5 minute read
THE GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
from The Integrity Issue
by EXITAchiever
by Sr. Staff Writer & Graphic Designer,Melanie Robitaille
What if, as a real estate professional, you could be part of the solution to two of the biggest issues facing the housing sector? As the push for an all-electric grid and more efficient homes keeps moving forward, and the need for increased affordable housing seems more evident than ever across North America, agents like Associate Broker, Wayne Beals of EXIT Strategy Realty in Chicago, IL have become part of a silver lining, only in his case, it’s green.
Wayne was a general contractor and remodeler early in his real estate career and would come across properties built by Greenline Homes, a development company established in his area in 1999. He was impressed by the quality, so he reached out and maintains a close appreciation for and relationship with the owner, Benjamin Van Horne saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, become their REALTOR®. I’m a serious fan of what they’re doing.”
By acquiring land and building “on spec,” as Wayne calls it, Greenline is partnering with the Cook County Land Bank, the city, and through a network of landowners to try and unlock opportunities to build new and semi-custom homes. And these aren’t just any homes. They’re sustainable, affordable, and many are geared to the growing multifamily needs of the population
Hailed as one of Chicago Magazine’s 2020 Best Places to Live, many of Greenline’s latest designs are created with an “on grade” accessible unit on the ground floor and a single family living unit upstairs. Their homes carry the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating and cater to other green features Wayne sees as gaining popularity both from a builder’s and buyer’s perspective. Features like induction cooking surfaces that greatly reduce indoor air pollution from gas stoves, to heat pumps that replace furnaces or work as part of water heater and condensing dryer systems.
“The future is green. Climate change will impact every house on the planet, and we need to start making our homes more efficient and resilient to keep our markets economically viable. Eighty percent of the homes we’ll have by 2050 are already here. This means we need to get to work on making these homes, and all new homes, better. REALTORS® are in a perfect position to lead this way forward as part of their business plan,” he shared about why now is the time to be buying or investing in green homes and knowledge. “They make your family safer from polar vortexes and heat waves, as well as save you money on utilities. They’re quieter and more comfortable because they’re better insulated. There’s no possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. I could go on.”
THE INCOME FROM A MULTI UNIT CAN BE USED TO HELP QUALIFY A PURCHASER FOR A HOME AND INCREASE THE POPULATION OF POSSIBLE BUYERS IN A CLIMATE WHERE INTEREST RATES ARE HIGHER AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS REMAIN HIGH.
To best service this market and these clients, Wayne recommends that all real estate professionals obtain their Green designation from the National Association of REALTORS® saying, “You really should educate yourself in building science if you want to be a great agent. We all need to better understand our homes and how they function as shelter from climate, how they impact our environment, how they’re fueled, and their resiliency. These factors all impact the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a home as well, which makes it our business as market economists.”
It’s something he’s not only passionate about, but that he and his wife have both invested in together. Not only have they both aligned with Greenline Homes professionally, but they also recently commissioned their own all-electric home.
“My wife is a project manager there and we collaboratively designed a home and managed the build of it together with Greenline. The whole process from acquisition to move-in was two years. As far as features go, our home was built to U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home Standards. We expanded the original ranch home from 1,200 sq. ft. to over 3,000,” he explained. “Our utility bills are about $200 per month on average, and we use just over 17kW per year in power. The home is heated with a 48,000 BTU Mitsubishi Hyper Heat Pump System. Water heating is through a Rheem Platinum Heat Pump Hybrid Hot Water Heater.
For cooking, we have Bosch electric double ovens and induction cooktop. We clothes dry with a Whirlpool Heat Pump Condensing Dryer. Our home qualified for an electric utility incentive of $5,000. It has triple pane windows, R30 walls, and an R60 roof. It’s also very airtight with a Broan Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), bringing in filtered fresh air 24/7 that’s preconditioned with heat from the exhaust air.”
The home has a HERS® score of 37, meaning it uses far less energy than a code-built new home. This saves Wayne and his wife roughly $2,200 per year, in addition to cutting 12 tons of carbon from their footprint, and that’s before they install their Solar system, for which the home is already pre-wired. “Learn building science. Join local sustainability groups. Find out about ecology, sustainability, and construction. Be a sponge and a nerd so you can help your clients transition to the new energy economy,” Wayne encouraged as he looks to the future of real estate. “In 20 years, when you go to sell your home, do you think the consumer will want a more efficient or less efficient home? The needle is moving toward more efficient, so why invest in the old tech?”
TOO OFTEN NEW HOMES ARE OVERLY LARGE AND OVERPRICED FOR THEIR MARKETS, LEAVING OUT CONSUMERS WITH MORE MODEST HOUSING NEEDS AND BUILDING COMMUNITIES THAT BECOME MORE EXCLUSIONARY OVER TIME.
