out there because many are equipped with Energy Star appliances - and appliances consume about 45 percent of the energy used in a home.

She says that being an EcoBroker excites her. "I get calls on what to do or use. I'm an eco-resource!" she says.

If a new home is what you want, most builders are happy to work with their clients to incorporate green design and amenities in a building plan. Thrasher and Kaufmann say that Dan Dolan Homes is one such builder, who has done ecofriendly homes in Davenport, Muscatine and Iowa City.

It's also possible to get a green loan for the eco-friendly home you choose. Green lenders are mortgage experts who can provide reduced interest rates, lower closing costs or energy analyses that allow buyers to set aside funds to make energy improvements later. Countrywide and Wells Fargo are two such lenders, the EcoBrokers say.

Want to green up the home you're in? They say that you can retrofit your home, making it a bit more eco-friendly as opportunities present themselves. You can replace old appliances with Energy Star appliances. You also can test for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer. They highly recommend a licensed radon test, saying that do-it-yourself kits aren't nearly as good.

With healthy, low-impact, efficient homes, Thrasher and Kaufmann are trying to ensure a better future for everyone.

"I'm kind of surprised I'm the only EcoBroker in the Quad-Cities metro area," muses Kaufmann. Maybe not for long.

About Radish:
Radish magazine is a guide to improving your health through the natural foods, products and services of western Illinois and eastern Iowa. Editorial content is geared to reflect lifestyle choices that lead to self-renewal and renewal of resources and includes information, news and advice on diet, cooking, health and fitness. Radish is published monthly and distributed free at farmers' markets, food stores, fitness clubs, libraries and health-care facilities.

The Smart Home is an unbelievable home which was built as a full scale exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The home was constructed in part with wired magazine and was built to the nine with the latest in efficient technology.

The home was designed by San Francisco architect, Michelle Kaufmann, (my sister...yeah, I like to brag) and erected by All American Homes. Michelle designs and builds sustainable, efficient modular homes & multi family buildings (like the mkSolaire in Chicago) for anyone wishing to drastically reduce their carbon footprint and live a much more comfortable lifestyle.

I took a tour of this home just after the grand opening. I was extremely impressed with the home from the minute I walked through the front door. On top of that, it was something my very own sister has accomplished and for that I could not be more proud. If any of you are in the Chicago area between now and January 2009, I highly recommend you check out this fabulous home.

The following was taken from from www.msichicago.org:

"You're invited to explore a real, three-story modular and sustainable "green" home in the Museum's own backyard to learn about the ways, big and small, that you can make eco-friendly living a part of your life.

The home, conceived by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and built by All American Homes, forms the exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and Warmed by Peoples Gas, which is open through January 4, 2009.

Celebrating exciting new directions in sustainable living and spectacular, environmentally-friendly technology, Smart Home offers guests guided tours of the 2,500 square-foot home and grounds, located in a park on the east side of the Museum. Bring your family to discover the latest innovations in reusable resources; smart energy consumption; sustainable gardens and green roofs; and clean, healthy-living environments in a contemporary setting."

Upon reading this most of you are probably unaware such a thing even exists. I was also oblivious to Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM's) and I sell real estate for a living. It was only after entering into my EcoBroker® Certification course several months back that Energy Efficient Mortgages were brought to my attention. Subsequently, I checked with a couple local Quad City lenders who were listed as qualified EEM providers to see exactly what kind of demand existed, if any, for this type of financing. Without surprise I discovered that the idea of even a green home existing in the Quad Cities was almost as rare as the EEM's in question. According to both lenders I spoke with, they acknowledged that such a financing tool existed however, there simply was not a demand for it. HELLO! Talk about a niche market. In my opinion it's because the general public does not know a financing tool exists. There may be a little more work involved with closing these types of loans but, let's consider the long term benefits. After all that's what being green is all about.

Keep in mind while reading this that I am not an expert in the field of Energy Efficient Mortgages. Each lender has their own unique criteria & guidelines they go by. If any of you would like to contact me and get the list of lenders available for this type of financing I would be happy to get that to you.

The nuts and bolts of obtaining an EEM are pretty strait forward. The home in question will first need to have a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) done to determine a couple things. Number one, Is the home already energy efficient, and if so how much? Is it Energy Star Rated or better yet, LEED Certified? Second, the HERS report should also include any potential upgrades to make the home more efficient and how much those improvements will cost. The third and final determination will be the overall cost savings on utility bills by adapting these changes and improvements. The lender will analyze the information provided in the report and determine which EEM is most suitable. Wait a minute, there is more than one type of EEM?? Yes, there may be several variations and options for the borrower to consider.

The Energy Efficient Mortgage has two main categories and different options under each one. The first is the basic Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) which generally relates to homes that are already Energy Star Rated or LEED Certified. The borrower can benefit from reduced closing costs, a slightly cheaper interest rate or the ability to finance a bigger more expensive home. The buyer can get themselves into a bigger home due to the lenders ability to stretch out the borrower's debt-to-income ratios. This can be done because of the proposed savings on future utility bills.

The second and more common EEM is the Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM). These are used to purchase new or existing homes that will have energy efficiency improvements made to them. EIMs allow borrowers to include 100% of the cost of energy efficiency improvements to an existing home in the mortgage. EIMs allow the borrower to use the money saved in utility bills to finance energy improvements. Under the EIM fall different guidelines depending on whether the buyer is approved conventionally, through FHA (Federal Housing Authority) or VA (Department of Veteran Affairs). I will allow your lender (available upon request) to discuss the actual guidelines on the above mention loans.

Ultimately, the EEM allows a buyer to capitalize on being green. Click the link to see an example of how savings can occur from making a few efficient improvements. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/energy_mort/energy-mortgage.htm

Here's a new idea, or should I say, an old idea finaly gaining recognition. A month or so ago I overheard an interview on Dwyer & Michaels (a local radio talk show). Something about a guy who gets some 50-60 miles to the gallon in his cavalier by "hypermiling". I didn't think much of it at the time but, after my wife said something I decided to try it out. Basically, its improving your current driving style to get better gas mileage.

First thing I did was increase the air pressure in my SUV tires (and of course my wifes tires as well). At a glance they looked to be relatively full. Nope, 28 psi on a tire rated for 45 psi. And here I thought I took care of my vehicles. So filled them to about 44 psi all around.

Second, I checked my air filter and all fluids. Everything looked good. I figured I better wash it while I was at it, but thats just me. Really had nothing to do with fuel economy. If I was going to start driving like an 89 year old I might as well look clean doing it.

So I set out to the open road. Believe it or not I could immediately notice a difference in my coasting abilities with the increase in air pressure. I thought, this is going to be great! I have a Chevy Trailblazer which keeps track of my average mpg and the current mpg. This makes it much easier than keeping track of your mileage at the gas pump. So I reset my average consumption and watched it for a while.

The key to hypermiling is common sense; being able to see down the road and anticipate what's going to happen. If you see a light down the road turn yellow, let off the gas. If you see a car down the road brake, let off the gas. This isn't racket science here, simply common sense. Actually, I was surprised that hypermiling doesn't even make me look like an elderly defensive driver.

So what's the result? In addition to saving on my brake pads, the wear and tear on my engine from all the stop and go, I have seen (according to my digital read-out) about 2 mpg increase. For all you Trailblazer owners out there, I was getting in the neighborhood of 15.4 mpg before this. I now see about 17.3 mpg in city driving conditions.

I will be the first to tell you that in order to effectively hypermile the driver must be alert and aware at all times. As a Realtor I do a lot of driving and half the time I am on the phone while doing it. That makes me less aware of whats going on around me. As a result my hypermiling may not be as effective as it could be. Do a little research on your own to see what factors you could change with your driving. What could it possible hurt?