AG Green Beat
Is this the home of the future?
It very well could be Recently the Department of Energy hosted the bi-annual Solar Decathalon in DC and the winning entry is the Water Shed home built by the University of Maryland pictured here. What is so cool about this competition is that the criteria to participate and ultimately win this go far beyond solar innovation and are completely relevant to ...
Who should be using the New Green Appraisal Addendum
In the fall, I gleefully reported that the Appraisal Institute had created a green addendum to accompany the standard appraisal forms so that appraisers had an official way to evaluate and compare green features in homes. I am not going to spend time in this article discussing what is included in the addendum but here is my original article for ...
Can chicken coops help or hurt the sale of a home?
The property values? One of the first orders of business this year in Nashville’s quest for sustainability, is the urban hen. Currently they aren’t allowed here but there is a chicken ordinance bill working it’s way through City Council as we speak. If you are asking yourself how this pertains to real estate, I’ll tell you there are some freaked out ...
New 2012 AGBeat media kit available now
- We know you want the most sophisticated audience, and here it is!
Is today’s green design as sustainable as ancient buildings? Maybe not
Modern sustainable design We use the word “green design” a lot in the real estate and design worlds, but architectural historian and designer, Rachel Preston Prinz who heads the Archinia architectural cooperative that combines the industry’s top archaeology, design and landscape minds under Prinz’s leadership. In a very recent TEDx talk, Prinz talks about her work which ranges from ancient ...
The barn door concept is hot right now – interior design trend spotting
Hot interior design trend We’ve seen the barn door concept as illustrated above popping up in remodeled homes and newly built modern homes more and more and people are in love with the concept. It is not only functional as you can block off an entire room with one door then open it up easily, but the footprint is smaller ...
12 fabulous fences and great gates – exterior design trends
The often neglected exterior Often, when we move into a new home, our focus is on the interior- the walls, the furniture, the accessories, and many of us never make it to the exterior because hey, we’re never there and it already looks okay. “Fences and gates don’t have to be merely functional,” says Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer ...
Home improvement – when the one green aisle isn’t enough, TreeHouse is the answer
TreeHouse offers 26,000 sf of green products As environmental awareness becomes mainstream and less of a trend belonging to the elitists on the coasts, consumers are struggling to find home products that are considered green. Go into any big box home improvement store and find the green section, it’s typically an afterthought and placed awkwardly. Not at TreeHouse in Austin ...
Green real estate trend spotting – homes built with straw?
Maybe the First Little Pig wasn’t so dumb after all This fall I have had the privilege of working with some of Nashville’s most exciting visionaries in planning and hosting Nashville’s first annual Green Homes Tour. While I am happy to discuss with anyone the process of creating this event, what rocked my world was seeing some awesome alternative building materials ...
The rise of solar power in homes – a deeper look
There is a growing American obsession with finding ways to save energy and to join the green movement, but there is a lot of misinformation floating around. Commercial and Residential Energy Consultant, Michael Chance with Solar Energy USA is a wealth of information and is enthusiastic to enlighten AGBeat readers on the topic. Q: Why is solar the best option ...
Ryland faces $625,000 in fines for hundreds of EPA violations
Cleaning up their act The Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency today announced that they are charging Ryland Group of violating the Clean Water Act at 278 sites in 14 states. The federal departments say that one of the largest home builders in America leaked pollutants into stormwater and botched procedures for pollution prevention, inspections as well as permits. ...
Appraisal institute to officially recognize green features
Can I get an Amen? I’ll even settle for a WOOT from all you agnostics. Recently, the Appraisal Institute released this statement about the creation of an optional green features evaluation addendum to Fannie Mae Form 1004 which is the appraisal form used by appraisers for Fannie, Freddie, and FHA. As noted in the release, the contributory value of green ...
Cardboard furniture that holds up to 1,000 pounds – real estate staging
Cost effective method to stage vacant listings In a down economy, small business owners are looking for ways to save money. Some local Realtors spend big money on renting furniture for staging vacant listings, but an environmentally friendly and more cost effective staging tool is available in the form of cardboard-constructed reusable furniture. It’s sturdy, can be sat on, and ...
Benn Rosales
Conal Campbell
Elijah May
Lani Rosales
Tara Steele
Marti Trewe
Charlene Jimenez
